Originally Posted by
contender1
Ok, you've asked for my personal opinion.
My first Redhawk,, was a .44 and scary accurate. I still have targets in my files where I shot 6 rounds,, at 50 yds, from a rest, with a scope. the entire hole was one hole, and measured less than an inch outside to outside. More than once,, so it wasn't a fluke. IMR 4227 powder & Hornady 240 JHP's.
Yes,, I do believe the older ones are accurate & do quite well.
Barrel separation with the Redhawks.
I'm the very first person this happened to. I was told this by Ruger,, and they were very puzzled as to WHY it happened. Over time,, there have been a FEW more have this happen. LOTS of time, money, engineers scratching their heads, etc over the cause. They THOUGHT it was a weak point where the frame & barrel met. So, the first thing was they built the Super Redhawk thinking it would fix the problem.
It took over 4 years,, but they finally discovered it wasn't the design, or a weak point. It was due to how a few had been assembled. Apparently, during assy,, one or maybe two of the assemblers would take a rack of barrels,, and apply the necessary lube to all of the rack at one time. Then begin the assy. At that time,, Ruger also did a twice a year shutdown of the plants for maintenance & such. Once in July & once at the end of the year. This two week shutdown was linked to the production schedule of some Redhawks. Apparently,, the lube used,, when allowed to sit exposed to the air for 2 weeks,, changed properties enough to cause a "stress torque" when the barrels were screwed to the frames. Some failed,, and some haven't. But once they discovered that,, and changed lubes, as well as not leaving any out for extended periods,, problem solved.
The serial number won't tell you if it was one of the ones like this. But it was actually very few.
And if you wish,, give me the serial number in a PM,, and I can give you the year it was made. Even the Ruger factory web look up can be mistaken. I use a different guide,, known as the more accurate "Red Eagle News Exchange Reference Guide."