Durability of the Ruger SuperRedhawk in .454 Casull ?

J

James_T_Kirk

Inactive
Hi !

I want to buy a Ruger SuperRedhawk Revolver for target shooting. But I´m not sure if I should take the .44 Magnum or the .454 Casull.

I know that the .44 Magnum version is very strong, durable and lasts forever. Several guys in my gun club own the .44 Magnum and use real hot reloads in it without any problems.

But I don´t know anybody shooting the .454 Casull.

The .454 Casull is based on the same frame as the .44 Magnum and I´m not sure if this frame (and the rest of the gun) will stand me shooting thousands of real hot loads out of it. I fire a lot with my guns so I need a gun that is really strong enough to survive that.

Is there someone who has shot a lot of hot loads out of his Ruger in .454 Casull and what are your experiences with that gun ?
 
I traded my SRH .454 in for a Marlin .45-70, but I did get to shoot about 500 rounds through it. The Ruger frame should be more than strong enough for the .454, esp. with that high-tech steel they used. Be prepared for pain if you have big knuckles, though! The trigger guard smacks back with the recoil, and man it hurts. The only thing that solved the problem for me were Hogue one-piece grips with big grooves for the fingers. IMHO, the Ruger Bisley frame is a much better platform for the .454. It tends to curve the recoil down rather than pushing straight back. The Bisley frame also makes you bend yr. arm a bit, allowing the elbow to flex and use the bigger muscles to take some of that force.

If you don't care about all that extra power, the .44 Mag or .45 Colt would be better for target shooting (and much less expensive). I have to admit, though, that there is something appealing about the "what the hell was that?" reaction you get at ranges.
 
Thanks for the answer !

The recoil isn´t a problem to me. I´m a big guy with big hands and I just love recoil !;)
And where I come from the .454 Casull is rare, so it would be a real show when I come to the range and make the walls shake a bit. ;)
 
All you have to do is look at the massive frame of the SRH and know that it will handle anything the .454 can dish out, especially from factory ammunition. In my experience the Cor-Bon stuff has a little more bite, but that may be in felt recoil, not pressure.
The cylinder is the part that makes me worry, with six crammed into the space used for five on both the Taurus and the Freedom Arms versions of the .454. But Ruger cylinders have been tested to well over three times the pressure developed by the .454, with absolutely no signs of rupturing.
As for recoil, the Hogue Monogrip does a wonderful job of protecting your knuckles, though it does move the barrel a little higher in the hand, making for a little more torque. It still feels better to my hand than the Ruger factory grip. I own one RH and two SRH's, and all three are wearing monogrips.
 
454 Casull Trivia-

No attack or flame here I just needed to note for the unaware that the 454 Casull is not .454 diameter. As for questioning the strength of Rugers SRH I'll mention that I know around a dozen Ruger 454 Casull owners that hotload with no problems. BTW Capt. Kirk I'd not advise the 454 Casull for a target shooter, continued usage of full power loads will damage your wrists. Roy
 
Yeah, and why is it that optimum .45 Colts really ARE .454", yet .454 Casulls are just .452"? Why do they call a .357 a ".357" and then call a .38 a .38 rather than a ".358"? Why is the .44 Rem. Mag. not called a ".430 Rem. Mag."? Why does ".30'06" have a date and ".45/70" have a measurement of black powder? All part of the mystery of life.
 
Thaks for the answer Alaska Roy !

My wrists will survive the .454 Casull for sure because I know how to handle a big magnum gun and let it fly.;)
But the .454 Casull can be downloaded to low power levels and then there is no problem to my wrists too.

And as I already said, huuuuge hands.;););)
 
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