I got my new Redhawk last week. To put it politely, the quality is not what it used to be. The fit and finish is not as good as my old Charter Arms Bulldog Pug. It's a simple matter to slow down the feed on a milling machine in order to leave a decent finish, instead of the coarse and crude work on this gun. But that would add several minutes to the production of each gun, and time is money. The hammer and trigger didn't get deburred and the sharp edges can cut through flesh. The gap at the rear of the trigger housing is so big that it barely locates in the notch in the frame. The wooden grips fit so sloppily at the top that I could insert a car key between them and the frame. The cylinder feels awfully sloppy as well. The sharp edges and the clunky trigger can be fixed, I suppose. But mainly I'm mad as hell at myself for not making the shop send it back. It was my mistake and now I'll have to live with it. Anyway, the gun shop owner said, "That's how they all look nowdays." I needed a beater to throw under the seat of the truck, now I've got one.
New Redhawk, what the??
- Thread starter JB696
- Start date
I would rather buy something used than have to go through what seems to me an excessive amount of warranty.I guess I have been lucky I have NEVER bought a bad gun (knock on wood) but have gotten guns I just didn't like after shooting them.You know the ones that end up on the bottom that never get shot 
He was referring to Ruger. Back in the old days, the nineties, I owned a Redhawk, three GP100's and two SP101's. So that's what I am comparing the new one to. The guy I sold the old Redhawk to probably put it away in the closet. He doesn't shoot much..........maybe, just maybe. I'd better get off the computer and make a couple of phone calls.
Customer feedback is important.
Send Ruger a letter or e-mail to advise them of your dissatisfaction. It may not get immediate results for you but over-all; they will discover that the order of business to be successful is Quality, Schedule and Cost in that order. We all need to let them know we don’t just buy to be buying, we want the quality we've learned to expect from a major manufacturer in the U.S.
dean
Corporate Headquarters
Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.
Lacey Place
Southport, CT 06890
Telephone: 203-259-7843
Fax: 203-256-3367
Send Ruger a letter or e-mail to advise them of your dissatisfaction. It may not get immediate results for you but over-all; they will discover that the order of business to be successful is Quality, Schedule and Cost in that order. We all need to let them know we don’t just buy to be buying, we want the quality we've learned to expect from a major manufacturer in the U.S.
dean
Corporate Headquarters
Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.
Lacey Place
Southport, CT 06890
Telephone: 203-259-7843
Fax: 203-256-3367
Kamicosmos
New member
I am assuming you had the shop order a Redhawk, so you bought it sight unseen? And now the shop won't return it and refund your money or get another one?
I'd be more po'ed at the shop than ruger. If you're forced to keep the gun, I'd ship it to Ruger, and wouldn't be surprised at all when they ship you a completely new gun in exchange...
I'd be more po'ed at the shop than ruger. If you're forced to keep the gun, I'd ship it to Ruger, and wouldn't be surprised at all when they ship you a completely new gun in exchange...
I have bought 3 rugers. DA revo's. 1st in 00' (6 " gp) and the last 2 in 04' (2"sp and 3" gp). these guns rock. triggers have smoothed out beautifully after a small amount of use and alot of dryfire and finish is fine. the sp was rather dirty when I got it and the 3" had a small almost unnoticable blemish that is all but gone now after polishing. sounds like the owner probably gave you his display peice. overall I have had excellent experience with ruger products. 
No disrespect to proud Ruger owners (I have SAs from the 1980s to 2003), but Rugers have never been known for their fit and finish. That's one of the reasons why they have had very good prices. If you want to be real picky about them and send them back to the factory they sometimes are returned with the statement that they are within factory specs. They truly are utility guns. They function great, but don't expect much more than that.
I think I know what happened. I ordered and paid for the gun while the owner was on the phone with the "distributor". The gun arrived two days later. Everything in the plastic box was in order. The bag with the lock and the envelope with the shell casing hadn't been opened. There was only a very slight drag line on the cylinder. I'm sure the gun was new. But when I got home and unpacked everything I found a store price tag laying in the bottom. A white paper tag on a string with the price ($579) on it and a three digit number. The gun probably came from another store or had been returned to the "distributor" by somebody else. Who knows, this gun may have been bouncing around from store to store for years, just waiting for some moron to buy it. I think there are three valuable lessons here:
1. The last two times I went in to have my eyes examined in order to buy new glasses, the Doctor tried to make me get bifocal or "no line" lenses. But I refused. I'm not going to wear any stinking bifocal glasses. So consequently, my vision gets a little blurry at distances less than 3 feet. I can see targets clearly at 25, 50 and 75 yards, so why in the heck would I need bifocals? To see things up close, I simply take off my glasses and hold the item up to my face. I didn't do that with the new gun.
2. I bought the gun. I should have examined it thoroughly or had a friend examine it for me. The gun is, as they say, a "servicable firearm". If it was not up to my standards, I should have had them send it back or return my money.
3. Everyone needs at least one functional, big caliber, don't worry about the scratches, fire 10,000 rounds through it, don't clean it, fun to shoot handgun.
