Ruger SRH Rechambered To .475 Linebaugh?
- Thread starter sw44wcf
- Start date
As a six-shot, this would be a disaster. The gun is at the ragged edge of it's strength envelope right now - see also the unbelievable cylinder wall "thick"nesses (thinness, more like) on the standard 480. Bump the pressure any, it'll Chernobyl on you.
It could almost certainly be done as a five-shot with a complete custom aftermarket cylinder...but it would be hideously complex compared to the same conversion on an SA. Far most "little parts" would need tweaking. The cost would be unbelievable.
It could almost certainly be done as a five-shot with a complete custom aftermarket cylinder...but it would be hideously complex compared to the same conversion on an SA. Far most "little parts" would need tweaking. The cost would be unbelievable.
THE .41 MAN
New member
.475Linebaugh Super Redhawk
Yeah, it's a wallet drainer. Dave Clements says he'll do a 5-shot on your gun for $1450. I think that's his old price as he's about to raise them after a bit. My .357 maximum to .414SM is going to run me @$1200 and Dave does dynamite work. If it's worth it to you, spend the money. The .480 Ruger will take anything in at least the lower 48 with practical loads.
Yeah, it's a wallet drainer. Dave Clements says he'll do a 5-shot on your gun for $1450. I think that's his old price as he's about to raise them after a bit. My .357 maximum to .414SM is going to run me @$1200 and Dave does dynamite work. If it's worth it to you, spend the money. The .480 Ruger will take anything in at least the lower 48 with practical loads.
Jbar4Ranch
New member
I've done this, kind of, and with good results. Lee makes a 400 grain mould with two crimp grooves, and when using the lower groove, the case capacity of the .480 case is the same as the .475 case. I regularly use the same charges of Hodgdon's Li'l Gun in the .480 as in my Ben Forkin Blackhawk .475 conversion. There isn't much room left in the cylinder, but it is long enough. SAAMI peak operating pressure/MAP specifications on the two cartridges are very close with the .480 being 48,000 psi and the .475 being 50,000 psi. The .454 Casull is 60,000 psi. The SRH will handle the pressure of the .475. I read on another board recently that Ruger makes frames for Freedom Arms and it's because of an agreement between the two that Ruger doesn't chamber the .475. Who knows.
Well I've seen the factory 480 Ruger six-shot cylinder 
, and I remain of the opinion that it's on the ragged edge of sanity.
I would personally be VERY careful of trying to "+P" that combination in any way, shape or form.
I also think the 454 version of the same gun makes a lot of sense, especially for non-reloaders. Bufallo Bore sells "slightly downloaded" 454 fodder that still beats the 480's ballistics by a little bit. They can also eat 45LC fodder as cheapo practice, use 45LC+Ps as lighter-duty hunting loads, and with minor (cheap) machine work eat 45ACPs from 625-type common moonclips. PLUS, since the Ruger 454's cylinder is basically using N-Frame cylinder bore dimensions and the 45LC/454 rims are on the thin side, the Ruger can eat 45LCs and 454s from N-Frame 44Mag speedloaders.
To me, all these factors combine to make the 454 a far more useful caliber in this gun than the 480, and perhaps even a real 475 if it could be set up in that caliber.
, and I remain of the opinion that it's on the ragged edge of sanity.I would personally be VERY careful of trying to "+P" that combination in any way, shape or form.
I also think the 454 version of the same gun makes a lot of sense, especially for non-reloaders. Bufallo Bore sells "slightly downloaded" 454 fodder that still beats the 480's ballistics by a little bit. They can also eat 45LC fodder as cheapo practice, use 45LC+Ps as lighter-duty hunting loads, and with minor (cheap) machine work eat 45ACPs from 625-type common moonclips. PLUS, since the Ruger 454's cylinder is basically using N-Frame cylinder bore dimensions and the 45LC/454 rims are on the thin side, the Ruger can eat 45LCs and 454s from N-Frame 44Mag speedloaders.
