.480 Super Blackhawk ?

[steve b]

Will we ever see a .480 SBH ? Like to see 5.5"-6.5" with cylinder making full use of frame window. I can accept a 5-shooter if need be. Round trigger guard please ! steve b

 

[contender]

No plans that any of us have heared of from Ruger. Now,, if you go to the Gallery section,, check out sixshot's custom 5 shot 480 he's planning on slaying a bear with in a week or so.

 

[Bucks Owin]

There's gotta be a bigger bore 5 shot Blackhawk somewhere in the future I hope, and .480 Ruger would be a natural you'd think....Heck, I'd even be happy with a ".45 Linebaugh" SBH built to his same tight specs....

 

[BlkHawk73]

Have said it here on more than one thread regarding the very same question... From a Ruger rep I spoke with a few months ago, "It's pretty much a dead cartridge". Thus...I wouldn't hold your breath for one.
Of course, if having one IS so important, there's the gunsmiths that'll make you one.

 

[BlkHawk73]

I think more of what killed the .480 is the .460 and .500 cartridges coming out just after. People want the biggest and more powerful for some reason and these two simply overshadowed the .480.

 

[c.r.]

I think more of what killed the .480 is the .460 and .500 cartridges coming out just after. People want the biggest and more powerful for some reason and these two simply overshadowed the .480.

I do not disagree with you have said.

I believe this is why Ruger should have offered the 480 in a single action. Then Ruger wouldn't be competing head to head with the 460/500 S&W on a DA platform.

As much as I would love to see the 480 offered in a bisley, I believe that Ruger has good reason for NOT offering the 480 in a SA platform. whether it's the cost to retool or a safety concern, they have their reason.

just my 2 cents
~c.r.

 

[tek4260]

I wish they would make one!!!

But I bought a 475 BFR and it is at Clements getting worked over. I would have rather had a Ruger to be honest. Still not sure about the whole stainless thing

 

[lark63]

Shoot a Ruger 480-You will like it.
Now for reasons one way or another- I like mine :oops:

 

[powder smoke]

I think more of what killed the .480 is the .460 and .500 cartridges coming out just after. People want the biggest and more powerful for some reason and these two simply overshadowed the .480.

Wasn't it problems with extraction of spent cases that killed the .480? I don't believe Ruger ever had a sales problem. The biggest problem with the .480 was getting them out there, every time they released a model it came back with problems. That is my recollection.

It's a shame after all the money that went into the .480 to let it die. I would of liked to see it in a single action 5 shot platform. Who knows they may have tried it and ended with the same results as the redhawk. ps

 

[chet15]

I think more of what killed the .480 is the .460 and .500 cartridges coming out just after. People want the biggest and more powerful for some reason and these two simply overshadowed the .480.

Wasn't it problems with extraction of spent cases that killed the .480? I don't believe Ruger ever had a sales problem. The biggest problem with the .480 was getting them out there, every time they released a model it came back with problems. That is my recollection.

Yes...that was another big part of it. You're right...several models had QC issues.
Chet15

 

[temmi]

Rant on…

Dropping a fine cartridge like the 480 due to some production issues in their revolvers would be silly to the extreme.

It would be tantamount to telling the world that they had no Idea how to build a big bore revolver….

Heck they designed the round if they can’t get it to work who can…

BTW, how did S&W get the 500 and 460 working and Ruger could not get their own round functioning in the SRH?

It is a fine round I just think they lost the marketing war… and that is a shame; they had a full year head start.

… Rant off

 

[Bucks Owin]

Well, a 5 shot cylinder in the Maximum length BH frame is long overdue for we stump thumper SA fans....I guess Ruger has forgot those of us Blackhawk fans who believe "big bore" doesn't end at .452"... :cry: As to safety concerns, I don't buy it at all. Anyone ever hear of a BH Max framed .475 or .500 Linebaugh Long grenading yet? Didn't think so.... :wink:

 

[bisleyfan41]

I think more of what killed the .480 is the .460 and .500 cartridges coming out just after. People want the biggest and more powerful for some reason and these two simply overshadowed the .480.

I still believe it was more the package than the round itself that doomed the 480. IMO a SA would have sold far better.

Look at it this way:

Ruger finally brought out a 44 sp in a mid-frame SA. Why? Because gunsmiths for years have made fortunes on such conversions. Gunsmiths convert mostly 357 SAs to 44sp. Not SPs, not GPs, not RHs. SINGLE ACTIONS! The demand was for SAs, not DA!!!

Gunsmiths have also made fortunes converting SAs to the 475s and 500s. Some RHs and SRHs, yes, but mostly SAs. Probably 5 or more SAs for every DA. But what does Ruger do? Chamber a 475 in a DA. What?? The overwhelming demand was for a big bore SINGLE ACTION and you bring out a DA???? What?!?!

