I had an Alaskan and also a 7-1/2" Redhawk in 480 Ruger. After a couple of summers of load development and shooting them, I discovered 2 tings: 1) when shooting at the range, 20 shots was enough, and 2) I was getting 1250 FPS with 21 gr's of 2400 and a 365 RNFP bullet when shooting the 7-1/2" gun and the same load yielded 1025 FPS with the Alaskan shooting the same load. Surprisingly the Alaskan's recoil was not any more brisk than the 7-1/2" gun was. There are more powerful handguns out there to shoot, but I think the .480 is about the limit for most shooters. I sold them both to concentrate more on other guns.