Author Topic: 460 S&W vs 475 Linebaugh (Read 5344 times)

baer19d · « **on:** June 20, 2009, 01:21:54 PM »

I know this is a very opinionated anwser, but which is the better of the two? By that I mean which has the faster velocity, greater range capabilities and more energy. I know that both of them will take just about any game that a person would want to take with a handgun.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 20, 2009, 01:36:27 PM »

Velocity goes to the 460 Mag, longer range capability would have to go to the 460 Mag, due to it's flatter shooting trajectory. Energy depends on the bullets you will be using, but the 475 makes a bigger hole...

So I would go with the 475 Linebaugh just because of the bigger hole... In normal day to day handgun range, I would take the 475 Linebaugh over the 460 Mag. And I am a fan of the 460 Mag..

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #2 on:** June 21, 2009, 12:56:08 AM »

475 hands down but then again its only just an opinion

salvo · « **Reply #3 on:** June 22, 2009, 05:55:36 AM »

475 for me, more so because of the size of revolvers it comes in. Those X Frames are huge!

jk3006 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 22, 2009, 05:40:52 PM »

I don't own either, but I personally dislike the X-frames. Too big. The only use I would have for one would be if I couldn't rifle hunt and needed another method to reach out to 200 yards or so. Then it would be the 460 with a scope on it.

OTOH, I'd love to have a custom 475 Linebaugh on a Bisley frame.

Ken ONeill · « **Reply #5 on:** June 23, 2009, 12:42:23 AM »

Apples and oranges. Buy both. I'm a .475 guy, though.

baer19d · « **Reply #6 on:** June 23, 2009, 07:38:45 AM »

I just might do that some day. I just purchaced a 460 Encore pistol barrel yesterday. If I find a good priced 475 Linebaugh barrel down the road I could see my self buying it.

Quote from: Ken ONeill on June 23, 2009, 12:42:23 AM

Apples and oranges. Buy both. I'm a .475 guy, though.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 23, 2009, 08:50:03 AM »

Quote from: jk3006 on June 22, 2009, 05:40:52 PM

OTOH, I'd love to have a custom 475 Linebaugh on a Bisley frame.

I got one...

Gary Reeder did a great job on mine. Actually it is a Ruger Super Blackhawk with Gary's gunfighter grip. What a great gun, that is why I sold my 10 inch 475 Linebaugh Encore barrel..

mk454 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 23, 2009, 03:51:23 PM »

if revolver size is no issue, the 460 handsdown. either kills anything. there's absolutely nothing a 420gr or 440 gr 475 will kill that a 360 or 395 gr 460 won't. it's akin to saying a 338/06 is more lethal than a 300 weatherby. they'll both kill whatever, but trajectory is the difference. for lighter bullets on deer and most of what we're gonna hunt there's a definite diff b/w a 350gr xtp out of the 475 and the lighter weights 200gr and 275 gr out of the 460. i own the 475 and don't own the 460 but will shortly.

Dill45 · « **Reply #9 on:** June 28, 2009, 02:52:29 PM »

The 475 will probably give you a greater wound channel, and the 460 will shoot flatter with a smaller wound channel. Both will drop most things dead with a good placed shot.

My father owns a 460 personally. The guns great fun to shoot, really flat out to a 100 yards (Far as the range can go). As for hunting, it has never been taken out, so I can't say on how it preforms.

leatherman92 · « **Reply #10 on:** July 01, 2009, 04:22:24 PM »

I have a encore in 460 and I love it,it has a super flat trajectory and is hard hitting.Ive never shot a .475 so I would not know how it compares to the .460.......

eodusa · « **Reply #11 on:** July 03, 2009, 07:46:18 AM »

I would pick 460 due to ammo availability & brass.
If you need more power / range move to a rifle caliber like a 375 JDJ

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 03, 2009, 05:20:10 PM »

Quote from: eodusa on July 03, 2009, 07:46:18 AM

I would pick 460 due to ammo availability & brass.
If you need more power / range move to a rifle caliber like a 375 JDJ

Anyone shooing either caliber would be better suited reloading...

