A buddy of mine is an old native Alaskan Hunter, when he goes out he carries a 375 h&h in his hands, 454 slung low on is right hip in a quick draw holster and a 500 S&w cross draw on his left side next to his 15 inch Bowie knife. He's been hunting all around Alaska for about 60 years. When I asked him why he carried all of that artillery he just said that "he has seen somethings in his day". Between his time hunting in Alaska and his time in the army the old man has racked up a lot of experience. He also keeps a small 10 mm in his truck as his "just in case". Some people might say he's paranoid but I have never seen a more confident or competent Hunter in Alaska
Once talked on the phone with John linebaugh for 30 minutes called to ask a simple question and had the most fun conversation with him amazing man even as busy as he is he still had time to talk
480 Ruger is a shortened 475 Linebaugh which is a cousin to the 500... definitely an underrated cartridge... giant cast bullets with medium burning powder is the sweet spot for a lot of people
Totally agree 480 Ruger is like a 475 Special... Due to the lack of ammo I would have bought the Normal Ruger Alaskan in 454 and loaded it with Buffalo bore 45 Long Colt... then you can stock pile ammo... you can even shoot 45 ACP, SUPER or 460 Roland with moon clips...
@@wildripeach1 the beauty of the 480 is it's low chamber pressure... if you're not hand loading you're missing out.. The 480 can be bumped up into 475 levels or dropped down with monster size bullets traveling 800-1000 and still hit like the hand of god
@@JimD410 in the right gun, the old .45 colt can easily be loaded to nip at the heals of the .454 Casull. When the .454 was being developed Dick Casull was doing all his load development in .45 colt cases. When it was put in production it was lengthened so it couldn't be chambered in a .45 colt.
@@johncoleman2495 Yeah I've seen them +p+ 45colt buffalo bore I was thinking they might do the job. The woods where I live the largest predator is black bear and Id I'm hiking/camping I'll either have my 357 or 40. On me they are the biggest calibers I own in handguns I still like to read about the bigbores and watch the videos and learn.
I’ve owned the 480 Alaskan Super Redhawk (combined with Grizzley 425 grain ammo at 1200 FPS) now for about five years. I couldn’t be happier as it’s very convenient to carry in bear country… especially fly fishing in Montana. Why the kick factor seems lighter than, say, a 454 Casull, is pretty simple… (besides the weight factor of the revolver)… the cup pressure of the 480 Alaskan Ruger was purposely designed to be 48,000… versus the 60,000 cup pressure from the 454 Casull… in short, less muzzle “bark.” But penetration is still the key… and a 425 grain slug still blows a big bloody hole in anything that’s in its path… (the 480 caliber diameter is specifically 12.1mm), maybe a little short of your 500 Smith, but certainly more than the 454 or 44 magnums out there. After careful analysis I chose the 480 Ruger over the 500 Smith simply because of the Ruger “tank” factor. Get real, a Ruger revolver is pretty much indestructible!
I like my 480 Ruger but my S&W .460 shooting Underwood extream hunter 45 Long Colt has been my go to combo the last 6 months for a revolver. But I'm like you I always end up going back to my Glock 20 SF 10mm.
Totally agree 480 Ruger is like a 475 Special... Due to the lack of ammo I would have bought the Normal Ruger Alaskan in 454 and loaded it with Buffalo bore 45 Long Colt... then you can stock pile ammo... you can even shoot 45 ACP, SUPER or 460 Roland with moon clips...
I failed to buy a 480 Ruger when they were readily available. It is a wonderful round - ENOUGH diameter, very impressive penetration with some 370- 400 gr + bullets, not super recoiling. I do not advocate killing the poor rhinos or hippos but in theory on a broadside shot could suffice. BUT, my 44 Mag is 5.5 inches and I find that barrel length or along those lines more optimal for such loads.
The original release articles for the 480 say it all accurately. The 480 is very shootable allowing great followup shots without skull cracking muzzle brakes. I won’t own anything with one. I carry a 9” barrel 480 Ruger Super Redhawk with hard cast 400 grain bullets. It’s super easy to draw from a chest rig and with the longer barrel, longer distance accuracy is very good. Nice to shoot at a pissed bear accurately before you smell its breath. I’ve taken a moose with it. It walked through the moose turning some of its innards into its outers on a broadside. After shooting many things with the 480, I’m confident that it can walk clean through a bear. Why carry more? It’s accurate, powerful enough and easy to shoot. Quite the hammer. Nothing better for purpose IMHO. I’ve no use for a complicated jammable machine in the bush. I can’t imagine fiddle farting around with a failure to feed while getting mauled. By the way, a chest rig is the optimal way to carry. You won’t be sitting on it when in a fetal position while getting mauled. When you’re getting mauled, you don’t want to be flinging your hand back to try to get to a pistol. The bear will grab it and rip it off or break it with a chomp. After harvesting griz, I think they are built like the incredible hulk compared to us. People have killed bear with 10mm, but it damned sure isn’t optimal in comparison to the 480. Go longer or bigger, the shootability suffers.
