The Ruger Redhawk is back

W

Webologist

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I'm not sure when it first reappeared, but the standard Redhawk is available on the Ruger site again.

I need to jump before it disappears again. The 5.5" looks great.
 
I don't think the Redhawk is going away anytime soon. The super Redhawk is too ugly to fully replace the Redhawk. That does matter to a lot of people. I like the 5.5" Redhawk too.
 
Redhawks are special. They'll never go away for very long.

Wish they would make a blued 5.5 inch model chambered in 45 Colt. Or maybe an 8-round 357 version.
 
For me the Redhawk is a .44Mag and only a .44 Mag. I love my 4" stainless, but must confess that if I were to buy again, assuming the same price, I'd find it hard to choose between the 4 and 5.5". The latter's proportions are just fantastic!!

And the sturdiness!!
In .44 Mag, I've never really worked out of the RH and SRH were any different in this respect.

Out of interest, does the RH in .45LC enjoy the same rep for strength as the . 45 Blackhawk? I mean, could it hand similar hot .45 loads as the SBH in .45 or the .454 Casull chambered SRH?
 
For me the Redhawk is a .44Mag and only a .44 Mag. I love my 4" stainless, but must confess that if I were to buy again, assuming the same price, I'd find it hard to choose between the 4 and 5.5". The latter's proportions are just fantastic!!

And the sturdiness!!
In .44 Mag, I've never really worked out of the RH and SRH were any different in this respect.

Out of interest, does the RH in .45LC enjoy the same rep for strength as the . 45 Blackhawk? I mean, could it hand similar hot .45 loads as the SBH in .45 or the .454 Casull chambered SRH?
Click to expand...

Both my Redhawks are 45 Colt, one 4.25 and one 5.5 inches in barrel lengths. The only purpose for me with these guns, in that caliber (and double action) is to allow exploring the real potential of 45 Colt. I favor stainless guns and the speed and ease of reloading a double action, although I typically shoot single action. I like my .41 Magnum Blackhawk too, so I'm sure 45 Colt load development can be enjoyed with either platform.
 
Glad it's back! Too late for me now but once upon a time I really wanted a blue 5.5". At the time I went with a 6" DW instead. Not sure I would make the same choice again but since the flux capacitor in my time machine is burnt out we'll never know. ;)
 
Why the hiatus?

Did they change anything? I've always thought a double action in .45 colt with 4" barrel would fill a need in my collection.
 
Out of interest, does the RH in .45LC enjoy the same rep for strength as the . 45 Blackhawk? I mean, could it hand similar hot .45 loads as the SBH in .45 or the .454 Casull chambered SRH?
Click to expand...

My 4 inch (not 4.25 inch) 45LC Redhawk will shoot a 345 grain Beartooth bullet at 1235 fps with a heavy load of H-110.

I'm not sure that the SBH cylinder is long enough for that bullet.

The 45LC Redhawk cylinder is as long as the 454 SRH cylinder and there are bullets (Beartooth is one) that will make use of that extra length with 45LC brass.

The 454 cylinder is stronger and you could probably get another grain or two of powder into the 45LC load but I'm not sure that I'd want to shoot it.

As an aside, here's the reason I bought my Redhawk -
http://www.adn.com/article/20140724/eagle-river-man-shoots-kills-brown-bear-mauled-him
 
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My 4 inch (not 4.25 inch) 45LC Redhawk will shoot a 345 grain Beartooth bullet at 1235 fps with a heavy load of H-110.
Click to expand...

Wow....just wow!

My RH is the 4.2" .44 Mag and the most I have loaded (novice reloader here) has been either a 240gr at 1350fps, and a 275gr at about 1200fps.
I have 300gr plated bullets that could be pushed out to 1200 too (presently about 1100fps), but beyond that I don't think I'd risk it any further!

Your anecdote supports a web article I had read following a link in a TFL thread. In it, a reloader who seems to specialise in 45LC made comparisons between .44Mag and .45LC in Redhawks (IIRR). Interesting read.

His conclusion was that you could duplicate .44Mag performance in the .45 but with significantly lower pressures, which sounds very enticing given that Redhawks can already handle higher than average pressures!

Going back to the topic I agree that the linked .44Mag snub looks fantastic!!
Whenever I read these threads, I am reminded of what a great buy my RH has been!!
 
Let's hope Ruger finally found a solution for uneven heating of components, which resulted in a bound cylinder.
 
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