480 Ruger vs 475/480 BFR

[Lloyd Smale]

I agree with you and certainly wont argue with John but ive seen it both ways. Ive owned linebored guns with match barrels that shot fantastic and ive had them that shot average. Ive had out of the box rugers that have shot great and ones that shot average and even a couple that did poor. One 45 vaquero I had that was so loose after shooting BIG loads for years that it sounded like a rattle when you shook it. That gun shot fantastic but it bothered me that it was getting so loose so I sent it to a very reputable gunsmith to put a new match barrel on and fit it up tighter. It wasn't linebored it was fitted up like John does them. He doesn't linebore (at least didn't use to) The gun came back and went from an exceptional shooter to just an average shooter. So there can be more at work here then just fitting. John himself said that he can build 5 guns with the same barrels and same fitting and 4 will be exceptional and one might not be and he himself doesn't even have the answers to why. Point of this is that just because a sixgun is fit up tight and precise its no real guarantee its going to be a one hole gun at 50 yards. Chances are it will at least be a decent shooting gun but theres no guarantees.

I had two guns built at the same time by a reputable gunsmith. Both on old model rugers. One a 41 mag that was just punched out to 41 and had a new 41 cal barrel on put on it. The other a 44 special that was a full custom linebored guns. The 41 hands down outshoots the 44 special. Ill also add that the two most accurate handguns ive ever shot (neither mine) were a super redhawk 44 mag and a 44 mag Blackhawk hunter. Both owned by different people and both would shoot groups at a 100 yards that a guy with a bolt rifle would be proud of. Ive got right now 8 custom sixguns and five guns in the safe and wouldn't put a single one up against those two sixguns.

Fitment has much more to do with getting great accuracy! Linebaugh tried a large selection of barrels on a single gun ranging in his words from crudely made home-rifled tubes to the best match grades available once-- the better barrels fouled less but on a properly fitted revolver they all shot good

[Ed K]

I was attracted to the 480 since it's a low pressure round and can sling a bigger boolit than the 44 without abusive recoil.

I'd suggest you look into this further. This is not really true. What is true is that just about any 45 and on up cartridge can be loaded for lower recoil than a SAAMI pressure loaded 44 magnum. However the 480 loaded to proper spec is in reality considerably more powerful ( and accordingly abusive) than a 44. In fact, loaded to spec there is precious little difference between it and the 475L.

[44man]

The very hardest guns I have worked with were those fit so tight nothing moved. Pins and cylinders dead tight.
BFR's still have a small amount of play but what I found by measuring many, mine and friends guns, are that bore and groove plus throats have all been on the money. Barrels are Badger and hand lapped. Castings and internal parts are all made by Ruger's Pine Tree foundry. Triggers need the same treatment as Ruger but the precision shop ones need nothing. Mine has never been apart except to put the Wolfe hammer spring in.
My friend bought a Ruger Hunter in .44, I did the trigger and put his Ultra Dot on it. HE shot 1/2" groups at 50 as he sighted it. I can't complain about Rugers at all. My SRH would do 1/2" out of box. Never had to do a thing to it. With a scope I could shoot beer cans at 200.

[ole 5 hole group]

My SRH would do 1/2" out of box. Never had to do a thing to it. With a scope I could shoot beer cans at 200.

Ya know Jim, I was doing that last week in fact - I fired 30 rounds of 500 JRH at those small 12 ounce beer cans with the lupy set at 8X. I killed a couple, knocked a couple over from the boolit kicking sand but I missed most - the youngsters didn't give me any credit for coming close. Took me 10 rounds to sight in at 200, so I felt comfortable with the X-hair. I then tried off-hand and all cans were safe. I fired a total of 50 rounds that day at 200 yards and the kids fired 100 rounds total, cans were pretty safe but when we went for paper targets at 50 yards - those targets caught hell from all.

My wrist barked at me for a couple days afterward.

Next time out with the heavies, I'll have to take the 500 Linebaugh Maximum for a spin, but we'll be sending 440's downrange at 1,000fps so I can enjoy myself without complaining and whining to much. It's just an iron sighted beast, so any 200 yard shooting will basically be wasting powder & shot to see who can come closest to a small but visible target. To my eyes, even wearing prescription shooting glasses, a beer can blends into the berm pretty well. On a sunny day - florescent green shows up well - takes about a 10" square for me.

[44man]

I have not shot the JRH at 200 yet, range needs mowed. I have the Ultra Dot on and am curious about drop out there. A target that I can see is tough to find since my backstop is in the shade.
I never adjust the red dots once sighted for deer, I hate those funny adjustments, they never follow what they are supposed to do. I just aim high or put a target above what I am shooting at.
Have you figured from scope clicks about how much drop there is between 50 and 200?