I have a Taurus Raging Bull in .480 Ruger. It has an 8⅜" barrel that sends 325gr Hornady XTP hand-loads out the tube at around 2500 fps. I put a Bushnell Trophy red dot on it. I have taken deer at 100yds with it and black bear at 80yds. It just stops both in their tracks.
Rev. Steven Taylor 2500 fps for a 325 grain bullet from a revolver? That would be more ft/lbs of energy than a .45/70 from a rifle. Can you double check that?
@@conanlive3784 Yes. I should have looked before posting. ~2150 is the muzzle velocity for the handloading we did. We got the figures from Hornady when we called to see what were the upper limits of loadings we could use. I think we ended up using 21.5 grains of 4150(?) with 22 grains being the upper limit of pressure safety. If memory serves, (that was in 2004), our best accuracy at 100yds was the 21.5 loading. My hunting buddy, Bill is gone now and so are his notes.
@@paststeve1 2150 is still some 500 fps north of safe muzzle velocities for that bullet weight. Are you sure your velocities aren't for a lightweight bullet?
@@1965l88it would hav rot be a sintered “metal” bullet. Probably no more that 150gr. And at the 2150. 2500 would be for a 475 Linebaugh MAXIMUM(Linebaugh Long)
100% Love Ruger 480 SRHA. Perfect secondary weapon in Brown Bear Country to my Marlin 1895 GBL. Even more power than my Ruger SRHA 44. Awesome revolver! Ammo getting harder to get. Perfect Brown Bear defensive revolver while fly fishing. Less recoil than SRHA 454 Casull and 500 S&W . Your Toklat 454 Casull with 5 inch barrel is amazing though.
Ever since I've owned my Toklat I've said I want one in .480 Ruger caliber? I believe Ruger mist the boat on this one again they should of marketed ithe Toklatt in .480 with their 5" barrel!
Forgot to say, I have a friend who took a 7” 480 and had its barrel cut to 4” like the Toklat. Ugly, but ugly is ok on a bush gun. Gonna mistreat it anyway.
I did that to a 7.5" 44 mag SRH, down to 5" but left it round; no slab sides like the Toklat. It's a good size for a chest rig, and easier to make a follow-up shot with than with the snubby Alaskan models.
$4 a round? Start casting bullets and reloading, if you can collect range scrap lead, and after you have your brass, it will be about 10-20 cents a round. I started reloading and casting bullets when I was paying $2 a round for 35 Remington. Not only will you be able to make ammunition thats easily more accurate than factory, you'll find through the joy of bullet casting, you'll always have thousands of bullets on hand haha
Chuke: Great video! I agree with all that you said, especially about the 454. The 480 Ruger is more powerful than the 44mag. However, I would feel very comfortable with my 7,5 Ruger with Buffalo Bores 340 grain +p+ I prefer to carry a large handgun (personal preference) My point is that the grizzly bear will not know what round he or she was hit with.
Good timing. I was just looking to get big bore revolver as Iam planning my first Alaska trip next summer. And plan on back country fishing and camping. But I’m also driving up thru Canada to get there. So that’s more research. Good video!
You should send that 480 back to Ruger and tell them that They need to hone the cylinder bores out some more, because it should not be hard to get the shells out,
My opinion…. .44 Magnum with 340 grain +P+ is extremely powerful and all you need! That round is RIDICULOUSLY powerful! No need for anything else in my opinion!
I thought the Ruger 480 wasn't made anymore. I was surprised to hear Chuke say he got a new one. I had a friend back in 2009 who bought a Ruger Alaskan in 480 Ruger. I shot it some. The recoil was manageable but it was horribly inaccurate. We were lucky if we could hit a target two out of five shots with it. I couldn't imagine shooting at a moving bear with it while I'm under stress with my life on the line. That's a revolver a bear wants you to carry. I much rather carry a smaller caliber (like a 44 magnum) that I can consistently make hits on target with than carry a bear cannon I consistently have misses with. Hope you read this Chuke.
