.480 Ruger
Encyclopedia
The .480 Ruger is a revolver cartridge, introduced in 2003 by Sturm, Ruger
and Hornady
. This was the first new cartridge introduced by Ruger, and was at time of introduction the largest diameter production revolver
cartridge, at 0.475 in (12.1 mm).
was introduced around 1988 as a custom, 5 shot Ruger Blackhawk
single action revolver. The .475 is a wildcat cartridge
made by cutting the .45-70
case to a length of 1.5 inches (38.1 mm), and necking it to accept a .475 bullet. The .475 Linebaugh is an immensely powerful cartridge, more powerful than the .454 Casull
, the most powerful production revolver cartridge at the time. The .475 diameter bullet allowed bullet weights over 400 gr, a feat not possible with the .45 caliber cartridge cases, and the terminal ballistics
of the heavy bullet, even when loaded to moderate velocities, were impressive. The .475 Linebaugh was designed for handgun hunting of large game, such as bear
, where deep penetration is required for a quick, humane kill, and the heavy, cast Keith
style semiwadcutter
bullets out of the .475 Linebaugh
penetrated very well.
super-magnum cartridge, but went a different direction. Rather than using the Blackhawk, Ruger chose to chamber the new round in the double action Super Redhawk
, and designed the cartridge to fit in a 6 shot cylinder. The Super Redhawk was already the only 6 shot .454 Casull revolver in production, as all other makers used 5 shot cylinders to keep the cylinder walls thicker to handle the high pressures. The .480 Ruger uses lower pressures than the .454 Casull at 48,000 PSI
, so the .454 Casull can produce higher velocities and more energy, although, with much lighter bullets than available in .475 caliber. The .480 case was also .21 inches shorter than the .475 Linebaugh, at 1.285 inches, the same as the .44 Magnum
. The .45-70's large diameter rim is also turned down, which is required to fit the 6 cartridges in the Super Redhawk's cylinder without interference.
The .480 Ruger is often viewed by some, as a ".475 Special"; in other words, as a slightly downloaded version of the super-magnum cartridge. In fact, .480 Ruger rounds will fit and function in a .475 Linebaugh revolver, just as a .44 Special
will fit and function in revolvers chambered for the .44 Magnum. Reviewing the .480's ballistics, however, reveals this is somewhat misleading, as this "Special" reference may cause one to consider the .480 as a low-powered target round, when in actuality it is much closer to its more powerful cousin, the .475 Linebaugh than the .44 Special is to the .44 Magnum. The .480 Ruger operates at a maximum pressure of 48,000 psi, whereas the Linebaugh has a maximum pressure of 50,000, showing how close indeed the two cartridges are. Depending on load, the .480 Ruger can easily reach within 150 ft/s (45.7 m/s) of the .475 Linebaugh, making it a very formidable hunting cartridge for large and dangerous game.
The initial response to the .480 Ruger was mixed, as many reviewers compared it unfavorably to the more powerful .475 Linebaugh or .454 Casull, and wondered why Ruger had bothered to introduce a lower powered cartridge. (This was based on muzzle energy alone, with no regard to either bullet diameter or weight, or to TKO, as was evident in the sales literature and magazines of the times, which compared the new 325 gr load's muzzle energy to the muzzle energy of other handgun hunting cartridges.) Indeed, the first factory load, a 325 gr bullet at 1350 ft/s (411.5 m/s), is nearly within reach of the .44 Magnum. However, with bullets of 400 gr and higher, the .480 Ruger starts to show more potential. The standard .44 Magnum powders, in similar amounts, will push a 400 gr bullet at over 1300 ft/s (thus yielding a TKO factor around 35.28 vs. 34.62 for a 325 gr 454 Casull at 1650 ft/s (502.9 m/s) ). This provides 1500 ft.lbf. of muzzle energy, about 50% more than commercial .44 Magnum loads, showing the .480 Ruger's good efficiency with the heavy bullets. The lower velocities and lower pressures mean the .480 Ruger has less felt recoil and muzzle blast than the higher pressure super-magnums.
The future of this round remains cloudy. Magazine articles and online forums were, for a brief while, replete with discussion about the potential of the cartridge. However, lackluster sales and a limited number of firearms available in this caliber have shown it to have only moderate popularity. Much of this may be due to the somewhat lackluster ballistics available from the initial Hornady factory offerings. Handloaders
reported getting phenomenal performance out of the round rubbing shoulders with the .475 Linebaugh and easily equaling and even eclipsing the Taylor Knockout Value (TKO) of the .454 Casull, with less recoil, muzzle blast and noise due to the .480's lower pressures. Still, for the most part, the round was seen as not doing anything new and available loads limited its potential for the non-handloader to mere deer hunting (for which many calibers already exist to serve that need).
There were many handgunners that disliked the heavy Super Redhawk, and waited for Ruger to release the cartridge in their Super Blackhawk single action. This never came to pass, so many potential buyers chose to just pass on the cartridge.
