The .480 is a well-balanced cartridge, providing a lot of energy without the recoil of larger hard-kicking rounds. It has been stated by many gun writers that the .44 Magnum is typically the most powerful handgun an average person can master. The .480's original Hornady loading of a 325 gr JHP, easily surpasses factory loadings for the .44 Magnum, with very similar recoil in handguns of like weight. As a point of reference, the factory 325 gr bullet of the .480 Ruger, has the same approximate sectional density as the 300 gr projectiles often loaded in the .44 Magnum, which has been proven quite capable for very large game species.