Ruger RedHawks get Sleeve & Shroud Barrels to Improve Accuracy

[vzerone]

Are they copying S&W?

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2017/12/08/upgraded-sleeved-barrel-ruger-redhawks-look-to-improve-accuracy/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=2017-12-12&utm_campaign=Weekly+Newsletter

[dkf]

Sounds like they are just taking advantage of all the money they invested in machinery to hammer forge barrels. They can hammer forge the round barrel/sleeve where they cannot easily do or at all the way they are constructing Redhawk barrels now.

[Artful]

Ah, Dan Wesson was right - now they admit it.

[wildcatter]

Hardly a Smith first. I would have asked who did Smith copy? This was Dan Wesson that first introduced a barrel and shroud revolver, but it was not Wesson that developed the theory, but the idea came from a Browning employee.

But this is an old concept, and has been said to cut cost. I am one of the diehard's that will keep my revolvers 100% dipped in steel, and assembled with as few parts as possible, including a one piece threaded barrel.

[FergusonTO35]

If it results in better accuracy and more consistent barrel to cylinder gap I'm all for it. If it results in the shroud coming loose or rotating I'm against it.

[rking22]

My Dan Wesson shot very well,that said I suspect it is a manufacturing expediency to save cost. The marketing guys were assigned to make it sound good. Much easier to get the gap right at assemble rather than,gasp, have to maintain tight tolerences over several machining operations on multiple parts. Personally I like my barrels one piece, but no biggie, if it gets a better revolver out the door at a good cost them GOOD.

[gnostic]

This is cost cutting at it's finest, it's more expencive to manufacture anything as one piece. The Dan Wesson was designed so the barrels and shroud were changeable.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

. ....

[merlin101]

Sounds nice but at a thousand bucks apiece I'll be sticking with my Dan Wesson's, besides the DW are known shooters.

[Dale53]

These are HUGE revolvers for .357 carry guns. I would MUCH rather have my S&W Model 520. Portability and accuracy in one platform.

I have Red Hawk in .44 magnum and have taken several deer with it. It is my “bad weather” hunting pistol, but carry it in a cross the chest rig.

FWIW
Dale53

[rking22]

Never thought of RedHawk and carry gun in the same sentence. ...
Slight off topic I guess, by why the fascination with putting more holes in a six gun cylinder??? All mine hold 6 ,or 5 cause 6 won't fit. Guess I'm just out of touch. Not throwing rocks, just actually curious.

[Artful]

Never thought of RedHawk and carry gun in the same sentence. ...
Slight off topic I guess, by why the fascination with putting more holes in a six gun cylinder??? All mine hold 6 ,or 5 cause 6 won't fit. Guess I'm just out of touch. Not throwing rocks, just actually curious.

Started with some of the competition guys - they designed courses to be 6 shot neutral so a 7 or 8 shot revolver gave an advantage in reloading required by the end of a stage - moon clips allow quicker reloads than a normal speeloader.
I like to think of my Redhawk as a Horse Pistol, carried by a horse or shooting a horse out from an outlaw.

[rking22]

That makes sense, the horse too! I've got a 5.5 44 redhawk, really big revolver for carry, but I still like it !

[FergusonTO35]

If the new barrel setup resulted in barrels that could be changed by the owner, that would be awesome.

[Hardcast]

Never owned a Redhawk, but the 4.2 inch version sounds like a potential woods carry gun. I wonder if the cylinder is long enough to accommodate the Keith 358429 seated in the crimp groove. It looks so by the pics shown in the article, but sometimes pics are deceiving. Anyone know?

[Mal Paso]

8 shots, recessed for full moon clips, they put Racing Tires on a Cement Truck. The barrel does not appear to be tensioned or interchangeable like Dan Wesson. Sounds like the product of a sales meeting.

[vzerone]

8 shots, recessed for full moon clips, they put Racing Tires on a Cement Truck. The barrel does not appear to be tensioned or interchangeable like Dan Wesson. Sounds like the product of a sales meeting.

Mel, according to the Ruger forum they are tensioned. How else could they assemble it to the frame?

http://rugerforum.net/ruger-double-action/312826-sleeve-shroud-barrels.html

[DougGuy]

I had a DW in 45 Colt with interchangeable barrels you could never in your lifetime shoot that gun loose. It had a LOT going for it that other makes didn't have, real short hammer throw, latch on the crane where it mattered not the frame, wish I had kept it. If Ruger follows suit with the Redhawk and user changeable barrels they will really be onto something.

[dkf]

Never owned a Redhawk, but the 4.2 inch version sounds like a potential woods carry gun. I wonder if the cylinder is long enough to accommodate the Keith 358429 seated in the crimp groove. It looks so by the pics shown in the article, but sometimes pics are deceiving. Anyone know?

I don't see why not. I seat the MP 305 out to 2.735" in my .44 Redhawk with room to spare. The .357 Redhawk uses the same length cylinder as the .44.

[vzerone]

I had a DW in 45 Colt with interchangeable barrels you could never in your lifetime shoot that gun loose. It had a LOT going for it that other makes didn't have, real short hammer throw, latch on the crane where it mattered not the frame, wish I had kept it. If Ruger follows suit with the Redhawk and user changeable barrels they will really be onto something.

This is the way I understand S&W's barrel system. They have a shroud that indexes on the frame, they place the barrel through it and the muzzle end has the raised round portion to bear against the shroud. They have a special tool that fits inside the barrel bore that is a mate to the bore and groove. They then tighten the barrel up. I don't know how deep it goes, but would suspect deep enough that it doesn't hurt the land sides. Correct me if I have that wrong as I don't really know this for sure. Okay let's say that's correct. Do you think that if Ruger is using the same method, that they are willing to give you that special wrench to swap out barrels? I don't and they would have to give you a wrench for the swap barrel too as it's going to be a different caliber.

I got of hint of this S&W system when a friend bulged a 460 barrel and sent it back (which they didn't cover and we didn't expect them to). They sent his old bugles barrel back to him, but they cut it in half!!!

[Hardcast]

I don't see why not. I seat the MP 305 out to 2.735" in my .44 Redhawk with room to spare. The .357 Redhawk uses the same length cylinder as the .44.

That is the answer I am looking for. Thanks. I have 2 S&W N frame 357's and the 38 Special length cylinders on them does restrict O.A.L. Still remember the time when I was a very young man and bought my Model 28. Went to a shop that sold cast boolits. Bought a thousand Keith's and loaded a few. Thats when I learned about different cylinder lengths. Those 358429's worked fine in my model 19's. I just could not understand why S&W did that...