Rickytz71111 Pm me when you get a chance.
Ruger Alaskan 480 5 Shot
- Thread starter rickytz71111
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rickytz71111
Bearcat
Sorry to reopen such an old post. Bear Paw Jack I tried to PM you but I guess I don't know how.
chet15
Hawkeye
I should have looked at this old post sooner.
A couple years ago I also wanted to see how many of the 5304 were produced and came up with a much different answer.
After going through Ruger's serial number lookup page, starting at 530-00001, this is what I found for the 5-shot .480 model 5304...
530-02401 1 gun
530-03103 1 gun
530-03115 1 gun
530-03442 to 530-03616 174 guns (530-03506 was not shipped or was scrapped)
530-04364 to 530-04431 67 guns (530-04375 was not shipped or was scrapped)
530-04474 to 530-04499 26 guns
530-04501 to 530-04521 21 guns
530-04533 to 530-04536 4 guns
530-04606 to 530-04613 8 guns
530-04627 to 530-05126 499 guns (530-04824 was not shipped or was scrapped).
This gives a grand total of 802 of the model 5304.
Now the question becomes... where are they all at? Were the majority of these 5304's really 6-shot guns? There certainly were a lot of people looking for the 5-shot at that time. Or is it that there are so few double action collectors, or collectors in general who would know the gun they have is different because it is a 5-shot???
More interesting notes... All of the model 5304 were shipped in 2008 except the following...
530-04675 (2006)
530-04678 (2005)
530-04680 (2005)
530-04683 (2005)
530-04694 (2005)
530-04798 (2005)
These six earlier shipped guns would really suggest that Ruger knew of an issue with expanding chambers long before the 5-shot guns were even announced (or were the 5-shot cylinders among the earliest components produced with the perception that a 6-shot wouldn't have enough "meat" between chambers? So in this case were the 2008 shipped guns Ruger's business decision to use up the old cylinders?? ).
Another interesting note... the 5302 (6-shot .480) is also found in their own serial number blocks within production of the 5304's, all consecutive, as follows...
530-04240 to 530-04363
530-04432 to 530-04473
530-04522 to 530-04532
530-04537 to 530-04580
530-04614 to 530-04626
So if anybody hears of a .480 Alaskan between 530-03442 and 530-05126, the odds are nearly 6:1 that it is supposed to be the 5-shot version.
And last note of interest... the very last 5-shot 480 model 5304 is consecutive to the very first .44 Mag. model 5303 which was 530-05127.
Chet15
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Sugar River
Buckeye
Chet, I have 530-04786 and it is indeed a 5 shot. The end label on the grey plastic box indicates
Model 05304, Catalog No. KSRH-2480-5.
Model 05304, Catalog No. KSRH-2480-5.
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71shooter
Single-Sixer
There is a 5-shot 480 currently on Gunbroker.
trapperon
Blackhawk
Looks like it sold for $2,080.00 plus fees.
It wasn't even listed as a 5 shot in the heading!
chet15
Hawkeye
Nice!!
At this this time I'm researching the Super Redhawk .480 in 5-shot. Don't think they made either of the two that were advertised/cataloged but still researching.
Chet15
Free if you never shoot it 
I have the six shot version now, made in 2019. Bought it with 200 rounds of ammo and have most of that still. Once you get some brass, not much difference in cost to reloading any version of the alaskan.
