Choice of Revolver against Grizzly Bear attack.

[Three44s]

All jacketed HPs are not made the same. The Hornady XTP series is a better bullet than the bulk of the HPs for deeper penetration.

The best punch through jacketed I know of is the Speer Gold Dot 270 gr in the 44 that is a flat nose configuration.

I still prefer my cast, either the RCBS 250K or the Lee 310 gr flat nose dual crimp grooved boolit. I run the RCBS in my Mountain Gun from mild to top SAMMI loads and that plus the Lee in my Redhawk.

Three44s

[Graybeard96]

Hi there,
Because I am considering purchasing (if I can find and hold in my Hand prior purchase) a DA Ruger Redhawk, I would appreciate if you allow me to ask you a few questions because I never seen one up close and never seen one shot either.
I understand there are 3 different Redhawk's. First the one from the 1980s, second todays Redhawk and then of course the Super Redhawk. Which one do you have, have shot, would recommend and why and also have you have ever had any malfunctions with it.

Myself I prefer a Revolver with a 7 to 8 " Barrel and don't mind the extra weight for the intended use. I definitely will stay with my favorite Caliber which is .44 Rem Magnum.

Thank you in advance
GB

[charlie b]

Why would you ever put hollow point bullets in pistol for bear? Heck, even with a rifle I think I'd go with a solid.

[Graybeard96]

Why would you ever put hollow point bullets in pistol for bear? Heck, even with a rifle I think I'd go with a solid.

Good question my Friend !
I just assumed the 230 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point Hornady's would Mushroom better and penetrate deeper then my 245 Grain GC SWC Lead Slugs. However, my penetration test into dry Plywood showed they where almost indentical at 3.3/4" to 4" penetration.

Just for comparison.
During a hunt I had to search for a wounded 7.5 Nose to Tail Male Grizzly (I am guessing 550 Lbs). in the Timberline with very little underbrush where I could see a average of 25 ft. in front of me. Weather was nice without Wind and late afternoon. Grizzly was Gut shot by a Client about 2 Hours earlier. I went to Camp got the Dog and came after the Griz leaving Hunter and his Girlfriend in Camp. The wounded Grizzly was almost impossible to make out cauert behind a small spruce Tree but my unleashed Dog (German Hunting Terrier) screaming her Lungs out less then 10 ft away from the Bear showed me exactly where he was, easy peasy.

I was ready with my trusty old FN Browning Safari Grade in .338 WM with 250 Hornady Round Nose Slugs. He came like a Football and was less then 8 Ft away when my first Slug hit and threw him Dead to the Ground. Without delay I gave him the 3 remaining ones from the Magazine too before I had to sit down and reloaded as fast my shaking Body allowed. During skinning him out I found my first Slug went trough his open Mouth all the way trough his Body and got stuck nicely Mushroomed just under his Hide near his Anus.

Remember the difference:
A wounded Grizzly wants to kill you. A healthy Grizzly usually hits the Brakes 10 ft or more from you if you stand your Ground. All Bets are off with Grizzly Sows accompanied by young ones !

Thanks

[Jtarm]

A 400 Lbs Boar (Male) Grizzly Bear is about 4-5 years old and just a bit bigger then a full grown well fed Black Bear. However this 400 pounder is exactly the kind of Bear which can give you the most trouble because they are searching for a Territory to call there own.

Sounds like the bear equivalent of an 18-25 year old human male.


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[Three44s]

Hi there,
Because I am considering purchasing (if I can find and hold in my Hand prior purchase) a DA Ruger Redhawk, I would appreciate if you allow me to ask you a few questions because I never seen one up close and never seen one shot either.
I understand there are 3 different Redhawk's. First the one from the 1980s, second todays Redhawk and then of course the Super Redhawk. Which one do you have, have shot, would recommend and why and also have you have ever had any malfunctions with it.

Myself I prefer a Revolver with a 7 to 8 " Barrel and don't mind the extra weight for the intended use. I definitely will stay with my favorite Caliber which is .44 Rem Magnum.

Thank you in advance
GB

I guess you are asking me?

My Redhawk was bought used in April ‘97. It’s a 7.5” Stainless with the hunter option (Ruger Scope mount grooves cut into the top of the barrel).

It came with the factory wooden grips and in full power beat the hell out of me. I tried Pachmyer grips and they did not fill my hand. I tried the now discontinued Uncle Mikes rubber grip and they are just the ticket for me.

