44 mag. or 480 Ruger

I have a friend that has a stainless Ruger Redhawk and scope for sale at $350. I also found a Ruger Super Redhawk at a pawn shop for $400 but it doesn't have a scope.
I plan on hunting with a pistol this next year and wanted to know the big diff. between a redhawk and the super redhawk. The 44 has really been taken care of and I don't know anything about the 480.
Which sounds like the better deal the 44 or the 480?
Which bullet would you recommend to hunt whitetails out of each cal?

I always like a bigger caliber and I'm quite fond of the 475 caliber guns so I would lean toward the 480 and if your shooting factory ammo I'd go with the Hornady 325gr XTP.

One other thing to consider is the scope position. The Redhawk has the mounts along the barrel rib where the SRH mounts the scope above the cylinder. I have revolvers with both and prefer the SRH mounting as it balances better with the weight directly above the hand rather than out front. Eye relief is also an issue depending on which position. The .44 mag is fine for medium game out to 100 yards. The .480 is my preference, and if Ruger offered a .475 I'd have one of those as well. If you're gonna make a hole.....make it a big one ;-)

I come from the school of thought that you always take more than the min. I have been on a deer lease were by the end of the session, a deer was hard to bring down. My Dad shot a doe with his 7mm Mag, shooting a 162 spbt at 3100, and still chased it for 100yards. I have shot pigs with my 7mm Mag and just had them trot off. Didn’t give me worm fuzzes. This is one of the reasons I bought a 375 H&H.

I know that a 44mag is more than capable of bringing down a deer, but for my first revolver, I want something a little bigger. I was going to get the S&W 460, but with the Ruger 480 coming out I am drooling already. This is just my .02’s.

Duane

E. Johnson - welcome to the forum from another recent member! With regards to the .44 and the .480, both are good deer calibers with more "Uumpph" (highly technical ballistics term) going to the 480 for sure. Is this your first large caliber handgun? If so, I might lean towards the .44 - which, I might add was mine (in Ruger Redhawk, no less). The gun will provide all you need on close range whitetails, lots of choices in factory ammo, and a wealth of knowledge on this site as far as reloading recipes. Easier on the pocket, wrist, and a great gun.

But, if this is another big bore in the collection, then go big. My 460 PC just came in!

Well that's a good deal for either. I bought my Redhawk used in 44 for $300, just the plain gun. What scope and mount are on the Redhawk your friend has?. A good mount and rings is worth $60 new and the scope could be $50-250 depending on what it is.

I bought my 480 Super Redhawk new for $565.00 6 years ago. The going price around here now is right at $600. So a used 480 at $400 is a deal. Just make sure the rings come with it. The box and papers would be nice to have to.



Size and weight are the 2 most noticable, which can effect shooting and carring. I have strong hand and arms so holding a loaded 480 SRH with scope is easy for me. The 44 would be alot lighter. Same goes for carring one all day long on a hunt. I know some guys perfer the light guns.

As mentioned the scope on the SRH is over the frame and keeps the scope weight over the hand. The Redhawk could be mounted over the barrel as some came with rings and "notches" on the rib over the barrel. My Redhawk does not have the cut-outs on the barrel and most after-market mounts use the rear sight holes for attachment and keep the scope over the frame.

E.Johnson, do you reload?. A question I have not asked you yet. If not then IMHO the best choice would be the 44. A box of 480 Ruger ammo is $20-25 for 20. A 50 round box of 44 ammo is about $25. So you can practice 2.5 times as much with the 44 as the 480 for the same amount of money. And like we say, practice is paramount for success with a handgun when hunting.

Now if you reload all bets are off.

Monetarily, I would say both deals are good ones. A nice Redhawk is a steal @ $350 even w/o the scope and a 480 SRH for $400?...heck I'd buy 'em both! If you have to choose only one, how each feels in your hand is important. Both can be outfitted with aftermarket grips to better fit you if necessary, though.

As far as caliber goes, if you're new to this take the 44. Practice alot with 44 specials and low-end mags to help build your skills. Factory ammo is everywhere and available in loads suitable from mice to moose. Recoil is manageable. The 44 will cleanly take ANY whitetail on this planet out to 100+ yds cleanly. The 480 is more fun, but is totally unnecessary for deer. There is no deer that can be killed by the 480 that can't be by the 44. The usable range is the same between the two. The 480 just gives you more muscle throughout that range. This is helpful for larger game, but it's a waste on a deer. Factory ammo is harder to find and the variety is miniscule.

