I have a new 6.5 inch Taurus RB in 480 Ruger, and the week of reloading surprised me...this is a VERY different approach to powerful handgun shooting. Almost everything about the round surprises me.

1. 480 brass is shorter than 454 Casull brass, but weighs a lot more....151 grs to 132 for primed cases. The 480 Starline cases i use hold 47 grains of water. That's BIG.

2. It likes faster powders than the 454...even though you can USE H110, Lil'gun and 296, these are not the fastest loads in a 6.5 inch ported bbl. It likes Longshot better.

3. The sectional densities on these 475 bullets are deceptive...even the short 275 gr Speer makes .174, and the stubby 325 is .206. The LIGHTEST bullet, the 275, is the first bullet of any kind to shoot through my 60 lb clay bullet trap, and it has taken a 300 gr 375 RUM at 2860 fps. Go figure.

4. I can't seem to get cases to stick, or primers to flatten when I push the faster powders. You can pull 1400 fps out of Universal, Blue Dot and Longshot with the 275 Speers with modest charge weights and very low recoil.

Sure, everyone wants to stuff the 480 with H110 and try to make 1500 fps with a 325, but 1300 is easy to make with that bullet using HALF as much of a faster powder in the 480, and the revolver becomes a pussy cat.

So, this is a new approach to magnum level handgun shooting: all the power you want with half the recoil.

I find #3 particularly curious. Anyway more details on the how or why of that?

Sabot,

I would have to agree with most of what you stated but there are a couple points I would like to bring up.

first, yes the empty 480 case has a large volume, this is a simple matter of math. The larger in diameter the cylinder, the volume increases in dramatic fashion. Still, when loaded to the correct oal, the 480 bullets take up a fair amount of this case volume.

Second, while the faster powders work well, I would dare say you are pushing at least as high a chamber pressure with the fast powders and light bullets at 1400 fps then you would with H-110, 296 and Lil-Gun when loaded to near 1500 fps.

You are also riding a fine line between top peak pressures and over the top pressures. Do not be fooled into thinking that your pressures are fine since you have no flattened primers or sticky cases, let your chronograph tell you the story, and with the velocities youare getting with those fast powders, I would say you are about at top pressures.

I would also agree that the 480 can perform extremely well without pushing it to its limits in pressure and velocity. Still it all depends on what you plan on doing with your revolver.

If you plan on using it to hunt deer size game and under then the lighter bullet will work well, but for heavier stuff, they do not even compare to the 400 gr and heavier pills for penetrating heavy game.

My 480 will not shoot anything lighter then 400 gr accurately, the 275 and 325 group in the 4" range at 25 yards.

THe 400 gr jacketed bullets group around 1.5" at 25 yards and the 425 gr WFNGC from CPB groups right at 1" at 25 yards with a velocity of 1170 fps. There isn't an animal in north America I would not feel confident shooting with that load if the animal was unexcited.

Good Post!

50

Yup, the 275 Speers have a shallow hollowpoint with the jacket rolled unto it in pointed strips. The clay fills the cavity and holds it in place, so it behaves like a solid, even at 1500 fps.

The big rifle bullets I use are easily upset by the clay, and erupt into perfect mushrooms, stopping in the middle of the trap.

Thanks for the good common sense advice. The RB is so strong that one IS lured into a false sense of security. I will heed you advice with one possible exception.

The one "faster" powder I need to work with a bit more is Longshot, as it does appear to have the potential to come within 100 fps the H110 and Lil'gun velocities at safe pressures and lower charge weights. This would be with the 325 speers and taking the COL out to 1.71 or so.

I very much like the looks of your 425 gr Cast Performance load...would you share that one? Also, are you shooting a Ruger, FA or Taurus? Thanks!

In a SRH 480-7 1/-2" bll:425 WFNGC--H110-20.5gr-1075,

LIL Gun 20.0gr -1195 fps. Max velocity is about 1250 in my SRH.

Sean

Sabot,

The load I use is as follows and out of the Ruger SRH.

I take the CPB 425 gr WFNGC and clean out the first lube groove. The one closest to the nose of the bullet and then use this as the crimping groove.

THis is for several reasons, first off, gives a little more case capacity, not a big deal though. IT also extends the bullet closer to the end of the cylinder which has proven to aid in accuracy in factory revolvers. In the FA, this would make little difference in accuracy because they are built very tight and to close tolerances.

The main bebefit it that it provides a deeper, sharper shouldered groove to crimp into.

You may not be able to do this in the RB as the cylinder is shorter.

