Heavy duty revolver question...

R

Redneck2

New member
I am at the point where I want to get a bigger revolver for deer hunting and just for fun. I have read the articles on the different larger calibers but I'm wondering what the REAL difference is in 454 Casull vs 480 Ruger (or other suitable alternative) against the good old 45 LC (loaded up in a Ruger).

Also saw the Magnum Research 45-70 but seems a little bulky to carry, although if the ballistics supported it that's the way I'd go. Guess what I'm asking is, comparing a similar size bullet of say 300 grains, what's the difference in velocity, power. Recoil is not particularly an issue unless it's totally wicked.
 
I recommend the 5.5" 45 Colt Redhawk for its handy size and ability to throw a 300g XTP-HP at 1300fps (or a 360g WLNGC at 1150fps).

You can also get a 250g XTP-HP up over 1400fps; many have spectacular results on deer with this type of load.

What I'm trying to point out is that the 45 Colt Redhawk delivers all the performance required for North America, even up to Alaskan bear protection.
 
Go with a .454 and then you can shoot that AND .45LC. If it was me and I felt there was ever a possibility I'd be in griz or brown bear country, I'd want the option of loading up with .454.

And of course, there's always the good old .44 mag that'll work for deer hunting and bear pro...
 
Wow, where can I buy a Colt Redhawk? I had a Ruger Redhawk, was there some colaboration I don't know about?;)
 
re: .454 vs. .475 or bigger

Redneck,

I have not shot the new .480 Ruger, but I have shot a .475 Linebaugh. I don't intend to shoot one again.

To my hands, the difference between a .454's recoil and a.475's recoil is greater than the difference between the recoil of a medium wieght .357 Magnum and a medium weight .44 Magnum.

If I were going to invest in a Big Boomer, and needed to not break the budget too badly, I'd go with a Ruger Super Redhawk in .454. As some one said earlier, you still have the option of shooting all the myriad .45 Long Colt cartridges and loads. I mosty strongly urge that you not load .454 loads in .45 LC brass if you have lighter .45 LC pistols.

Doc Hudson
 
Forty five seventy is nothing more than a gimmick in a revolver. The super magnums (445, 454, 475, 500) deliver deliver more power efficiently and without the ridiculous look and added weight. Have to agree with some of the other posters and say that a well loaded 45LC is good enough for North American game. Only place the super mags shine is down range performance (past 100 yards), they shoot flatter and simply have more power. But for most mere mortals, like myself, shooting game past one hundred yards is not just an illusion with a handgun, but unethical. Would recommend a Red Hawk chambered in 45LC (see, didn't say S&W!)

Robert
 
Redneck,

If they ever clone the Woolly Mammoth in great numbers, you might need something more than a hot loaded 45 Colt! :D

If you handload, and plan an African Safari, the bigger bores might be an option, but keep in mind that they can (and have), caused wrist injuries to shooters! Download those suckers for practice, and save the bone breaking loads for the hunt!

Repetitive impact of that magnitude is just not good for the squishy cartilage in your joints! :(

Bill
 
The .454, 476, .480, .500 and (cripes!) .45-70 revolvers are 'stunt' guns. Not one man in a thousand can stand to shoot one more than a few times, not one in a million needs one of the monsters. I think there's something exceedingly Freudian in the widespread interest in these things.
For deer hunting, which is what the original poster specified, a factory loaded .44 Magnum or .41 Magnum would be perfectly adequate, since rounds from these guns will blow through any deer as though it were paper.
The .45 Colt, with handloads, is equal or slightly superior to the .44 Magnum in practical use, but the guns commonly available for the round don't offer such a wide margin of safety for big handloads as the .44/.41. (I load my Blackhawk with a 260/1000fps and don't feel undergunned for much.)
Those monster cannons aren't worth the wear and tear on your wrists or purse, unless you routinely do battle with the Earth's most fearsome toothed and fanged critters...and how many of us really do that, when all's said and done?
 
If all you're planning to hunt are deer or deer sized game you don't need anything larger than a heavy 45 Colt or 44 magnum. Either of those will shoot clean through a deer and you're not going to get THAT much larger a hole with a .475" gun vs a .452".

There are a couple reviews of the 480 Ruger on Gunblast.com at http://www.gunblast.com/Whats_New.htm if you're interested.

With that said I think I would still go with a 454 Super Redhawk since it gives you the option to move up to the more powerfull round if you ever need to. If you're already setup for 45 Colt it's an even better reason to stick with it rather than buying more dies, bullets, cases for the 480 Ruger. Bullets for the 480 are going to be more expensive and more difficult to find, unless you mail order, than for the 45 Colt as well.

John
http://www.handloads.com
 
RUGER .480 Mistake

IMHO, Ruger made a mistake by not coming out with their .480 in a handier configuration. Man, the thought of packin' that cannon around and trying to stay out of it's way wears me out. Can't imagine what the weight would be with a scope!

Iron sighted handguns USUALLY limit one to 50 to 75 yards
and the .45Colt which will never die would be fine. FWIW...
...dewey
 
Redneck-I'm a Smith & Wesson guy thru and thru, but for deer size animals I'd go for a Ruger Redhawk in 44Magnum or 45 Colt anytime, if you can find someone to really go over the action.It can do everything a Smith can do and its extra weight with full loads, for me is the difference between punishment and pleasure.-Wally
 
I have a .454 and I have some .45 LC Magnums that I use most of the time. When I am stalking hogs in thick bush I step up to the .454. What I read about the .480 say it is "80% of the power with 50% of the recoil," doesn't sound too bad. Taurus is making a 5-shot version in the raging bull frame. If you want versitility get the .454 so you can use both calibers if you want.
 
Super Red Hawk is my choice because.....

I hunt deer and elk regularly with my Ruger SRH 7.5 using good, old 44 magnum. For the deer I run into here in the rainy environs of western Oregon there are a lot of very good choices among contemporary commercial loads. If I am pursuing elk (again, same old rainy western Oregon) I use the ammo produced by Garrett Cartridges. It is really hot and effective and is recommended for the Super Red Hawk. Tag an elk in the shoulder and it falls down quick. FYI have included Garrett's URL. What they say about their ammunition is absolutely true. I can vouch for that.
http://www.garrettcartridges.com/

Good Shooting.
 
I would try and arrange to shoot any of the super big magnums before I bought one.

I am not sensitive to recoil, and was able to shoot the old style S&W 29 with the big wooden target grips in .44 mag. without difficulty (even though the cylinder release took a bite out of your thumb every shot).

I recently shot a .454 Casull; even though it was slightly loaded down from full loads, I found it extremely uncomfortable to shoot, despite the Ruger being fairly massive. I would not consider carrying such a firearm unless I was in big bear country.

Walt
 
There's nothing in North America that a .44mag won't blow a hole clean through with the right load. You don't need the extra recoil from anything bigger. I'd reccommend a Ruger Super Blackhawk for .44mag or a Blackhawk for .45. It's all you'll ever need.
 
I agree. Unless you are in Alaska shooting at grizzlies, you won't know the difference between a 44 and a 454 or 480. Except for those long practice sessions...and when you pay $30 for a box of 454.
 
Way before 454 Casull and 475 Linebaugh, 44 Magnum did plenty of killing in Alaska. And all over the world for a matter of fact.

Makes me wonder if the American handgunner has become a puss boy in the woods or just a bad shot.

Robert
 
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