44 Mag Revolver Considerations

[DougGuy]

Are you referring to this model ?


http://www.ruger.com/products/redhawk/specSheets/5003.html


I was looking at these:


http://www.ruger.com/products/superRedhawkStandard/specSheets/5519.html


http://www.ruger.com/products/newModelSuperBlackhawkHunter/specSheets/0860.html


Will any of these mostly likely need cylinder work ?

I was referring to the 5 1/2" standard Redhawk, which is the 5004: http://www.ruger.com/products/redhaw...eets/5004.html

Last night I looked that same model up on Gunbroker and I am seeing prices in the high $700 to mid $800 range for this revolver, NIB.

Most of the Ruger revolvers are a bit tight for .432" boolits and that's what you really want to size to, but you may be okay sized to .431" in the Redhawk because afaik they make the RH cylinders on different machinery than they make the BH/SBH/NMV cylinders and I think they are a little more consistent and even in throat diameters than the single action models. It really depends on the individual gun because as tooling wears and gets changed out at the factory, this directly affects the size of the cylinder throats. They use multi-chuck cutters that ream more than one throat at a time but they don't necessarily change out these cutters simultaneously, afaik they change out the worst ones as they wear so it's anybody's guess what the throats will measure, and this doesn't matter if it's a new gun or a used gun.

Buying a Ruger that needs cylinder throats re-sized for use with cast boolits is not really a bad thing at all, for less than the price of a pair of China made grips, we get to fine tune the throats to an exact measurement for a specific boolit and the results are well worth the small investment, and the improvements will last the lifetime of the gun so not a bad deal at all for a cylinder to be adjusted to very exacting tolerances.

I shudder to think that if Ruger had a custom shop, how much it would add to the cost of a new revolver to be ordered with specific size cylinder throats.

[44man]

44 man what is the AOL of that load with the Lee 310

I crimp in the lower groove. I shot all mine up so I can't measure. Rounds here don't stick around very long.

[Tom W.]

Crimped
in the lower groove they will be too long to fit into a Smith. An aquaintance of mine wanted to try a cylinder full of my loads in his Smith and they were a no-go.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

Crimped
in the lower groove they will be too long to fit into a Smith. An aquaintance of mine wanted to try a cylinder full of my loads in his Smith and they were a no-go.

Was a no go in my SBH too

[DougGuy]

Was a no go in my SBH too

I crimp in the lower groove, mine are 1.700" (including the .060" thick rim) and a SBH cylinder is 1.704" last time I measured one so if they were crimped in the lower groove, the COA should be pretty close to mine, so may I suggest the reason they wouldn't chamber in your SBH is because the boolit was likely interfering with the throat, i.e. .432" boolit being pushed into a .430" or .431" throat, in which case the loads won't fully seat into the chambers.

[44man]

Yeah Doug. Mine fit fine with room to spare. I have my long boolits at 1.725" and they have room. My SBH cylinder is 1.70" but the cylinder is not rebated for the rim. The lee is shorter.

[atr]

I have a new model .44 Blackhawk in stainless steel with a 5" barrel and it is an easy handgun to pack around. It points quickly.
I also have a different model with a 7" barrel, much heavier and harder to get on point.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I crimp in the lower groove, mine are 1.700" (including the .060" thick rim) and a SBH cylinder is 1.704" last time I measured one so if they were crimped in the lower groove, the COA should be pretty close to mine, so may I suggest the reason they wouldn't chamber in your SBH is because the boolit was likely interfering with the throat, i.e. .432" boolit being pushed into a .430" or .431" throat, in which case the loads won't fully seat into the chambers.

thanks I went and dug out the ones that I loaded up OAL was right at 1.700 ish one of these day's i need to send you my cylinder
to work on

[fixit]

my commentary on revolver grip style has to do with an arthritic thumb knuckle! shooting a heavy recoiling double action style grip weapon HURTS! a single action, plow handle style grip, on the other hand, is a pleasure. i have two 44 magnums, a sbh and an interarms virginian dragoon, and there isn't a load that causes a problem for me out of either one of them!

[44man]

Me too, I have a huge knuckle from heavy bows and trigger guards are no fun. I can't escape it on a Bisley.

[knuckleball]

I recommend a Ruger Redhawk 5.5" or Super Redhawk 7.5"

[Oklahoma Rebel]

i have always heard that the bisley is the way to go for heavy recoil,do many disagree? and can a bisley SBH be converted to a standard grip? the reason I ask is I am planning on getting on in a few months, and was going to get the bisley.

[44man]

I never found any difference in recoil. It is still there.

[rond]

Living in Texas you need at least 1 single action revolver, I like the Ruger Blackhawk with 4 5/8 barrel. Have you thought of .45 Colt?

[44man]

Crimped
in the lower groove they will be too long to fit into a Smith. An aquaintance of mine wanted to try a cylinder full of my loads in his Smith and they were a no-go.

Boolit is too heavy for a S&W anyway.

[rondog]

My .44 is a Virginian Dragoon. Thing is a freakin' BEAST! It'll handle loads that make me cringe. First saw one in 1980 when they were like, $175 new and wanted one ever since. Finally got a chance to buy one a few years ago and jumped on it.

[44man]

My .44 is a Virginian Dragoon. Thing is a freakin' BEAST! It'll handle loads that make me cringe. First saw one in 1980 when they were like, $175 new and wanted one ever since. Funally got a chance to buy one a few years ago and jumped on it.

That was one heck of a gun. I had one in .375 SM. Strong as all get out but precision was a little lacking. Every gun was not the same and the market from IHMSA shooters fell off.
It really was a good gun and should still be made but management determines what is put out. They always shoot themselves in the foot for an extra dime. DW revolvers went from the best in the world to DEAD too.

[knuckleball]

i have always heard that the bisley is the way to go for heavy recoil,do many disagree? and can a bisley SBH be converted to a standard grip? the reason I ask is I am planning on getting on in a few months, and was going to get the bisley.

The Bisley grip will fit your hand more like a DA revolver grip does but without the nub at the top used during fast double-action so the hand doesn't slip up into the hammer bite area.

If converting a grip, fitting and finishing will be required whether it's SS or Blued along with the added dollars. Just buy what you want the first time and live with it, being adaptable from gun to gun is an important skill to learn too.

[Bill*B]

I like the .44. You don't have to shoot it with heavy loads all the time. Purchase a Accurate Mold which casts a wadcutter of 185 grains or so, and load it over 6.0 grains of almost any fast burning shotgun powder - say, 700-X. Your revolver is transformed into a .41 Colt clone. Loads of target shooting and plinking fun!

[shoot-n-lead]

My .44 is a Virginian Dragoon. Thing is a freakin' BEAST! It'll handle loads that make me cringe. First saw one in 1980 when they were like, $175 new and wanted one ever since. Funally got a chance to buy one a few years ago and jumped on it.

I have a Virginian Dragoon...cylinder has not locked up in years...just been in the safe...it was not the "BEAST" that yours is. Can't seem to find the parts to fix it, either...wish I had my money back.