I like the SRH and all, but the 480 was a case of right round, wrong platform. Sixshot's 480 is a perfect example of what should have been.

 

[Kanook]

I gotta agree with you on that. I want a SBH or a BH in 454 but I will probablyhave to have it made. If the 480 was in a SBH or a BH I probably would own one.

 

[tek4260]

Hey Ruger,

My offer still stands. You make it, and I'll buy 2, to start with :D

 

[BrianU]

I did not think about the .480 having to compete with some of the other big boomers that S&W was putting out and I am sure that counts for something. I am still primarily with the gentleman who stated right round, wrong gun. Every swing'in pistol maker builds a double action, but Ruger pretty much owns the market when it comes to affordable, quality SA's. Ross Seyfried's Bowen Bisleys , IMHO, define looks, elegance, functionality, and on top of all that, still carries well on the hip......what a true hunting pistol is all about. While I have no doubt the SRH is a fine gun, it is probably the only revolver that gives my Glock a run for its money as far as looking utilitarian and I think actually beats it in the ugly department.

I do not know if I will ever be able to afford to own a Bowen pistol, but I would have been very happy to have a factory .480 Bisley and bought the first one I could have gotten my hands on. Not chambering that round in a SA will always make me wonder, "What were they thinking?".

Brian

 

[Bucks Owin]

I'm with you Brian, if anything can revive the dying (but good!) .480 cartridge, it'll be the building of a SBH to fire it.....IMO anyway. BTW, I think it'd be a "bigger bore" that folks could actually enjoy shooting in a BH too...Cartridges in the .454 Casull, .475/.500 Linebaugh category aren't for the inexperienced masses recoil wise I expect..... :shock:

 

[Axehandle]

No 480 Complaints here... I think I have a 5 gallon bucket of brass to go with my 480 SRH and 480 Alaskan... I'd buy a factory BH 480 but for me any Blackhawk based custom .475 bore gun will always be a Linebaugh..

 

[UmpquaCharlie]

I had...I'll say again... had to buy a 45-70 BFR to get a big SA I could afford. It is powerful if I want it to be and mild using my reloads. A good companion piece to my 1886.
Charlie

 

[Lee Martin]

It seems like Ruger just doesn't want to go the 5-shot route (DA or SA). I gotta think if they did a limited run in 480 thru a distributor though, they'd quickly see there's demand.

Maybe something along these lines in 480? (475 Linebaugh pictured):

 

[Onty]

I still believe it was more the package than the round itself that doomed the 480. IMO a SA would have sold far better.

Look at it this way:

Ruger finally brought out a 44 sp in a mid-frame SA. Why? Because gunsmiths for years have made fortunes on such conversions. Gunsmiths convert mostly 357 SAs to 44sp. Not SPs, not GPs, not RHs. SINGLE ACTIONS! The demand was for SAs, not DA!!!

Gunsmiths have also made fortunes converting SAs to the 475s and 500s. Some RHs and SRHs, yes, but mostly SAs. Probably 5 or more SAs for every DA. But what does Ruger do? Chamber a 475 in a DA. What?? The overwhelming demand was for a big bore SINGLE ACTION and you bring out a DA???? What?!?!

I like the SRH and all, but the 480 was a case of right round, wrong platform. Sixshot's 480 is a perfect example of what should have been.

Couldn’t agree more. All they need is to make 5 bore cylinder and make sure that cylinder is at least 1.850” long. No need for larger frame. Just cylinder made from some of those strong steels like on 454 and 480 SRH. Also, how about rimmed 500 (500 Ruger!?) with 1.285 long case, loaded with something like this: 502-440-K http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=79627

Shall I say that cylinder should be fluted and its pin to have #5 configuration? Cylinder free spinning pawl wouldn’t hurt either. And MUST be also available with Bisley grip. Main reason I did not purchase BFR in 480; no Bisley grip.

 

[Bucks Owin]

I like Glen Fryxell's description of the .480 Ruger: "The .416 Rigby of handguns"....No, it's not as powerful as the .475 Linebaugh, but still, a 400 gr @ 1100 fps is nothing to sneeze at! (And Hodgdon apparently lists 48K loads to 1300+!) Personally, a 5 hole SBH in .500 WE would really float my boat.... :wink: http://www.lasc.us/480Ruger.htm

 

[BrianU]

It seems like Ruger just doesn't want to go the 5-shot route (DA or SA). I gotta think if they did a limited run in 480 thru a distributor though, they'd quickly see there's demand.

Maybe something along these lines in 480? (475 Linebaugh pictured):

While we are wondering why, or why not, Ruger does certain things, that picture really makes me wonder why Ruger insists on putting some kind of scroll on their Bisley cylinders. My Acusport Bisley is one of my favorate pistols, but that clean, unfluted cylinder looks 100 times better.

