Next step up in magnums?

A

alphamaniv

New member
Hello all. I enjoy reading here and do not post a whole lot. I am VERY happy with my 357 mag. I have owned one (different brands at different times) for the past 11 years. IMPO they are some of, if not the most versatile guns around. But I have the craving for something new. I have shot a friends 41 mag enough to know that the recoil is not a problem for me. I just figured that I might as well go for the 44 since i can do mags and specials. I am not knocking the 41 mag and will own one in the furture but not right now. The problem is, I am being seduced by the 454. Now, I know that I do not have any need for this gun whatsoever, I just want it. I live in central Arkansas and am planning on hunting deer with my new handgun. I figure a hard cast 44 mag will seal the fate of bambi's dad if he crosses my path and im going back and forth between the super redhawk and the raging bull. The raging bull looks awesome, but I am a "form follows function" type guy and figure the ruger will eat the full tilt mag loads better. I did own a taurus 357 several years ago (2 in fact) and never had one problem out of them so I am still on the fence. Either way I am going red dot sight and prolly a 6 inch barrell.Any comments or thought would be appreciated as well as personal insights (no "i heard" stuff please) I could use some recommendations on good hunting rounds, (brand and type) as well as plinkers. I will not be reloading for at least a year but it is in my future so I'll be saving the brass. I figure loading 44 mag, speacial, 357 mag, and 38 special will keep me busy. I might do some 9mm too. Of course the little kid in me wants a 500 mag from smith and I may have one in a few years if they stick around. I mostly just wanted to share my plans and get a little input. Its a great forum here and I do enjoy it almost daily. :)
 
Well, for a dedicated hunting handgun, the .454 Super Redhawk would be superb, IMO. You can shoot .45 Colts in it (akin to using Specials in a .44 or .357/.38) for lower recoil practice. Ordinarily my vote would be for the .44 Magnum as I feel it is all-around more useful than the .454, and typically (but not always) chambered in smaller, handier pistols. But for the hunting-only platform, the .454 does make some sense, though you are right in thinking that the .44 will seal the fate of any deer that walks into range.
 
Alphamaniv,

As P-990 has already stated this gun will accept 45 Colts and with a slight custom job can also use moonclips to shoot .45 ACP. I have shot a Super Redhawk with this conversion and have to tell you it was a dream to shoot with the .45 ACP. The .45 ACP conversion does not interfere with your ability to shoot .454 or .45 Colt either. Accurate and just plain fun to shoot while not killing your wallet. I have included the website below. Magnaport and Bowen both do some interesting custom work on the Super Redhawk as well, from Barrel shortening to custom porting. In my opinion you should go with the .454, it is a versatile gun that will allow you to hunt several different types of game.

.45 ACP conversion is $80.00, here is the link:

http://www.moonclips.com/machine.htm

Good luck and have fun.

.44mag
 
Dang this peer pressure ;) That 454 is calling my name. That is certainly a big step up from a 357 and I might have to go back and get a 44 sometime, but that 45 acp conversion is about to get me. You arent having any probs with the shortness of the round? ACP's would be much much cheaper to plink with. I usually shoot a couple hundred rounds when I go out. There is no way I could do that with the 454 ammo. price wise or arm wise. Looking at the rugers, I am thinking of going with the big ol' 9.5". I fugure it would help a bit with recoil and might be a tad more accurate? I guess there isnt really that big of a diffrence with todays powders and just a couple of inches though. I am having a blast doing research and dreaming. Any more suggestions or comments would be welcome, and thanks to those who have responded so far.
 
Alphamaniv,

but that 45 acp conversion is about to get me. You arent having any probs with the shortness of the round?
Click to expand...

The gentleman who has this gun is one of my faithful customers and my Saturday afternoon shooting partner. He burns a large number of .45 ACPs through this gun and all it takes is a brass brush through the cylinder and then the .45 colt and .454 casull cartridges chamber just fine. You are correct, it is alot easier on the wallet and on the wrist.