Gdbyrd · « **Reply #13 on:** July 03, 2009, 06:45:11 PM »

Quote from: Redhawk1 on July 03, 2009, 05:20:10 PM

Quote from: eodusa on July 03, 2009, 07:46:18 AM
I would pick 460 due to ammo availability & brass.
If you need more power / range move to a rifle caliber like a 375 JDJ

Anyone shooing either caliber would be better suited reloading...

A box of 20 .460 is going for 64$ at my local shop. .500 is cheaper, but not by much. I like my .460 although I have NEVER shot it, lol. I'm with Redhawk though, I like to leave an impression.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #14 on:** July 04, 2009, 12:22:48 AM »

any of you 460 fans loading on a lock and load progressive. I just swung a deal on one and its comming with a 460 smith shell plate that i have no use for. Its yours for free if you can use it. Just pm me.

Ole Man Dan · « **Reply #15 on:** July 05, 2009, 04:32:53 AM »

Like the commercial says: "Size Matters"
Go with the .475...

henryb · « **Reply #16 on:** July 05, 2009, 04:50:38 AM »

As mentioned before, they are two pretty different guns. As revolvers. I view the 460 as a "revolving carbine", It IS a big gun. Mine has a 12" bbl from the S&W PC a scope and a sling. I shoot it from a steady position or shootin' sticks.It's purpose is deer and the like out to 150 or so yards. The 475 or 500 for that matter are mostly "packable" well, most of the 475's are. My 500 has a 5.5" bbl on it and is used for a different kind of critter. It's got a bandolier holster and is used for hogs, bear and such.

addicted · « **Reply #17 on:** August 05, 2009, 03:52:49 PM »

Well I had a 20" 460 barrel for a encore that I DID have, but traded. I have a Magnum Research BFR in 480 Ruger/ 475 Linebaugh that will be here next week so it was nice to see this subject on here.

I do have a question though... who makes aftermarket grips for them other than MRI? I've heard some say that the SRH/ SBH grips might fit. I think my BFR is a year or two old, but only fired 10 times so I'm not sure of the serial number issue as far as what grips will fit it.

Thanks, Joel

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #18 on:** August 05, 2009, 11:54:14 PM »

alot depend on how and what you hunt. If your shooting animals out past a 100 yards and dont want to take the time to learn the trajectory of your load the 460 is probably a good thing. If you shoot your gun enough to get intimate with it theres no real differnce there. If the game is under a 100 yards and no bigger then say an elk its a wash as they both put out more then enough power. Where the 475 comes into its own is in penetration. It just seems to be a majic combination of velocity, sectional density and frontatal area as it allways kicks but in pentration. To me if the animal your hunting starts to get up around a 1000 lbs the 475 does it better hands down. I love the 500 linebaugh but will be the first to say that for really big animals the 475 may be better. If it was just velocity and ft lbs of energy that killed you wouldnt see african hunters using big bores at realitively sedate speeds to kill very large animals. the 460 may pentrate just fine but it will never outclass the 475 in that aspect and the 475 will do it with a bigger metplat comparing it to a rifle is not fair. they both kill in different ways. If you want to compare rilfes take your 338/06 and load it with 210 partitions and compare the results on very big animals to a 300 weatherby screaming 150s and ill take the 338/06 hands down. the 460 may compare favorably on paper but for the most part guys hunting the really big animals with handguns are using heavy cast bullets and all that extra velocity is hurting much more then it helps. If you do enough long range shooting you will find that a 475 is more them capable of putting hits on animals out past 200 yards but its a rare handgunner that has good enough trigger skills to shoot at animals at that range with ANY handgun. I shoot alot and i sure dont. dustin linebaugh is a much better shot them me and took a grizzly not to long ago with his 475 at 200 yards so it can be done. Smiths big advertisment for these guns is there flat trajectory and a 200 yard capablility. Id be willing to bet theres a bunch of deer that have ran off suffering because of them. A handgun, at least to me is a 100 yard hunting weapon. Used like that the 475 is hands down a better round. This guy isnt carrying around a 5 lb handgun anyway. I started handgun hunting because it was cool to walk the woods with a gun on my hip that about dissapeared till it was needed. If i have to carry a scoped slinged handgun id rather hunt with a lever gun. But then everyones idea in those respects is differnt and its not my bussiness to tell anyone how to hunt or what to hunt with.

henryb · « **Reply #19 on:** August 06, 2009, 03:57:56 AM »

Quote from: baer19d on June 20, 2009, 01:21:54 PM

I know this is a very opinionated anwser, but which is the better of the two? By that I mean which has the faster velocity, greater range capabilities and more energy. I know that both of them will take just about any game that a person would want to take with a handgun.

