Next project .475 Linebaugh

[Scott Tschirhart]

In the back of my safe I have a Ruger No.1 chambered in .475 Linebaugh.

I really should shoot it more.

I decided to talk to the son of an old friend about a revolver to go with the rifle. I’m thinking a fixed sight 4 5/8 inch octagon barrel with a dovetail front.

He suggested a build on a small frame Ruger New Vaquero and he went over the math. This ought to be a heck of a handy little popper. 435 gr LFN over 20 gr of H110 will go around 1000 fps.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Something like this:

[Scott Tschirhart]

Here’s the donor gun.

[GunnyMack]

That's how John Gallagher and I started my 44 special Single Six!
I need to shoot my 44 special more!!

[Walt]

Do you think the barrel extension will be thick enough for the .475?

[Scott Tschirhart]

Do you think the barrel extension will be thick enough for the .475?

Absolutely. The cylinder frame needs to be opened up for a longer cylinder though.

[Walt]

Well, that will eliminate at least a portion if not all of the barrel extension so lack of wall thickness should be of no concern.

Will the new cylinder length allow the true dimensions (COAL) of a .475 or will it be more like a .480 Ruger?

[Scott Tschirhart]

It will accommodate full length and full house .475 Linebaugh rounds.

But your crimp must be a good one!

[JimT]

Scott .. You probably have this but I will post it just in case ...

475 Linebaugh
Hodgdon's Powder Co. did the pressure-testing of the .475 Linebaugh. Their pressure data along with loading data is in their handloading manual. All the pressure tests and velocities were recorded from an 8" pressure barrel, using Starline brass and Winchester Large Pistol primers.

385 gr. cast LRNFP .476" diameter c.o.a.l = 1.810"
TiteGroup
7.0 gr.
23,700 psi
854 fps

11.0 gr.
51,700 psi
1130 fps

​385 gr. cast LRNFP .476" diameter c.o.a.l.= 1.810"
H- 110
27.0 gr.
45,300 psi
1435 fps

30.0 gr..
55,000 psi
1566 fps

H-4227
25.5 gr.
41,700 psi
1342 fps

28.0 gr.
51,100 psi
1456 fps

420 gr. cast LRNFP .476" diameter c.o.a.l.= 1.810"
H-110
25.0 gr.
36,700 psi
1304 fps

27.0 gr.
49,600 psi
1424 fps

H-4227
24.0 gr.
37,100 psi
1243 fps

26.5 gr.
51,800 psi
1379 fps

[GunnyMack]

On my Single Six I had to open the cylinder window to fit the larger 44 special cylinder. I didn't have to open it front to back. Actually made 2 cylinders, the first we got the walls a bit too thin for safety sake.
I did have to open the loading port for the larger diameter special case/ rim.

The factory 32 cylinder I turned into a shifter knob for my Jeep.

[Walt]

Will, several years ago I sent a New Frontier back to Colt because the chambers and chamber throats were all of varying sizes. They returned the old cylinder and I gave it to my friend who owned a Jeep at the time who used it as a shifter knob.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Scott .. You probably have this but I will post it just in case ...

Thanks Jim,

You might recall that I ordered and paid for this project 15 years ago.

I’m told that I may have a gun by January.

So I am not in a hurry.

Best regards,

Scott

[JimT]

Good things come to those who wait.

[Scott Tschirhart]

True enough my friend.

[piller]

That should be quite the thumper.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Even with.480 Ruger, it ought to be a handy little close range pig popper.

[JBowen]

Looking forward to a range report when finished!

JBowen

[Scott Tschirhart]

Interesting video

https://youtube.com/shorts/yNjDnbaxxLY? ... rf97Y03UhD

[Lastmohecken]

It will accommodate full length and full house .475 Linebaugh rounds.

But your crimp must be a good one!

I like it, and it looks like you will be converting it to a 5 shot cylinder, to keep the wall thickness needed.
I guess you will also convert the gun to a free-wheeling cylinder rotation, when you do this? That way if a bullet should jump crimp, you can rotate the cylinder backwards, and punch the offending cartridge out, instead of having to remove the cylinder.

[Lastmohecken]

Scott .. You probably have this but I will post it just in case ...

475 Linebaugh
Hodgdon's Powder Co. did the pressure-testing of the .475 Linebaugh. Their pressure data along with loading data is in their handloading manual. All the pressure tests and velocities were recorded from an 8" pressure barrel, using Starline brass and Winchester Large Pistol primers.

