I am looking at getting a new hunting revolver. Stuck between the 454 and 480. I like that the 454 will take 45 colt as well but like the wider, heavier bullet of t h e 480...

Easy answer....Get Both!

It comes down to personal preference. I am not a fan of the snappier recoil of the 454 so the 480 would be my choice.

That being said, the 454 does have a bit more "reach out and touch someone" range, provided you are good enough at 120+ yards.

Recently sold both of my .454's. Just didn't like the sharp, snapping recoil. A great round, no question, but everything has a trade-off. Between the two, I'd go with the .480.

I prefer the availability of .454 Casull components. Wider selection of bullets and cases.

Not so much for the .480 Ruger. But, I guess once you find what you like........buy a lot of it......you're golden.

I have 3 handguns chambered in .454 Casull. I've never shot a .480 Ruger. But, I want one. Just to have. Gotta find the right gun.

If you want to shoot heavier bullets I'd suggest the 480 as it does so with less pressure and felt recoil than the 454 can. Redlined 45 Colt is about as much "fun" as I can stand in that caliber on that platform.

I hsd a teurus 454, it was a snappy recoil, might go with the 480, i kike heavy bullets as an option. Plus wider frontal area.

I'd personally take the 480, myself. Don't have any experience with one, but I'd still love to have one.

Owned and hunted with the 454.
Never shot a 480.
Both are sufficient

The suggestion to shoot both calibers is a great one. I would add to that to shoot different model guns in these calibers as well as different guns behave differently. A personal preference would be a deciding factor. I found myself trying to decide between the .454 and the .475 Linebaugh. I had already narrowed my choice to the FA83. Gary was kind enough to let me try a couple different guns in these two calibers. The .454 was my choice. I figure the .454 will take care of anything I encounter. I am not convinced the .44 I have used for over thirty years wouldn't do the same and for self defense in the wild would still be my first choice in double action. Imagine being injured and trying to fire either .454 or .475,480 with weak hand! The availability of components and the cost associated with shooting enough to be proficient was another factor. The flatter trajectory of the .454 was another factor. You can't go wrong with either one you choose. In the meantime, I am "Ticking away the moments that make up the dull day"(Pink Floyd) as I await the imminent arrival of the model 83.
Having to decide between calibers of a new gun is a good problem to have!

I have moved the 454 on,getting and sore. If I was 60 or younger I would get the 480

I have used both a great deal in several FA Mdl. 83's. The .480's were really .475L's, but I shot both .475L and .480 in them.
It is true that jacketed and commercially cast .45 bullets are more readily available, and in a greater variety of weights, but I personally prefer the .475/.480.
You really can't go far wrong with either. Both will kill anything.

I have both of these revolvers and have shot both extensively. The .480 is much more pleasant to shoot and it's a bigger hammer. Both will serve you well, but if I had to choose one, it would more than likely be the .480.

That may very well be the .480 that puts me over the edge.

I have owned an FA with factory rubber grips and a Taurus RB both in 454. I currently own a Ruger SRH in 480. The 480 is decidedly more comfortable to shoot than either of the 454's I owned. It will not shoot quite as far but neither do I these days.

Love the quote - one of my fav of all time bands!

I have both and prefer the 480, but the advice to shoot both is good. The best answer is to get both and use the one that strikes your mood on hunt day. To be honest, I shoot mostly hot 45C in my 454 - mainly because I don't like changing primers in my reloader.

I am impressed with the "soft shooting" comments about the 480.
If one were to compare the 44 Mag with the 480, how would you describe them?

Ernie,
Back in the day (80's) I shot a lot of IHMSA with a production DW in 44 mag. I could focus on technique and target and never noticed recoil. With the 454's I owned I ALWAYS noticed the recoil. Enough that I am pretty sure it affected my shooting. With the SRH 7.5" in 480 I am back to being able to concentrate and really don't notice the recoil. I know it's more than the 44 ever was but still not enough to make me feel it.

Thanks NS!
Comments like this is what I am wanting hear.
Your own personal perspectives.

i'd go with the 454, not much out kills better than a 454 with a heavy swift a frame. better component availability. for dangerous game there's much better bullet selection and they're cheaper. you'll never notice the diameter difference and a 400gr 480 vs 360gr hardcast 45 is a moot point as well imho. better trajectory and the recoil argument is moot if ya reload. i have lots of loads my little 95lb daughter shoots out of my 454. then again, she shoots my 6.5"smith 500 as well.

I owned a 454 Casull in the form of a Ruger SRH. I sold it because it seemed to be in the realm of the 44 magnum, caliber wise. Also, the recoil seems to be a short impulse that at my age was getting painful.

I bought a Ruger SRH in 480 a while ago and it is much more manageable.

So my vote goes to the 480

I really appreciate all of tbe great advise. Having owned and shot a 454 a ton, i think after careful consideration i am going to go 480. Less sharp recoil a d that mean shooting more.

