.45 COLT 5 SHOT OR 475 LINEBAUGH

[sac]

  Hello all,

 I have been doing a lot of research on both conversions and that is how I found this web site. I guess I'm looking for pros and cons of both
 I already have a 5.5 Ruger BH in 45 that I reload for and hunt deer with, I will probably never go to Alaska to hunt but never know. I guess my main reason for wanting one is to have a custom made revolver, I'm leaning towards  the 45 since I already have everything for it, but like the idea of having something not ever one has meaning the .475.
 
Thanks Scott

[Encore64]

Either is great. With so many fine 45s on the market, I'd lean towards the 475 Linebaugh.

If you're going to build a custom revolver, don't let a set of dies and a few components sway you.

[steve]

Welcome! You really can't go wrong with either. For me, my custom Huntington 5 shot 45 Colt has been my go to revolver lately.

[JM]

Here's a wrinkle.

How about the 480 Ruger?

I think I would choose a 50 caliber over the 475.

[bushog]

Two different animals.....no comparison needed....

[bigbrowndog]

Welcome, Scott.
I too was like you not long ago.......
I figured the chance of me going after big and dangerous game with a handgun was probably not going to happen, so why would I need something bigger than a 45 colt.

Fast forward a couple years and I now have two 500 Linebaughs, one a standard and one a Maximum. What I have learned is that even pushing those big bullets at moderate velocity they perform very well, and the accuracy afforded by a custom from one of the well known Smith’s is well worth the money.

Given your choices I’d go ahead and go 475 and know that you can still shoot it at 480 velocities and still have a damn good hunting gun if the opportunity arises for bigger and badder stuff.

Trapr

[Encore64]

Ah Yes, we do tend to enable...

[cas]

I think I would go 475 (or 500, if you're going to buy something you don't need, you might as well go all the way. )

The problem with the 45 is it might be so similar to what you already have, you'll feel somewhat shorted and let down. The custom 5 shot 45 colt will be better, more powerful, but you could end up feeling that it's not different / better enough to have been worth the time/money/effort. Where as a 475/500 will be different enough in it's own right.

[princeout]

This is getting scary. I read the title of this thread and thought "two different animals", then opened it up and read Greg's comment. He and I think too much alike. Guess that's why I have a few of his guns, one being a Harton 475, another being a mid frame Bowen 5 shot 45. Definitely big difference there since the midframe 5 shot is limited to "Ruger only" loads. Stepping up, I also have a Harton built 5 shot 45 large frame Ruger. If you look at Lee's article on 45 Colt, you will see it can get loaded pretty hot. Still, the 475 can throw a heavier bullet and has a stouter recoil.

Different animals, but both fun!

Tim

[awp101]

Do you have more .45s than just the Redhawk? Might get a bit hairy if a "5 shot Ruger only load" found it's way into a lesser vessel. I'm an avowed .45 fan but a .475 wouldn't present that problem.

If the only .45 you have is the Redhawk, it might not be a big deal. I'm not sure you could hurt a Redhawk short of a case full of C4.

I've forgotten. Isn't the .480 based on a shortened .475LB? Sort of a .475 Special?


EDIT: Durrrr, I see you have a Blackhawk, not a Redhawk. Durn Ruger and their colored bird names! I'll blame it on smudged glasses...

[dougader]

I got the 480 Ruger SBH with the 4-5/8" barrel. Problem solved.

[Paden]

Dec 8, 2017 17:30:00 GMT -5 sac said:

  Hello all,

 I have been doing a lot of research on both conversions and that is how I found this web site. I guess I'm looking for pros and cons of both
 I already have a 5.5 Ruger BH in 45 that I reload for and hunt deer with, I will probably never go to Alaska to hunt but never know. I guess my main reason for wanting one is to have a custom made revolver, I'm leaning towards  the 45 since I already have everything for it, but like the idea of having something not ever one has meaning the .475.
 
Thanks Scott

I don't know that anyone can really steer you toward the right answer, because there's really no wrong answer and it's a totally personal choice. FWIW, I would say base your choice on what you think would be fun to own, not on a false notion that one or the other will be better at killing. There's nothing a five shot .475 or a five shot .45 will kill that your 6 shot .45 Blackhawk won't kill, including the critters that live here in Alaska. If you want to shoot rocks and dynamite loads and endure the corresponding recoil for the fun of it, that's a perfectly fine reason to own one. But otherwise....

Personally, I've checked the custom 5 shot .500L off my bucket list, and I enjoy owning and shooting it, but it won't really kill anything any better than the .45. Similarly, I'm not a fan of 5 shot .45's because I don't see any advantage to giving up that 6th round. Of the 5 shot .500L and the six shot .45 Colt, if I had to choose only one, it would be the .45, no question.

