.480 decline

[gnappi]

Funny, I've yet to hear any major negative comments (other than ammo / brass issues) about the .480, quite the opposite. It seems like it has garnered quite a following.

Was the apparent failure of the .480 slow adoption of the cartridge by shooters, lack of launching platforms or other factors that led to the decline?  

[handgunhuntingafield]

Aug 2, 2023 4:47:46 GMT -5 gnappi said:

Funny, I've yet to hear any major negative comments (other than ammo / brass issues) about the .480, quite the opposite. It seems like it has garnered quite a following.

Was the apparent failure of the .480 slow adoption of the cartridge by shooters, lack of launching platforms or other factors that led to the decline?  

Ruger doesn’t have the best track record with cartridges they bring to market hanging around….or topping the sales charts.

[bula]

What has happened to already start labeling it a ******* ? I missed something. Ruger manufactures things in an off/on mode. Have they made an announcement ? Who all else chambers the 480 and what are they doing ? Do wish Ruger would chamber a levergun in it though. Info and opinions if ya have'em. I think the 480 is a very well thought out step up from the 44's and improved 45's as a hunting cartridge, backcountry choice. The competition and concealed crowd not gonna be on board, true. Something of a niche product. Did the S&W500's take too big of a bite outta the market, share wise ? Kinda like taking the terms auto/semi-auto off the table and calling at least the handguns only pistols now. Lets try and not use the "F" word ? Lots of people read these posts, and parrot elsewhere, and the tide can turn the wrong way...

[needsmostuff]

Aug 2, 2023 8:32:59 GMT -5 bula said:

Lets try and not use the "F" word ? Lots of people read these posts, and parrot elsewhere, and the tide can turn the wrong way...

Reminds me of the 32H&R magnum story in the mid to late 80's. It was a hard struggle with lots of badmouth and shrugs.
It did not make sense to those that only read about it but those that actually shot it could see and found the protentional.
So many times it could have just slipped away.

[reflex264]

In the last couple of months I have talked to 95% of everyone that had manufactured any .480 guns and components. At the present the future of the .480 is uncertain at Ruger.They will not give a yes or no answer as to the future manufacturing of .480 guns sither SRH or the Lipseys Bisleys. Freedom arms are still cutting several designated .480 cylinders a year. Magnum research is going to continue to build their 475/480 model. Hornady will no longer offer brass or bullets for it, only loaded ammo. Starline will continue to do runs of brass. For a complete list of what is availible you can check out the July Sixgunner.

[bula]

Thank you for your efforts, share. 

[edk]

Fundamentally the 480 as conceived is a great cartridge. One thing I find troubling about the 480 is that there is a lot of misinformation surrounding the cartridge which I don't believe helps its' case. Take this article from Ammo.com for instance:

***

History of 480 Ruger Ammo
The .480 Ruger, released in 2003, is a unique big bore caliber designed to be used in a large, high-power revolver. In its standard factory load, the .480 Ruger features a .475-inch diameter bullet that weighs 325 grain (gr). Although the bullet’s diameter is 0.475 inch, it was deemed the .480 Ruger to avoid confusion with the much higher-pressured (and parent case) .475 Linebaugh.

This bullet sits in a semi-rimmed, straight-walled casing that measures 1.285 inches in length, just a little shorter than the above mentioned .475 Linebaugh. The full cartridge has an overall length of 1.650 inches.

Unlike the other ammunitions on the upper end of the big bore cartridges, the .480 Ruger isn’t a hot load. While powerful, the ammo is not a Magnum and wasn’t designed to be. The .480 Ruger uses a large pistol primer and has a maximum pressure set by SAAMI (the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute) at 48,000 pounds per square inch (psi).

When it comes to the performance of the .480 Ruger, the cartridge doesn’t disappoint. With its factory load, the 325 gr bullet can travel faster than 1,350 feet per second (fps) with a muzzle energy of up to 1,300 foot pound force (ft·lb). At 100 yards, the lead’s still moving at 1,075 fps with an energy level of 835 ft·lb, which is rather impressive for such a heavy bullet.

To see the ammunition's full potential, increase the bullet weight to 400 gr, and the .480 Ruger becomes even better. It can reach a velocity of 1,300 fps with 1,500 ft·lb energy, a whopping 50 percent more than standard .44 Magnum cartridges.

What makes this much power unique, is that it doesn’t come with the perceived recoil and muzzle blast often associated with big-framed wheel gun ammunitions. While the performance is just slightly less than the .454 Casull and above the performance of the .44 Magnum, its impressive numbers are achieved with lighter recoil than can be found in most large caliber five- and six-shot revolvers, providing an ammo that’s available to significantly more shooters than the Casull.