Also, recently Smith & Wesson
introduced its .500 S&W and .460 S&W Magnum cartridges, the 480 has fallen even further into obscurity as it could not compete with the glitz of these new mega-cartridges. Revolvers chambered in .460 S&W Magnum can usually accept .454 Casull and .45 Colt rounds as well (in the same way that a .475 Linebaugh revolver can take .480 Ruger), a useful cost-saving feature that can increase the appeal of the .460 over the .480 for some shooters, especially for practice sessions where full-power rounds are not necessary.
Sturm, Ruger
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Incorporated is a Southport, Connecticut-based firearm manufacturing company, better known by the shortened name Ruger. Sturm, Ruger produces bolt-action, semi-automatic, full-automatic, and single-shot rifles, shotguns, semi-automatic pistols, and single- and double-action...
and Hornady
Hornady
Hornady Manufacturing Company is an American manufacturer of ammunition and handloading components, based in Grand Island, Nebraska.The company was founded by Joyce Hornady in 1949 and is currently run by his son Steve Hornady who took over after his father's death in a plane crash in 1981.Hornady...
. This was the first new cartridge introduced by Ruger, and was at time of introduction the largest diameter production revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
cartridge, at 0.475 in (12.1 mm).
Design
.475 caliber handgun cartridges are not a new idea. The .475 Linebaugh.475 Linebaugh
The .475 Linebaugh is an extremely potent rimmed revolver cartridge developed by John Linebaugh in the late 1980s. The cartridge is based on the .45-70 Government case cut down to 1.5 inches and loaded with bullets weighing from to...
was introduced around 1988 as a custom, 5 shot Ruger Blackhawk
Ruger Blackhawk
The Ruger Blackhawk is a 6-shot or 8-shot, single-action revolver manufactured by Sturm, Ruger. It is produced in a variety of finishes, calibers, and barrel lengths.-History:In the early 1950s, Westerns were popular in movies and television...
single action revolver. The .475 is a wildcat cartridge
Wildcat cartridge
A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not mass produced. These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance characteristic of an existing commercial cartridge.Developing and using wildcat cartridges does not...
made by cutting the .45-70
.45-70
The .45-70 rifle cartridge, also known as .45-70 Government, was developed at the U.S. Army's Springfield Armory for use in the Springfield Model 1873...
case to a length of 1.5 inches (38.1 mm), and necking it to accept a .475 bullet. The .475 Linebaugh is an immensely powerful cartridge, more powerful than the .454 Casull
.454 Casull
The .454 Casull is a firearm cartridge, developed in 1957 by Dick Casull and Jack Fulmer. It was first announced in November 1959 by Guns & Ammo magazine. The basic design was a lengthened and structurally improved .45 Colt case...
, the most powerful production revolver cartridge at the time. The .475 diameter bullet allowed bullet weights over 400 gr, a feat not possible with the .45 caliber cartridge cases, and the terminal ballistics
Terminal ballistics
Terminal ballistics, a sub-field of ballistics, is the study of the behavior of a projectile when it hits its target. It is often referred to as stopping power when dealing with human or other living targets. Terminal ballistics is relevant both for small caliber projectiles as well as for large...
of the heavy bullet, even when loaded to moderate velocities, were impressive. The .475 Linebaugh was designed for handgun hunting of large game, such as bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
, where deep penetration is required for a quick, humane kill, and the heavy, cast Keith
Elmer Keith
Elmer Keith was an Idaho rancher, firearms enthusiast, and author. Keith was instrumental in the development of the first magnum revolver cartridge, the .357 Magnum, as well as the later .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum cartridges.-Personality and life:Keith's trademarks were his cigars, his ten-gallon...
style semiwadcutter
Semiwadcutter
A semiwadcutter or SWC is a type of all-purpose bullet commonly used in revolvers. The SWC combines features of the wadcutter target bullet and traditional round nosed revolver bullets, and is used in both revolver and pistol cartridges for hunting, target shooting, and plinking...
bullets out of the .475 Linebaugh
.475 Linebaugh
The .475 Linebaugh is an extremely potent rimmed revolver cartridge developed by John Linebaugh in the late 1980s. The cartridge is based on the .45-70 Government case cut down to 1.5 inches and loaded with bullets weighing from to...
penetrated very well.
History
When Ruger began to design their new cartridge, they started with the .475 Linebaugh.475 Linebaugh
The .475 Linebaugh is an extremely potent rimmed revolver cartridge developed by John Linebaugh in the late 1980s. The cartridge is based on the .45-70 Government case cut down to 1.5 inches and loaded with bullets weighing from to...
super-magnum cartridge, but went a different direction. Rather than using the Blackhawk, Ruger chose to chamber the new round in the double action Super Redhawk
Super Redhawk
The Super Redhawk is a line of double action magnum revolvers made by Sturm, Ruger beginning in 1987, when Ruger started making weapons using larger, more powerful cartridges such as .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, and .480 Ruger.-The introduction:...