[chuckbuster]

I just can't decide


Waiting for the SBH Bisley .480 to come in (unlike 44man I like the bisley grip especially with "Bearpaw" grip upgrade). Keep in mind that it is 6.5" Five Shot, no scope mount provision. The BFR comes Drilled and Tapped with a base so all set up to mount optics if you want or need.

Kevin

[Whiterabbit]

I gotta go with the bottom one there, Chuck.

[ole 5 hole group]

I have not shot the JRH at 200 yet, range needs mowed. I have the Ultra Dot on and am curious about drop out there.
Have you figured from scope clicks about how much drop there is between 50 and 200?

Not really, but I have a WAG. The revolver normally is not scoped but when we took it out I put on the 2.5X8X32 Leupold intending to shoot 100 yard groups but one thing lead to another and we decided to shoot at beer/pop cans at 200. Fired one shot at 25 yards to get the X-hair aligned vertically and then fired a couple shots at 200 looking for dirt strikes - I was high at 25 by about 4/5 inches or so but I was around 3 feet or so low at 200, so I just held at my aiming point and adjusted the X-hair to my strike point and then fired several more to get it where I thought I could hit those cans. I don't remember what revolver I had that scope on last and don't recall if the last shots fired were at 50 or 100 yards the last time I used it. That scope normally gets used on the 454 and 500 JRH BFR's, 500 S&W and the FA 45 Colt. CRS is a normal condition for me most of the time.

If my memory is correct it took a full revolution and then a little to get there and when we backed down to 50 I held at the bottom of the target and repeated aligning the scope. This leupy has 15 moa per revolution at 100 yards with quarter minute clicks, so a good guess would be 75 or a few more or less clicks? The bullet strike from 200 to 50 looked like 24 to 30 inches - somewhere in there. Our velocity from that 6" barrel was chronographed several years ago at 1,253 fps that's a 440 grain in front of 28.0 grains of IMR-4227.

Next time out we'll bring the 500 JRH and count the clicks but I think we'll use a "softer" load - maybe 14 grains of HS-6 as that gets right at 976 fps with a 6" barrel, while the 15 grain load does 1,033 fps - 976 is very enjoyable compared to 1,253 fps.

[44man]

I will test mine, it should not be that much. I sight at 50 and am only an inch or less low at 100.
Shooting water bottles at 100, I aimed at the upper half and darned if I didn't hit right there.
That big boolit will carry. I would expect about 18" at 200. Same as my .475.
The 45-70 BFR drops 16" and my big .44 boolit drops 35" with 50 yard settings. But the 330 gr .44 is kind of large for the caliber.
Had trouble with the old mower when I cut the 100 yards, deck is low so I need to check air in tires before I do the rest. I cut sticks and stones with the deck raised. I had to check the hook up and it is fine. The weeds to 200 are 2' high!
I need a new seat for 200 too, the old one rotted away.
Now you know why I did not shoot there.

[ole 5 hole group]

A lot could depend on your weight, meplate and velocity. I think you shoot a 400 grain. My 440 grain is moving out pretty good buts it's got a 90% meplate - it's the ole Range Rick bullet but shoots well to 100. Grouping at 200 is hit or miss, as I'm no longer able to get my timing down for much over 50 yards to shoot those tiny bug holes with a great handgun & heavy load. I know what I use to do but what I can do today is a bit different unless Lady Luck is with me for a group or two at those ranges. She leaves pretty quick after a great group at 100 or 200. Calling fliers just doesn't cut it.


I'm pretty sure I could hit more cans at that range if they would just put them closer to each other.

[44man]

Mine is 440 gr with an 80% meplat. Meplat does not mean a whole lot with a revolver. Spin is where it is.

[americano]

anything over 50 cal is considered a destructive device and cant be chambered in a handgun

testing first post anthor x lineman Infantry for God and needed a big Gun 45 70 bfr back ordered bought 2 others a 50 sw and a bfr 50sw hodgdon has tight group listed for 8 bullets but mine are 330 gr lead ply coated any feed back my plan was to load start at 15% under the 11 gr of tight group and work up 2 gr at a time, any feed back appreciated. There is one guy saying another guy blew up his sw 50 with 17 grains but he didn't say what bullet , they staring load was 11 grains with a metal jacket 275gr and 350 same but another kinda bullet. gonna try after hodgdons get back to be hope next week seems to me I can start with 8.5 gr powder with no problems any feed back sure be welcome on real experience not bs, thanks for any real experiences

[Whiterabbit]

real world. I prefer slow powders like H110 for the S&W cartridges. I did not like AA#9 but H110 is spectacular.