hello everyone, first post.
I am relocating to colorado and am an avid handgun hunter. Previously used taurus RB in 44 for revolver hunting in texas fo r whitetail and hogs, performed great. With the move to colorado elk in the timber will be on the menu and i need, no want another revoler for hunting. OK narrowed down to 3 choices and 2 guns. The ruger SRH in 44 or 480 or the SW 460 SVR. The considerations, Is 44 on the light side? and then should choice be between 480 and 460? the 460 seems to have a lot gong for it, except for the price. you get basically 3 guns in 1, and i am told that the 454 in this gun is actually because of the weight fairly pleasant to shoot. I have shot the 454 in 2 other guns and do not care for it. Last consideration, can the 480 do what i need without paying 1100.00 for the XVR. Any comments will be appreciated. I have never hunted elk and want a caliber/ bullet that will make humane responsible kills. Thanks

First of all welcome to the site!! It's great to have you here.

Although I've never hunted elk, I'm sure the 44 with a proper bullet placed in the right spot will easily do the job. This personally would be my choice if I couldn't locate a 480SRH. Loaded with heavy cast bullets at medium velocity, the 44 is more than up to the task at reasonable ranges.

The 480 SRH would make a great option. If you go this route, you'll be limited to the guns already out there; Ruger has seen fit to discontinue this fine firearm so there will be no new ones coming. Great round and with heavy cast will do all you ask.

I'm personally not a fan of S&Ws, the 460, nor the XVR. This is just my personal taste; others love them. The gun is too big and heavy IMO and I'd probably opt for a rifle instead of carrying this beast. The 460, however, would be a great advantage to you if you were planning on shooting at extended ranges as it reportedly does well out there.

Personally, I'd take my FA 44 and choose my shots appropriately; due more to my favorite hunting style than anything else (50 yds and under). Now if I had a 480.......

thanks for the quick response bisley and the welcome. Dont have knowledge of ruger stopping production of 480. Their catalog on my desk for 2009 list the SRH in that caliber in 7.5 or 9.5 inch bbl. can you let me know where you got that info? that would be dissapointing, i had only really heard good things about that gun and caliber.

If you already have a 44 RB why would you select another 44 in your list of finals? Just wondering.

That's been a topic of discussion around here for a couple of years now.

Welcome to H-H.

Ruger stopped production of the SRH in .480 that far back. There have been rumors of it's resurection in a 5-holer but I have yet to see one. My go-to big bore revolver a is the Bisley in 45LC, which can be loaded heavier than the 44 Mag but factory ammo sucks. I think the .460 is overkill, although some say there is no such thing, but the .454 would be a good compromise in lieu of the .480 SRH.

A 5-hole Bisley SBH in .480 is gonna be in my hand one of these days, somehow, someway.

I would go for the 460. You kinda nailed it with the 3 in 1.

I made a similar post a few days ago and came the the conclusion that there is no right or wrong answer to "what gun should I get?" Some like the closed breech single shots, some like the big bore long barrel revolvers, and some like the trusty old 44 mag. It's mainly about what you like and what fits your needs. That said, I just purchased a new PC 460 this last thursday. Overkill? Maybe but I can always shoot less potent rounds.

I would just stick with what you have. The .44mag is all I hunt with and I hunt Elk, Bear, Deer, and anything else that moves here in Oregon. (that is legal). The .44mag for Elk needs a good heavy hard cast bullet loaded hot and keep your range reasonable. I wouldn't pull the rigger on an Elk over about 50 yards or so IMO. Before all the bigger bores came out alot of Elk were killed with the .44mag and it will still do the job today. The .454 would be my second choice, if I had a SA in .454 it would be my first choice because I would have one. But being that I have a perfectly good .44mag then there is not reason to buy another handgun for Elk. But of course you can never own enough handguns either. LOL
Welcome to the forum!

rupe

That's strange that there in the catolog. I just checked the web site and they are not listed there. I have the .460 and it's a great gun, but it is heavy and very very loud.

Welcome
I would have to go with the 460
Load it right and ot will do what ever you like
But of your 3 choices you dont have a wrong choice

No matter what enjoy COL

Welcome to HHM tccowboy!!!

The 480 has been offically droped by Ruger. A couple of guys have e-mail them and got a direct response that it will not be offered from Ruger in the Super Redhawk platform anymore. There are a few guns being assembled with what parts are left at the factory.

As to which caliber to get 44/480/460....... BUY THEM ALL!! Then report back as to which one was the best for you.

