454 vs 480

For those who have been looking at the 454 and 480 Ruger I thought I would threw these numbers out.

I looked at the KO factors and the Foot Pounds calculator when comparing the 480 and the 454. The numbers were both impressive to say the least. My conclusion is that if you put your bullet in the right spot, positive results will follow suit. You can split hairs, but they both sport good numbers IMHO.

KO:
480 Ruger w 325gr at 1500 = 33
480 Ruger w 400gr at 1200 = 33 hmmmmmm

454 w 240gr at 1800 = 28
454 w 300gr at 1600 = 31

Energy:
325gr at 1500 = 1624
300gr at 1600 = 1706
240gr at 1800 = 1727

All three fps stats are pretty much comparable IMHO. Particularly sense you are taking bullet diameter out of the equation. In short, I don't think your game will ever know the difference. LOL

Sure they will. The .480 will put a bigger hole through the game animal. Forget muzzle energy as a measuring stick of a cartridge's lethality. It's a marketing tool for ammo manufacturers. There isn't a factory .454 load that doesn't exceed my .500 Linebaugh loads in "muzzle energy." I'll let you guess which one is more effective on big game, and it ain't the Casull!

The .480 is a great round that unfortunately got overshadowed by the brilliant marketing campaign of Smith & Wesson whose .500 was making headlines. Load a heavy (400 + grain) hardcast bullet at moderate velocities, put the bullet in the right place, and the .480 will do the job every time with no muss, no fuss, and no debilitating recoil.

You have made a wise choice, my friend!

Should have, could have, well... I am never going to look back or regret my decision. I have been looking at 41 Mags for some time when a good friend that told me I need to look at a 454 (revolver) next in my arsenal. He told me that I have a fine collection of 44's and that I didn’t need to look down in caliber, but up. Don’t get me wrong, I would like the FA, but my wife pointed out that I love my SRH and it shoots lights out at 100 yards. I think the 480 will fit nicely into my arsenal. Worst case scenario, I have three boys; 6, 3, and a 6 day old. I think it will get put good use! LOL

This doesn’t mean I am not still looking at 454 FA!!! LOL

I have owned .454s and have just one now. Nothing wrong with them, but for the recoil they tend to produce, I can throw heavier and larger diameter projectiles. I'll take big 'n slow over light 'n fast every time. But that's just me!

I guess my FA 454 had a fast barrel (7.5"), becasue I shot the 300 XTP @ 1775 fps all day long.

The bigger the hole the faster the boat sinks.

Amen to that, Hank!

Wouldn’t surprise me either way. I am just going by what my Hornady book has listed for a 454 using a 7.5 Freedom Arms with a 300gr XTP. The max velocity they have listed is 1650. (I wouldn't use that powder which is why I listed 1600 above.) But again, that is only one manual with one test gun. LOL

Duane

i am using a 454 SRH 300 gr xtp in hornady factory ammo this year for deer. so hope i have some good test results to share.there going 1650 fps

dc74, that load will work like gangbusters on deer!

hope. i am a over kill guy sometimes. like to try def bullets had good luck with xtp in past in 44 but favored cast bullets .... did u see a buck yet whitworth?

I reject the idea of overkill -- there are no degrees of dead!

dc74, haven't seen any bucks yet, but remain hopeful!

H110 is what I use.
Bob told me I just had a fast barrel.
That happens every now and then, but it is not the norm with a 7.5" FA.

The same reason a lot of police departments in my area are getting away from the 9mm and going to the .45ACP

That's right. Seems to be happening everywhere. They've at the very least moved up to the .40 S&W over the 9mm. Bigger is better as long as you are capable of shooting it.

That is funny considering I remember when they were all going to the 9mm autos.

Yeah, we're coming full circle!

yeah you're never gonna notice the velocity difference in favor of the casull.................unless you start shooting at very extended distances, and you're never gonna notice the difference in caliber either. it's too bad, but the big smith's just killed the .480 and i'd imagine cut into all the big bores out there b/c most just want the biggest and most powerful......and most hunters are stand hunters and the size of those revolvers just doesn't matter in that case. best use for the .500 smith imho is a huge dose of trailboss powder behind a 440 grain or larger bullet.

I didn't realize the .454 was so small-L.O.L., its still my favorite deer gun,its just so nice to have many choices that'll put the critters down when the shot gets put in the "boiler room"!

BTW -- TCMan has already purchased a .480 and for those of you who are familiar with this cartridge and have actually utilized it on game, realize what a great round it is. Less recoil than the .454, inherently accurate, and it makes BIG holes. There are no flies on the .480 Ruger.......