For some reason lately it's become "fashionable" to handgun deer with the "new-improved-superheavy-superfast-monster-magnum" "shoot-a-deer-with-me-or-your-not-a-man" rounds. I mean old Elmer killed more than his fair share of truly big game with his old piddly 44 special. I don't know. Maybe the deer of today do require a 500S&W?

P.S. However, with all that said, if Ruger EVER does come out with a SS 5 shot 480 bisley....

I vote for the .480Ruger. I bought one this time last year and LOVE it! Mine is a 12" T/C Encore though. 3/4" groups at 50 yards with a Leupold 2X scope. Thinking of putting a 4X on her for 100 yards. Able to keep shots inside of a 6" target at 100 sure it will get better with practice.

My favorite load now is with a 275 grain Speer Gold dot and H110. The Hornady factory 325 grain shoots well as does a reload of Unique and the Rainer plated 325 grain hollow point.

I have both the 44 Magnum and 480 Ruger in the Super Redhawk. The 9.5" 44 is the most accurate revolver that I own. I shot an honest 1" 5 shot group at 100 yds. with the 44 SRH right after I bought the gun, and duplicated the same feat almost ten years later. The load was an extended loading of a 300 gr XTP over a healthy charge of W-296.

I have killed a number of deer with the 44 Magnum in various revolvers, and have not found it wanting within its range limitations, which are just about the same as the 480. My best deer load is a 240 JHP over 24.0 gr of H-110, or W-296 if you prefer. Recoil is not a factor with this caliber. Most California houndsmen carry a 44 Magnum as their sidearm of choice, and I have made a one shot kill on a 450 lb wild boar with my 44 SRH.

The 7.5" 480 is also extremely accurate. I have shot a 5 shot 1" group at 50 yds, but have been unable to do so at 100 yds. (my fault, not the guns). My preferred load with this one is the CPBC 425 gr bullet over a max load of WC-820, or AA #9. IMHO, if you are going to use a big bore, shoot a big bullet, not something underweight for the bore (i.e. 275 and 325 gr).

I have read a number of articles stating that the felt recoil between the 44 and 480 is very similar. Horse Manure!!! Perhaps if you are comparing the 240 gr 44 loading with the 275 gr 480 loading, but what's the point?

Both of my Super Redhawks have been Mag-Na-Ported with the Dual Trapezoid porting. Even so, there is a very significant difference in felt recoil when touching off a 250 gr .44 Mag max load and a 425 gr .480 max load from revolvers of the same type. Admittedly, the 44 weighs slightly more because of the longer barrel and the smaller bore.

If you will be primarily deer and hog hunting go with the 44. If you will be hunting elk, bear and larger game, get the 480. They are both great calibers in a bull strong, accurate firearm. On second thought, the only way you will really know is to get them both!

Just my two cents worth.

If your just starting out to hunt with a handgun...I would suggest going with the 44. Easier to shoot, plenty of factory ammo. If you have fired big bore handguns and are comfortable with them.... go with the 480. However, if you think like me...
call it a good deal and buy both. Good luck, James

Couldn't agree more. The 44 is hands down the best starting point for a hunting handgun. Lots of different factory load options available. Milder recoil. More than adequate killing power out to ranges that you will be ready to hunt at next year. Go with the 44. Spend a lot of time at the range and save up for your next purchase. Trust me, if you get addicted, there will be another one. LOL

AMEN!! I woun't tell you how many revolvers I have..... LOL<LOL<LOL

If you can only get one of them I'd go with the .44. I started with a .357 Ruger then went to a Contender .44. I then went to a .44 Redhawk then a .44 Super Redhawk. I have since given up on all calibers under a .454. Small calibers don't do much for me. I am so thankful that I started with the lesser calibers like the .357 and .44 because I do not seem to be recoil sensitive. I have a .375JDJ, a 30-06JDJ, a .454, two 500 Smiths, and I just bought a Freedom Arms Model 83 .500 Wyoming Express. Point is start out with one that you can handle and develope good habits then the sky is the limit. You will become an addict like most of us.

Recoil

Mr. Johnson, welcome to the form. This is one of the things I love about this form, it combines freedom of speech with the right to bear arms. In short, I think you are getting wonderful advice. I didn’t think the recoil variable would be so significant, but I could be wrong. The last time I tried walking on water, I got wet.

Duane

I started out with the .480ruger and do not find it bad at all. Granted I have shot .45acp, .40S&W, .357mag as duty weapons.

With 10 grains of Unique and a Rainer 325 plated hollow point the .480ruger feels like a Glock 17 with subsonic 9mm loads ;-)

Granted with my deer load that I mentioned earlier you really know when she goes off.