You stated that you previously used a RB in 44, if you still have it that should do well for the Elk with the right bullet and proper bullet placemant. When the 357 mag came out in 1935 it was used on all kinds of North American game including grizzly bears. The 357 on grizzly bears would not be my choice, but the 44 would make it a better faceoff.

I've shot the 454 in the Ruger SRH and I found it more unpleasant than my FA's. It is heavy, which is why it wouldn't be my first choice and the XVR falls in to the same category for me. The 460 is a very potent cartridge as are the 454's.

A well placed shot with a 44 Mag and the right bullet will also do the job.

DA's usually kick harder all else being equal as they come straight back. They are definitely harder on the shooter IMHO. I have a .475 Linebaugh on an SRH and it will certainly get your attention!

DITTO!!




Double ditto!! I've said it before...and will say it again. Before I'd tote a revolver this large, I'd much prefer a single shot handgun in the Contender flavor. This can shoot a much more versatile cartridge than the .460...namely the .375JDJ...and you will have a much more user friendly package that accept barrels from the .22LR to the .45-70.

For what an XVR costs, you can get a frame and set up two, nearly three, extra barrels complete with optics!!

Although heavy and expensive, the S&W .460s are very accurate, balance well (atleast the Performance Center models) and will never be a cause for worry about having enough energy at any resonable ranges (<200yds). I have the PC 12" model, and although it is heavy, it is more accurate than most deer rifles and very potent.

wow thanks for the quick responses, one quick correction. I guess i was unclear in my first post, i know longer have the 44 RB. I checked rugers website and the FAQ and sure enough, no more SRH in 480. sigh.... Ok regroup. The 460 is versatile, but big and pricey, i want to go bigger than the 44 because i would like to be able to take a 80-100 yard shot max with a revolver.I wont buy a 454, so since i have experience with taurus in their RB, how about a 480 from them in the 8 3/8 bbl. And Dan B, your reading my mind! Once i get to colorado i am thinking of going the tc route with multiple barrells, prob. a 6.8 for deer/antelope a 223 for coyote/pred and a 375JDJ maybe for big stuff. I could get all of them for the price of the XVR, easier to explain and justify to the warden..ahem lovely wife, than saying you dropped over a grand on 1 gun,lol .I guess all this wondering what to get is half the fun, i can see it want take long to get an opinion on here, thanks for the welcome!

man i have been out of the loop to long! just got internet service back here on the tx coast( hurricane ike) i have missed a lot. just checked taurus website, and they to have dropped the 480, go figure. apparently in revolvers now unless you mant to spend over a grand for a XVR or a freedom arms in larger calibers,you are left with the choice of a 44 or 454. THE 454'S i have shot all had a recoil that was like a wrist twist, not a push. does anybody have any exp. with a ruger SRH in 454 with porting of some kind, did it help?

And barrels are easier to sneak in the house than a complete gun.

"No honey...that is a not a barrel in my pocket...and I AM happy to see you!!"

Hi tccowboy & welcome to the forum. The 460 XVR is a very heavy handgun. That is it's only fault.The 44 would be good with heavy bullets at close range. The S&W 460 is comfortable to shoot even with hot loads. I bought a 460 XVR last year & started to handload for it. I think the only thing you will need to get used to is the muzzle blast, and never ever shoot even 1 shot without ear protection. The ported barrel magnifies the report even more yet.If you buy one, hold it at arms length for a minute or 2 at a time a few times a day and by hunting season your arms & wrists will gain strength.

It sounds to me like you are leaning towards the 480, so look around and try one. The 480 isn't offered new anymore but there are still new ones on Gun Broker and alot of good used ones to be had. The brass and componants will be around for quite a while.

I really like mine. I have taken 3 deer and lots of charlies. Here's a little inspiration.

out of the three you listed I would say the 460 is the most all purpose and best for elk, if you can find a 480 it will work but because of the trajectory your range would be more limited. I personally prefer single action big bores but your only real options are FA or custom and both will cost alot more than the xvr new but you may be able to find a used field grade FA in 454 for around the same price as the 460 and there is no comparison in quality between the two. One other option would be the BFR, it is available in alot of calibers capable of taking elk.

In defense of the weight and size of the .460 X-frame, it's a really long catridge requiring a long cylinder and a frame to match.