Whit, that is not fair! I don’t even have eye candy to put up yet and you are teasing! I could get tarred and feathered with this group doing that!!! LOL

I found a 9.5 SRH at a good price and was able to acquire said 480. Now to get the rest of the loading equipment life will be good. I also have a 2-7 Burris I am going to put on there.

Duane

I think both the 454 and 480 are good choices, I just went with the 480. If I had to do it again, I would probably do what I did this time... which one can I find cheaper in a 9.5in barrel. LOL

been looking at 480 my self for a 475 conv in SRH but looking at BFR in 475 will shoot 480 to. so very tempting

Ya Ernie, I get well over 1800 FPS. with the 240 grain XTP mag! 1889fps. average to be exact. The 200 grain FTX which is a much thicker jacket than the 240, and gets 2000+ in my 7 1/2", I have to pull the flex tip out of the nose to get them to fit in the cylinder when crimped in the deepest crimp groove, (there are two grooves), but I have talked to the Hornady tech's and this is the heaviest constructed 200 grain they make except for the solids, and I assure you it will smoke a deer! but the best big game bullet is my hard cast 340 WFNGC and it will do nearly 1700 FPS. (over 1650)I aint going to Africa but I think the 454 would work, anything in the lower 48 is just novelty if you use more, heck, I don't need any more than my Colt with the 340 and it will take anything in the lower 48 with athority! But in my opinion the 454 has an edge on the 480 and real close to the 500!

I have taken a boatload of game with both the .454 and the .475 and the .475 is simply a bigger hammer. Velocity doesn't make up for the larger diameter or heavier bullet capability (and I have used 400 grain bullets in the Casull) of the .475 or .480. While none of this may make a lick of difference on whitetail where you can get away with even those really light bullets, move up to larger and thicker skinned game and I will take the advantage of the bigger caliber.

I have taken one hog with my 454, never used it for deer, haven't had a chance to hunt black bear with a handgun. But after one hog with the 454, and several with a 45 Colt 340 grain cast, countless deer with a 45 colt, I have come to one conclusion. I have to go to Alaska or Africa, to justify a need for the 454 Casul. I will let everyone know my results when I get back. The 480 can't kill my deer deader or quicker than my 45 Colt, or the hogs I've killed either, and I'm sure for bigger more dangerous game, I'll use the 454 and the much better penetration over the 480! I'm not saying the 500 smith round isn't more powerful, but the 480 is where it's at today because other cartridges have already filled the need for what it can do and they do it better. I have three 454's cause I like em, not cause I need em, They are nice to shoot once you master em, but thats it, like I say unless you are going to hunt Serious dangerous game, it's just novelty! The 340 WFNGC in the 45 Colt is all I use on hogs or deer for just that reason.

I have performed a whole lot of penetration testing, and loaded correctly, the .454 doesn't offer any advantages over the .480 from a penetration standpoint. In fact, if you push a hardcast too fast, the nose degrades and they don't penetrate very well.

I have a .50 Alaskan revolver that pushes a 525 grain bullet at nearly 1,600 fps (verified) from my revolver. At a Linebaugh Seminar a few yers ago, that load out of my revolver penetrated 50 inches. The exact same 525 grain bullet out of my buddy's .500 Linebaugh at a whopping 1,100 fps went the exact depth as the .50 Alaskan -- 50 inches. The additional velocity (nearly 500 fps) offered absolutely no advantage in penetration. Now, if we were using Punch bullets, the outcome would be different.

The .480 is a .475 Linebaugh that is a little vertically challenged. While it can't push the heavies quite as fast as the .475, it's in the same ballpark when it comes to terminal performance.

Wildcatter I have to agree with Whitworth here you not get better penetration from added velocity, you will get it from increased sectional density or heavier bullets for caliber. Year after year at the Linebaugh siminars they have proved driving a hard cast bullet beyond 1200-1250fps gain NO penetration, in fact it often counter productive.

Now that is not to say a 454s velocity does not have some advantages to it, mostly flatter trajectories. At normal handgun ranges this is not really a concern at all. There are very few people who can honestly say 100 yards with a iron sighted revolver is a reasonable shot on game, most guys are closer to 50-60 yards in real hunting situations. At those ranges the 454s velocities don't really offer any advantage from a trajectory stand point. Now put a long barrel on the pistol and a good scope the 454 turns into a reasonable 150+ yard gun in a skilled handgunners hands (but some guys can go that far with iron sighted guns at moderate velocities but they are incredibly rare i.e. Dustin Linebaugh), here the flatter trajectory can be of help.

I personally go for the bigger bullets and I have a FA 83 in 480/475 Linebaugh and shoot the 480 cylinder almost exclusively. I also don't run it anywhere near max power ether, a 375gr LFN bullet at 1050fps that I can shoot with great precision will kill ANYTHING in North America. I live in Colorado and so when we big game hunt it means elk, as tough of a big game animal to kill cleanly as anything else in North America. When I headed for elk camp this fall I held 10 shots in a row offhand at 100 yards on a 8" steel plate 2 days before I left. That is confidence!

