Most of the complaints I hear about the Super Blackhawks comes from the squared off trigger guard biting the fingers under heavy recoil. I actually think the SBH is easier to handle than the SRH with the same barrel lengths.
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Most of the complaints I hear about the Super Blackhawks comes from the squared off trigger guard biting the fingers under heavy recoil. I actually think the SBH is easier to handle than the SRH with the same barrel lengths.
A vote for anyone other then the conservative candidates is a vote for the liberal candidates.
The optic-mount capability of the Ruger, plus its ability to take toasty loads would be the big draw, but in a "limited number allowed" setting, I'd be thinking very hard about which cartoon-long revolvers to keep and which ones to sell off.
WWJMBD?
In the Land of Oz, we cast with wheel weight and 2% Tin, Man.
Another one to consider if you find one, is the Ruger Bisley Blackhawk. It has a different handle shape that makes the recoil easier to handle than the standard Super Blackhawk grip frame.
Personally, I would go for the Super Redhawk. I have three Super Redhawks and have had a similar number of S&W 29s and 629s. Massad Ayoob once wrote an article for Guns and Ammo about 4" 29s and 629s. He said that in order to always have a functional N frame .44, he had to keep three of them in rotation with one at the gunsmith being rebuilt, one basically on "light duty" and the most recently rebuilt in full duty operation.
About the time he wrote that article, I was trying to daily carry a 4" 29. When I started having problems with the first one, instead of sending it to a gunsmith I traded it in for another one. I went through about 3 of them before I gave up on N frame .44s.
None of my Redhawks or Super Redhawks have ever given me any trouble even though two of them are .454 Casulls, which are way harder on the gun than .44 Mag.
A couple of people mentioned weight, including one who said a Super Redhawk is heavier than a regular Redhawk. In fact a Super Redhawk is slightly lighter. With 7-1/2 inch barrels in .44 Magnum, a Super Redhawk is 1 oz lighter than a regular Redhawk. And, while I couldn't find the specs for an 8-3/8 inch Model 29, the S&W website lists a 6-1/2 inch Model 29 at 48.3 oz: https://www.smith-wesson.com/product...ics-6-1-2-blue
Ruger shows the 7-1/2 inch Super Redhawk at 53 oz: https://ruger.com/products/superRedh...eets/5501.html
So it looks like there's really not a huge weight penalty in going for the SRH.
Bottom line: I would buy the SRH. Then if I needed to sell a revolver later so I could get something else, I would decide at that time which one I really wanted to keep. I know which one it would be for me, but that's beside the point.
The Ruger SR is a more durable revolver than a model 29, which only matters if you shoot full powder loads all the time.
I have a Redhawk still, and used to have a model 29 as well. I shoot better with the Redhawk than the model 29, not because one is better, but because the Redhawk is heavier, 7.5" and the 29 was 4". It is amusing for my fellow club members to see me shoot IPSC with the long Redhawk.
Trigger wise, no startling difference comes to mind, and they both have big cylinders that seem to need an age to turn, compared to k-frame revolvers.
The Super Redhawk is an excellent buy. Grab it while you can - they don't come up used [ at least on this tip of the dark continent ] very often at all.
wilecoyote, how many guns are you allowed to have in your country?
IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!
...regarding handguns, the current laws allow a total of 12 for sporting use, whatever that means, and 3 considered for common use, i.e. for defense. this is the intention of the legislator.Originally Posted by murf205
(no handguns are allowed for hunting, rifles only) _
basically 15 handguns which is certainly more than I want and can keep in use.
the superior office that decides how to classify a weapon between these two main categories periodically updates taking into account the reality of manufacturers and importers, who otherwise would see many weapons commercially penalized, or in favor of particular types of competition, for example IPSC. the situation becomes fluid and byzantine when weapons hitherto considered in one category are moved to another. this has created and still creates confusion, typical of our legislative system, among the competent offices and among the shooters. I'm lucky enough to have good and competent people in my reference office but I still tend to limit myself in purchases, if only for economic reasons, being generally not inclined to sell.
currently I try to limit myself to a few vintage revolvers in .357 and .44, regardless their classification, in any case totally quite under to the allowed number, in order to be able to easily buy tomorrow any handgun which may be of real interest to me.
