What to buy 454 or 480 Ruger SA

A 454 Casull in a blackhawk configuration or the 480? I reload both calibers but do not have either one and I cant decide. Maybe someone here has one for sale and it would help me make up my mind.

Out of curiosity what are you going to use it for?

Flip a coin, best two out of three. If you don't like the results- there is your answer!
gramps

Few if any other gun manufacturers make revolvers for the Ruger 480. I'd go with the 454.

I already have a Rossi lever gun in .454.....so for me it's a no-brainer. :idea: And as has been said, I see a lot more guns chambered in .454 than .480.

As noted,, one consideration is to ask yourself what you'll use it for.
I own a Freedom Arms in 454 Casull. I also own 3 Rugers in 480. It wasn't planned that way,, it just sorta happened. I got my first 480 because I helped a guy get it,, and told him I had the "right of first refusal" for doing so. Yep,, after 2 years,, he "wanted something else," and I got it for a VERY good price.
I didn't "need" a caliber that big or such,, but I was surprised at how accurate it was,, along with how pleasant it was to shoot.
I had shot a FA in 454,, and the felt recoil was sharp & noticeable.
But,, again,, a deal came along and it was too good to pass on,, so I became the owner of a 454. Then,, a second 480 was offered with the longer barrel,, and again,, the price was one to not pass up. Soon after,, the Ruger Bisley in 480 was introduced,, and I had to have one.
So,, I now have a pair of single action's one in 454 & one in 480.
I shoot both,, and load for both,, and both enjoy reasonable availability of components.
For pure recoil comfort,, the 480 gets the nod IN MY HANDS!!!!!! Follow that with the ability for it to use a 400 grn slug,, easily,, makes it a fun big bore.
The 454,, while it has a sharper felt recoil,, it has the versatility of being able to use 45 Colt brass,, and ammo.
So,, as you can see,, both have their pro's & cons. A lot depends upon what your use for it is.

What do I plan to use it for? has been asked. Im a handgun hunter for deer and elk. I have no need for either caliber as I already shoot both in guns I own. Need has nothing to do with it, I want one because I don't have one...and Im trying to decide what to add to my Ruger collection.
Thanks all for the input and advice.

charlies said:

.........Need has nothing to do with it, I want one because I don't have one....

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That logic is why I have so many tools................. :mrgreen:

My personal opinion would be get the 480--no doubt in my mind. I have both calibers but much prefer the 480 ruger.

Ron

Whichever blows your skirt up. The .480 is a bigger hammer but that may or may not matter.

I've had both, much to be said for them both, personally I think the 480 is more interesting. Still have one in both calibers. I don't care for the 454 caliber, it's tough to load for and I know of two incidents of that caliber (in different guns) being used for attacking grizzlies. Both guns tied up with rounds pulling due to recoil. When Freedom Arms originally started loading this ammo (I'm told) they would load a gun, fire all but one round, load it again, fire all but that one original round and then measure it. If the bullet pulled at all they pulled all the bullets in the run and started over.

I have a 454 SRH I bought it because I couldn't pass up the deal.
I will say that their is way more bullet choices out there for the 454.
I've never had a bullet pull from the recoil in my 454. Heavy crimp.
I don't have a 480 but would love to have one some day.

Frankly it's a tossup. Th a ability to handle 45 ammo is a plus. I feel that the 480 is a dead end with all the heavy competition. The one revolver caliber that will definitely be around is the 45/70. But I don't know that the https://www.magnumresearch.com/bfr-big-frame-revolver/ in 45/70 will be. Frankly if I were in the market for a heavy hunting revolver I'd get the S&W 460 XVR, 12 or 14" barrel. Better ballistics and bullet availability, suitable for dangerous game, and pleasant to shoot. But that's just me.

Grobin,
I already shoot the 45-70 BFR and a S&W 460 10 inch. AS stated earlier I want a Ruger Blackhawk. I dont need one. I want..

He who has the Wants must have Both

Bill

charlies, you sound like a friend who collects and fires the big guns. I find some a lot of fun and others not so.

In this case get both, if you get just one you will want the other forever!

I like handcannons....a 14 inch Encore barrel in 460 Weatherby was my penultimate barrel. Sold it because frame opened after 80 or so grains of powder. Factory at the time was 112 grains. Way too big for a break open frame. My last was a 500 Pounder in an Encore barrel A 375 Ultra Mag opened up to shoot 50 BMG bullets.
Leaning towards the 480 as 454s are scarce on gun forums.
Nouf said.

grobin said:

I feel that the 480 is a dead end with all the heavy competition......Frankly if I were in the market for a heavy hunting revolver I'd get the S&W 460 XVR, 12 or 14" barrel. Better ballistics and bullet availability, suitable for dangerous game, and pleasant to shoot. But that's just me.

Click to expand...

A dead end???

If you wanna hunt with a 5lb monstrosity like the X-frame, that's your prerogative. All it's going to gain you is range at the expense of portability. It's not going to kill anything bigger or deader. Are you shooting game at 200yds?

The 480 is a dead end as it has so much competition in the genre and doesn't bring anything unique to the table! If you can't shoot an elk at 200 yards why are you carrying a hand cannon? Well..., I guess you could CC a stubby Alaskan in 480? Shoot the "Predator" close up!

What are you talking about? Personally, I don't think a +70oz X-frame is competing with the 52oz SRH .480, let alone the lighter Bisley. The .480 fits into a standard sized sixgun and it's going nowhere. Brass and bullets will be plentiful for the foreseeable future.

There are plain few folks who can shoot game at 200yds with a revolver and somehow I doubt you're one of them. The whole point of handgun hunting is the greater challenge of getting closer to the game. If you think the X-frame is so great, knock yourself out but you're paying a weight/bulk/pressure/blast penalty for range you can't even use.