I am thinking of going with the big ol' 9.5". I fugure it would help a bit with recoil and might be a tad more accurate?
Click to expand...

I would agree that the 9.5" would be great in this caliber. While I think the Alaskan is a cool looking gun and I mean no offense to PEZO, as a hunting and target gun it would be a poor choice. The gun was designed for hikers and hunters to carry for defense against large critters, not hunting. Good luck and have a great one. Let us know what you get. :)

.44mag
 
Well, there's a few things to look at.
The .44 Magnum will do any hunting you want to do.
The SRH is a pussycat to shoot even with the hottest of .44 Magnum loads.
.44 Magnum ammo is cheaper than .45 Colt or .454 ammo.

On the other hand, the .454 is a monster.
You get a .454 diameter bullet, as opposed tot he .44 magnum's .429 bullet (not that it'll matter on AR deer).
You can shoot truly monster loads through the .454, or light loads.
The .454 is just more, more, more than the .44.

I think the .44 would suit your needs better, but let's face it, "need" is MAYBE 20% of ther reason we buy guns. If you really are interested in the .454, get it. It'll just eat at you if you don't.

I'd also choose the Ruger SRH in either caliber over the Taurus. I've personally seen the same guys have to send their .454 Raging Bulls in for service 2 and 3 times. My Rugers have yet to skip a beat, and I've shot nothing but .454s through the one, and heavy .44 Magnums through the other.

The SRHs are also very accurate, at least in my hands.
 
I also would say no offense to pezo, but that little 2 incher isnt going to cut it for me. Magnum88c, you are 100% right. the 44 would be GREAT and it is all that I'd need on everything from whitetails, to the scarce small black bear. But the 454 has a "want" factor that is hard to ignore. 44mag, thanks for the info on your friends conversion, i will certainly get this done if I do go the 454 route. I'll keep you guys posted on what I do and thanks for the input. Anybody else? I love a good discussion, especially when it involves new guns and me. :D
 
Here's mine:

SRH.JPG



Dark grey makes it look like a serious military weapon. Solid piece of metal.

That's my recommendation over the Taurus.
 
SWEEEEET! Thats an awesome pic! I cant wait for one. My beautiful wife has already ok'd the purchase. Should be able to get the gun and cleaning supplies/etc within a few weeks. I'll have to shoot it open until I save up enough for some optics, but it will be sighted in, broke in and ready to go when the season rolls around. :D
 
Thank goodness it's not all about "need." If we only owned the guns we "needed", we'd all own exactly one 4" .357 medium-frame revolver, since you can do pretty much anything you "need" to do with one of those (Nobody really "needs" to bust clay pigeons. ;) )

Thank goodness it's all about want. :cool:
 
alphamaniv-
Since you asked for personal insights, there is one word of caution I'd give you. If you do get the .454 and .45 ACP conversion, I'd probably avoid the longer barrels. The longer the barrel, the more it will affect the point of impact between the two loads. I have a Freedom Arms .454 with an extra cylinder made especially for .45 ACP, and mine has a 10" barrel. It's sighted dead on for 260 grainers going around 2100 fps. When I drop in the ACP cylinder, the gun shoots 2 1/2 FEET high at 25 yards. This is because the slower bullets spend more time in the barrel, as it recoils upwards. A shorter tube would help minimize this. I don't complain, because then it's dead on at 250 yards for fun plinking, but it just ain't practical at common handgun ranges. That said, it is a great concept.

Mr. 44 mag-
Does your buddy also have this same problem? How long is his barrel?

