I think you may have made a bad decision if you bought the .480 for more range, on whitetails. The .44 has more than enough energy on Whitetails at ranges most of us are proficient at. The effective range of accuracy will be essentially the same for the 480 as it was for the 44. Except in my opinion the Ruger is a better built piece, and with the lower recoil, may actually be more accurate at longer distances. The 480 is really intended for the guy going after heavier game such as elk, moose, or bear, or a backup in dangerous situations. If you are looking for more range in the shotgun season, I would look to a quality slug gun, with rifled barrel, and a scope. Then look at the new generation slugs, such as the Hornady H2K. I have been playing with them and an H&R fitted with a 4-power scope and I am shooting 5 shot groups in the 4" range at 100 yards. The bullet has way enough punch out to 150, but you better be breathing easy and have a rest. Any of the new generation slugs use a plastic sabot, and if you are hunting in extreme cold, 0 F or less, you may want to take some effort to keep it warm. If you are in and out of a pickup it will probably be all right. If you are on stand, you may want to keep it in your shirt pocket until you see him coming, or change the ammo in your gun with ones from your shirt pocket every ½ hour.
