Ruger Forum

Mayor Al · June 27th, 2012, 05:25 PM

First of all I am not a handloader/reloader. I have no plans to get into that part of our firearms hobby....so when I ask about ammo, I refer to factory-made and for sale ammunition.

That said, I am looking into a larger caliber hand gun to act as a back-up on pig hunts, and maybe for some Whitetail hunting as well. I currently have a Charter Bulldog in 44 Special for my backup handgun. We have a Ruger 44 mag carbine as one of the primary long guns in my hunting inventory. The Bulldog has a 3 inch barrel, which is a bit short for legal hunting in Indiana (4" minimum), so an additional handgun is the probable solution for me.

Here's my question. Considering budget and long-range availability for the ammo for this gun, would I be better off using a 44 mag, a 45 LC, or jump to the 480 Ruger? Right now I have a couple of leads on two 480 Rugers, at reasonable prices, but am hesitating due to lack of confidence that the 480 Ruger is going to be around for me to pass this gun on in the family in the future.
Thoughts on this issue?? Need some feedback, Please.

Of the other two... 44 mag (compatible with my Carbine) and 45 LC (compatible with a lever-action carbine in my inventory) both seem to out weigh the 480 in the selection process. I solicit your comments on any or all of these calibers for the purpose I have described.

Breadman03 · June 27th, 2012, 07:21 PM

I picked up a SRH Alaskan in .454 Casull, partly because it will happily digest .45 Colt as well. Only 1 shop near me carries .454, and I've never seen .480 outside of Cabelas.

For what it is worth, I want a Marlin 1894 in .45 or a Rossi M92 in .454 to compliment the Alaskan,

hackdaddy · June 28th, 2012, 07:24 PM

.44 or .45 either one would be reasonable for deer. The .44 gives you a wider range of choices in factory ammo but neither one is particularly limited.

Keep in mind though a number of .45 guns will not handle the heavier .45 loads. (vaquero for example)

Mayor Al · June 28th, 2012, 07:45 PM

44 magnum is looking better with each comment. The two 480 Rugers, A Taurus and a Smith & Wesson are in an auction this Saturday. I will report what they go for, but i think I will pass on the 480 R .

four70nitro · June 29th, 2012, 04:59 AM

Since you have specifically eliminated hand-loading from the equation the .44 Mag is the clear choice.

.480 isn't even in contention as Ruger has quit chambering that round and I've never seen ammo for sale outside of big, specialty firearms and shooting supplies stores

If you hand-loaded and had either a Blackhawk or a Redhawk in .45 Colt then that would be the choice - .45 Colt is what .44 Mag wants to be when it grows up......

North country gal · June 29th, 2012, 05:14 AM

If you're not going to be reloading, you should apply what I call the Wal-Mart rule - don't buy a gun if you can't get ammo for it at Wal-Mart. That leaves you with the 44 Mag, at least at our Wal-Mart.

Sure, the 45 Colt is a great cartridge, but you won't find the heavy factory 45 Colt loads that compare to standard 44, 240 grain loads at Wal-Mart or even a lot of local gun shops. If you want a reliable source of those kinds of 45 Colt loads, you'll have to go online to buy them or, yup, start reloading. Bottom line: in a pinch, you're far more likely to find full power 44 mag loads, locally, than full power 45 Colt loads suitable to a SRH or SBH. Most of what you see in 45 Colt on the shelf is the underpowered stuff, not the heavy +P

CARSINC · June 29th, 2012, 05:51 AM

Walmart rule is the deciding factor. No sense getting a revolver you can't readily get ammo for, and especially if you don't reload.

brimic · June 29th, 2012, 06:39 AM

.480 is a handloader, and probably in the near future, a bullet caster prospect only.

TomP5 · June 29th, 2012, 07:46 AM

Mayor Al, looks like you've got your answer: 44 mag. Besides, if you shoot the hard cast bullets from Buffalo Bore (for example click here) or Garrett, you have some mighty good penetration and knock-down power with the .44 mag! (Oh, and I've seen some folks recommend Grizzly, too.)