The 460 is flatter shooting. The 475 can throw a heavier bullet. Therefore, the range capability goes to the 460. Energy goes to the 475.

mk454 · « **Reply #20 on:** August 08, 2009, 08:37:14 AM »

what's neat about the 460 is that out of a 15 or 20" encore barrell it'll pretty much match the ballistics of the 338/06 and have the option of heavier bullets. everyone always talks about how rifles and pistols kill differently. the 460 will do both of course depending on what loads shoot out it and of course, what 460 it is. the only reason a 395 or 360 gr pill out of a 460 wouldn't outpenetrate a 420 or 440 out of a 475 is due to bullet deformation. if you get into punch bullets there'd be no reason to think the 475 would outpenetrate the 460.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #21 on:** August 09, 2009, 12:52:13 AM »

with something like a punch bullet the gap does close up but the advantage still goes to a 475. A 475 lfn has a metplat that is as big as a 45 cal wfn and still has the abiltiy to shoot bullets 30 grains heavier then a 45 cal. Another problem with using a bullet as heavy as a 395 in a 454 is it starts to take up so much case capasity that velocitys will suffer. Especially in a FA gun that allready doesnt allow a guy to seat out bullets. Ive never seen a use for a 45 cal bullet heavier then 350 grain. Another problem you will run into with the really heavy bullets is the twist rates in most 454s arent fast enough to stabilize them. Ive allways said that 350s are about the limit in any 45 cal gun and 420s are the limit in a 475. If i want to shoot heavier bullets then 350s in my 454 i step up to a 475 and if i feel a need for a bullet heavier then 420 i step up to a 500 linebaugh. Granted any animal on earth can be ethicaly taken with a 454 shooting 350s. Only advantage i can see to the 454 or 46o is if a guy wants to use jacketed bullets and get fast expansion for light game but i havent shot a jacketed handgun bullet in years. John linebaugh said it best. Think of a handgun as a drill press if you want more power you want a bigger hole and that means a bigger caliber. Increasing caliber in a handgun is a much more effective way of increasing power then increasing velocity. Ive never been a fan of the 454. I have one, a real nice FA 4 5/8s gun but my take on it has allways been that a cast bullet does its best around 1200-1300 fps and i can eaisly push a 320 grain bullet to those speeds in a 45 colt ruger. If a guy needs more power then that its time to up the anti to a 475 or even a 480 which by the way is probably the best ballanced big bore handgun round. Its just to bad they put it in ugly guns!

mk454 · « **Reply #22 on:** September 23, 2009, 04:23:00 PM »

well, i'd sure as hell hate a 454 if mine were 4 5/8" long. the recoil diff. b/w 7.5" and a 6" is pretty noticeable. for all around hunting i just haven't been wowed by my .475 linebaugh, though i have it in a short barrel and sold it and will have one in a shorter barrel. in that length every advantage goes to the .475 imho. however, i do love the casull in the 7.5" and 10" models. recoil is stiff and i just really haven't seen a diff b/w 2 100th's of diameter or 30 grains. i don't have a prob getting accuracy with the double tap 400's and they clock >1400fps out of my 7.5" on my chrony but i don't use em much b/c i don't need anything that big. unless i'm hunting big big animals i use barnes bullets, xtps on all deer for rather explosive results. my last batch of 300 gr xtps were chrony'd out of the 10" at an avg of 1940fps. no pressure signs and comfortable, untolerable out of a 6" barrel though. the .475 is my backpacking gun of choice b/c the buffalo bore loads are mild clocking in at just under 900fps but at 420 grains will pen. enough to cover your butt versus anything you'd run into in the americas plus the bfr don't need an empty chamber. i do like expandable bullets and i like a very flat trajectory for unknown distances or quick shots when hunting. for big stuff like elk i spend the money on barnes bullets. i guess if i felt the need in anyway to jump up a caliber i'd go with one of the big smiths. if i did i'd have gotten a .475 or .500 WE instead of my latest casull. however, my son's can very much enjoy the shooting and even at 11 years old my middle boy shoots the casull with a 300gr hardcast at around 850 fps. very very pleasant.

