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Thread: Redhawks?

  1. #1

    Redhawks?

    Thinking about getting a new Ruger Redhawk,I've thought about it off and on for some time.Are there any reliability issues that anyone knows of?I'm not sure which caliber,the .45 Colt/45 ACP is interesting.Thanks for any help.

  2. #2
    I want the 8 shot .357 Snubby. I had the 5.5” .44 Magnum and never found stocks I liked.


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  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Sherman A. House DDS View Post
    I want the 8 shot .357 Snubby.


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    Me too. I had a 4” 44 mag but I could not find a grip that made it tolerable for me.

  4. #4
    Modding this sack of shit BehindBlueI's's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RONK View Post
    Thinking about getting a new Ruger Redhawk,I've thought about it off and on for some time.Are there any reliability issues that anyone knows of?I'm not sure which caliber,the .45 Colt/45 ACP is interesting.Thanks for any help.
    It's interesting, and I own one, but I wouldn't recommend it. "Classic" Redhawks have light strikes on occasion due to tolerance stacking. Hamilton Bowen sells an extended firing pin that will remedy this, as well as higher powered springs and I think a replacement transfer bar. The extended firing pin fixed mine. Mine also had a burr on the frame that was digging into the hammer, resulting in an even heavier trigger and an odd stacking. My gunsmith cleaned that up while he was in there. With the Bowen firing pin and a clean up, it's reliable now.

    The stock grips suck ass on that particular model. Unless you have very dainty hands, they are for looks and not for gripping. Hogue now makes a rubber grip for the round butt .45/.45 and as much as I hate the Goodyear look on a revolver, mine how has Hogues.

    The ability to shoot .45 with moon clips sounded neater then it turned out to be. I want to run hotter .45 Colt loads then .45 Auto loads, so point of aim is different when you switch. Accuracy isn't great with .45 Auto, either, since the throats are for the slightly larger .45 Colt. It also splits .45 Auto brass more than it should, again due to the slight differences in size between Colt and Auto.

    If I had it to do over again, I'd probably just buy a Super Redhawk in .45 Colt. Better trigger, more reliable ignition out of the box, and I wouldn't miss the .45 Auto feature.
    Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Sherman A. House DDS View Post
    I want the 8 shot .357 Snubby. I had the 5.5” .44 Magnum and never found stocks I liked.


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    I wanted one of those until I actually got my hands on one.....

    It was a fat little brick of a gun with a pretty damn heavy trigger. Cured me of my desire to have one.

  6. #6
    The Nostomaniac 03RN's Avatar
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    I have the older 4" .45 Colt only gun. Besides the occasional light strike with my handloads it's been great. I've hunted with it and it's as accurate as I can hold. The light strikes never happen SA so I don't mind hunting with it but it's a bit heavier than my Blackhawk so I typically use that.

    Hamilton sells 2 extended firing pins. How can I tell which one I need?

  7. #7
    Thank you all for your help.BehindBlueI's,thank you,Mr.Bowen has an article about the problem on his website.Knowing this,I'm reluctant to purchase a firearm that I know could have a potential reliability issue and have to spend money to get it fixed.

  8. #8
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    I've owned a 5.5" Redhawk 44mag for about 11 years now. Unless you want to launch heavy loads at high velocity, I won't recommend it.

    The good:
    1. The DA trigger on mine is good. Not too heavy, longish, and smooth. It's better than the DA trigger on my 629.
    2. It's accurate. When scoped, I could get good groups off a rest. Pic below.
    3. It's tough. You're not going to break it.
    4. Aesthetically, It's better looking than the Super Redhawk. Supposedly tougher per those in the know.

    The Bad:
    1. SA trigger sucks.
    2. The light strikes mentioned above are real. I combat it by changing hammer springs every 1k-2k rounds. I also machined shorter the step on the nose of the hammer giving it more travel before it hits the frame. As a result, I've had 1 light strike in over 5 years.
    3. The grip frame is oddly shaped and a bit large. The factory grip panels are too small, but most aftermarket ones are too large. I settled on Nil grips, which are about as close to perfect as I've found, but are expensive. I got mine on sale for a great price, but haven't seen them for less than 2x that price since.

    Unless you're going to run really hot stuff through it, just get a S&W 44mag. You can't run Rhino-stompers through it, but you'll like every other aspect.

    12shots @ 25yds off rest with scope. Load is 265gr LSWC @ 1000fps:
    Name:  redhawk_group.jpg
Views: 505
Size:  20.8 KB

    Chris

  9. #9
    mtnbkr,thank you.I'm now considering a S&W,what concerned me about them is their questionable QC on their new revolvers.I know used is an option but I've also heard spare parts are becoming an issue.I'm interested in shooting reasonably heavy 240-300 gr projectiles up to about 1000 fps.

  10. #10
    Modding this sack of shit BehindBlueI's's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 03RN View Post
    Hamilton sells 2 extended firing pins. How can I tell which one I need?
    Based on the bushing. The newer ones screw in. I think the older ones were push in. I don't know the cut off date. The .45/.45 Auto is definitely screw in. HB also sells the tool you need to unscrew it, but my gunsmith machined his own.

    Also note you'll need to fit it. As it comes, it's very extended. Like will extend past flush until sized correctly. It's not really a drop in part (and not advertised as such) so figure in the cost of install if you're like me and can't do that sort of thing yourself.
    Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.

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