To me, all these factors combine to make the 454 a far more useful caliber in this gun than the 480, and perhaps even a real 475 if it could be set up in that caliber.
Jbar4Ranch
New member
I agree with you that the layman's eye says it looks marginal, and it shouldn't work. I'm not a metallurgist nor engineer, but if the .480 is spec'd @ 48,000, then Ruger should be proofing the gun @ 72,000 (150%), and it should handle standard .475 Linebaugh loads with ease. I know mine does, and I've still got all ten digits and both eyes.
This is the forth thread about rechambering a 480 to a 475 that I've seen in the last couple days, two about the Taurus Raging Bull, 2 about the SRH. Did some magazine article about such a conversion come out recently or something?
Freedom Arms frames are not made by Ruger. The same casting company (Pine Tree Castings http://www.engineeredspecialties.com/pinetree.htm), which is owned by Ruger but is a totally seperate company, makes the raw castings for Ruger, Freedom Arms and other companies (and other things for non firearm companies) but the frames are totally different. Different grades of alloy, different dimensions etc made to Freedom Arms specs. You can call Freedom Arms and confirm this yourself if you'd like they're very friendly and easy to talk to.
Freedom Arms frames are not made by Ruger. The same casting company (Pine Tree Castings http://www.engineeredspecialties.com/pinetree.htm), which is owned by Ruger but is a totally seperate company, makes the raw castings for Ruger, Freedom Arms and other companies (and other things for non firearm companies) but the frames are totally different. Different grades of alloy, different dimensions etc made to Freedom Arms specs. You can call Freedom Arms and confirm this yourself if you'd like they're very friendly and easy to talk to.
Jbar4Ranch
New member
Maybe it's the proof loads that are on the edge of the envelope then. Perhaps they hold together with 72,000 proof loads and start coming apart @ 75,000. Maybe Jim is right about it being on the ragged edge of the envelope, as far as proof loads go anyway. I dunno, but with standard SAAMI MAP loads of 50,000, it handles equivelent .475 loads with ease.
No Rag Article Here John-
We had a WWG customer come by the store that had one and we all had the same misgivings as JM so we posted here and on the sixgunner board.
I recall Mr Taffin had the same doubts when he first saw the cylinder wall thickness on the stock SRH 480; sometime later I read that Ruger/Pine Tree had borrowed a special much stronger alloy to use with the 480 cylinders.
We had a WWG customer come by the store that had one and we all had the same misgivings as JM so we posted here and on the sixgunner board.
I recall Mr Taffin had the same doubts when he first saw the cylinder wall thickness on the stock SRH 480; sometime later I read that Ruger/Pine Tree had borrowed a special much stronger alloy to use with the 480 cylinders.
OK.
It's possible that based on hard science, converting an SRH480 to 475 isn't "totally crazy".
I personally wouldn't do it. And part of the reason is...well, weird, bordering on "mystical", but in my opinion still valid.
First, I believe the Ruger SRH in either 454 or 480 is among the best guns ever made for close-range defense against dangerous animals. It's still small enough and available in short enough barrels (5.5") to be a "fast reaction gun", and it's got a DA trigger so that those unwilling to master the SA revolver have a fast-access option.
So let's assume that's what a lot of 'em are going to get used for, esp. in Alaska.
I've never faced down a bear. I've faced down muggers, murderous psychos with hammers and very aggressive dogs though, all with drawn knives
rolleyes: Calif gun laws). In all these cases I had *good* knives, high-quality large folders I'd practiced with a lot, trusted to do both a clean draw and perform in a fight if needed.
So far, out of multiple serious incidents, every aggressor has backed down. Good. Just the way I like it.
In ALL these cases, two-legged assailants or four, a lot of what they were responding two was my..."attitude". Confidence. Cold assurance that I could deliver harm. That confidence comes from good gear combined with practice. It can't be faked; that "presence" is either there or it ain't.
I can't imagine anything worse than standing in front of an angry bear with a drawn powerhouse of a gun, and paper-thin cylinder walls that just look like they'll cave in on a strong wind. Esp. since I'm pushing 'em past the factory limits.