385 gr. cast LRNFP .476" diameter c.o.a.l = 1.810"
TiteGroup
7.0 gr.
23,700 psi
854 fps

11.0 gr.
51,700 psi
1130 fps

​385 gr. cast LRNFP .476" diameter c.o.a.l.= 1.810"
H- 110
27.0 gr.
45,300 psi
1435 fps

30.0 gr..
55,000 psi
1566 fps

H-4227
25.5 gr.
41,700 psi
1342 fps

28.0 gr.
51,100 psi
1456 fps

420 gr. cast LRNFP .476" diameter c.o.a.l.= 1.810"
H-110
25.0 gr.
36,700 psi
1304 fps

27.0 gr.
49,600 psi
1424 fps

H-4227
24.0 gr.
37,100 psi
1243 fps

26.5 gr.
51,800 psi
1379 fps

I'm thinking either one of those bullets going 900 to a 1000 feet per second would be all I would want to shoot, unless I was on my back looking up a grizzly that already had me down.

[piller]

Ruger .480 325 grain box says 1375 fps. Yes, they are a bit of a shove, but not painful. 410 grain LBT style at book value of 1100 fps is still a push, but not a painful push.

[Lastmohecken]

Ruger .480 325 grain box says 1375 fps. Yes, they are a bit of a shove, but not painful. 410 grain LBT style at book value of 1100 fps is still a push, but not a painful push.

Is that in a Super Redhawk?

[AJMD429]

.
Kind of diverting the topic, but what do you think of that Ruger No.1 in 475 Linebaugh...?

It seems like a distinguished chambering for a distinguished gun, but what do you use it for? I would think it would be an excellent deer rifle.

Long ago I bought a Ruger No.1 in 7mm Remington Mag, Because I was young and wanted something really powerful and long range (you know, for the cape buffalo we have in Indiana and those long-range shots we have to take in the rolling hills of Brown County... ). The only thing I've ever shot with it was a lawnmower that didn't want to start.

I have much more accurate firearms now that I could use for long range, and I have much more powerful firearms that I could use for Cape Buffalo or lawn mowers, which leaves me wondering what to do with the 7mm Ruger...

Since it is sort of an easy gunsmithing project to re barrel that kind of action, It certainly prompts me to think of other things I can chamber it in, but I'm just not sure what. Although I understand sometimes the action can be fine tuned and made pretty accurate, I'm not sure if I want to take a chance and go to the expense of chambering it in something for long range precision because I already have a Thompson Center Encore with excellent trigger, and barrels in 280 Remington with a bull barrel, and another heavy barreled one in 223 Remington, neither of which are likely to be surpassed by the Ruger other than the Ruger is sort of classy. On the other hand when I think of things like 4570, or even 444 Marlin, I already have both of those in lever actions, as well as a 500 Smith and Wesson. 375 Ruger comes to mind, but I have one of those in bold action.

When I was musing about this with my son, my wife overheard the conversation and gave the inevitable solution - "...You just have too many guns, that's the problem; You need to sell some of them ...!"

Of course I disagreed, but four or five years after that discussion I still have the beautiful but well-used (by previous owner) Ruger No.1 in 7mm Remington Magnum.

I don't have a 475 Linebaugh to pair it with, and my biggest handguns are 45 Colt and 44 Mag (454's hurt too much so I just download them to 45 Colt, defeating the purpose).

I could put a 500 S&W barrel on it, to 'pair' with my BHA 89 levergun, but not sure what a single-shot would do better than the 89. LIghter weight maybe.

Such a dilemma.... My son had the other solution which is probably what will happen - " Just keep it like it is Dad and when you die I can inherit it and I'll figure out want to rebarrel it in, or just sell it and buy something else ..."

....I guess I like that answer a little better, but hopefully that's a long time off. Maybe in the interim I'll have an inspiration and chamber it in something my son just hates, to irritate him...

[Lastmohecken]

Well, the thing is you're just bored with the 7 mag in the #1. 405 Winchester or 35 Whelen would be interesting. But if I had it, I would be in the same boat as you. I would probably just trade it for something else. My struggle is deciding if I want to re-bore a-Pre-64 Winchester Model 70 currently in .270 win to 35 Whelen.

[piller]

Ruger .480 325 grain box says 1375 fps. Yes, they are a bit of a shove, but not painful. 410 grain LBT style at book value of 1100 fps is still a push, but not a painful push.

Is that in a Super Redhawk?

Yes. One of those greyish green ones.

[Scott Tschirhart]

All the pieces are together now.

I’ve been playing around with .480 Ruger moderate loads in preparation for this project.