You can find .480 SRHs on GunsAmerica and gunbroker. I bought one on GunsAmerica for a song and a dance and it is an excellent revolver (I bought a .480 SRH when they just came out as well. There is no shortage of reloading supplies and it is a damn effective round.

Another thing you can do to help you decide is take a look at some ballistics tables. http://www.hornady.com/images/ballistics/ballistics_charts.pdf

This on is from Hornady. Handgun info is at the bottom of the page.

Hi All. I just bought a new SRH in .480. My local dealer got it from Davidson's and they had 60+ in stock. I read on the Ruger forum that Ruger was making another run of these so I grabbed one quickly. Some folks on the Ruger forum believe they may be using some old inventory. Mine did come with the old wood side grip rather than the new Hogue that is on the newer SHR's. I honestly don't know if this is an old inventory clean-up or if they still have them in production. I'm just happy I got one....and at a good price.....$650.

The 44 will easily handle shots at this range if you can do your part and it won't beat you up or blow your ear drums out. There is no limit to handgun choices in 44 either; from 2" scandium models to the 10"/12" big boys, SA or DA, every maker offers several models in 44 to suit your needs.

Davidsons has less than 90 brand new .480 in stock so if that's what someone really wants you can still get a new one.

http://www.galleryofguns.com/Genie/defau...&sit=Adjustable

The 44 has, can and will handle elk but it is far from ideal. If you are human and I assume you are sooner or later you will make a bad hit and sometimes even with a cannon you lose the animal when that happens but two things that reduce that chance are a bigger caliber and premium expanding bullets. The 44 works best on elk size game with hard cast bullets but if you don't break him down or hit the vitals you'll probably never see him again but if your using a 454 with the FA JFP or the 460 with Nosler partitions you will gain hydrostatic shock which can destroy the lungs and heart on a near miss and they will do alot more tissue damage than the hardcast, Mark Hampton wrote in his book that broadheads kill more efficiently than hard cast and I whole heartedly agree because they cause massive hemmorhaging. It's basic physics if you think about it, with hard cast you will gain penetration and in smaller calibers increase your chance of an exit wound but it is, in the case of the 44 going to be roughly a clean .430 diameter hole, if you make that same shot with the arrow depending on the broadhead your looking at a 1" cutting diameter now the 454 or 460 with an expanding bullet your looking at a wound channel depending on impact velocity that will probably be between 2 and 4 inches with hydrostatic shock trauma to organs up to twice that distance, and it is that shock that causes an animal to fall in it's tracks when hit unless of course it was a spine or brain shot and it is that shock that will slow them down sometimes just enough to get that second shot off to cover the first bad one. With elk regardless of what you decide to hunt with remember to keep shooting until he's down or your out of bullets because they will pack alot of lead. I would also say if you choose the 44 I wouldn't shoot at an animal like an elk past 50yds or you will be getting iffy on impact velocity and energy and I'd use 300gr hardcast if the 44 is the direction you go.

I've hunted in Colorado for many years and I've harvested six elk, five with a handgun. They are tough critters with a lot of heart. This is open country and sometimes elk are hard to get up on during gun season. Sometimes you luck out but most often shots are over 50 yds.m If I were serious about harvesting an elk I'd leave the .44 mag at home. Sometimes it is hard to fight the temptation of taking a long shot especially after you have been beating the bushes for a while. The .44 mag is not enough as far as I'm concerned. Yes if the shot is perfect and the critter is close but how often does that happen? Bigger is better. Get the biggest gun you can handle. Reload and work up if necessary. We owe it to these animals to dispatch them quickly. Use enough gun or hunt smaller critters.

Recoil

Were the .454s single or double action? In my experience, the SA .454s by design are much snappier and twisting than the DAs, which give much more of a push in the hand. I had a 9.5" SRH in .454 and I thought it was not unpleasant to shoot at all, even with 300gr XTP MAGs loaded to max capacities. I also shot the same gun but it had been Magnaported. I honestly couldn't tell that much of a difference in recoil while using the same loads. Because porting a pistol barrel primarily cuts back on muzzle flip instead of straight back push, I think porting a SRH doesn't make enough of a difference to bother with porting.

Also, if you're only looking to take 80-100 yard shots max, a .454 would be good for elk. However, like Recoil said, we owe it to all of God's creatures to take them as quickly and efficiently as possible. A .460 will kill an elk or anything else at that matter more efficiently than the other calibers you have listed.