[wildcatter]

I agree depending what you want it for either one could be the best choice. I am building the 5 shot 45 colt,, I am going with it over the 480 and giving up the 454's because it will kill anything I am going to hunt with authority. Plus I will shoot it more with reduced loads than full blown loads it will capable of. If a rare chance comes up where I would need it for Moose, or larger dangerous game, it is capable of the job, just not capable of doing it with the authority handling the the largest most dangerous game the larger 475 or 500 will.



If I were younger,, I would go with the bigger caliber, as I would always be ready for anything the future could offer me in the way of hunting opportunities. Today, I am pretty sure my days chasing anything in the terrain dangerous game is found in,,, it's a pretty good bet I won't be there?? But if I'm wrong,, I'll just have to rough it,,, and the rest of the time tolerate being over gunned,,,,


PS I am bias, as I have had a long love for the old 45 Colt

[2 Dogs]

Well, it's a tough question. The easy answer is to get both. Some of us have long since had all three, the big 45, 475 and the 500 Linebaugh 5 shots.

We all read Ross Seyfried and John Linebaugh who called the big 500 a long range drill press. When the 475 came along, it was touted as having a bit more penetration potential the 500 but that has since been proven false. The truth is the 500 Linebaugh can be loaded to a whole nother level of meaness than we first thought. As an example, search Lee Martin's posts, he is shooting a 505 grain .512" bullet out of his. So, there is no question the 2 cartridges can sling really big bullets at serious speeds but the dedication required to master these really big bores has to be there too.

Later the 480 Ruger showed up. I believe it was our Dick Sixshot Thompson who was one of the first to say "this is all you need" and unless I am mistaken he or his hunting partner clobbered a moose with a very moderate load traveling at a rather pedestrian 1200 fps or so. Dick was quick to defend his load saying "it achieved full penetration, why would I need to load it hotter?" Then Dick had a very handsome custom stainless 5 shot 480 built by Alan Harton. If you took one of the new Rugers and swapped the factory barrel for a 5 1/2" barrel band barrel and some Holly stocks it would be a spitting image. Dick pretty much laid low every critter big or small that he put that thing on again with a not so mean and very easy to shoot well load. Nowadays Dick shoots a Ruger 5 shot factory gun tuned by his son Shane.

Somewhere in there we came to know BobK, the designer of the 640 nose style bullet. MP molds builds a 477-640 bullet with 2 crimp grooves. Besides having some of the best accuracy potential yet seen, this bullet design with its additional crimp groove lets you either load your 480s long or your 475s short or whatever blows up your skirt. Our Glenn "Zues" Swaggart who conceptualized this particular 385 grain lead hazard has dropped a Bison with it, again with full penetration, and again with a moderate load. Here is a link to a closed group buy to the 477-640, don't worry about it being closed, Miha usually has some in stock: singleactions.proboards.com/thread/18754/miha-477-640-closed-23

So, my answer is, if it was me, instead of waiting 3 or 4 years on a custom, I would split the difference between a 45 and a 475 and just buy a Ruger 5 shot 480. Actually I would buy both barrel lengths. Get the triggers tuned and get to shooting instead of dreaming. Send one out to get some work done while you shoot the other. Get a trigger job, get the sights right, and some stocks that actually fit the gun. See how it works for you. I would like to install a barrel band or ovate barrel on mine. It occurs to me that one could buy a OM Vaquero and a 4 5/8's Ruger 480 and do some parts swapping and also a Vaquero version....(oh, you might should avoid me at all costs, I happen to be one of the biggest enablers on this forum....)

Here are a couple of links:
singleactions.proboards.com/thread/20831/rugers-480-bisley
singleactions.proboards.com/thread/21038/remodel-on-480
singleactions.proboards.com/thread/8721/480-rocks
singleactions.proboards.com/thread/15464/mihec-477-640-hp-mold
singleactions.proboards.com/thread/14138/latest-hog-475l-385-hp
singleactions.proboards.com/thread/9086/bison-long-post-warning

Unfortunately, the stinkers at photoboobers stole alot of the photos. There is a fix out there that might allow you to see some of them but I forgot what exactly it was.

[bula]

I often read in peoples posts here comments like, since I'm not going to Africa, or not going to Alaska, or staying in the lower 48, I don't really need the big boomer. With grizzly, bison, elk, a growing number of black bears and the odd Watusi running around the lower 48 even, no such thing as overkill when it comes to handgun hunting. IMHO. Will also say the 45 is more than adequate as many here with hands on experience can attest to. Last point, the big bores can be loaded down. I made the decision to get a 480 while sitting on the couch watching Jurassic Park, and realized the 44spec in my pocket suddenly seemed inadequate.