480 project

[CatmSsgt]

Greetings gents,
So, I have a SRH 7 1/2 inch 6 shot. 480 Ruger. Im probably chasing a ghost here but I would like to convert to a 5 shot cylinder. Hoping I might come across a salvage gun for parts that I could take the cylinder , extractor rod, hand etc. I know its a long shot. I could have a cylinder custom made of course, but the rarity of small parts makes that job pretty difficult to complete. So, what I would really need is an Alaskan 480 to grab some parts from. Thanks for any thoughts . Eric

 

[hittman]

Welcome to the forum

Once you’ve been here long enough and have sufficient posts you can place a WTB ad in Classifieds

 

[Hawk-in-Wi]

seems it would be a lot easier to just put the longer barrel on the Alaskan

 

[CatmSsgt]

Welcome to the forum

Once you've been here long enough and have sufficient posts you can place a WTB ad in Classifieds

thanks

 

[CatmSsgt]

seems it would be a lot easier to just put the longer barrel on the Alaskan

that would be an option too, though I heard changing these barrels is a pain. definitely another option to think about. Thanks for the thought.

 

[G2]

Why 5 vs 6?
The very first Alaskans in 480R were 5 shots, but those numbers are very limited and considered collectible, usually bringing BIG money.

SRH in 5 shot,,, they existed???

I'm not a SRH enthusiast, but I will buy, sell, trade them when the price is right. Never seen a 5 shot.

I do own a 480R & 454C SBH Bisley w/ 5.5" octagon barrels, 5 shot.

And Alaskan's…

 

[Hawk-in-Wi]

here you go, maybe, he doesn't say if it's a 5 or 6 shot

https://www.rugerforum.com/threads/...uger-7-boxes-of-hornady-ammo-and-dies.319971/

 

[CatmSsgt]

thanks for the lead.

 

[CatmSsgt]

Why 5 vs 6?
The very first Alaskans in 480R were 5 shots, but those numbers are very limited and considered collectible, usually bringing BIG money.

SRH in 5 shot,,, they existed???

Beautiful collection. The reason I want a 5 shot is because the 6 shots are kind of notorious for sticky chambers leading to difficult extraction. Both 480's Ive had, both 6 shots, both had to go back to Ruger to ream the chambers. Just thought if I could find one id prefer the 5 . But, not an easy find. The 5 shot Alaskan was Rugers fix to the sticky chambers, thicker chamber walls between the cartridges, however at some point they went back to 6 shot, so there are not many 5 shots available

 

[gnappi]

My SRH has not had sticky extraction, what are you stuffing them with that a 5 shot might cure?

 

[CatmSsgt]

My SRH has not had sticky extraction, what are you stuffing them with that a 5 shot might cure?

The hornady loads that they first released were kinda hot 1300 fps. They stuck in both 480's. My lower pressure hand loads seem to be ok, which is what I mostly shot in the 1st one I owned. The NIB New Old Stock that I just acquired also sticks with Hornady factory loads. I only put 3 rounds through it, so its still brand new. Im not trying my hand loads in it until I send it to Ruger for chamber reaming. That said, id probably not have an issue with lighter loads, but I would like to be able to fire whatever load id like through it. The 5 shot cylinder fix that Ruger originally did was a smart move. Unfortunately they went back to 6 shot, so swapping to a 5 shot without having a custom cylinder made is impossible. I can have a 5 shot made, but Rugers reluctance to sell the other small parts also makes that project very difficult. So, here I am, looking for a 5 shot so I can take the needed parts to swap, then use the Alaskan frame for another project or sell as a parts gun. I know its kinda over the top, but hey..we do what we want sometimes when it comes to having what we want

 

[DutchV]

Have you looked at polishing the chambers, or having someone do it? That might enough to fix the extraction issues.

 

[contender]

DutchV has a good point.

If your main issue with the 6 shot vs the 5 shot cylinders is sticky extraction,, then why not let Ruger polish it out,, OR,, if they say "It's within specs" have a good honing done to the 6 shot. That would cost a LOT less than buying a gun, swapping parts & such. And the expense of having a custom cylinder & the necessary parts to make it work is a bit much.

May I suggest you contact a member here,, and a well known "fixer" of such cylinder issues? His name is Fermin Garza. He goes by "2dogs" here. He does cylinder reaming & honing etc all the time.

If you need his contact info,, let me know. You'll need 10 posts here to use the PM feature,, so make a few posts,, and then contact him via PM or send me one & I can give you his phone number.

 

[CatmSsgt]

Thanks, yes I have talked to Ruger and they can provide an RMA to return the gun for reaming. This will be the 3rd Ruger ive had to send back for the exact same issue. Pretty disappointing. I would be interested 2dogs contact info. My other thought was if I could make a 5 shot cylinder I would have the chamber lengthened for 475Linebaugh. Yes, it’s long enough. 6 shot thin walls couldnt handle it, a 5 shot could.