Tonk · « **Reply #23 on:** October 12, 2009, 05:03:13 PM »

Well it is a matter of what you want out of a handgun and what you intend to shoot with said handgun. I surely don't dislike the .475 caliber, as I have a big bore rifle that I have used on several species of big critters with great results. However, in a pistol caliber, I was wanting something that will shoot very flat and quick out to a 150 yards (give or take 50 yards) for hunting deer and my .460 Smith & Wesson with a .240 grain bullet does this in spades.

The .475 does shoot much heavier bullets and it does not have a flat tragectory like the .460 S&W. The hunter or shooter must know what he wants out of his handgun for hunting or range work etc. Both calibers are heavy recoiling pistols, so buyer beware!!! These rascals can speak in several languages lol.

.460 Smith & Wesson, shoots a 240 grn bullet at 2000fps & 300 grn bullet at 1700fps***.475 Linebaugh shoots a 325 grn. bullet at 1550fps & 400 grn. bullet at 1350fps.

mk454 · « **Reply #24 on:** October 12, 2009, 05:12:45 PM »

actually with the right loads the 460 will shoot a 360 grain bullet close to 2000fps and will shoot the 240 well over 2000. also, i don't feel like, nor have i ever observed a big diff b/w a 400 grain bullet and a 420 or 440 grain bullet. for real impressive 460 results try the barnes 275 grain bullet. it expands like mad, is pointed and flies flat and did i mention the wound channel. wow.

Tonk · « **Reply #25 on:** October 13, 2009, 03:11:02 AM »

Mka454......Now would YOU please tell me and the rest of the handgun hunting world, how you get the .460 Smith & Wesson to shoot a 360 grain bullet to a velocity of near 2000 feet per second??? I am all ears and would like to see the load YOU USE OK.

Now Hornady in their brand new (7th Edition) reloading manual, states that a .460 Smith & Wesson hand load with their 300 grain bullet, will reach a MAX Velocity of 1650fps using 49.6 gr. of AA1680 powder.

So this is 60 grains lighter than your 360 grain bullet mentioned and some 350 feet per second slower than your 2000fps mentioned. Perhaps I can learn a new trick or two!!!

Graybeard · « **Reply #26 on:** October 13, 2009, 03:20:31 AM »

Perhaps he has a stash of C4 he uses to load them.

stubshaft · « **Reply #27 on:** October 13, 2009, 11:17:47 AM »

Quote from: Tonk on October 13, 2009, 03:11:02 AM

Mka454......Now would YOU please tell me and the rest of the handgun hunting world, how you get the .460 Smith & Wesson to shoot a 360 grain bullet to a velocity of near 2000 feet per second??? I am all ears and would like to see the load YOU USE OK.

Now Hornady in their brand new (7th Edition) reloading manual, states that a .460 Smith & Wesson hand load with their 300 grain bullet, will reach a MAX Velocity of 1650fps using 49.6 gr. of AA1680 powder.

So this is 60 grains lighter than your 360 grain bullet mentioned and some 350 feet per second slower than your 2000fps mentioned. Perhaps I can learn a new trick or two!!!

I don't have the reloading manual in question. What barrel did they use to derive the velocity figures? If a X-frame revolver was used the velocity CAN be inproved on just by shooting it out of an Encore (no B/C gap) and a gain of 200 - 300fps can be realized.

Tonk · « **Reply #28 on:** October 13, 2009, 02:39:36 PM »

Stubshaft, I was speaking of my .460 Smith & Wesson as the HORNADY #7 manual states!!! The barrel is 8 & 3/8th inches and twist is 1 in 20 Gents. So maybe if I take and replace the barrel and put a 48 inch tube on the end, it may reach that velocity but I won't hold my breath until it does.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #29 on:** October 14, 2009, 12:04:29 AM »

i thought smith advertised it as being able to shoot 200 grain bullets at 2000 fps. I cant imagine the pressures you getting if your pushing bullets almost twice as heavy to the same speeds!