Y'all can talk "proof loads" and "probably work just fine" but when 1,400lbs of pissed off rug is growlin' at you, screw that, I want to KNOW I can trust this bad boy to go bang versus shrapnel. Better yet, I want Mr. Ursine to SEE and smell iron-clad confidence staring him in the face, so I don't even have to shoot.
Does this make sense here?
It's possible that based on hard science, converting an SRH480 to 475 isn't "totally crazy".
I personally wouldn't do it. And part of the reason is...well, weird, bordering on "mystical", but in my opinion still valid.
First, I believe the Ruger SRH in either 454 or 480 is among the best guns ever made for close-range defense against dangerous animals. It's still small enough and available in short enough barrels (5.5") to be a "fast reaction gun", and it's got a DA trigger so that those unwilling to master the SA revolver have a fast-access option.
So let's assume that's what a lot of 'em are going to get used for, esp. in Alaska.
I've never faced down a bear. I've faced down muggers, murderous psychos with hammers and very aggressive dogs though, all with drawn knives
rolleyes: Calif gun laws). In all these cases I had *good* knives, high-quality large folders I'd practiced with a lot, trusted to do both a clean draw and perform in a fight if needed.So far, out of multiple serious incidents, every aggressor has backed down. Good. Just the way I like it.
In ALL these cases, two-legged assailants or four, a lot of what they were responding two was my..."attitude". Confidence. Cold assurance that I could deliver harm. That confidence comes from good gear combined with practice. It can't be faked; that "presence" is either there or it ain't.
I can't imagine anything worse than standing in front of an angry bear with a drawn powerhouse of a gun, and paper-thin cylinder walls that just look
like they'll cave in on a strong wind. Esp. since I'm pushing 'em past the factory limits.Y'all can talk "proof loads" and "probably work just fine" but when 1,400lbs of pissed off rug is growlin' at you, screw that, I want to KNOW I can trust this bad boy to go bang versus shrapnel. Better yet, I want Mr. Ursine to SEE and smell iron-clad confidence staring him in the face, so I don't even have to shoot.
Does this make sense here?
When the SRH came out in .454 Casull, it was written up in Popular Mechanics due to the innovative use of extra-high strength steels, specifically, Carpenter Custom 465. The barrel and cylinder are barstock, not cast.
In the .454 and .480, that dark gray stainless is this wonderful, exotic steel, which has a yield strength of something like 265,000 psi, versus 140,000 or so for most gun steels.. In the .454 version, I recall the article stating that the SRH would tolerate loads over 100,000 psi.
Yes, the cylinder walls are thinner in the .480, but you'll run out of hand and wrist before you break that cylinder. The .480 will drive 370 gr hard cast lead bullets at 1500 fps( www.hodgdon.com ), which is plenty enough to shoot through a BIG animal.
Don't get me wrong, I greatly admire the worksmanship of the Freedom Arms guns, and I really like my .45 Colt Bisley Blackhawk. You can make a pretty fair case, however, that the .480 is the most powerful six shot revolver in existence. Combined with DA, and easy scope mounting, the .480 SRH is a hell of a pistol. I'm very pleased with mine.
In the .454 and .480, that dark gray stainless is this wonderful, exotic steel, which has a yield strength of something like 265,000 psi, versus 140,000 or so for most gun steels.. In the .454 version, I recall the article stating that the SRH would tolerate loads over 100,000 psi.
Yes, the cylinder walls are thinner in the .480, but you'll run out of hand and wrist before you break that cylinder. The .480 will drive 370 gr hard cast lead bullets at 1500 fps( www.hodgdon.com ), which is plenty enough to shoot through a BIG animal.
Don't get me wrong, I greatly admire the worksmanship of the Freedom Arms guns, and I really like my .45 Colt Bisley Blackhawk. You can make a pretty fair case, however, that the .480 is the most powerful six shot revolver in existence. Combined with DA, and easy scope mounting, the .480 SRH is a hell of a pistol. I'm very pleased with mine.