(the classification also affects rifles/carbines, which can mostly be divided into hunting guns and sporting guns.
hunting rifles have no limitation on their number, while sporting rifles fall within the limit of 12 above that they must share with sporting handguns).
I could go on with other legislative oddities, quibbles and exceptions, but in practice I can say that I have what I want in terms of long and short guns. the time and money to use them properly is another matter
Thanks for your interest !
Food is overrated. A nice rifle is way more important.
Rob
That time and money thing leaves a tooth mark on a lot of us. Do you have a waiting period to receive your guns when you buy one?
IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!
Fortunately no: I have a license renewable every 5 years which allows me, among other things, to buy and take home any gun permitted by our regulations_
Within 72 hours max., I have to report it to my competent office which registers my purchase_
Food is overrated. A nice rifle is way more important.
Rob
Thats pretty good. I was thinking you could only have 3 or 4 max the way your post was, and I figured it was tougher to buy. Really that's not a lot different than a lot of the USA. A lot of states require a permit to purchase handguns and even rifles. I'm not aware of any state that has a limit to the number, but you really aren't that worse off. There's not a lot of people that can afford to buy 12+ handguns anywhere, at least not 12 good ones.
With that in mind, I think you would be perfectly happy with a Super Redhawk in 44 magnum. I own the regular Redhawk myself, and it's a completely different handgun. The only thing the two really share is the cylinder. Everything else mechanically is different. The Redhawk is a great handgun too if you are interested in that. The trigger design is kind of goofy, but they work fine. I'm going to say the super Redhawk is a superior design as far as the trigger, they are easier to get really nice double action triggers with them. I'm not sure what people are talking about with the locktime. There's absolutely no way a human being could tell the different in lock time between a Super Redhawk and a Model 29. I can't find the numbers online, but I'd be really surprised if it were more than a couple of milliseconds difference, and honestly I see no reason to believe a Model 29 would be faster. It's nothing but an excuse people use, kind of like blaming the wind.
The Super Redhawks have no known problems I'm aware of. You do hear about that barrel breaking thing, but as stated earlier by a member, that was only a select few handguns from a known mistake in manufacturing. It's not a design flaw or anything like that. If anything the barrels on the Rugers are superior to the new S&W's, and at least as good as your older model 29's. I don't keep up on exact timelines, but your 29-2 might be a pinned barrel, which some consider superior because they can't get thread choke. All new revolvers use interference fit threads for the barrels, and you can find thread choke on any new revolver. The new Rugers have been pretty good about it, new S&W's not as much, but maybe that's changed in the last year or two. The size/weight of the super redhawk is overblown. It's a big revolver, yes, but so is a model 29. If you are happy with that 10 5/8" bull barrel model 29, you will be just fine with any super redhawk. I've never heard of anyone wearing out a super redhawk, they seem to be very durable over time, much more so than any model 29. They also do not have the habit of rotating the cylinder under recoil like a model 29 does. A super redhawk is perfectly suited to far more than 44 magnum, hence they come in 454 casull and 480 ruger. 355 gr bullets are no problem at all in a super redhawk. The one and only thing I've found is that there are not as many options for custom grips on Rugers as there are S&W. The big name being Herrett's stocks, last I checked they will not make grips for Rugers. They may have changed recently though. There are some really good off the shelf options for super redhawks though, and they share the same grip stud as a GP100, so I wouldn't let that concern you.
Last edited by megasupermagnum; 05-08-2023 at 07:07 PM.
Definitely apples and oranges. Although the S&W may not be as beefy as the Ruger, seeing as how plinking is your thing, it does not seem strength is a concern. Huge difference in triggers. If you have 10 rugers you have 10 triggers. If you have 10 S&W you have 1 trigger. I have shot both but I own S&W. It's up to you.
.. this seems to me to be a very relevant consideration as regards my use and any type of experiment I can do in hand loading the .44 magnum.
