Ruger Super Blackhawk .480 Ruger – Best Large Bore Revolver

A Hand Cannon You Can Shoot Without the Need for Rehab

Recently I acquired a stainless steel Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley in the amazing .480 Ruger caliber. The purpose for this purchase was I wanted a magnum single action revolver which is more powerful than the .44 Remington magnum and less powerful than the S&W .460 and .500 Magnums. I wanted my single action revolver to be manufactured by a reputable USA company. There are two other single actions magnums made in the USA which are of excellent quality. They are the Freedom Arms in the bad-boy .500 Wyoming Express and John Linebaugh’s .500 Linebaugh. Both firearms are of the highest quality. I would dearly love to have one of these legendary six guns but the $2,000 plus price tag is beyond my retired cop’s pension. The other reason for requesting the Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley was to test and write an article for the world class magazine, Gun World. This article will be out later in 2018.

My first pistol was a Ruger Super Single Six with the 6.5 inch barrel which included the .22 LR and .22 magnum cylinders. I still have this pistol to this day. Using the Super Single Six over the many years for hunting, I virtually trained myself in using the single action type of revolver for quick shots and unexpected bursts of rabbits from brush. I am so familiar with the single action operation I buy only single action revolvers for hunting and hiking.

Once I received the New Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley in .480 Ruger, hereafter referred to as Ruger .480, I drove over to my local huge box store and bought a box of ammo to feed my new friend. The price was $38 for a box of 20 Hornady 325 grain hollow points. Later I received ammo samples from Buffalo Bore Ammunition. The Buffalo Bore samples received were the following:

• Buffalo Bore .480 Ruger 275 grain Barnes XPB Lead
• Buffalo Bore .480 Ruger 370 grain LFN (Lighter Load/Target)
• Buffalo Bore .480 Ruger 370 grain LFN
• Buffalo Bore .480 Ruger 410 grain LBT-WFN GC

My newest BFF is made of stainless steel. It sports beautiful hardwood grips. The front sight is a ramp with the rear sight adjustable for elevation and windage. The barrel is 6.50 inches long with six lands and grooves. The entire bad-boy is finished in satin stainless. The overall length is 12.40 inches and tips in at 49.2 ounces unloaded.

In shooting this magnum single action Ruger .480, I found it had some bite and recoil. When fired, by way of design, the barrel flips upward pressuring the grip downward. I used two hands to shoot the Ruger .480 but one handed shots are possible too. Keep in mind the heavier the bullet…the heavier the recoil. For you Troglodytes this is Newton’s Third Law of Physics; for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Heavier bullet, heavier recoil. Many factors will play into this but this is the basic rule.

Shooting The Ruger Super Blackhawk .480 Ruger

The Hornady ammunition fired perfectly as does all Hornady ammo. The recoil was very similar to the recoil of the Buffalo Bore of the 370 grain bullets. The Hornady 325 grain bullet traveled over 1,290 fps which resulted in excellent food pounds of energy. The Buffalo Bore ammo is excellent and looks to be nearly hand loaded. The ammo is not hand loaded but it shoots like it has been. The Buffalo Bore ammo with the 370 grain bullets ripped down range over 1,200 feet per second with the lighter target ammo at over 1,100 fps. The foot pounds were awesome. The 410 grain bullet ripped down range at an incredible 1,240 fps plus. The foot pounds was second to the Buffalo Bore Barns 275 grain at a little over 1,400. The Buffalo Bore Barnes round sports a 275 grain no lead projectile. When fired in my BBF it popped the 1,600 fps barrier with a massive 1,493 foot pounds. It would be interesting to see if this 275 grain round would penetrate the heavy muscle of a brown bear. Heavier hollow points such as the Hornady 325 grain would have no problem.

Hornady and Buffalo Bore ammo all shot excellent groupings at 25 yards. Decent groupings for taking medium to large game, even dangerous game like bear and mountain lions. I would be confident shooting at a cranky bear, black or brown, with any of these rounds. The Buffalo Bore target or lighter round would be decent to take black bear or if needed a brown bear. In other words you can hike with confidence carrying a cylinder full of the Buffalo Bore target or lighter load. It may be exciting but it would stop a brown bear.

In the video I produced, I review the New Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley chambered in the .480 Ruger. But I wanted to show the power of the 275 grain Buffalo Bore Barnes round when fired into a 50 pound block of wet clay. The result was close to spiritual. The 275 grain bullet penetrated around five inches and then left a 10 inch cavity in the clay. The round then traveled downward exiting through the plywood supporting the clay leaving an eight inch split and destroying my sawhorse supporting the whole enchilada. Nothing else to say but WOW! Check out the video to see this amazing firearm and ammunition in action. Also, in this video is an occupied bear den I encountered on a trek in Colorado Canyon Country.

Where to find a Ruger Super Blackhawk .480 Ruger

Gun World Magazine
Barns and Noble, Walmart and other retailers.
For delivery to you mail box:
https://engagedmediamags.com/magazine-subscriptions/outdoor/gun-world

Ruger
336-949-5200
www.ruger.com

Lipsey’s
(Only wholesaler to sell the Bisley .480 Ruger)
www.lipseys.com

Buffalo Bore Ammunition
208-756-3434
www.buffalobore.com

Hornady
www.hornady.com