.44 Mag. v. .475 . . .?

[Old Griz]

:cb2: I've been kicking around the idea of getting a FA83. I've been shooting .44 mags for several years (Rugers and Colts), and I love 'em. One of the voices in my head is telling me to stick with the .44, however, another voice is saying, "Go with the big one!" I have fired the .475, and the recoil wasn't that much different (to me) than a hot .44 mag. But do I really need all that extra power? Today, I wouldn't take a 100 yard shot with a .44, but with a .475 I might be tempted to. Probably better if I don't. Anyway, there's something about spending that much money on a firearm and not getting the .475 makes me start to shake.

And then there's the Gary Reeder Ultimate Black Widow voice . . . . aaaaaaaahhh!

Which one??!!?? Help! :excuseme:

[Graybeard]

Whatcha gonna kill with it?

If the answer includes critters like brown or grizzly bear for sure the .475 would to me be better but if you will have a guide backing you then the .44 mag with proper bullets is still adequate. If non dangerous game only is on the list the .44 mag is totally adequate.

But you can get an extra cylinder for the .480 Ruger and you can load either or both of them much lighter than max and likely you will want to. Recoil from any of them can be at whatever level you want it to be based on how you load it. The .475/.480 is a lot more versatile. You can get bullets down to about 270 grains I think or all the way up to about 440 grains. Push them from 800 fps to about 1400 fps or more depending on which bullet and how much punishment you want to take.

Still I've just gone thru the same decision and have a .44 magnum with 7.5" barrel on the way. I really like the .44 Magnum and it is more than adequate for anything I'll likely ever shoot with a handgun. And I do still have my RB480 which is super accurate. If I need a real heavy weight bullet for the job all I have to do is pull it out and use it.

[TScottO]

Old Griz,

I really like the 475. As GB said you can load it real mildly or real stiff. The load I use consists of a 410gr bullet @11-1200fps depending on which I’ve been practicing with. Above 1200fps the recoil begins to stack noticeably to me. When you get to the 1350-1400fps stuff, 10 or 15 shots has my shooting hand trembling. I couldn’t imagine anyone shooting this load for fun. It’s brutal, to me anyways.

The only draw back to a FA in 475 is that you are limited to WFN bullets. The long nose bullets when crimped at the crimping grove stick out past the cylinder face.  If you want you can load long nose bullets by seating them deeper in the case and take up powder capacity. Since the 480 Ruger hit the market you will find a bit wider variety of jacketed bullets.

I’m partial to the 475 just because I like big bullets and no other reason. One of these days I do plan on adding a 44 magnum to the stash, hopefully with in the next year to year and a half.

Which ever you choose, I believe you will be well satisfied. I cannot nock the 44M at all but the 475 gets my vote.

Be Safe,
Scott

[myronman3]

i only have x amount to spend on shooting.  so i like to get the most for what i can spend.   i love the exotics as much as anyone.   but the price  and availiblity of components makes the decision easy for me.   sure,  i can burn more powder per shot, but what am i getting in return for it?  is the animal going to be anymore dead?   nope.    
     but that is just the way i have begun to look at things.  and given my history,  i have learned that the more i think i know, the less i do know.

[Old Griz]

:cb2: I really don't think I'll be going after any brownies or griz down here in Tennessee. Bambi, piggies, and . . . . well that about it here in this end of the state. We plan to move to southern Colorado, but we're taking care of elderly parents for now. However, in Colorado we might run into mulies and elk, and maybe I just answered my question. Bigger critters might just need bigger bullets. Now, if we can only make it out there before we're in our 80s . . . .