Marlin 480 Ruger /475 Linb.

[Wilbe Lead]

Howdy Leverfans,
Got a Guns and Ammo yesterday. They said that Marlin is going to make a guide gun in 480 Ruger/475 Linb.Also a cowboy in 32 H&R.
This is about time! Now if they would just jump up one more cal. To the 500 Linb. or 50 alaskan we could pay a lot less than all the custom guns out there!
Later
Wilbe Lead

[Graybeard]

Boy this thread has really generated tons of interest I see. Don't understand that. The power of a .45-70 in a compact round using half as much powder. I once said if Marlin would make this one I'd be in line for the first one out the door. Still would if it weren't for the rotator cuff problems in my right arm. Once I get that out of the way hopefully next year I still might get in line. The idea of this round in a lever gun really appeals to me. Handgunners have shown that the .475 Linebaugh is fully capable of taking every thing that walks the earth today. The .480 Ruger from a rifle would be the equal of the .475 Linebaugh from a handgun with ease. The .475 would step up another notch in the rifle. I hope this one doesn't die too soon as I'd really like to have one once the shoulder is fixed if I can then deal with recoil on that side again.

GB

[Lloyd Smale]

I hope they dont make it. I have a 94 sitting at Rob Applegates right now for a conversion to .475 it sure wouldnt be the same if they factory chambered it. Like Greaybeard said you wouldnt find that much power in such a compact gun anywhere!

[Wilbe Lead]

Hi Sixgunaddict,
Just thought some guys would like to see a levergun to go with thier pistol.
Myself wish they would skip it and go to the 50 cal.Mostly so I could get jacketed bullets cheap and maybe the mould makers would make more 510 cal. moulds.
My 50 Alaskan is only a 20 inch barrel. I got one mould from NEI back when Walt was still around.It is a big flat nose gas check bullet.It weighs in at 580 gr. At 1700 fps it will nock down any thing I hunt.Plus it is just a big push on my end.
Later
Wilbe Lead

[grendel]

If they make it, I just may have to sell my Win 94/44 and pick one up.  I like the Winchester, just wish I had spent the extra $$ and got a Marlin.  

So now I may have a chance to sell it and go up!  I like that idea.

grendel

[BoarHunter]

?? These are shotgun ballistics, why use a rifle then ? I fail to uinderstand.
See:
http://www.winchester.com/ammunition/store/shotproductsheet.aspx?symbol=X123RS15&qrystr=Z2F1Z2VsaXN0K0FEMC0xMitBQ1ktdXNlbGlzdCtBRDAtMTArQUNZLWJyYW5kbGlzdCtBRDAtbm9uZQ==

[Wilbe Lead]

Howdy BoarHunter,
If a gun factory would make a levergun to shoot shotgun shells again,then maybe we would buy one.
I have never heard of a big game hunter that used a shotgun slug.
I know boars grow to be big and will go after a hunter.But you never hear of a hunter useing a shotgun to hunt lion or rino or a big bear.
They most the time they use a big rifle that will blow a hole thought them from any angel.
Later
Wilbe Lead

[BoarHunter]

What I meant is that I do not see for a certain cartridge (eg; 45-70 or 444) the benefit of increasing the bullet weight and therefore decreasing the speed to a point were we end up with shotgun slug ballistics. AS you say these are not suitable for big game. Note that shotguns can come with rifled barrels and in fact the famous english double used for hunting african game were just that. With the advent of smokeless powder, the brits realized that they had to increase the speed and reduce the bullet diameter to achieve proper penetration. Wethearby kept on increasing the speed but this was a dismal failure for african big game.
So, back to  medium speed which is around 600m/s 2000fps, not low speed.
Low speed means ricochet, rainbow trajectory and lead on running game.
It is why I use a 300Win for still/stand hunting which I load with accuracy and speed in mind with medium weight and a 444 for drive, short range but running animals, so a bigger,heavier slug but driven at medium, not slow, speed (680m/s, 2250fps).
There is no absolute solution, just the best compromise and the extremes simply don't fit the bill.

[340wby]

BoarHunter
your not looking at it quite accurately, a 12 ga slug at 1 oz is equal to about 437 grains and has a .408 sq inch frountal area
a 50 alaskan will push a 525 grain bullet to about 1850fps and have a .208 frontal area, now yes the bullet weight and velocity is similar, yet with 20% more weight and 50% less frountal area the 50 alaskan has extremely good penetration, far exceeding the 12 ga slug while a 12ga slug will remain in most game a 50 alaskan has shot bullets completely thru even large moose and bear on many occasions, even sometimes on lengthwise shots if the reports Ive read are true

theres a CHART/pressures/velocitys (bottom of article)

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/anderson/50_alaskan.htm

[BoarHunter]

I agree the .50 alaskan will penetrate better but when I object about shotgun ballistics, it is also mainly because the speed is too slow.
Hunting conditions in Europe are fairly different then in the US where in fact I started to hunt. In the US the standard is still hunting or from a stand and is rarely on running games chased by dogs.
In europe, still hunting is usually done with flat trajectory and accuracy in mind; This implies medium caliber and high speed (not ultra high which leads to bullet fragmention), the standard being 7mm Mag; 300 Win, 8X68, 7X64 and its followers the .280Rem and .270 Win although the best are the magmum because big boar are tough.
When it comes to drive hunting which is uncommon in the US and even seen as unethical (it was also my opinion initialy but I changed), things are rather different. Animals are full of stamina, run fast and react differently, shot placement is not always optimal even if you shoot at short range (which should be, as long shot are unethical). Surveys have been made and showed that in these conditions, big heavy bullet of medium speed are the best choice, like the 9.3X62, 9.3X64 and 9.3X74 for double rifle (35Whelen, 444M are in the same league). Medium speed (~700m/s) because a high speed would be a waste not to mention the recoil and a low speed means to give more lead like when wing shooting with a shotgun. Note the brits discovered that at the turn of the century in africa so nothing new.
Blaser started to produce for their linear bolt rifle the 45 Blaser (a kind of rimless 45X70 ) but it failed to achieve any success because they are simply too slow.
A new caliber the 9.3X66 has just been, released, this one could meet a better fate, right bullet but a tad faster. without excess.
I personaly use the Win 94 444M for drive and although it is the lower limit for speed I like the lever for its handyness, quick follow up, safety and look.
As said, there is no one size fits all in the gun and ammo business. Not even combination guns where you have one small caliber for pest, one medium for big game and one smoothbore for birds.