Thanks for your attention to all aspects of my initial question, anyway!
Food is overrated. A nice rifle is way more important.
Rob
As many others have posted, if you want to use a steady diet of .44 mags or care to push the envelope in your hand loads the Ruger is the way to go.
If you look at specialty, heavy hitting ammo manufacturers like Buffalo Bore, Underwood, Garret that produce very stout magnum rounds for .44mag, Ruger is at the top of their list for the guns that they approve for use with that ammo.
Let us know how you like the Ruger and how it shoots. The old SRH of mine always gets a place at the range on account of how accurate it is and how comfortable it is to shoot. Mine has probably a thousand rounds through it and some of them have been bazooka loads. No problems so far. You're gonna like this gun.
IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!
Yeah, I think you want that big Ruger...and for all the reasons already mentioned, I think it is a wise purchase for you.
Myself I am a 41 mag fan. Currently I don't have a Ruger in 41. My friend recently bought a blued 5" Redhawk in 41...someday, I hope he has plans to sell it to me, it's happened a few times before as he rarely keeps his toys all that long, LOL.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
― The Dalai Lama, Seattle Times, May 2001
thanks for ALL your replies.
the current Italian cataloging of the SRH, even if a little penalizing (but the RH is less penalizing, I don't know why) won't affect that much on what I'm allowed to have.
so I hope to find a decent buy soon.
THANKS AGAIN TO ALL !
Food is overrated. A nice rifle is way more important.
Rob
Good luck on your purchase, let us know please.
U.S.A. " RIDE FOR THE BRAND OR LEAVE!"
...I may have found a SRH that deserves attention.
I will be able to view it directly, but not before a week.
on S&Ws I would know where and how to carry out a reliable screening,
but I've never handled a Ruger: are there specific wear or critical points to check specifically on a used .44mag. SRH?
thanks to all
(I edited my post that mistakenly said SBH and not SRH...)
Last edited by wilecoyote; 06-02-2023 at 01:07 PM. Reason: I apologize: super RED hawk
Food is overrated. A nice rifle is way more important.
Rob
An inherent flaw in the older Blackhawk line is the base pin that holds the cylinder in will start to work its way out. I solved this problem by getting a Belt Mountain base pin with set screw. Other than that, the only other problem I have ever had with a Ruger single action is one of the grip panels split in half. I replaced it with an Alto Mont faux ivory with scrimshaw.
A vote for anyone other then the conservative candidates is a vote for the liberal candidates.
thank, Sasquatch1 but, as you can see, I'm so ignorant about Rugers to mismatch even the model name...An inherent flaw in the older Blackhawk line is the base pin that holds the cylinder in will start to work its way out. I solved this problem by getting a Belt Mountain base pin with set screw. Other than that, the only other problem I have ever had with a Ruger single action is one of the grip panels split in half. I replaced it with an Alto Mont faux ivory with scrimshaw.
Food is overrated. A nice rifle is way more important.
Rob
[QUOTE=wilecoyote;
I've never handled a Ruger: are there specific wear or critical points to check specifically on a used .44mag. SRH?
thanks to all
Ok, in general,, a SRH,, unless seriously abused,, won't exhibit any problems. They are built like a tank, and take a lot of use & even abuse before having issues.
That said,, in general,, just check the cylinder lock-up, look at the cylinder holes for any that may be out of round.
Look closely at the forcing cone, for any excessive erosion from a very hot load, with very fast powders, causing any forcing cone erosion. A good light, and even a magnifying glass can give you a good idea of that.
And while you are looking at the DA line & not the SA line,, the post above about grips splitting,, can easily be avoided. It's (sadly) common for heavy handed owners with a screwdriver,, overtightening the grip screw. That often causes the grip ferrules to pull through,, and bust the grips. (NOT,, repeat NOT saying that's what happened above, but just a life long observation of many Ruger grips.)
We fix that by adding a nylon spacer in-between the grip panels. A very small, cheap insurance against over tightening of the grip screw.
Luckily,, the DA line doesn't seem to suffer such abuse by someone who doesn't understand how things are assembled.
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