I certainly don't want to wear out my "pre-internal-lock" 629's and 696's. And I sure don't want to wreck the bluing on my Anaconda. So the Redhawk will work out perfectly for me. At this moment it is laying on the floor under the seat of a '68 Chev. pickup, with the dog hair, the old french fries and the used condoms.
1. The last two times I went in to have my eyes examined in order to buy new glasses, the Doctor tried to make me get bifocal or "no line" lenses. But I refused. I'm not going to wear any stinking bifocal glasses. So consequently, my vision gets a little blurry at distances less than 3 feet. I can see targets clearly at 25, 50 and 75 yards, so why in the heck would I need bifocals? To see things up close, I simply take off my glasses and hold the item up to my face. I didn't do that with the new gun.
2. I bought the gun. I should have examined it thoroughly or had a friend examine it for me. The gun is, as they say, a "servicable firearm". If it was not up to my standards, I should have had them send it back or return my money.
3. Everyone needs at least one functional, big caliber, don't worry about the scratches, fire 10,000 rounds through it, don't clean it, fun to shoot handgun.
I certainly don't want to wear out my "pre-internal-lock" 629's and 696's. And I sure don't want to wreck the bluing on my Anaconda. So the Redhawk will work out perfectly for me. At this moment it is laying on the floor under the seat of a '68 Chev. pickup, with the dog hair, the old french fries and the used condoms.
I bought a new 50th Anniversary Flattop Blackhawk this summer. It has shot to the top five around here. Very nice gun. My shooting buddy liked it so much he went right out and bought one himself.
Ruger can make a fine gun when they want to do so. There are no gaps or anything else on my gun. I wouldn't even consider selling it.
Gregg
redhawkp90
Inactive
Red Hawk
I bought a new Redhawk in August, Mine was manufactured in January, 2003 I think it's a beauty, The only thing im not totally happy with is the Pchmayrs I put on it to replace the factory stocks.
I bought a new Redhawk in August, Mine was manufactured in January, 2003 I think it's a beauty, The only thing im not totally happy with is the Pchmayrs I put on it to replace the factory stocks.
kingudaroad
New member
I bought my Redhawk in April and it is perfect! However I looked at one at Sportsmans Warehouse first that was just awful. You need to do the test in the first sticky thread even if buying NIB.
azredhawk44
Moderator
I bought my redhawk .44 last year in september. It was completely clean, fit and finish good out of the box. I took it to the range after cleaning it and fired about 50 rounds out of it... Some yellow glue-like substance started coming out between the barrel and the frame... Gunsmith told me it was a high-temperature lubricant they use when mounting the barrel, and that they probably just had too much in there.
It oozed this stuff for its first 500 rounds or so, I kept cleaning it off, the oozing slowed down to next to nothing...then just stopped.
Aside from that issue, the fit and finish on it are pretty darn good. It locks up tight, has a pretty good trigger, goes "BOOM" real loud when I tell it to... But for $150-200 less than a smith, what can you argue with? Mine was $400, a comparable 6" smith was going to be about $550 or more...
It oozed this stuff for its first 500 rounds or so, I kept cleaning it off, the oozing slowed down to next to nothing...then just stopped.
Aside from that issue, the fit and finish on it are pretty darn good. It locks up tight, has a pretty good trigger, goes "BOOM" real loud when I tell it to... But for $150-200 less than a smith, what can you argue with? Mine was $400, a comparable 6" smith was going to be about $550 or more...
Jack Malloy
New member
Just be thankful it doesn't have a cheap two peice barrell ala Sad and Wimpy and an ugly hump where the defective locking system has been retrofitted. And that the hammer and trigger are not left casehardened carbon too.
Redhawk Update
I'm feeling pretty darn good about the new Redhawk now. Back around '81 or '82, I sold a friend of mine a new S&W SS 4 inch 629 in a wood box. It has been sitting in his safe ever since. We were talking about my new gun and how it is a little too heavy for me and doesn't feel quite right in my hand and how all my other guns are S&W and right out of the blue he says, "Maybe you'd like to trade the Redhawk for the 629?" He loves Rugers. He said he would think about it. When he comes over to look at my gun maybe I should load him up on Scotch and smear some butter on his glasses before he looks it over. Just kidding, of course. But I had better sweeten up the deal with a hundred rounds of Black Talon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one.
I'm feeling pretty darn good about the new Redhawk now. Back around '81 or '82, I sold a friend of mine a new S&W SS 4 inch 629 in a wood box. It has been sitting in his safe ever since. We were talking about my new gun and how it is a little too heavy for me and doesn't feel quite right in my hand and how all my other guns are S&W and right out of the blue he says, "Maybe you'd like to trade the Redhawk for the 629?" He loves Rugers. He said he would think about it. When he comes over to look at my gun maybe I should load him up on Scotch and smear some butter on his glasses before he looks it over. Just kidding, of course. But I had better sweeten up the deal with a hundred rounds of Black Talon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one.