2 Cylinders

[singleVI]

If I wanted a FA83 in .480 Ruger would I have to buy one in .475 Linebaugh and pay and additional 500 bucks for an extra 480 Ruger cylinder or could I order an 83 with just the .480?  Or am I just wasting time and load .475 Line. down to .480 levels?

[SJPrice]

As a voice of experience.  Buy the 475 and load it down to 480 levels or even below.  If you do not load then order the matching Buffalo Bore 420 grain loads.  900 FPS for light loads and 1400 FPS for heavy stuff.  The 900 fps loads are pleasant to shoot and will handle 99 percent of your needs 99 percent of the time.  I personaly witnessed a shot (made by me) of a coyote at 50 yards with the 900 fps 420 grain load the went through the coyote and also a sixteen inch oak tree.  That is one heck of a load.  Imagine what the full power 475 Linebaugh will accomplish.  Forget the 480 Ruger cylinder.  Just my 2 cents worth.

[Lee Robinson]

Not trying to be a smart @$$, but what that tree dead?

16" of healthy hardwood sounds very hard to believe.

[Prof. Fuller Bullspit]

How does the recoil of a 420 grain bullet at 900=1000 fps compare to a factory .44 magnum round. I've "heard" that the "light" .475 loads have a recoil impulse that is less sharp than the .44 and this makes the perception of the recoil less violent. 

[2 dogs]

Proffesser Fuller,  your handle tickles me death.  Thanks.

[MarkH]

You will have to order the 475 and the extra cylinder in 480.

But I agree with the advice to just get the 475 and load down ...

[Prof. Fuller Bullspit]

Proffesser Fuller,  your handle tickles me death.  Thanks.

Thank you, it is also my SASS alias so I use it on message boards too.

[SJPrice]

Lee,
Yep, you are right, it sounds hard to believe.  The tree is very much alive and standing in my back pasture.  The coyote is very much dead and long since buried. And the tree is doing a great job of healing from it's wound.

Prof.
While recoil is a perception thing and very much a subjective experience I would say that the recoil from the light 475 loads in my 4 3/4 FA is much more comfortable than 44 mag loads in any Ruger I have ever fired.  In fact I prefer them to any +P 45 Colt load out of a Blackhawk.  Now those hurt.  I will shoot full power 475's any day over those +P 45's from a short barreled Blackhawk.

[Prof. Fuller Bullspit]

Lee,
Yep, you are right, it sounds hard to believe.  The tree is very much alive and standing in my back pasture.  The coyote is very much dead and long since buried. And the tree is doing a great job of healing from it's wound.

Prof.
While recoil is a perception thing and very much a subjective experience I would say that the recoil from the light 475 loads in my 4 3/4 FA is much more comfortable than 44 mag loads in any Ruger I have ever fired.  In fact I prefer them to any +P 45 Colt load out of a Blackhawk.  Now those hurt.  I will shoot full power 475's any day over those +P 45's from a short barreled Blackhawk.

Thanks for the comparison. I (along with many others) want to get a FA 83. There is a very nice one in .454 at the local gun shop but I think I would prefer the .475, if the subjective comparisons about the recoil impulse hold true. I've never chased the highest velocity, but I do like a big bullet and the .475 seems to me to be the best of the breed to me.

Now if FA would only offer the .475 in the  fixed sight 4 3/4 barrel with the smooth top (grooved sight instead of the express fixed version) configuration that would be the gun for me!

[singleVI]

I live in Kansas and I reload heavy .45 Colt in my Blackhawk and it doesnt bother me any. Ive never shot a .44 Magnum tho so I cant comment on the recoil. Since I live in Kansas I doubt I will ever load or buy heavy .475. I was thinking of shooting 400 grainers at around 900-950 for everything in Kansas. I want a .475 if the opportunity arises that I go to Alaska and hunt. According to my calculations the tame .475 load I spoke of generates 25lbs of recoil to the heavy .44 magnums 20ish. Are the light .475s around heavy .45 colt or .44 mag in terms of felt recoil?

