Over the years I've been dealing with John Linebaugh quite a bit and now fully buy into his philosophy that super heavy bullets at high velocity with massive recoil is just not useful, practical or necessary. Over the years he has backed off the velocity to the point that he now shoots, almost exclusively, mid-range loads. For example, in his personal 500 Linebaugh with a 4.75" barrel, he shoots a 425 grain LBT LFN GC over 16 grains of HS-6, or 23 grains of 2400, both with a nominal velocity of 1050fps. Not his only loads to be sure, but very representative. Based on real world experimentation both on media and game, he finds that penetration does not suffer from the lower velocity. These load are able to shoot through a full grown buffalo end to end. I've just received my 4.75" Ruger Bisley in 500 Linebaugh and have been using the 16 grain HS-6 load with a 450 grain LBT LFN GC (by Montana Bullets). I find the recoil entirely manageable, decidedly more so than either a factory 454 Casull or heavy 44 Mag. Both of those have far more muzzle whip (everything else being the same) than the mid-range 500L, which in my opinion has more of a heavy push. The other advantage to the 500L is obvious when you use the Taylor Knock Out Factor (TKOF) which factors in bullet diameter on top of muzzle energy: TKOF = (MV in fps X Bullet Weight in pounds X Bullet Diameter in inches) divided by 7000.
I also am a fan of the new 480 Ruger and am having John customize my Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley with a 4.65" barrel in that caliber. Nothing more than a short 475 Linebaugh, it should fill the bill perfectly as a mid-range 475L. The mid-range 475L (and I hope the 480R) has a superb reputation for not only accuracy and ease of control, but also penetration in game and its ability to put game down quickly and humanely.
Keith