A year and a half later I bought a Smith Mountain Gun In .44 Mag. (My true defense gun)

In 2000 I bought a Super Red hawk with a 9.5” barrel. I figured on a barrel chop for that one to trim it to around 5”. It never happened because I fell in love of that very long barrel due to sight radius and adding a peep sight.

I am not going to argue with your barrel length choice but merely want to mention that for my taste a 4 or 5” barrel (My Smith MG is 4”) suits me just fine for all self defense. The 7.5” and longer barrels suit me for hunting.

A few years ago I traded my 9.5” Super RH in .44 Mag for a Super RH in .480 Ruger in Target Stainless and a 7.5” barrel.

I love the 480!

Both the RH and SRH are built like tanks. They are tougher and more capable than your SBH. The cylinders are .050” longer and with a boolit with a crimp groove suitably located you can seat them out farther giving you more powder space. That and the beefiness, you have one tough hombre!

I began comparing grip frame angles and find the Redhawk has more of a “target” angle than the Smiths or the Super RH. The Redhawk will feel more like your Super Black hawk. The Super RH and Smith are more angled.

This affects recoil management. The more a grip frame is perpendicular to the barrel, the sooner your wrist will fully extend upon firing. Remember, the DA revolvers do not roll up in your hand as you single action gun does. Whatever a DA dishes out, you own it.

The Smiths and the Super RH has a grip frame that allows your wrist to lean forward and as such you have more rotation time before your wrist stops moving.

Now grips really change things again and the Super RH and the Smiths have more choices than the Redhawk.

As far as reliability my Smith has quit twice and both break downs were fixed right there as a walk in where I bought it.

The Rugers have not broken but after I had the triggers worked on, they both have to use a certain primer (old school Federal primers). If I put the factory springs back on, I am sure they would work 100% with any large pistol primer as they did before the alteration.

Accuracy: When I had a scope rail on my Redhawk and a Bushnel Hollowsight (civilian EOTECH) I was about 80% on golf balls at 35 yds while leaning over a front tractor tire. (RCBS 250K and HS6 powder).

The SRH factory grip is smooth and rather small, you may need to swap to a more hand filling one. The RH wooden grip will likely pound you more than your SBH does and the choices are less numerous. (Because The SA Ruger rolls up and the DA revolvers do not)

If you could handle any choices and fire them some it would be helpful before you lay the cash down.

It is a shame that Uncle Mike does not make grips any more for the RH, I do see them used on E-bay from time to time but your hand size matters. My hands fit into large gloves snug but I use removable liners in extra large gloves for winter if that gives you an idea if those grips might be worth searching if for.

Be glad to answer any questions I did a poor job on.

Three44s

[Graybeard96]

Thank you "Three44s" for taking the time and your detailed observations. I do have fairly big Hands and like to get a good Grip on the heavy Revolver which is not eaten up when coming into contact with Oil&Gas from Chainsaw and Brush-cutter. I ended up machining a single Aluminum Block Grip for my SA Blackhawk Bisley which fits me now perfectly and may do the same to the new Revolver which so far I was not able to locate anywhere near where I could hold it in my Hands before committing to Purchase.

Thanks again
GB

[Graybeard96]

Sounds like the bear equivalent of an 18-25 year old human male.


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Exactly, 18-25 year old Bullies many of them !

Cheers

[RJM52]

Three44s should write articles for gun magazines...I have never seen it put so concisely ever before...

Like he said, it is a shame that Uncle Mike's doesn't make their grip any more....it is the only one of the Redhawk grips that fit me also. I also have a GP100 that takes the same grips as the Super Redhawk and it is much more comfortable to shoot.

If you don't mind "bigger" one of the guns you may want to look at is the Super Redhawk Tolkat.

https://ruger.com/products/superRedh...eets/5517.html

It is a little heavier than the 4.2 or 5" Redhawks but the benefit of that better grip would be worth the difference...

I have the 4.2" and 3.75" Redhawks in .41 Magnum...excellent shooting guns but the grip does leave something to be desired.

Bob

[Three44s]

RJM52,

You are too kind, Thank you and best regards.

Three44s

[Jtarm]

My 2-pennies worth: for a better DA tigger, I’d go with the SRH. With the Redhawk, everything is powered by a single spring, which severely limits what can be done to improve it.

I wouldnt dream of lightening springs on a gun you may need to stop 800 lbs of angry bear. But a good gunsmith can do a lot more with the Super to give it a smoother, more even DA pull without compromising ignition.