Little bugger was about 60 yards away when I busted him offhand, it was a good day and a good shot.


I have nothing against a 454, a 10" gun with a good scope on it will probably be mine at some point, for long range handgun hunting, but there is nothing a smaller caliber gun that a bigger bullet cant do, it physics. As John Linebaugh states "velocity is a constantly diminishing variable where mass is a constant".

Naturally 99.9% of the time on big game you will never prove a difference between a 44 mag, 45 colt, 454, 480, 475, or anything else if loaded to similar levels on Whitetails or Hogs. You really need bigger animal to prove much but it is a good discussion...

although i have 454 have to say the big slugs = big holes LOL so makes criters have big blood trials...

You said it, but you have to remember we can push a 400 grain bullet that fast to, but the sectional density is much greater than the 475 with a 400 grain, I agree it is a good hunting round, but it would not have anymore penetration over the 454 at any weight bullet. In fact if you want to compare a lighter 340 45 boolit has the same sec. den. compared to a 400 in the 480. I don't believe you could see a difference in the Linebaugh on dangerous game when loads are taylored for each one, when you get this big with the KO any of these calibers have, you have to stop the pill in the critter to see the most damage and any difference and that is tough to do on this continent. So because it is so versatile with the trajectories and the lighter 240.s and sectionally more dense with practicle boolit weights, it is what I prefer. I said before and it is quite obvious! anything bigger than the 45 Colt just aint necessary on the lower 48 and don't know how any animal would know the difference? But the 454 is very trajectory correct. the big advantage I feel any of these big caliber handguns have over all other sub .40 caliber, is mass! They are capable of shooting thru small diameter limbs and trees and heavy brush, and still keep there course and hit game at reasonable ranges with the authority to cleanly take big game, when used with the big slugs any of them are capable of shooting. As I said there is more advantage on the lighter side with the 454,than the heavy side and hard to notice with the big pills! and if 1200 fps is the max for useful velocity the 454 will hold that way down range over the 475, grain for grain? Sorry guy's I don't see any major advantage?

I just don't have the time to address all of the points in your post that my experiences negate. I can say with certainty that no matter what you are shooting, short of a 105mm howitzer, if your bullet encounters even a small twig, it will be forced off course. The myth of the "brush buster" is exactly that, a myth and quite frankly ridiculous.

More later.

The 454 operates in the 60,000 PSI range the 475/480 are in the high 40's to low 50's and the 500 Linebaugh is in the low 40's and the 500 JRH is in the low 50's

Well, the way I see it they are both GREAT cartridges capable of taking anything on the face of the planet. Kind of like comparing the 270 with the 3006, you can split hairs on which one is better but they both cleanly harvest game. If I had to chose one again I would do what I did this time. See which one I could get cheaper. (PS, I acquired my SRH in 480 for 500)

Duane

Don't blame you! I have said it already but won't argue the point as I see these guy's read more than I do! you made a good choice and like you said, you would have to read more than we do to see the difference on real game!! These guys are rediculous! QUOTE QUOTE QUOTE?? And most hunters who have used both small light fast and big heavy realize and have proven in real life, you will do a lot better in heavy brush than the guy using the 308 or 6 mm. BEEN THERE and DON"T DO THAT NO MORE! I usually can't see more than about 30 to 50 yards where I like to hunt. If I can then I would use something smaller. that is all I'll say, and I'll leave this for the White Rhino and Elephant pro's. ?????????

Test target shooting through brush is problematic at best and the caliber is immaterial.

As to reading too much, I beg to differ at learned a lot shooting BIG GAME with handguns and have tested a lot of ammunition

Just a few of the animals that I have taken with a big bore revolver





















Enlighten us as to your experience shooting LARGEW GAMNE with the 454 and the 475/480

LOL

Well the fact of the matter is I am still cutting my teeth on revolvers and straight wall cartridges. These gents have forgotten more then I know right know. LOL They are good gents and they will go out of their way to help you if you ask! Truth being told I have defiantly benefitted from their advice. We don’t always see eye to eye on every subject, but they is just because of our backgrounds and how we look at things.

Thanks, Duane!

Read more? Perhaps. Hunt more? Probably. Test more? Definitely.

No need to get personal.

well said whitworth i could kill the same game with a 454 loaded right but WOULD NOT do what my 500 will on big tough game .so the 480/475 i think would be a hammer as well.

I have had bothe the 454 and 480 in both the SRH as well as the 12" Encore

I think I liked the 480 the best--The 480 SRH was a cool gun and all the power anyone needs.