(By the way, notice my .44 mag hunter in my avatar.

)

Mayor Al · June 29th, 2012, 08:03 AM

That's the sort of input I was hoping for.

1. 480 Ruger is now out of the selection process. As I said I'll give feedback as to how the two handguns I mentioned sell for in tomorrow's auction.

2. Re- the 45 LC. In the same auction there is a Navy Arms "Remington Army 1875" on the list. Depending on the turnout it may go cheap...then again maybe not. I may consider it if the price stays down. Last time I did this on a Ruger Old Army with a conversion cylinder The price went higher than you guys thought it would ($600+). So we will watch it and see.

3. RE 44 Magnum-- Any thoughs on the Hawes 44 mag single action (Chief Marshall). They book at $200 for a good one used... but I don't see any quality reports?? Any feedback.

ALSO... They have a Ruger Blackhawk listed... Chromed, with Pearl grips with John Wayne image on each grip. Looks like a 4.5-5.5 inch barrel. I can't find it in any of the blue-books I have, so I have no way to guess the value. They list the serial number as 29725. Anyone have any info??

bwinters · June 29th, 2012, 10:27 AM

The ruger in 480 never was given a chance. I would not buy one except as a collector or if you reload. I like 45 colt and I have seen buffalo bore in at least 4 gun shops in northern nj. I have never seen grizzly cartridges except in cabelas.

brimic · June 29th, 2012, 12:00 PM

Quote:

2. Re- the 45 LC. In the same auction there is a Navy Arms "Remington Army 1875" on the list. Depending on the turnout it may go cheap...then again maybe not. I may consider it if the price stays down. Last time I did this on a Ruger Old Army with a conversion cylinder The price went higher than you guys thought it would ($600+). So we will watch it and see

The .45 LC can eclipse the .44 magnum performance with the following 2 conditions:
1. The firearm is a Ruger Black Hawk or Super Redhawk, or any brand chambered in .454 Casull
2. The ammunition is handloaded.

Failing the either of the above conditions, you would be just as well off to buy an automatic in .45 ACP which is roughly equivalent to the standard .45 LC loads.

For your situation, I would strongly urge you to go for a .44 magnum.

If you are looking for a powerful hard hitting cartridge, the .480> hotly loaded .45LC>.44 magnum>>>standard .45LC load. Out of the bunch, only the .44 magnum is going to do it without handloading or searching the countryside for proper loads.

Mayor Al · June 29th, 2012, 12:41 PM

Thank all of you for the courteous input. Your advice has helped me narrow my selection to the 44 magnum as the best of the litter for this situation.

Now we will see what this auction ( and one in mid-July in Evansville, IN ) bring to mind.

mikld · June 29th, 2012, 01:01 PM

Without reloading, the .44 magnum is the choice. Factory ammo for the .44 is widely available and you can easily get loads that will cover all your needs. I believe 45 Colt factory ammo is loaded on the light side due to the number of older guns chambered in .45 Colt. If you ever get into reloading, the.44 Mag. is one of the most versitile rounds available today. 480, too limited (don't remember seeing any ammo on the shelves of the local ammo sellers).

Mayor Al · June 30th, 2012, 10:30 PM

OK, Here's the update on the 480 Ruger's sale at the auction I attended Saturday 6/30.

They went for $450.00 each. What supprised me was the massive size of the Taurus, and the artillery appearance of the Ruger. I have large hands, and prefer a large grip revolver...but these two would require a two-hand hold and shoot arrangement.

I will do a total write-up of the auction results...but let me plant the teaser that I went freakin' nuts and bought 17 firearms of a variety of sizes and types. I did not get the Auto-Ordinance U S Marine Corp Thompson...but I did bid on it, an all time high for me ($1500).