[SJPrice]

Prof,

As you can see I opted for the express sights with the gold bead front.  I also had my friend Raj at Eagle grips fit her with a set of Indian Stag handles.  I like the way these grips feel and the way they handle recoil better that the FA wood grips.  First problem I had with the wood was the width at the base.  they were too large for my hands and so the gun rolled back into the web of my hand more than I wanted.  With the stag I gett better control for follow up shots.  She still rolls back under recoil making it easy to thumb the hammer for the next shot, and they do not grab your skin as they roll back like checkered grips would and do.  I personally think they look pretty good on the gun as well.  I sold a Ruger Alaskan 454 and a Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt to contribute to the FA 475 cause.  It has since become my daily companion when I ride and it packs very well.  I use either one of two FA holsters.  When I am horseback I carry it in a strong side holster and when I am in the truck or driving the tractor or loader I use a cross draw.  I too felt the 475 was the best caliber for large slugs.  I gave a lot of consideration to the 500 WE, but when I looked at the cost of feeding it I decided against it.  For factory stuff I use strictly Buffalo Bore as both 420 grain loads, heavy and light, shoot tight groups from my gun and for handloads I use Beartooth bullets.  I find them to be very consistant in weight.  I doubt I will ever part with this one as she has already served me well in the short time I have had her and I do not think there is any task she will not handle.  I try to run through 2 or 3 cylinders of moderate loads each day and have since they day I aquired her.  Now she feels like she belongs in my hand.  In keeping with the thread, that is a longer explanation of why I would not bother with the 480 Ruger cylinder.  I can make a 475 run from lighter than a 480 to extremely more than a 480 and can do it in handloads or factory loads.  Why add the complication of different brass and cylinder changes to the party.  Oh and did I mention my 475 will put all five in one ragged hole at 35 yards.  Yes sir, I am proud of her.

[SJPrice]

I live in Kansas and I reload heavy .45 Colt in my Blackhawk and it doesnt bother me any. Ive never shot a .44 Magnum tho so I cant comment on the recoil. Since I live in Kansas I doubt I will ever load or buy heavy .475. I was thinking of shooting 400 grainers at around 900-950 for everything in Kansas. I want a .475 if the opportunity arises that I go to Alaska and hunt. According to my calculations the tame .475 load I spoke of generates 25lbs of recoil to the heavy .44 magnums 20ish. Are the light .475s around heavy .45 colt or .44 mag in terms of felt recoil?

S VI,

As I stated earlier,  I do not like the recoild of hot, as in maximum load, heavy bullet, loads in my 4 1/2 inch 45 Blackhawk.  I find hot 44 mag loads in a Ruger to be very similar or maybe even a little worse.  In all honesty, they hurt.  I find the recoil to be sharp, wrist wrenching, and on several occasions have cut the web of my hand shooting them.  If I ever went back to my Blackhawk for daily carry and or humting, I would definately wear a glove, or depend on lighter loads.  As for the 475 with 400 to 420 grain loads in a FA 83 at 900 to 1000 fps, I personally do not have any problem controlling them with one hand including quick, a relative term, follow up shots.  I believe the FA is just slightly heavier than most 44's or 45's so the ft lbs of recoil is not an apples to apples comparison.  If you can find someone with a FA 83 in 475 I suggest you give it a try.  I bet you will be pleasantly surprised.

[Prof. Fuller Bullspit]

I sure noticed the grips on your gun pictured above SJPrice. Very nice. Thanks again for the information. I've played with the notion of the .454, but without the high velocity, it doesn't give me much over what I can do in any number of .45 colt Rugers that I have. For that reason I am attracted to the larger bore of the .475, because even loaded at 900 to 1000 fps the performance is much different than I can get with a .45.

[MattC]

I am interested on what the trajectory is like on a 475 moving that bullet over say 100 yards?

If you sight it in at 25 where does it hit at 100?  I have toyed with teh idea of an FA 83 in 454 but maybe I should go 475. 

[shilo]

I would recommend the same as others have recommended - the 475.  I've been shooting 375gr LFNGC at 1080fps. 1" high @ 50yds and 3.5" to 4" low @ 100yds. Very comfortable to shoot. Been using titegroup powder for that load. This is going to be my hunting load this year.

[superdown]

 ???this is probably a dumb question but is the 480ruger and 475 linebaugh isnt that like a 44spl and 44mag cant you fire the 480 out of the 475 cylinder?          thanx,superdown

[SJPrice]

???this is probably a dumb question but is the 480ruger and 475 linebaugh isnt that like a 44spl and 44mag cant you fire the 480 out of the 475 cylinder?          thanx,superdown

FA for numerous reasons, strongly recommends that you DO NOT shoot 480's in a 475 cylinder or for that matter 44 special in a 44 mag or 45 colt in a 454.  FA can do a much better job of explaining why than I can.  And no, one of the reasons is not so you will buy their extra cylinders.  The practice of shooting shorter cartridges in the very close tollerance longer caliber cylinders can cause damage to the cylinder.  The simplest solution is to either one, buy the second cylinder or two, buy or download the original caliber to a lighter load.  In the case of the 475, Buffalo bore offers just that in matching full and practice loads of 420 grain LFNGC ammo.  Note that the practice load is no slouch with a 420 grain slug moving at 950 fps.  That load is capable of harvesting deer, hogs and black bear any day, but it sure is "mild' in the recoil department from a FA 83