I do have to agree that if you want a .454, just go ahead and get it. If you're gonna step up in power, you may as well make the difference worthwhile! :D Winchester also makes "medium loads" for the .454, which are basically just hot .45 Colts, and they are around the same price as comparable factory .44 mag ammo. I do recommend getting into reloading as soon as practical if you get a .454; the press and dies will pay for themselves within two boxes of ammo. Then you can shoot full power .454 loads for about the same price as .44 mag handloads.
 
the possum,

Yes my buddy does have the same issue. But there is an easy fix. He knows the number of clicks it takes to dial it in. So when he switchs ammo, he just dials it up the appropriate number of clicks and starts shooting. It took a little bit of time to get the loads perfect, but hell that's half the fun isn't it? All that tinkering is what keeps us interested! I am sure a shorter barrel will help, but I think in the long run the cartridges are so far apart in ballistics that you are going to have to adjust something if you want to reach the high side of the .454 range. I would suggest you find a .45 ACP load and a .454 load that are dead center, with elevation issues. Then just figure out the number of clicks it takes to align the elevation. Fun I know. :) I assume you are using a Model 83 FA? I have one in .41 magnum and love it. Well have a good one and good luck.

.44mag

P.S. His has a 9.5" barrel
 
thanks for the info on the conversion. i will reconsider that and also the reloading time frame. thanks for the insight guys and gals. im going shopping tomorrow. I can get the gun if I can find it for a good price but the optics will have to wait a bit.
 
There is always one person who has to push S&W when it isn’t even part of the conversation, right folks? Although at 73oz unloaded, a full 19.5 oz heavier than the Super Redhawk unloaded, it should be easier on the hand with hot .454 loads. Let's see, go with a proven strong performer with accessories already available or with a new unproven product that is not out in any quantity to speak of. Good luck with your shopping Alphamaniv, show us some pictures of what you get. Have a good one.

.44mag
 
If you do get the 454, shoot 45 S&W's out of it for practice instead of 45acp. You won't have to get a conversion kit.
 
publius,

I would agree that the .45 S&W (aka .45 Schofield) is a viable alternative for shooting a less powerful cartridge than the .45 Colt in a .454 Casull revolver. The real difference that makes the .45 ACP a better option is the range of ammunition choices and the inexpensive cost of ammunition for plinking. 230 grain Ball .45 ACP is dirt cheap compared to .45 S&W. Another thing that would push me more towards the .45 ACP over the .45 S&W is the fact that .45 ACP is readily available not matter where you go. If you were reloading, .45 S&W is a more viable option, but I would be looking for some .45 Auto Rim brass instead. The .45 colt case can do anything the .45 S&W can do in reloading, but the .45 Auto Rim better covers the .45 ACP ballistics in a rimmed cartridge. I reload all of the above listed calibers and I find that for someone who is not reloading and wants a viable inexpensive solution for plinking, the .45 ACP moonclip conversion is the best choice. Have a great one.

.44mag
 
I would suggest you find a .45 ACP load and a .454 load that are dead center, with elevation issues. Then just figure out the number of clicks it takes to align the elevation. Fun I know. I assume you are using a Model 83 FA? I have one in .41 magnum and love it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's an 83. So as you probably know, there are no "clicks" when you adjust the sight. You just screw it up or down. I also shoot heavier bullets at around 1600-1700 fps, which require a sight adjustment down, and I've thought about making a feeler gauge that would slip between the sight and topstrap. Then I could adjust the sight to the exact height that way, since there's no clicks. Either way, the sight bottoms out as low as it can go, and it's still 2 1/2 feet high. So it's still just a matter of guessing where to aim.

I suppose I could change out the front sight to a taller one though. Hmmm... Now that I think about it, that may be an even easier route. I could leave the rear sight alone, and just swap the front blade when I drop in the .45 ACP cylinder... I haven't tried to remove it yet as it's held in by a tiny screw, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work.

Does the Redhawk have a replaceable front blade?
Well, it sounds like the Redhawk has enough adjustment in the rear sight that it wouldn't matter anyhow. So, perhaps I shouldn't have discouraged alphamaniv so strongly. Just be aware of the issue beforehand.

take care.
-the possum
 
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