***

A link to the entire article for your reference: ammo.com/handgun/480-ruger-ammo

What's going on in that article is perpetuated in online forums: Phrasing relative to the soft-handling qualities of 325gr loads are constantly mixed with the promise of the performance potential of 48Kpsi 480 (nipping the heels of 475L) loads. There's no free lunch. Add to that even with 325gr loads it is touted as not much more punishing than 44 mag loads - something that many people don't even want to have to deal with.

Why isn't it more popular? Macho shooters run straight to the biggest: the S&W 500 which with an outsized gun and brake is no worse to shoot. Such individuals looking to get an adrenaline boost at the range would never consider it. There goes a big chunk of market share. Is the 480 really any less popular than the 475L, 500JRH, 50AE or 500 Linebaugh? Probably not.

True, the average forum member sees through all this but we certainly don't drive the market. I'd be happier "stuck" with a 480 than a Ruger 375 rifle!

[squigz]

It'll never decline in my safe, I always reach for it as it's my most confident gun to shoot.

It can do everything from you regular day of shooting all day all the way up to the WOW factor.

[bisleyfan41]

How many years after the 480s intro was it before Ruger finally listened to the market and offered it in a bisley?? I mean, since it's debut shooters begged for one. Custom smiths were the only option, at much higher expense.

There's nothing wrong with the SRHs, but that's not what people wanted. They wanted a bisley, but Ruger ignored the market. When they did finally acquiesce MANY years later, the market had already moved to other options. Momentum and novelty were gone. JMO.

[contender]

I fully disagree with the use of the word "failure" when describing the .480 Ruger.

Just because ammo isn't easily available or brass is almost non-existent currently,, look at the market as a whole. LOTS of very popular calibers are not easily found. Ever since the panic stuff associated with covid crap,, followed by the shut-downs of MANY types of manufacturing,, it's been hard on a lot of things. But,, as supplies of more popular stuff catches up with demands,, companies can again return to making other stuff that they haven't made in a few years.

Thanks to a totally different mindset in businesses in the last 20+ years,, companies build stuff & ship it. They do not invest in warehouses,, or piling up huge stockpiles of product anymore. It's not profitable. They make it & ship it according to ORDERS,, and DEMANDS!

Failure,, it is NOT!

Just because a buyer can't find what they wish immediately,, and it being a less popular item than other stuff doesn't mean it's a failure. I know the OP has been looking HARD for .480 brass,, and such. But to claim it a failure is very premature.
If you own a business,, you are there to make a profit. The bigger demand items get priority. That's what makes them the money. It's when they are needing to keep up the profits,, AND have the other demands met,, that they can make the lesser demand items.

I know the OP has been constantly persueing

[boxhead]

What percent of handgun users have a need for the 480 Ruger? Pretty simple really.

[gnappi]

Aug 2, 2023 21:31:56 GMT -5 boxhead said:

What percent of handgun users have a need for the 480 Ruger? Pretty simple really.

100% on point, but then again that applies to all or most of the big boomers. 

[Fowler]

I think Ruger dropped the ball on day one when they didn’t bring out Blackhawks in 480 from the beginning. The Super Redhawks is a fine gun and all but it certainly isn’t a hip carry working gun in any configuration (maybe the Alaskan but that’s a different story). They never got support for the cartridge from other companies such as Marlin to have more platforms added to the mix either.

I mean to shoot one on just factory ammo means it will seldom get shot and even then at great expense to the owner.

I love my FA 83 and the 475 cylinder hasn’t been in the gun in years because the 480 does everything I want.

Hopefully as brass and ammo manufacturers get caught up with the mass production of 9mm and the like common stuff they will get back around to making a run of brass and components so Ruger might be more tempted to make another run of guns again.

It’s too good of a cartridge to let it fade away.

[dougader]

The 480 Ruger is the penultimate do-it-all cartridge IMO. And it can do 99% of it with soft recoiling handloads and the incredible Mihec 477-640 hp bullet.

[jack]

I bought my first 41 40 years ago- the dealer that sold it to me said,"Good luck, the 41 is deader than a door nail." A short time later I read an article declaring the 41 a nice round but defunct and the writer declared it would be relegated to the obsolete list imminently. . . . Yea, last I looked it was still plugging along and has plenty of dedicated followers. I'm gonna have to say the 480 is gonna be in the same boat. It may never set the world afire, but it is too good to fade away and already has plenty of solid followers. It may present a challenge to feed it at times, but I wager there will always be a way. Mine is staying right here.