Can't beat a .480 Ruger! I have one in an Encore with a 8.5" barrel. It's a good shooter, and recoil isn't much.

I never found the recoil of a 454 to be too much. That is one caliber I really enjoyed shooting. Given a choice between the two, I'll take a 480. Bigger bullet, and it will do darn near everything a 454 will do.

Brenden

454. Since the majority of people don't live next to or near a bullet manufacturer, the 45's are a store away and the 475' are in the order form. As far as animal capability, I do believe that either one will most likely kill anything on this planet.

Recoil in the 454 isn't near what my 475L dishes out, but there's also a bit of difference in bullet weights. For the shorter distance I wouldn't pass on the 480, but stretch it out and I'd opt for the 454.

Just my 2

My experience with the .454 and the 475L is limited to maybe 25 rounds of each. I did not notice much difference in recoil until I got to the 400 gr full charge out of the 475L. That was more than I wanted to deal with. If I wanted a cartridge in the 480/475 caliber it would be the .475L. Why? I would get the Linebaugh cartridge because I could load it down a bit to 480 comfort levels and still know I had more performance available on demand. The other reason for the .475L is because it was developed by a "wildcatter'' or an ''experimenter'' outside of a factory. It represents American Entrepreneurship. Bill Ruger was one these men himself and his company turns out some fine guns for sure. Many of the guns we enjoy today are in existence based on some individuals quest for bigger and better. The .357 and .44 mag led the way. I would choose one of these cartridges as a tribute to the men that developed them.

Why are we comparing the recoil of the .475 Linebaugh to the .454? The caliber in question is the .480 Ruger. They (.480 and .475) are not in the same ballpark when loaded to spec. The .475 will push a 420 to 1,400 fps, and the recoil is a bit snappy at that point.

Not necessarily. Not all 45 caliber bullets can handle the pressure of a 454. In my experience, if I can find .452" bullets that can be fired out of the 454/460, the store will likely also have .475" bullets on the shelf.

Then again, I often just order from Midway or Cabelas. Much more reliable about keeping what you want in stock, IMO.

Snappy, eh? I guess that's one way to put it ;-)

To me, the recoil impulse from the 44 and the 480 seem similar.
A factory (325gr XTP @1350) feels nearly identical in recoil to a 300-320gr 44 mag with a case full of H110, which would make sense being the bullet weight and speed are about the same.

Once you start moving to the heavier bullets in the 480, the gun recoils harder but the pulse seems to be a bit slower so it sort of balances out.

Skippie, I think the 480 is a good choice. I have found my 480's to be far more enjoyable to shoot than the 454. The Super Redhawk with the Hogue Tamer grips makes for a well weighted platform that absorbs a lot of the recoil. I can shoot the Hornady 325gr bullets all day. Here is my pair.



Semper Fi

If you are a reloader, I believe you would like the 480. I have shot both for a good while now and they both have a lot of merits. The 480 does have more of a perceivable push compared to the 454 being sharper recoil. Either will serve you well but, there is something about a big bullet that intrigues me.

If I chose my cartridges according to local component availability, life would be boring indeed.

X2

Wide and heavy...

I recently had a similar dilemma. Choosing between the 454ruger and the 460SW. I ended up choosing the 460SW because it would also shoot the 454 and 45lc. I am glad I did because shooting the 454 out of the SW x frame feels like shooting a hot.357 and its actually enjoyable.
When I considered the .480 it seemed to me to be a jacked up .44 mag but with less available ammo and ammo options. I have never shot a .480 though.
I also took into account that the resale value, should I get into the horrible situation where I would have to liquidate some guns, would probably be much higher with the .460 because of the availability shoot the other rounds then the .480.
People rarely talk about that side of buying guns?

My son at 12 years old shot a decent sized bison with my Taurus raging bull 480 with my handloads. He was shooting the 325 XTP and of the 4 rounds he put in it only one was recovered if I remember. The rest were complete pass thrus. The 480 is an awesome round.

I have had no problems finding components for reloading the 480 nor have I had any trouble finding loaded ammo.

I have yet to meet a .460 S&W that will shoot .454 or .45 Colt ammunition accurately. You can load the .460 down to those levels which in my opinion is a better option. The .480 is no jacked up .44 Mag. It is a serious big-game cartridge. Think of it as a vertically challenged .475 Linebaugh. Over the years the I've become very fond of the caliber, and have taken quite a few animals with one. It's a great round. Ammo and component availability wouldn't be the deciding factors for me. JMHO.

Nor have I. Same for the 357 Maximum, although you can shoot mags and specials the accuracy is not worthy.

I am going to break the trend and go with the 454 mainly because I have about 10 of them and it will do anything the 480 will do. And I have a 475 limbaugh for anything else. Also because I love Freedom arms single actions and it's pretty easy to find them in 454.

Rush?