Best DA revolver in 45 LC?

Just my opinion...

If I want a 44 Magnum I'll buy a 44 Magnum. I won't buy a 45 Colt and try to turn it into a 44 Magnum.

For a revolver to appeal to me it must be functional, be aesthetically pleasing, and have panache. Of course the second two criteria are subjective.

Based on the aesthetics part of the equation all Ruger DA revolvers are out. I find them incredibly unattractive.

I wanted a 45 Colt DA revolver and I knew exactly what I wanted. A S&W Model 25-5 with a pinned 4" barrel (pre 1982). I fail to see the logic in a barrel over 4" for the 45 Colt. It's not a Magnum so the 4" is perfect. About 2 years ago I got this at a local show from a gun shop dealer with a table for $550. Perfect. Well, nickel would have been perfect...but the blue is nice.

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That is one sexy gun. Too bad they don't make them anymore. S&W seems to have stopped making guns in solely 45lc anymore.

Since I'm worried about the grip on the new 45acp/45lc Redhawk, could I buy the regular 45lc Redhawk and then get a second cylinder in 45 acp for it if I wanted? Anybody know?
 
I've looked hard at the Ruger Alaskan but since I will probably be taking a trip or two into Canada I need a handgun with a barrel length of 4.2 inches and longer. And I find the Super Redhawk in other barrel lengths unattractive. It looks like they just took an Alaskan and stuck a longer barrel on it as an afterthought.
Cool links btw.
 
I have both an alaskan and a 4.2 inch redhawk (both in 44 mag). Both are fine guns. The redhawk, with the hogue rubber grips is much more of a handful than the alaskan. Both have really good triggers, and both are very accurate. I tend to prefer the redhawk, even though the alaskan grip fits me better. I cc the redhawk with out issue and it has been one of my main carry guns for several years. I'm carrying the redhawk, at work, as I type this....
 
+1 on the Taurus M450 Ti. The light weight 45C ported total titanium is a sweet gun. I was luck to buy it a decade ago used. Mine is the satin blue finish. Too bad these were discontinued due to the expense of making them. Only thing you have to watch is to use good quality wellcrimped ammo so it won't pull the bullet. I prefer Win Silver Tips. The little snubby controls the recoil.
If you can find one they command a higher price.

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From S&W website

Model 25 - S&W Classics - 6 1/2" - Blue
The price is $1,009.00 *

That's the MSRP price, I'm sure you could get it for less.

That's one sweet looking revolver.
 
I have a S&W 25-5, a Ruger Redhawk 4.2", and a Ruger Blackhawk Bisley 5.5" all in .45 Colt. I have owned a couple of Super Redhawks, one cut down to 5" and another 7.5", and I have shot the Alaskan on a few occasions.

For your stated purpose, I would suggest the Redhawk. It is my go to revolver for woods carry in Alaska. I'm not fond of the short barrel on the Alaskan, and I don't need the capability to fire .454 Casull. I have found the 4.2" Redhawk with Cor-Bon Hunter 335 grain hard cast ammunition to be a nice packable, revolver with enough punch for any purpose for which a handgun is appropriate. The Cor-Bon load has enough velocity to do the job, but not so much that I don't like shooting it.

I also have large hands and struggled to find a good solution. The best I have found are Herrett's Roper stocks. They aren't cheap but they are very nice. Eagle Grips also makes stocks for the Redhawk, but they are a little larger and more blocky.

Otherwise, I would suggest the S&W 25 and leave the bears to a rifle.
 
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Look for a pre-lock S&W Mountain Gun. But get the one in .45 Colt. Then send it to one of the gunsmiths that machine the back of the cylinder. You end up with a very nice stainless revolver that isn't as heavy as many others and you can run .45 Colt for power and .45 ACP with moon clips for fun. Only problem I've had with mine is the POI is so much different... I just shoot it with .45 ACP. Sadly enough I'm no Jerry but reloading it with moon clips is fast and fun. Everybody that shoots it at my home range ends up shooting however much .45 ACP I carried out there.

G
 
Great suggestion almostfree and welcome to the forum. I have looked a eagle grips more than once for my gp100. I'm gravitating toward the Redhawk but still looking at the mountain gun. I think at this point I need to shoot them side by side. I have a friend with a Redhawk in 44 mag who would let me borrow it. Now I just need to find someone with a mountain gun.
At this point I think whatever I get I will just have machined for moonclips so it can accept 45acp. The grips on the new 45lc45acp Redhawk concern me and so far I haven't been able to locate one for a reasonable price. They are all going for over $1000. I can buy a regular Redhawk new for 750 and have it cut for moonclips for under $150.
 
