Nice work...you made an excellent choise. My RB also is VERY tight, in fact the thghtest reveolver I have ever experienced.

Now, reloading for this round is definitely worth it. Just use a Lee hand press for $19 and Lee carbide dies for $23 from Midway. They also have plated 325 grainers which are very accurate and inexpensive.

A 480 secret is that it loves Longshot powder, and in your bbl you can use it to get within 150 fps of the big H110 and Lil'gun loads with HALF the charge weight = lower recoil. With the same powder and loading out to COL 1.81 you will duplicate the H110 loads and still have 44 Mag recoil.

Good luck!

BRONCO ... sorry for thinking that you had not shot a big bore.... so many guys get carried away, buy a big bore, then shoot a few rounds and stop altogether. I'd rather see someone shoot a 22 a lot than a 454 once every other year (handguns are fun).
You are right about ANY bear being dangerous. When i first came to Alaska, i met a girl who was attacked by a bear that ripped and chewed off both of her arms and both of her legs (1978)(i am a pharmacist in a hospital during the off season). BLM hunters killed the culprit, a healthy 150 pound black bear.... I respect your experience with your bear. I think that you are wise.
My taurus 454 has the last inch of barrel ported to control muzzle flip ... and it works better than i ever thought porting could. I would never own another big bore that wasn't ported. (I would BUY a gun that wasn't ported, but then my friendly gunsmith would do his magic with the porting laser.) however, the muzzle blast is really fearsome. Whew, I practice with active noise cancelling muffs and cigarette filters for plugs (no, i don't smoke), and i still have some ear ringing after a few rounds. But... the porting works for controlling the gun. (when hunting, i never hear the gun go off or feel the recoil).

You are right that reloading is the key. When backpacking, I carry rabbit loads (240 gr at probably 800fps), shot loads for ptarmigan out to 20 feet (ptarmigan breast roasted over an open fire on a stick is to die for), and my bear loads (330gr gas-check at a little over 1750 (have taken a 300 lb black and 2 moose with this load)). I also have a 350gr cast load at 1200 with which i practice. I don't cast my own... I buy my cast bullets from one guy who loves doing it and has a really fine product. The same could be done with the 480 or the limbaugh.
With these heavy recoil guns, the fit of the grip and the balance is THE most inportant consideration. My hands are x-large, so the taurus in the only thing out there that really fits me. Whatever fits you is good, but the bigger the handle, probably the better (along with porting) for controlling the weapon.
One of my requirements was double action capabilities in case a bear damaged one arm, i could still shoot with the other (not a bad thought). And my last requirement was carry-ability. I couldn't afford a 5 pound handgun, ie..handgun with a scope. Nor could I afford an 8 inch barrel because i have to be able to fetch the gun out of the holster within the confines of carrying a backpack. Since I also carry this gun when flying my ultralight trike when exploring, these weight and size factors are especially important.
Personally, I shopped for several months before deciding on what I wanted. I left fingerprints on every big gun in every store in town before finally settling on what i thought was the best fitting gun (for my circumstances). I can't tell you what to buy, nor can anyone else, but you will know when you handle it.. good luck, and have lots of fun. (they tell me that you have really big mule deer down your way ..... (and i'll bet that a shot load would work really well on snakes)