My load is 20.5 gr H-LilGun over a CCI-350 primer in Hornady cases. Over all length is 1.725" for my loaded rounds which I believe may be to long for the RB.

If you use the standard crimping groove reduce this load to 17 gr and start from there.

The beauty of H-LilGun is that it works safely at mid level loads as well as full tilt loads, much safer then H-110 and 296 if one wants to lower pressure a bit.

Good Shooting!!!

50

Fiftydriver -

Thanks for the quick and detailed response. Your COL is no problem as I am already loading to 1.810. I guess the RB planners had a few thoughts about the Linebaugh.

I also really appreciate Lil'gun because it falls in that H110 - 296 burn rate at a high density, but there is no problem with ignition for reduced loads. My instincts tell me that the 480 wants these very heavy bullets to get the most out of Lil'gun, as the 480's expansion ratio is faster than the 454 and 44 Mag.

I think I would like to add 100 of the 370 gr unchecked CPs to the order for the 425s...do you think an unchecked cast is OK from them at 1300 FPS?

Sabot,

Obviously, with the RB being developed for the 454, it will allow extra room for the 480 bullets to be seated longer.

I can not say I prefer LilGun over H-110 and 296, but i do like the versatility of LilGun over those two stardard. As you said, it is safer and more consistent over a wider range of pressures. For full tilt loads, H-110 and 296 are still hard to beat.

I would agree with your comments about the expansion ratio of the 480. Because of this, it is easier to drive a heavy bullet to respectible speeds then in a smaller bore. I have seen this same thing in my 15" Encore in 50 A.E.

It is also my theory that velocity in big bore handguns is for the most part accomplished in the cylinder of the revolver. True the bullet will continue to accelerate in hte bore but not nearly like it would with a closed breech barrel.

Because of this the heavier bullets allow a better powder burn for that first inch or so of bullet movement. This is also why a consistant crimp is so important in big bore revolvers for consistent velocity.

THe 370 gr bullets from CPB should serve well from your RB at 1300 fps. This is getting on the edge for velocity without a major fouling problem but CPB does a good job heat treating their bullets so they do quite well.

One thing I have seen with the RB using unchecked bullets is that lead vapor will build up around the comp posts and on the front sight. They are relatively easy to remove if you do it often and do not let them build up excessively. Unfortunately there is no way around that except using checked bullets.

No matter how you look at it, an unchecked bullet will lead foul more then a checked one. To what rate will depend on the bore condition and velocity at which you run them. I would also say that faster powders reduce lead fouling because bore temperatures are lower of the period of time the bullet is in the bore.

Good Shooting!!!

50

The title to the thread is exactly what I've contended about the 480 for the last few years I've been shooting mine.

Other then for mild loads, ie 310 gr @ 700-1000 fps, I haven't used the faster powders. I did find that H-110 is simply too slow of a powder for the lighter bullets, I was never able to get much over 1300 fps with the 310 gr. I did get 1400 fps with 2400, but extraction was sticky. Lil-gun should be about right for fast light bullets, but IMHO, such loads really aren't what the 480 is about. The key is 400 gr @ 1200 fps or there abouts, and can easily be achieved with 21 gr of Lil gun or H-110.

Thanks, I will go with the checked 370s.

I was curious about the weight of the primed cases from Starline at 151 grains, and they mike out thicker than the 454 Casulls. With a chamber wall of .097, this is a very strong combo. My guess is that if one stays below the SAAMI 48,000 psi limit, this brass in this gun will essentially last forever.

Sabot,

In my experience with big bore revolvers, especially heavy kicking, heavy bullet combos that require heavy crimping, it is the case mouth that will work harden and split from agressive crimping long before the case body wall will thin enough to require retirement.

Still, these cases will last a long time even with heavy crimps.

Good Shooting!!

50

I've only used the Hornady brass, but have many cases that have been fired at least twenty times. I've lost about a dozen cases to case mouth cracks, but most of those were from when I had the die set up so that the belling was excessive. Probably half the loads are at working pressure, and the other loads are milder. I really like the hornady brass, as it is somewhat soft, which means it will be less likely to crack, and it will get slightly sticky when I'm at max pressures, so I know to back off. The factory loads are slightly sticky, so I'm comfortable developing loads that just drop right out.

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Thanks, I will go with the checked 370s.

I was curious about the weight of the primed cases from Starline at 151 grains, and they mike out thicker than the 454 Casulls. With a chamber wall of .097, this is a very strong combo. My guess is that if one stays below the SAAMI 48,000 psi limit, this brass in this gun will essentially last forever.

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