Redhawk ramblings...
I've had several of the 5.5" standard Redhawks, and both my brothers either currently have, or have had, the 7.5" version; my 'keeper' Redhawk is an old blue 5.5" .44 that makes nice, round little 4-5" groups at 100 yards (300 grain loads) off the sandbags.
I've messed with the actions on these for a long time, and these brothers of mine have kept me plenty busy with their guns too. I have finally settled on just polishing contact surfaces and thinning the SA sear on the hammer just enough to take the creep out of the trigger. Mine will absolutely not 'push off' or release if the gun gets dropped, but it results in an entirely usable trigger.
(NO, I don't do them for anybody else anymore AND I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT YOU TRY THIS YOURSELF! Pay a gunsmith and let somebody else worry about the liability issues.)
I don't even fiddle with the springs, and I resolved myself a long time ago to just learn to shoot the gun with the factory springs. Two more pounds of trigger pull beats a misfire or an AD any day.
One of the beautiful things about the Redhawk is that you can file a front sight for each of several loads, and re-zero for each load just by changing sights. This is not as easy as it sounds, and requires some range time and ammo; but I now have a sight that is dead on at 100 with 300 grain XTP's at just over 1300 fps, and another sight that puts my 1500 fps 200 grain Noslers on at 50. I'm working on another for my 200 grain lead 'plinking/small game load at about 1000 fps; I'm gonna zero this one at 25. No screw turning involved, just change sights and recharge the cylinder with something else. This could also be accomplished with the Super redhawk, or the 'Hunter' model .44 SA.
The Redhawk screams for two things- a trigger stop and decent grips. Any good smith can take care of the former, but what constitutes good grips is entirely subjective for each user. I've been using the Uncle Mike's Butler Creek, and even with the monster 'Redhawk Only' 300+ grain loads, it is not uncomfortable for me to shoot. I just wish they had left those silly-a$$ed finger grooves off.
I am about to gamble $91 on a set of Herrett's, they just may be the right 'icing' for this otherwise-perfect cake. I just haven't been able to decide between the Jordan Troopers or Shooting Masters yet, and for that kind of money I'd like to pick well the first time. I'm also toying with the idea of trying some Ivorex panels and a Tyler 'T-grip.
I've had some 29s over the years, and the 4" guns DO pack better than the Redhawk. They also kick harder, and shoot loose/wear out faster. What the 29's don't do is shoot any better than the Ruger, especially once you get a good trigger and decent grips on the latter. Shame Ruger didn't bother with these things at the drawing board.
Good shootin' to ya'll...