Buffalo bore hard cast 340gr 44 mag is posted at ( 1425 FPS ) with ( 1533 ft.lbs ) and Buffalo bore 480 Ruger mono-metal 330gr is posted at ( 1400 FPS ) with ( 1436 ft.lbs ) now I may be missing something but 44 mag is beating 480. I guess you may be able to handload your own and will get something different but this is what I’m seeing on shelf Ammo. If I’m wrong please respond telling where I messed up
I was wondering if that 300+44 Mag load was going to come up? 40 years ago I purchase a Ruger Redhawk @ 7 1/2 inch with a 2x Leupold mounted on the barrel, with thoughts of be out in the great wilds. I worked up lots of loads then hear of the 300 grain load too. I stopped at 265 grains for more speed, woorying about sufficient penetration, and as has been proven, speed counts of armoured things. I was going to move up to a 454 but heard the 460 was more flexible, but the 480 softer shooting? I may yet load up the Max Load you showed here, and it should do anything a 480 can do!
The problem with that hot .44 +P+ load is in a smaller .44 pistol the recoil is too much for quick follow up shots. (Unless it’s shot out of a heavier SRH.) But you can push the limits on .480 loads just the same & surpass that spec.
That’s why I’ll pack a Glock 40 mos 10mm with a KKM barrel! Enough power and 15+1 for capacity! Yes, power is key, but times you need power and capacity for a bear! In my opinion.... Hard Cast 200 grain will do it for me! I’d rather have more rounds for follow up to save my ass! As far as a revolver, anyone who thinks a Ruger Redhawk or Super Redhawk 44 magnum in 340 +p grain won’t get the job done is crazy!
I carry the g20 with 220 grain hardcast when I go into the woods. I’m in Florida though, biggest threat we have are huge hogs. The 10 mm is plenty for hogs.
Ruger revolvers are investment casting which means the metal has to be thicker. Smith revolvers are forged which means their metal doesn't have to be nearly as thick.
I bought in the mid 90's a Taurus .44 mag comp with a 6'1/2" barrel with a 8 ports at the muzzle for under 300 bucks. It is a fun gun to shoot, and with any loads, the recoil isn't much even with stout .44 mag loads.
Good video as always. IMO the 480 Ruger has long been under appreciated. But I have to ask, can you hit anything with it when the pressure is on? How fast are the repeat shots? If a bear charges from 20 yards, at what distance can you consistently hit the bear shot after shot? Will 6 shots be enough? I imagine you are a LOT better with the 5" 454 (that can be loaded up or down) or a 5.5" Redhawk in 44 mag. But to be sure I am all for the 480 Ruger. That is compared to a G40 that is very fast to shoot, very easy to be accurate with and has adequate penetration. Nothing is perfect of course and I admit I never got the point of a snub nosed hand cannon with all the extra challenges that come with it.
Love your channel! My primary woods weapons are Ruger-Marlin 1895 GBL Black Butterfly 576grain @1400+fps, Secondary Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan 480 2.5 barrel w Buffalo Bore 375grain, 3RD Glock 29 with X-grip with full size G20 mag Underwoid 220grain flat nose black cherry.480 more recoil than .44, but better than 454 and way better than 500S&W and $700 less🤠🦖.
its nice being able to shoot all 454, 45lc and 460 in a 460 s&w, but if Im carrying a gun that weighs 4 pounds, im not loading any less than full power 460 loads in it!
May be the particular load you are shooting causing sticky extraction, granted cleaning the cylinders first may have helped, but keep in mind the BB tends to run a little hot. Maybe not over SAAMI, just a tad hot possibly. I've never experienced sticky extraction with BB but I stick with the lighter loads, like the Reduced Recoil 255 gr hard cast .44 magnum. Not really a "lighter" load, just reduced recoil vs the bigger bullets, it'll still work on anything I am going to hunt. I'd feel comfortable using it on smallish grizzly if conditions were right.
If an angry animal 200lbs is coming at you(we, as easy-living humans are far weaker than any wild animal our own weight[can you imagine fighting off a chimp 50lbs lighter than you? You’d be nothing but a faceless lump of broken bones and bloody nubs]) the conditions are already wrong. Let alone something with 4-5 times the muscle density of you that weighs 400-600lbs. Don’t count on a sidearm that is “sufficient”. Learn to shoot a sidearm that is relatively “ample”. A 41 mag loaded heavy with a 265gr LBT(this would be my minimum. Regardless of the justifiable argument in favor of hardcast heavy 357) will trump a 255 .430” bullet. You have to start with smashing power and get good with it before counting on it. Go with the biggest you can realistically handle. If you can keep going up to a custom Redhawk in 475 or 500 Linebaugh the better off you’ll be
That brass gets so hot Chuke, they'll actually swell up in the cylinder! Depending on the brass, it'll do that, you just have to wait for the brass to cool down.
