Got my redhawk...now what?

K

kingudaroad

New member
NIB redhawk .44 mag stainless 5 1/2" barrell. What would you have a gunsmith do to this gun to make it the best shooter it can possibly be?
 
My dad's Redhawk came with a sweet DA trigger pull, right outta the box.

I think, if the 645 falls through, thats what I'll be getting, love the .44 mag round.

Get rubber grips if you want to make sure you enjoy shooting her.. the factory wood ones can get a bit uncomfortable with full power loads ;)
 
I tried rubber grips with mine and got more muzzle flip. I would get a pair of recoil gloves. I shoot better with them than having the Hogue grips on it.
 
Shoot it; if the trigger wasn't what I wanted - a trigger job. Grips; I like the standard Ruger wood grips - as well as everything else about this revolver.
 
on my five

I added Millett orange-ramp front sight blades (absolutely superb, for MY eyes) and Pachmayr Decelerator grips (absolutely superb, for my DA / IPSC high grip).

They all shoot straighter than me, all DA trigger pulls feel fine for me.
SA pull, who cares. IPSC, ay?

A33102
 
Well, I would shoot it and see how you like it as is first. Then reload for it. Reloading has helped all my guns accuracy more than any other single thing that I have done to any of them. I took my gp100 from 3" groups with factory ammo down to 1-1/2" groups with reloading.
 
I have owned a couple of these over the years, and shot them extensively. They are fantastic revolvers if you don't mind lugging a big chunk of iron around.

The Redhawk begs for a good SA trigger; any 'smith worth his salt can take the creep out. As noted above, the DA trigger is usually fine and will only get smoother with use. An overtravel stop also works wonders for your ability to hit offhand with these guns. This can be acomplished by drilling through the assembly-stud port in the trigger guard, and tapping it for a set screw. Some folks insist on being able to adjust these from the outside, but considering the recoil that these guns generate with "Redhawk Only" loads, I took a different route.

I used opposing set screws. This requires disassembling the gun several times while you are adjusting it; but once set, you Locktite both screws and it stays put. It is well worth the trouble. Ruger's proprietary stainless is hell on cutting tools; I wouldn't attempt this myself on a stainless gun.

The best rubber grip I found for heavy loads was the Butler Creek grip, marketed by Michaels of Oregon.

Congratulations on a fine sixgun.
 
Shoot that gun, then shoot it some more. Clean, lube (with FP10) and shoot again. After two or three hundred rounds the trigger should come around enough so you can tell if it needs action work or not. I would stay away from the reduced power springs, my brother got misfires on his .41 Mag Redhawk when he did this.
Everybody holds their gun different. I tried Hogue Monogrips on my .44 Redhawk, and took them off after one range session. As jvlip3 noted, I also got much more muzzle flip with the gun sitting higher in my hand. The factory wood grips shoot the best for me.
The only thing I might do is install a different rear sight, a Millet or Bowen, for a better sight picture. I did this with my Super Blackhawk and liked the results.
 
Get a wolf spring kit, and try the 12 and 13lb springs, I used the 13 in my gun and it functions perfectly, it also reduced the double action pull by about 8 lbs, and the single action pull by 4 lbs. It went from having a horrible heavy pull to a reasonable one.

Get a set of Hogue wood fingergroove grips, which will fill in the space behind the trigger guard, so it does not rap your knuckle painfully when you shoot heavy loads in the gun. I love the Hogue grip I put on mine, it gave me a much better grip on the gun and helped accuracy a great deal.
 
If after breaking in the trigger still needs work get an action job. The single action can be taken down to about 3.5-4 lbs. with the creep taken out (be sure the smith doesn't go overboard and you get pushoff). Try the Wolff springs and see which works in double action with the primers you use. The trigger overtravel is a good idea. If you send the gun to Bowen for action work I would be tempted to have the extra length firing pin installed as Redhawks seem to have a problem with firing pin protrusion. The will also impact to a degree how heavy a mainspring you will need.

The Millett front sight is a good idea or maybe an Outdoor Express Big or Std Dot with or without tritium (all depends at what range you intend to employ the gun). Bowen makes a couple of nice rear sights for the gun. On my DA revolvers I have the trigger polished and contoured and the cylinder relieved for speedloader use. As to grips I had Herrett make up a set of Ropers with a speedloader cut to fit my hand and they positioned my hand perfectly on the trigger. I have a medium hand and had a problem with Hogue wood grips doing this although they seem to work for me on the smaller guns.
 
Consider replacing the factory rear sight with a Bowen Rough Country sight. Still adjustable, but much sturdier and less likely to snag than the factory sight. I put one on a GP100 and much prefer it. Dairycreek already provided the link.
 
best mod I have seen for a redhawk is to have the grip re-shaped into a round butt.....My 'smith showed me one he did for a customer and it felt like how G*d intended a pistol grip to feel. Made wish I had gotten a redhawk instead of the super.
 
I ordered the colored front sights several years ago and when my dealer called to say that my order was in, I found out he had accidently ordered the Gold bead express set. I went ahead and bought 'em thinking they would have good utility when hunting. Put 'em on and went to the range and groups were just as good, so I've never found a reason to change. The Ruger factory wood grip is too short for my hand and I had tried the Hogue previously. Wasn't great, but still more comfortable than the factory wood. Solved the problem completely with a rubber grip that is a harder compound than the Hogue, Butler Creek/Uncle Mikes are perfect for me. ;)
 
put on hogue rubber grips. They feel good however I have not shot full load yet.Also got the gold v-dot sights from ruger but I fear my poor up close eyesight may be a problem.I'd hate to have to shoot with readers :( Sucks gettin old.
 
blindly

Tried the gold dot and colors; stuck to the Millett orange-ramp blade. Bright, real bright.

(Can't see the rear, so I just stuck with the Ruger rears.)
:cool:
 
bert223 got it right

If you dont now handload, start. I takes a lot of rounds down range to be able to out shoot what a Ruger or like style Smith is capable of shooting right out of the box.
 
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