New to Me Ruger Red Hawk

[NickSS]

I visited my favorite gun shop a few days ago and to my surprise I saw a 5 inch red Hawk in 44 mag in the case. I have been wanting one of these for several years but all I found were either long barrels or short barrels or the supper red hawks which I do not like. So to make a long story short I bought it home with me.

I has had one trip to the range with me shooting some ammo I loaded up for my 44 mag carbine for plinking loads. These were loaded with a 200 gr RF bullet and 11 gr of Hurco. I only had 25 rounds left but I fired them and got some decent results at 25 yards. I put all 25 rounds into the 10 and X ring of a standard slow fire pistol target. This is about as good as I can shoot an iron sighted pistol these days so I was happy with it. I got to say that my first 6 rounds were a nice group with 4 in the X ring and 2 just outside in the 10 ring. The center of the group was about at the edge of the X ring at 9 o'clock so I gave it a click right and this centered the groups nicely. As far as I am concerned it was worth the wait for the pistol I wanted to find me.

[Blammer]

Sweet! I am so Jealous! :)

Good shooting.

[excess650]

My first was a SS 7-1/2" and shot some pretty decent groups with it at 50 yards, took a couple of whitetail bucks....Hamilton Bowen was converting Redhawks to 5 shot .475 and .500 and I wanted one, or thought I did. I found a blued 5-1/2" to have converted, and ordered a .432-350-LFN from LBT. The cast bullets with GC weighed 370gr, and with a ridiculous charge of WW296 yielded 1320fps from the 7-1/2" barrel.:holysheep Recoil was so severe that I decided that a .475 wasn't a good idea, not to mention the $2800 it would have cost for the conversion with L-frame style barrel, brass, dies, etc. 20 years back!

Sierra introduced their 300gr JSP sometime around then and I had to try them....without load data. Using WW296 I guessed at what I though would be a reasonable load and worked up from there, checking for flattened primers and sticky extraction. I managed 1320fps from the 7-1/2" and less than 1200 from the 5-1/2". I called Sierra and found that my starting load was more than their maximum.[smilie=l:

After shooting both side by side, I discovered the 5-1/2" shot tighter groups at 50 yards than the 7-1/2", so I sold the 7-1/2". I still have that blued 5-1/2" and recently bought the Lee 200gr RNFP in 6 cavity for less than brutal loads. I carry it crossdraw vs the shoulder holster previously with the longer barrel.

Despite the more powerful cartridges available, the 44mag ain't no pussycat, and the 5-1/2" Redhawk is a reasonable weight platform in which to utilize it. I had a 6-1/2" M29 S&W before the Redhawks, and still have a few S&Ws and Colts, but the Redhawk is the only 44mag.

[Ben]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=82864

[Mk42gunner]

I have had acouple of 5 1/2" stainless Redhawks. If I ever buy another .44 Magnum, that is what it will be.

I wish I would have been smart enough to buy all three magnum calibers when they were first offered.

Robert

[9.3X62AL]

My Redhawk is a blued 44 Mag x 5.5", and has been in residence longer than any other 44 Mag I've ever owned--close to 15 years, now. Ruger got this one RIGHT--.429" grooves, .430" throats, and any cast boolit sized .431" goes into very small clusters downrange. That big roller really soaks up the recoil, too. That weight gets a little onerous in a hip holster, but the cross-draw shoulder rigs mentioned above resolve that issue nicely. I've debated about slling this critter and getting a lever rifle for the 44 ammo I have (A LOT OF IT), but a "say good-bye" range session with Keith-level loads (#429421 @ 1200 FPS) dismisses those thoughts for several months. It a' be stayin', I reckon. Not to say I won't be snagging a Marlin 94 or S&W 629 x 4" down the road some time......but the Redhawk is a definite keeper.

Interestingly--my only negative contact with a bear came on a day the Redhawk was along for the ride. I really didn't notice--or mind--the holster weight at the time. Funny how that works.......

[Mal Paso]

I visited my favorite gun shop a few days ago and to my surprise I saw a 5 inch red Hawk in 44 mag in the case. I have been wanting one of these for several years but all I found were either long barrels or short barrels or the supper red hawks which I do not like. So to make a long story short I bought it home with me.


This was a previously owned gun? I bought a new 4" Stainless Redhawk 2 years ago. I recut the single action sear with a Power Custom stand but most of the "Trigger Job" was Just Shooting It. At about 14,000 rounds it's smooth but solid. It's Just Broke In and I don't think I'll be able to wear it out.