My first revolver! Alaskan .44 mag

U

Uncle Malice

New member
I've been into guns for quite a while now...

I've been interested in revolvers on and off.. but never went through with actually picking one up. Found a good price on a nearly unused Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan the other day and just couldn't say no.

I do a lot of camping and hiking and I think it'll be good to have with in case of black bear.

My buddy who has a few Rugers in .44 said I was crazy for getting the snubbie and that shooting the magnums was going to break my wrist....

Well, I got it out to the range today with a box of 44 specials and a box of 44 magnums. I started with the special to start small and see what to expect...

They were... nothing special at all. About like shooting a government 1911. Very little kick. Wow, I thought... how much worse can a magnum be? Well, I soon found out. :rolleyes:

The magnums certainly weren't painful to shoot, as he had tried to make me think they would be. I don't if I would call it pleasant... but it was doable... and it's fun to shoot such a high powered load now and then. I shot 38 rounds of the 44 special and 38 rounds of the 44 mag... keeping 2 cylinders worth of each.

I like the gun a lot. It's big and heavy, sure... but it's about the same weight as my Springer 1911 TRP... A good holster, and she'll carry just fine. I think I'm hooked. I'm already starting to look closely at the 2" SP101 357mag.

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It is beautiful and wicked looking at the same time.

I have a Ruger .44 Mag on my wish list, but it just never seems to make its way to the top. I guess it might help if I could actually find one in a local gun shop to see how it felt in my hand.
 
There are really well made and a good deal even with a fairly high price. I want a .454. Good place to start in the revolver world.
 
I would love to have the Alaskan in 480 Ruger. Probably wouldn't get shot much beyond 40-50 rounds. It would be for close encounters only. I have others, so the recoil would not be particularly a surprise.

Hope you enjoy the 44 mag revolver. Different strokes for different folks!

I prefer 41 mags.
 
Grips

I've got the same gun in .454 and a PC 629 2 3/4 Smith in .44 mag (with the factory wood grips).

Guess which gun is more comfortable to shoot, even with heavier loads?

Those Hogue grips are amazing (have the same style on my x-frames and also makes a world of difference) :)
 
Check out the 3" GP 100 (Wiley Clapp model) and .357 LCR before buying the SP101. Congrats on the SRH Alaskan. I looked at them a while ago when looking for a .44 magnum. Nice gun with a lot of power. FWIW I went with a 5.5" Redhawk because it seems just a manageable and easier to shoot for it's intended role as a holstered woods gun.

Oddly, I have never even tried it with .44 specials. I just figured the heavy punch is the reason I bought it in the first place. IMHO you can't beat a Ruger for heavy magnum loads.
 
I just love large bore revolvers, especially .44 Mag. The snubbies are just plain awesome! Nice piece. I'm on the waiting list at my LGS for an Alaskan in .454. I have a 4.20 inch Redhawk in .44 Mag. The 4 inch Redhawk is a great piece too..

Get a set of Wolfe Springs for it. They are easy to install. I use them in all my revolvers. Get the reduced power spring kit. Makes them much smoother. I have never had any ignition problems with the reduced spring kit either.
 
I wouldn't mind one of those in 44 mag as well. I already have a SRH 9.5" in 44 mag. If I wanted near 454 performance I would use the Buffalo Bore 340 gr +P loads, I can't load to what they get and reviews are good for that load even out of the Alaskan. I had a 454 SRH 9.5 and yes It could throw out the same weight bullet I use in my 44 mag at 200 fps faster (my 300 gr cast GC from my 44 mag are almost 1550fps) The extra 200 fps resulted in my middle finger getting slammed with every shot, was fine after the first 6 as it numbed my joint. Now the 480 that sounds interesting in an Alaskan, heavier bullet bigger bore at about 1000 fps out of that short barrel.
 
First revolver .44 Mag snub?!

You certainly believe in jumping in at the deep end, don't you?

Having said that, my first was also a .44 Mag, but at least it had a 4" barrel!
 
Those grips are what makes it shootable and the size is perfect for strapping on and forgetting about it unlike my 7 1/2" beast. I always know where it is by the things I hit and knock over with it. You done good.
 
Thanks guys. I'm really liking it. I've carried the gun for the past 2 days now. Still liking it... a lot!

I tried to go the range again today when I got out of work early... but it was PACKED. Was looking at about an hour wait... so I just headed home.

Looking at probably hitting the range on Monday with a coworker who wants to give it a try. He's the one that owns the little Sig P238 in the picture. This should be interesting. :D

I am definitely looking at getting a smaller, easier to conceal .357 snubbie now though. The SP101 is definitely on the list, even though it's heavy. S&W 340 PD is on there... if I could find one for a decent price. We'll see. I'm really liking the Ruger though and the weight doesn't bother me. Actually I think the SP101 would be good with 38 special +P for the better half. She's very comfortable shooting 9mm currently.
 
I love my SP101 2.25" 357mag, its with me everyday. My wife has no problem shooting 38s but has no desire to shoot the 357s through it! I never get tired of looking at my SP101, its a beautiful gun. BTW, I cant see the pic but the Ruger Alaskan is a beauty and on my list. :D
 
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