 

[CatmSsgt]

Have you looked at polishing the chambers, or having someone do it? That might enough to fix the extraction issues.

Ruger will do it for free. Just was banging the idea around on going 5 shot if I could find the parts and be done with it. having a cylinder made isnt an issue, getting the small parts needed for the conversion is another story.

 

[hittman]

This will be the 3rd Ruger ive had to send back for the exact same issue.

You may be the unluckiest Ruger owner ever.
All this with factory ammo or reloads?

 

[contender]

CatmSsgt,,, see if you can send me a PM. If you can, I'll give you Fermin's number.

 

[DutchV]

I would definitely refer this job to Fermin.

 

[CatmSsgt]

You may be the unluckiest Ruger owner ever.
All this with factory ammo or reloads?

I always use factory ammo for test firing new firearms. So, all of these issues were with Factory ammo. Both 480's ive owned and an sp101 chambered for .327 Magnum. My handloads are always on the mild side, I make plinkers etc. But I always want to be sure a revolver will handle anything I feed it. yes..im unlucky with everything

 

[CNY375]

Hello there,

I recently purchased a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in 480 Ruger, and I'm having sticky extraction on everything I run out of it. Factory, reloads, ect... Even loads that are on the extremely mild side. Anyone that has experience sending them back to Ruger - did Ruger actually fix the issue? Furthermore, are you able to just ship the cylinder and crane assembly back or do you need to ship the entire firearm? Thank you in advance for any insight you may be able to provide.

Warmly,
Adrian

 

[contender]

Good evening!

Welcome to the Forum!

Apologies for any delays in any responses. Often,, old threads don't get looked at as quickly.

Ruger has a good reputation for fixing the sticky extraction issues they have had with this model. But they will need the whole gun.
The best thing would be to contact Ruger directly,, ask for an RMA,, and they will likely send you a free return label. And if your state will allow a mfg to ship directly back to a customer their property,, no additional fees necessary.

OR,, as noted in old posts,, Fermin can hone chambers in cylinders easily.

 

[Bigbore5]

Or you can by a hone from flexhone and do it yourself. Very easy to polish a chamber.

Contact Ronnie Wells. Your 6-shot cylinder can handle the 475 Linebaugh pressure loads. John himself said there's no real world difference between the 475 and 480 with proper handloads.

 

[CNY375]

Or you can by a hone from flexhone and do it yourself. Very easy to polish a chamber.

Contact Ronnie Wells. Your 6-shot cylinder can handle the 475 Linebaugh pressure loads. John himself said there's no real world difference between the 475 and 480 with proper handloads.

Flexhone only makes them up through 45 Caliber, otherwise, I would certainly attempt the task myself. I have a 45 caliber on the way to hone the 460 SW cylinder on my Raging Hunter. Furthermore, I reached out to see if the would be willing to make one in .475 caliber; but I won't get my hopes up.

Who is Ronnie Wells?

 

[CNY375]

Good evening!

Welcome to the Forum!

Apologies for any delays in any responses. Often,, old threads don't get looked at as quickly.

Ruger has a good reputation for fixing the sticky extraction issues they have had with this model. But they will need the whole gun.
The best thing would be to contact Ruger directly,, ask for an RMA,, and they will likely send you a free return label. And if your state will allow a mfg to ship directly back to a customer their property,, no additional fees necessary.

OR,, as noted in old posts,, Fermin can hone chambers in cylinders easily.

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, my state will require extra fees for sending the firearm for service. I had work completed twice this past spring (manufacture failed to fix it the first time), and my wallet was dinged twice :(

That's why I asked if they needed the entire firearm. If it was just the cylinder, then I could just mail it myself, but instead I'll have to go through an FFL.

 

[Bigbore5]

Flexhone only makes them up through 45 Caliber, otherwise, I would certainly attempt the task myself. I have a 45 caliber on the way to hone the 460 SW cylinder on my Raging Hunter. Furthermore, I reached out to see if the would be willing to make one in .475 caliber; but I won't get my hopes up.

Who is Ronnie Wells?

Not sure if you're joking or not, but Ronnie Wells makes gripframes and other parts up to full guns, frames and all. He can be contacted through his website Ronnie Wells gripframes, or found on the Proboards Singleactions.com forum.

 

[CNY375]

Not sure if you're joking or not, but Ronnie Wells makes gripframes and other parts up to full guns, frames and all. He can be contacted through his website Ronnie Wells gripframes, or found on the Proboards Singleactions.com forum.

Honestly, wasn’t joking. I didn’t know who he was. I just joined this forum a week ago, so just gaining my footing. My apologies. I’ll certainly check him out.