The 480 had a bit more bullet drop but --just plan to shoot 100 or less with the 480

JMHO go 480

JWP475 you forgot the caribou pic! He was a goodun with a revolver!

You guys have understand JWP475 bought one of the first 2 or 3 475 Linebaughs Bowen ever built back in the late 80s and has been playing in the big bore game for a long time. He knows his stuff and likes big guns and big bullets. Hes been there and done that!

I am a big proponent of Seyfried and follow his, Linebaugh, and Keith's beliefs in heavy for caliber bullets. I think Ross is correct that the 45 colt is bar none the most versiltile handgun bullet out there if you have a 5 shot style revolver from Bowen or one of the custom smiths. There is really nothing a 454 can do that the 45 colt can't in a 5 shooter.

The one clevate to the 454 statement above is the 454 can drive light bullets faster than the 45 colt, it has more powder space. But I think 45 caliber hunting bullets start at 250gr and go up to 365gr reasonably. I think the worst thing that has been done to the 45 caliber guns for hunting is the advent of lighter than 250gr bullets for the 454s and 460 Smiths and intended to be used on big game. They were created as a marketing ploy to sell the big X frame guns. A 200gr Boat Tail bullet in a handgun? Driving this bullet at 2400fps? Is was and is a horrid idea on game that you respect and intend to eat. The bullet is a crippler if placed poorly, sure it probably get dramatic results if placed correctly on a broadside deer but sending one to work on a elk is just asking for a disaster! But it sure looks impressive in the add for the gun in Guns and Mayhem monthly magazine!

I personnally will stick to my 480 slinging heavy bullets at moderate velocities for elk but I also shoot 41 mags, 44sp (I have 2) and 45 colts (I have 5 of them) and follow similar thought processes for all of them.

Oh and I totally agree it is hard to prove a real advantage to anything 45 colt or bigger in the lower 48. I will also say this is a discussion that has been going on for 100 years with rifles and more recently with handguns and it is not likely to get settled here...

Very well said! Jwp's .475 was Bowen's first, actually! Too bad he no longer has it.......

Guns and Mayhem!! LOL! I like that!

TC you'll love that gun.

Brush buster calibers?I don't think so.I'll go with the statement that there is nothing in the lower 48 that a 45colt can't handle,and I personally don't think there's nothing in NA it can't do,but there are calibers that could handle the big bears more efficiently.

JL said it best,"don't load your little gun up. Load your big gun normal. In other words, don't send a boy to do a man's job".

I'd rather be hit by a vette than run over by a mack.

[/quote]


Test target shooting through brush is problematic at best and the caliber is immaterial.

As to reading too much, I beg to differ at learned a lot shooting BIG GAME with handguns and have tested a lot of ammunition

Just a few of the animals that I have taken with a big bore revolver





















Enlighten us as to your experience shooting LARGEW GAMNE with the 454 and the 475/480

[/quote] Maybe a better question would be "how do those other guy's do it with .45's????????????????????????

i've already posted plenty of pics and have many more i could post if i'd ever bother to buy a scanner. i have 3 hunts planned for large over 500lb animals. have one in the works next year for both a waterbuffalo and a buffalo hunt for a bull where they regularly hit 2500lbs. our experiences differ, i just truly never saw a difference. i didn't want to, nor not want to see a difference. i noticed more difference with velocity in expanding bullets that would stay together and differences in meplat size, not caliber size as long as bullets are stabilized properly. btw, my son's bfr 454 stabilizes and has shown significantly better penetration with 400 grain pills than my FA, whereas i get better 100+ yard groups with 340gr and down bullets in the FA

How the 45 does what? How it kills, or how it compares to the bigger bores?

Of course I never stated that it wouldn't kill. I responded to your statements cpmparing the 45 Revolvers to the 475/480.

There is a difference on game between the 2 in the field just like there is a difference between a 30-06 and a 243

You missed the original point of the "discussion" where the statement was made that the .454 will always out penetrate the .480 -- or something to that effect.

it won't always, but it will in many many instances though i'm not sure you'd find anything either wouldn't go all the way through with proper so loads so it's really a moot point. what i am really getting at is that not only is penetration a relationship of weight/velocity/bullet integrity, but also bullet stabilization.

The reverse also holds true. There's nothing magical about the .454 in relation to the .45 Colt. You're not gaining any penetration with the increase in velocity potential -- that is unless you are using Punch bullets or something equally hard to degrade. Again, a great example of this is my .50 Alaskan and my .500 Linebaugh -- same bullet, and a 500 fps velocity spread and they will penetrate side by side. But one of them is nearly impossible to control -- the one that produces the high velocity.

Thanks. That Carribou is the best one that I have taken even with a rifle..

+1, to your post as it pertains to bullets and calibers for hunting