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Before you jump, note that it has yet to be stated whether the Smith 25 can shoot 45 Colt above SAAMI standard pressure or who you should believe on that subject. Don't ask S&W for the answer you would like. Yes, the same gun shoots 44 magnum but with thicker cylinder walls. The 45 ACP should indicate that you could at least use what has become known as Tier II 45 Colt loads in the same range as 45 ACP (25k psi max). Expect those bullets to be well below 300 grains. You would probably need to load your own in lieu of the hard-to-find mid level loadings.
 
I own both and enjoy both. They are different guns. The Redhawk is substantially bigger and heavier. For having fun at the range it is hard to beat. For carrying in the woods after a deer with hot loads, again, excellent. But would I want to put it on my belt every time I went in the woods "just in case" I see something I want to shoot? Probably not. IMO the Redhawk is more of a primary gun than an all the time belt carry gun. The 4.2" is better but it is still a heavy gun. My Mountain Gun has the round butt so it is easier to carry. I could even see using the S&W as a CCW gun in some situations. I doubt I would ever try the Redhawk that way.

But FYI... Ruger is actually making a Redhawk now that is machined for moon clips. So then you don't have to send it to Pinnacle or someplace else. They also just started to make the 4.2" version in .41 Magnum and that one may squeeze some money out of my wallet.

Would I shoot +P in my S&W? I have shot Buffalo Bore +P 265 grain bullets out of it. Brass ejected easily... at least as easily as any other revolver would with that load. I wouldn't say it was fun. Like an M29 four inch barrel with Magnum loads. If that is what you really want to shoot, the Redhawk is better. If you just want to know you could use them on a very infrequent basis, I wouldn't see that as a problem. There are published handloads out there that truly are "Ruger Only" and I would avoid those. They won't blow up the S&W but they will damage it over time.

Gregg
 
They also just started to make the 4.2" version (Redhawk) in .41 Magnum and that one may squeeze some money out of my wallet.
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Now there I would rather have the Smith N-frame, since the Redhawk cylinder would be way bigger than necessary, kinda homely to boot. I like my 45 Colt Redhawk (s) though, on which the cylinder size makes sense.
 
Yeah the heavy 45 LC would be only occasional. I think I really need to shoot both the 25 and the Redhawk to know for sure. I went to a large pawnshop today to see if they had a 25 I could handle. No luck. I'll keep looking.
 
You might look out for a Colt Anaconda in either 44 or 45. It has a heavy underlug to dampen recoil. 4" balances nicely. I got a used 4" 44 for 900 but 45 is rarer and more costly unless you luck onto a pawn shop who doesn't know what they have.
 
I let go of a S&W Mountain gun in 45 Colt (I didn't shoot it well). I now have a Ruger Redhawk 45 Colt/ACP that I shoot well in ACP and Colt. I carry it daily concealed with a Simply Rugged pancake loaded with Winchester PDX Colt.
 
I've had them all, except the newer mountain guns and bear guns, which are
special purpose guns. The one I always keep is a S&W 25 with 83/8" tube.
I would much rather have a 6" barrel for carry, but will never get rid of one
I have. I shoot 250 gr Fn cast at 875fps and gun is deadly accurate. If you are
going to hot rod the 45 Colt, then you want a Ruger. I have 44 mags for that.
A good shooter grade 25-5 goes for $800 to $1000.
 
If you are going to hot rod the 45 Colt, then you want a Ruger.
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My understanding is that pressure levels are lower in the hottest 45 Colt than in 44 Magnum, so the thinner resulting cylinder walls of the 45 Colt might be a fair trade off. I would certainly shoot Tier 2 (45 ACP pressure level) loads in a Smith 45 Colt, since it is the same N-frame gun as the 44 Magnum and 45 ACP.
 
I searched for about a decade for my version of the best .45 LC revolver -- my 4" Model 25-5.

Got it a little over 5 years ago, and paid, even at that time, nearly a grand for it.

I was glad to pay that much for it given how scarce they seem to be (6" models practically fall out of trees), how long I looked for one, and the condition this one was in.
 
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