, and designed the cartridge to fit in a 6 shot cylinder. The Super Redhawk was already the only 6 shot .454 Casull revolver in production, as all other makers used 5 shot cylinders to keep the cylinder walls thicker to handle the high pressures. The .480 Ruger uses lower pressures than the .454 Casull at 48,000 PSI
Pounds per square inch
The pound per square inch or, more accurately, pound-force per square inch is a unit of pressure or of stress based on avoirdupois units...
, so the .454 Casull can produce higher velocities and more energy, although, with much lighter bullets than available in .475 caliber. The .480 case was also .21 inches shorter than the .475 Linebaugh, at 1.285 inches, the same as the .44 Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
. The .45-70's large diameter rim is also turned down, which is required to fit the 6 cartridges in the Super Redhawk's cylinder without interference.
The .480 Ruger is often viewed by some, as a ".475 Special"; in other words, as a slightly downloaded version of the super-magnum cartridge. In fact, .480 Ruger rounds will fit and function in a .475 Linebaugh revolver, just as a .44 Special
.44 Special
The .44 Special or .44 S&W Special is a smokeless powder center fire metallic cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1907 as the standard chambering for their New Century revolver, introduced in 1908.-Development history:...
will fit and function in revolvers chambered for the .44 Magnum. Reviewing the .480's ballistics, however, reveals this is somewhat misleading, as this "Special" reference may cause one to consider the .480 as a low-powered target round, when in actuality it is much closer to its more powerful cousin, the .475 Linebaugh than the .44 Special is to the .44 Magnum. The .480 Ruger operates at a maximum pressure of 48,000 psi, whereas the Linebaugh has a maximum pressure of 50,000, showing how close indeed the two cartridges are. Depending on load, the .480 Ruger can easily reach within 150 ft/s (45.7 m/s) of the .475 Linebaugh, making it a very formidable hunting cartridge for large and dangerous game.
The initial response to the .480 Ruger was mixed, as many reviewers compared it unfavorably to the more powerful .475 Linebaugh or .454 Casull, and wondered why Ruger had bothered to introduce a lower powered cartridge. (This was based on muzzle energy alone, with no regard to either bullet diameter or weight, or to TKO, as was evident in the sales literature and magazines of the times, which compared the new 325 gr load's muzzle energy to the muzzle energy of other handgun hunting cartridges.) Indeed, the first factory load, a 325 gr bullet at 1350 ft/s (411.5 m/s), is nearly within reach of the .44 Magnum. However, with bullets of 400 gr and higher, the .480 Ruger starts to show more potential. The standard .44 Magnum powders, in similar amounts, will push a 400 gr bullet at over 1300 ft/s (thus yielding a TKO factor around 35.28 vs. 34.62 for a 325 gr 454 Casull at 1650 ft/s (502.9 m/s) ). This provides 1500 ft.lbf. of muzzle energy, about 50% more than commercial .44 Magnum loads, showing the .480 Ruger's good efficiency with the heavy bullets. The lower velocities and lower pressures mean the .480 Ruger has less felt recoil and muzzle blast than the higher pressure super-magnums.
Usage
The .480 is a well-balanced cartridge, providing a lot of energy without the recoil of larger hard-kicking rounds. It has been stated by many gun writers, that the .44 Magnum is typically the most powerful handgun an average person can master. The .480 should be able to take that title, as its original Hornady loading of a 325gr JHP, easily surpasses factory loadings for the .44 Magnum, with very similar recoil in handguns of like weight.The future of this round remains cloudy. Magazine articles and online forums were, for a brief while, replete with discussion about the potential of the cartridge. However, lackluster sales and a limited number of firearms available in this caliber have shown it to have only moderate popularity. Much of this may be due to the somewhat lackluster ballistics available from the initial Hornady factory offerings. Handloaders
Handloading
Handloading or reloading is the process of loading firearm cartridges or shotgun shells by assembling the individual components , rather than purchasing completely assembled, factory-loaded cartridges...
reported getting phenomenal performance out of the round rubbing shoulders with the .475 Linebaugh and easily equaling and even eclipsing the Taylor Knockout Value (TKO) of the .454 Casull, with less recoil, muzzle blast and noise due to the .480's lower pressures. Still, for the most part, the round was seen as not doing anything new and available loads limited its potential for the non-handloader to mere deer hunting (for which many calibers already exist to serve that need).
There were many handgunners that disliked the heavy Super Redhawk, and waited for Ruger to release the cartridge in their Super Blackhawk single action. This never came to pass, so many potential buyers chose to just pass on the cartridge.
Also, recently Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...
introduced its .500 S&W and .460 S&W Magnum cartridges, the 480 has fallen even further into obscurity as it could not compete with the glitz of these new mega-cartridges. Revolvers chambered in .460 S&W Magnum can usually accept .454 Casull and .45 Colt rounds as well (in the same way that a .475 Linebaugh revolver can take .480 Ruger), a useful cost-saving feature that can increase the appeal of the .460 over the .480 for some shooters, especially for practice sessions where full-power rounds are not necessary.