 

[Onty]

When I was younger, nothing less than 40,000 cup magnum load was acceptable. Recoil, what is that? When I saw articles where experienced shooters/writers made public about the price they paid for shooting lot of heavy kicking loads, I started thinking about slowing down before I experience something similar. Also, after reading bit about 480 this round made a lot of sense. Now, using 500 to lunch 400-450 gr bullet, utilizing less pressure than 480, this is definite advantage in my opinion. In that respect, noted 502-440-K or similar bullet, lunched at 1000-1100 fps, should be enough even for large wild boar at 100 yds.

...While we are wondering why, or why not, Ruger does certain things, that picture really makes me wonder why Ruger insists on putting some kind of scroll on their Bisley cylinders. My Acusport Bisley is one of my favorate pistols, but that clean, unfluted cylinder looks 100 times better.

I agree about those scrolls. However, I found that fluted cylinder is much easier to handle, especially when something got stuck and/or cylinder surface is slippery. Here is my little idea how 5-bore cylinder will look with flutes.

 

[mohavesam]

It's been printed a couple of times that Bill Ruger had a "gentlemans' agreement" with John Linebaugh about producing five-shot SA revolvers though I cannot remember where I had at least one article stating it.

I makes about as much sense as Ruger not ever making a HD SBH five-shot in the namkesake chambering.

.
.

 

[BrianU]

When I was younger, nothing less than 40,000 cup magnum load was acceptable. Recoil, what is that? When I saw articles where experienced shooters/writers made public about the price they paid for shooting lot of heavy kicking loads, I started thinking about slowing down before I experience something similar. Also, after reading bit about 480 this round made a lot of sense. Now, using 500 to lunch 400-450 gr bullet, utilizing less pressure than 480, this is definite advantage in my opinion. In that respect, noted 502-440-K or similar bullet, lunched at 1000-1100 fps, should be enough even for large wild boar at 100 yds.


I agree about those scrolls. However, I found that fluted cylinder is much easier to handle, especially when something got stuck and/or cylinder surface is slippery. Here is my little idea how 5-bore cylinder will look with flutes.

Its interesting that you come up with a 5-shot fluted cylinder. My Acusport Bisley .45 is the the convertible model. Being a huge fan of blued revolvers, I bought my stainless Bisley purely as my go-to field gun and the .45 ACP cylinder has no appeal to me, other than being able to say I have a convertable Ruger in my collection. When I had the throats done on the .45 Colt cylinder, it got me wondering how much it would cost to have the fluted .45 ACP cylinder rechambered to 45 Colt. I can not ever see myself selling this pistol, so whatever resale I might be ruining is not an issue.

 

[Bisley 45]

Bottom line, Ruger does not need the money. Any opions?

 

[Wrangler John]

I wanted one so bad, I purchased one of Gary Reeder's Ultimate .480 Ruger 5 shot conversions. Even he doesn't catalog them any more - most guys want the .475 Linebaugh. I had this one built up with the Bisley hammer and trigger on a Super Blackhawk style grip frame. It also has Reeder's interchangeable front sight. Interestingly the cylinder may be a five shot but is slightly smaller in diameter than the Super Redhawk, and has less meat between the chambers and cylinder O.D.. However the web between the chambers is way thicker than the SRH. This one was built on a scrap .357 / 9mm Convertible Blackhawk frame.

It's a great gun for cast bullets, and with lighter loads it shoots very well, but for full house loads you need a glove and NSAID dose. I shot a few Federal Vital-Shok 275 grain loads with the Barnes Expander bullet, it was a shock alright - there will be blood, on the grip at least. These loads were painful and wouldn't extract without a bit of tapping on the ejector rod. Way hotter than any of my handloads. My hands are just too beat up for these heavy kickers anymore, but this is one of the finest cartridges ever designed for consistent accuracy.

 

[Onty]

...but for full house loads you need a glove and NSAID dose. I shot a few Federal Vital-Shok 275 grain loads with the Barnes Expander bullet, it was a shock alright - there will be blood, on the grip at least. These loads were painful and wouldn't extract without a bit of tapping on the ejector rod. Way hotter than any of my handloads. My hands are just too beat up for these heavy kickers anymore, but this is one of the finest cartridges ever designed for consistent accuracy.

You should consider this grip

Whole article http://www.gunblast.com/Super_Blackhawk.htm .

 

[Chuckbuster]

The 480 in DA instead of SA.....

They have made 3-4 Dirty Harry moves since Gunsmoke went off the air.

The MArketing types ain't sharp enough to realize Hollyweird does not drive everything.

Kevin