Also, if you have a 200 yard opportunity at an elk or other big game animal, you might consider not taking the shot with a .454 and wouldn't even consider with a .44. If you were packing a .460, and you knew you could hit what you were aiming at 200 yards, the animal is yours.

I have had both the 480 and the 454. As for me I will stick with the 44 Mag or 45 Colt in my wheel guns. It seems to be more than enough gun without all the recoil. Brass is easy to come by-- I picked up over 300 rds from the range guy the other day for $7.50

The 480 was cool but recoild was a bit more than the 44 mag and the bullets and brass were a bit too high for me.

The 454 was OK but again the recoil and such was more gun than I wanted to go to the range and shoot 100 rds or so.

If I need more gun I will go the the SSP

thanks again everyone , really enjoying the forum. I can tell that i can get good advice here. i have considered all the opinions this weekend and have shopped around. remember i stated in my opening post that this gun will be for hunting in timber only, hence the desire for a revolver. I plan to purchase 2 tc frames and several barrels for my other hunting needs in colorado. thanks Dan-B! I actually want to get back to handgun hunting only for everything ,at least 90%. I plan to sale and or trade all of my rifles with the exception of my custom remington 30/06. Since colorado has 4 rifle seasons, i can use rifle/handgun as conditions and terrain warrant. OK back to my decision, i feel even with past exp. with the 44 and opinions here that really for elk past 50-60 yards it is to marginal. the 480 would be better, but i am not a handloader yet and the dropping in that caliber by all manufacturers doesnt bode well, i dont want to buy a gun in 454 only, so because of the ability and versatility offered by the SW XVR, you sort of get a 454 for free,and it is more comfortable to shoot in that caliber with the weight of the frame, and the wide variety of bullets and weights available, my tax refund goes to....The SW 460 XVR,. OK thats done, now lets stir up the pot on barrels for tc contenders(no encores) anybody know where you could find a 14" 35.REM? thanks again and good hunting and shooting to everyone...Hey recoil where are you at in co, i am moving just outside indian hills just west of denver

My advice is stay within the limits of the gun. The 44 mag. can and has killed elk ,but for sure that would not be my first choice.I'd go with 454 and up,better yet go with a SSP, that way you have enough power and range. Don't get me wrong i love my wheelguns and have taken 95% of my game with one. I guess what i'm tring to say is take enough gun to do the job.

Good choice. Excellent caliber and an excellent gun. If you're interested in any load data, send me a PM.

Well, I really hesitate to join this discussion, given my very limited hunting experience in general and handgun hunting ditto in particular. I have, though, to take some exception to this statement given results on the boar I killed last November
(http://www.handgunhunt.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=1&Number=39398&Searchpage=2&Main=5344&Words=Mikewin&topic=0&Search=true#Post39398).

Since I'm planning to write a piece on the whole thing for a Swedish gun journal, I made some efforts to document the shooting. After the first shot, which was a liver hit too far back, I shot the animal broadside twice through the lungs. By coincidence, the entrance hole of the first shot on the left side was located very closely to the exit hole of the second shot on the right side. Bullets were 310gr Oregon Trail hard cast GC with a healthy dose of VV N110 behind them, sizzling away at about 1300 fps. Now, after quartering the animal the side looked like this:

As can be seen, the exit hole is more than three times bigger than the entrance hole. In the outermost parts of the fat/flesh layer the holes had integrated:

Sorry about the graphic contents here but I believe the results were interesting. This is quite a wound and not very similar to two .430 caliber holes. My take on this is that hard cast or solid bullets in thick-skinned animals like boars do make a lot of damage when they go through the animal. Maybe the flat-nosed bullets are simply pushing tissue and bone fragments in front of themselves. In thin-skinned game like whitetail, I guess you would get more of surgical .430 cal. holes. In terms of elk and moose, however, I would assume that the same kind of effects as in my boar would appear. But this is, again, way beyond my realm of expertise or experience - yet....

Mikewin how much did the hog weigh and how far was the shoots?
Thanks Norm

Norm,

the hog weighed about 250 pounds in the round and the distance was about 25 and 15 yards, respectively.

I got to say it did a hell of a job on that hog.

Lots of folks and even some handgun hunters don't realize the internal damage flat-nosed, hardcast bullets do. They positively wreck tissue. They also tend to break bones. I don't hunt with anything else any more.

Mikewin, we like graphic pictures! I do anyway. I like to see the damage bullets do. I have quite a collection of groundhog pics that I have completely boogered up.

I live in Loveland about 50 miles north of Denver.

Recoil