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Ruger Redhawk 44 with 5.5 barrel


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Bought a very slightly used 1996 stainless Redhawk yesterday for $400.00. Owner bought it for taking fishing while in Alaska and only took it to the range a couple of times to test it and sight it in. Florida doesn’t seem to have the same bear issues as Alaska so he just wanted to move it on.

 

Pistol came with a 2nd set of grips and an old Longhorn leather 60-36 LH shoulder holster which is kinda cool because I’m a lefty too but not a major fan of shoulder holsters. The 2nd grips are the Pachmayr presentation type without finger grooves that actually feel pretty good. I’d just used the factory ones on my old gun but I like these better for now, haven’t shot the gun yet so that’s subject to change.

 

I had one years ago when I still hunted and like them well enough but only picked it up because of the price and the 5.5 barrel I didn’t want the longer one. I planed to try to move it along at a pretty good profit in favor of a .357 double action later. Not carved in stone on keeping or selling it yet but I really don’t want to get in to another caliber to load right now. Problem is I can’t replace it for the money. This is one of the 1st times I’ve been without a DA revolver for a long time so might be nice to have something on hand anyway. Plus maybe adding a caliber might be good for future ammo hide and seek, I’ve got a 5 gal bucket with some 44 brass mixed in that would give me a starting point.

 

Anyway the guns it great condition, shows no wear, and is tight as a drum. DA trigger is actually pretty good as is, but the SA pull is heavier than I expected. I’ll try some of the Wolff springs and a little polish to see if I can improve it some.

 

At this point the more I look at it and some of the stuff I could do with barrel length and going to a round butt grip it might be a fun project gun. With a cast bullet at about 900 fps recoil isn’t bad and my old gun would shoot under a 2 inch group at 25 yards. Chances are I’m not going to many more matches but if I do nothing says mad man shooting like some SOB pulling out a 44.

 

I’ll post some photos later.

(Not my gun but identical:)

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Edited by 20-Mags
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I'm very fond of mine. I've not found a grip I'm fully satisfied with, though. The T-Grip adapter vastly improved the original grips but I'm not entirely happy. I think sometime in the near future I'll spring for a set of Herretts.

 

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On my old gun I really liked the look of the factory wood and the T-Grip you’ve got even looks better. The black plastic may or may not work out but they don’t have the appeal of wood in the looks department.

 

I carried the gun hunting in brush as a back up to my 44 rifle and actually only shot it once hunting when a deer literally walked into the camp. Like everyone else there I’d unloaded the rifle and was getting a beer out of the ice chest. Always wondered after that why the hell we spent so much time walking in brush to flush deer for each other when Bush beer worked better. Hell if we’d had Michelob we might have got an Elk.

Edited by 20-Mags
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I tried a set of Hogues. Not sure exactly which model. Didn't care for the looks of them and they felt cheap as hell. Hollow-ish. Ran fifty through it at a range with them on and wasn't impressed. Ditched 'em and went to the T-Grip.

 

Lusted after a set of Nill Griffes, but their prices skyrocketed during the period where I was trying to convince myself, and my right hand, that I didn't need to pay a hundred bucks for a comfortable, attractive grip. Shoulda bought the Nills then instead of farting around with ugly rubber stuff.

 

Shoulda, coulda woulda, I guess. Really want to give Herrett's a shot. Accounts I've read of folks using them are nothing short of glowing.

Edited by jswledhed
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  • 3 weeks later...

Well got brass and dies in yesterday, had powder and primers, waiting on the bullets I ordered to come in. Ordered 1,000 cast 185 gr wadcutters and 100 320 flat nose, figure I’ll be shooting a lot more paper than pigs. I may stop today and see if I can get some .433 round black powder balls, I’ve played with them before with a 3.7 gr load of 231 they work pretty well at short range to plink with.

Also go a screw for the factory grips it had been lost so now I can try it both ways.

Played with adjusting the shoulder holster, started to remember why I was never a big fan of shoulder holsters but this gun isn’t going to get carried much so I may not break down and buy a hip holster.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Last weekend I finally got to shoot the gun, damn that took awhile to get a bullet and still haven't got the first ones I ordered from Penn Bullets. Got 500 of the Speer 240 swaged lead SWCs and used 6 grains of W231 for a plinking load, about the same as I use in a 45 ACP right at 840 fps. Gun shot great with the 12 lb spring from Wolf in it no problems in DA or SA. Friend of mine gave me some 225 LSWCs with gas checks to boost the powder charge up to about 11 grains and move them at about 1320 fps went from going bang to BANG. If I'm going to punch out some loads at speed I'm going to need to get some H110 and some magnum primers.

Any way the Redhawk shoots great and no issues that I can see. In the past I always just used the 44s for hunting and 38/357s for competition and plinking now that this is my only DA revolver it's good that I see with the right load it makes a pretty damn nice plinker and after getting a little more trigger time with it might be fun to shoot a NRA action pistol match with it. Cool gun all the way around for a guy with only one DA to play with.

Edited by the 4th Doctor
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Had a 4" Redhawk that I parted with and regret it every time I see the guy I sold it to as he raves that it is his favorite gun, etc, etc, etc....I do have a gp100 3" in .357 and a sp101 in 2.25" .357 and love them both. the sp101 is the smoothest shooting "pocket gun" I have although you better wear a belt with that tank in your pocket.

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