.480 Revolvers

The .480 Ruger was a collaboration between Hornady and Ruger to produce a powerful magnum cartridge that was comparable to the .475 Linebaugh with a recoil below wrist breaking. The first revolver chambered in .480 Ruger was the Super RedHawk.

The Super Redhawk was essentially designed around the .480 caliber and is a platform capable of effectively taming the recoil of the big bore round. The Super Redhawk provides a more cushioned and comfortable grip for managing recoil. It also has cuts in the frame for mounting scope rings and scopes.

The round has seen limited success. Taurus produced a .480 Ruger in their affordable Raging Bull series of revolvers. Ruger revisited the powerhouse round in 2015 with a Ruger Blackhawk chambered in .480 Ruger. As the market exploded in large-caliber revolver rounds, the .480, Ruger has maintained production of the .480 for a dedicated fan base.

Quick Facts

• Revolvers in .475 Linebaugh can chamber and fire .480 Ruger safely
• A standard .480 Ruger is quite effective out to 100 yards and can reliably take game at this range
• While the round uses .480 in its name, the bullet’s diameter is actually .475. The name .480 was used to give the round a unique identifier