I'm hesitant to discount the .44 mag entirely over that bear attack anecdote. Like you implied, that situation demonstrated the shortcomings of the pistol over the rifle. If you've ever heard the term "cripple-stopper", that's a more appropriate role for a pistol (self-defense excluded).
Chuke I love your videos & gun knowledge I want to learn how to use a firearm one day for my safety and knowledge blessings bro
2 года назад
.44 Magnum more friendly recoil-wise plus easier to find ammo. Probably .480 is the best of the pack as far as ballistics goes. We just need more ammo.
Well good for you,by the way you take a look at the cylinder on that revolver a bullet travels 1\2 inch before it even hits the forcing cone it got as much if not more barrel length than a fucking block!
Thanks for the 480 review. Interesting. Personally I'll probably stick with my 44 and 10mm's living in Montana. I already have those guns and ammo stocked, and sounds like 480 shells are much more expensive
I have a question concerning semi-auto handguns. I recently saw a guy in Alaska hunting with an AR-15 chambered in .223 about to shoot a caribou and the receiver action froze. Any thoughts on carrying semi-auto vs. Wheelgun with temperature in mind?
I was giving it some thought the other day... In 2003 Ruger was looking to create a proprietary cartridge for revolvers, partnering with Good old Hornady... They neck down the 475 Linebaugh... Which Ruger produces rifles for... So the 480 became the 475 Special. Thus relying on the popularity of the 475 to some extent... Why did Ruger/Hornady not use the exact formula of the 480 but utilizing a .500 bullet. Perhaps Hornady got wind that Cor-bon was bringing out the 500 S&W Special in 2004... Thus creating a 500 Ruger Special with greater Sectional Density and weight. And can be fired in the S&W X-Frame as a 500 Ruger Special? I Think it would have been more unique and had greater appeal for both Ruger and Smith fans...
6 chambers or 5(I think you’ll likely only use up to 3 before the bear gets to you) the .475”(which the 480 is) bullet does penetrate better than the 500s. That may be what both Hornady and Ruger knew going in
My Ruger Alaskan 454 had the same issue with spent brass sticking. Even after polishing of the cylinders they still stick a bit. Looks like it may be common for the big boys.
So what happened to that gal you had an understanding with? I’ve been out for a bit and may have missed something. Cool pistol I guess but I just can’t get back into wheel guns. But, bears.
I'm in a city on the east coast so bears are not a problem unless your talking about a violent 2 legged booty bear. But what about the wildey 475 do any Alaskans use them? And the 500s and 460 revolvers? Seems more Alaskans use the 454 and 44 mag is that because there proven out there?
I own one, and probably wouldnt have bought it if i had fired it before purchasing. Its super snappy on the wrist and i shoot 454 in a Toklat and a 460 sw also. Its way more snappy than the 460. You trade guns like i trade hats.
I think you would be better served with a 460 Rowland Glock. Less weight and likely really close ballistics to the 480 Ruger given the 250 fps you likely to lose with the short barrel. Also I wonder with the holster, the gun, the low round count what it would look like if you just had an AR-15 pistol chambered in 458 socom I know it would be more effective than any revolver or hand gun for that matter.
How about a video on "Are Ruger hand guns really stronger and more able to handle really hot loads than Smith and Wesson hand guns?"I own both,love them,but I would like solid evidence and proof.Maybe others out here would really like a video that demonstrates whether or not Smiths are safe to handle Underwood or Buffalo Bore,etc...Thanks.
The closest comparison of S&W and Ruger revolvers is the 686(forging) vs the GP100(casting). Some say the GP100 is stronger because of thicker metal. The 686 is as strong because of the forging process. But when you get into the larger frames the Rugers win out. Just much more massive and newer design characteristics just for strength. I’ve read(and believe) the N frames are not for 300gr(at mag pressures) bullets. The Rugers can eat them all day.
Get yourself some brass and reload hard cast. I just don't get the short barrel revolver thing. All bark and no bang. Get something that will generate some velocity. .44 mag is for smaller people that can't handle the recoil???? - says the guy who flinched his first five out of six shots with the gun.
I know this is an old video, but need to know if you know where I can get ammo for my 480? I have an African trip coming up and cant find loaded ammo or brass anywhere. Just wondered if any stores up your way carry 480. Need some places to check.
