I finally got a finiky 44 ruger.

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive allways preached that about any out of the box 44 ruger will be a shooter. Well this one isnt exactly out of the box its a redhawk dustin linebaugh shortened to 3.5 inchs and round butted. I wanted a fairly stout load with a heavy bullet for it. I first loaded every heavy i have which is probably close to a dozen molds with 820 and accuacy was flat miserable. I was getting groups from 3 inchs up to 6 inchs at 25 yards!! I tried varying primers powder charge and nothing worked. Now those were my usual go to loads that allways shot in a 44. Next i tried 296 it shot about the same tried the primer and powder charge thing there too and nothing! I got desperate and even tried some tried and true 250 grain bullet loads and even tried jacketed bullets and still nothing. I switched then to 4227 and 19 grains with a ww primer did about 2 inch. Exceptable but nothing earth shattering. I was talking to my buddy on the phone about it and he suggested 2400. Now 2400 has allways been a powder that did well with everything and never exceptial with anything for me. Low and behold the first load i tried a lyman 320swcgc and 19 grains of it with a ww primer went 7/8s 9/16 and 1 inch. I left it at that. That load will kill anything i point it at and its plenty of accuracy for what ill use that little cannon for. Funny how a gun can be so persnickity about what it likes. To go from 6 inch to one inch groups. Makes me wonder how anyone can go and buy a box of factory ammo and go hunting with a handgun!!

[44man]

Nothing strange at all. I have found the Redhawk to be the hardest Ruger to work with, the SRH the easiest and the SBH next in line.
Try H110 in it.

[TCLouis]

Ruger covered one of my stupid actions and sold me a replacement SS SBH at a really good price. The gun that was being replaced was a shootin son-of-a-gun and I expected the same of this gun. My original goal (since I had just bought and old original style 429421) was to NEVER shoot a jacketed slug through the gun.

Well after several hundred really poorly placed shots I decided that maybe it needed a coated bullet to shoot . . . even worse grouping with the jacketed stuff.
I kept up with it til I had about 1250 rounds down the tube and then I just stuffed it in the safe. Several people that knew about it asked why I did not dump it at a gun show . . . I told them I refused to pass it along to anyone else that may want to become a 44 shooter.

Finally dug it out last spring and tried the very load that took the other gun apart (took it apart with more than a little stupidity on my part mixed in) and a couple of loads with 2400.

429421 and 10.5 AA#5 shoots really well. Original loading used AA# 5 or a Surplus look-a-like interchangeably New gun will only shoot the AA #5
18.0 grains of 2400 BEHIND 45-2.1's 250 grain RNFP is also a real shooter
in this gun. Have not tried any other loadings other that what I had at the range that day, but this works, and I am HAPPY to have a plinkin and shooting load for the gun that I can predict misses rather than they be random dispersion by the gun and me

[Dale53]

TCLouis;

429421 and 10.5 AA#5 and 18.0 grains of 2400 BEHIND 45-2.1's 250 grain RNFP

This is confusing. I am sure you meant two different loads - one having 10.5 grains of AA#5 and one having 18.0 grs of 2400 (NOT A DUPLEX load of both in the same case).

Just wanted to clarify for any "lurker" who might be confused...

Respectfully,
Dale53

[crabo]

Lloyd, how about some pictures?

[Lloyd Smale]

this is the best i can do. Dustin round butted it put a post front sight rear bowen and a set of black real micartas on it.

[44man]

Nice guns Lloyd!
I have never figured out the RH. Had a lot of them here and all have shown a dislike for loads that work in the other Ruger's. It just doesn't make sense. Loads and powder have to be worked all over again for them and none of those loads will work in the other Ruger's.
I have been fooling with this from my old IHMSA days and is the reason I never bought a RH.
They can be very accurate but once a load is found, you can't vary it. It is the only Ruger that likes H110.

[Dale53]

I deer hunted for years with an S&W Model 29 with 8 3/8" barrel. I added a Ruger Red Hawk for bad weather hunting (7.5"). It uses the same loads as my S&W. However, 2" at fifty yards was/is acceptable for my use.

My load for hunting is a Lyman 429421 with 24.0 grs of H110, Win 296, or equivalent with WC 820 (keep in mind that 820 varies quite a bit depending on Lot #). I set the standard with Win 296 for velocity and matched it with WC 820 using an Oehler Model 35 Chronograph.

Dale53

[44man]

The RH that sticks in my mind belonged to a friend in Ohio. He wanted to shoot IHMSA with us so I told him no problem. Just load the same stuff I do. Back then we used the Hornady 240 sil bullet. We went to our range and I loaded my loads in his gun and 6" to 10" at 50 yd's was the best I could do.
So I worked 296 loads all the way up and never improved the groups.
I had H110 so I worked with it and got groups to 1" to 1/1/2" at 50 yd's. I have no explanation! The powder had a different appearance back then then it does now, it seemed to be more of a gray color. I could tell one from the other if I poured some on paper.
I don't know what Hodgdon has done since then and it might be closer to 296. I know it looks different and closer to 296 now.
The original might have been surplus powder or made by another company.
I have not kept track of it because I never buy or use it. I know both are made on the same line but Hodgdon got one batch and WW got a different one.
I am leery of 820 because I don't want to work loads with every can.

[Lloyd Smale]

i think the problem with redhawks might be related to why they built the supers. They were having problems with barrels breaking off at the frame. the super extended that frame and they wouldnt have to screw in the barrels so tightly that it caused a restiction. I havent checked this one but two other redhawks i fooled with both had bad constrictions at the start of the barrel and were improved by lapping it out. Next summer when i have some time ill fool with it and see if it helps this one.

[Three44s]

My RH in .44 is about as conventional in it's likes as .44s get!

Unique, HS-6, 2400 and H110 and it PURRRS!

My SRH is more finicky and I believe it's cylinder throat dims ......

My RH is very VERY even but the SRH has two throats that are different.

Three 44s

[NHlever]

Hmm, constriction of the bore where the frame, and barrel join. We do hear that a lot don't we? Think about that for a minute, or two. What would cause a "constriction". Well, tapered threads would do it, a radius on the shoulder of the barrel threads would do it, but if you check you will find there is a c'bore in the frame to allow for that. I sure can't think of too much else off hand if the barrel is screwed up tight to a square shoulder. Maybe what we are seeing is not a constriction at all, but something that looks, and feels like one. Food for thought. Certainly, things are not always what they appear.

(not playing games here, just worked in the industry, and can't be too specific)

[Joni Lynn]

Nice Lloyd. Good to see you here also!

[454PB]

I guess I got lucky. I bought a 7 1/2" SS RH when they first came out. It's had many thousands of rounds through it and the barrel is still attached. I remember when I bought it, I took it out to my personal backdoor range and the very first cylinder full of 429244's in front of 23 gr. of H-110 went into 2" offhand at 25 yards. I was impressed.