Which Redhawk?

Lots of information asserted here about why .45 Colt is better ( without pressure testing or any data to back it up) here is a good article from Chuck Hawks:

His conclusion: The .44 Magnum and .454 Casull as alternatives to the .45 Colt

If I wanted a .45 Magnum I would buy a .454 Casull revolver. Then I could safely reload the thing to any pressure level from the normal .45 Colt level up to true magnum pressures with complete confidence.

Another way to circumvent the entire issue would be to purchase a .44 Magnum revolver. There is nothing magical about .45 caliber bullets, although some folks seem to think that there is. Actually, I have never shot a .45 from a bench rest that could equal the accuracy of any of the .44 Magnums I have shot from a bench rest. For some reason the .44 Mag seems to be an exceptionally accurate cartridge. The Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum is the top of the line and a little bit nicer gun than a standard Blackhawk, anyway.

There is no question that a .44 Magnum can handle high pressure loads, as that is what it was designed for. It can also handle very light .44 Special-level loads and everything in-between.

So while the .45 Colt can perhaps approach the .44 Mag. in performance (with very hot over-pressure loads), the .44 can do the same thing at standard pressure with standard factory loads--which has got to be an advantage in anyone's book.

Both cartridges can handle the same range of bullet weights (usually from 200-300 grains in JHP hunting bullets), and the .44 Magnum's .429" bullet has better sectional density (for better penetration) in every bullet weight than the .452" bullet. There is also a better selection of .429" bullets for the handloader.

.44 Magnum brass is more widely available, cheaper (because it is discounted more due to higher sales volume), stronger, and lasts longer. At least I have never heard even the wildest .45 proponent claim that .45 Colt brass is more durable than .44 Mag. brass! So what's not to like about the .44 Mag?

Conclusion

Perhaps this final quote from the Speer Reloading Manual sums the whole issue up best.

"The loads Speer developed (for the .45LC Blackhawk and Contender) are roughly halfway between standard .45 Colt and .44 Magnum pressures. This results in a significant increase in energy, yet the loads were safe in Speer's test firearms. If you need more power than this, buy a .44 Magnum or a .454 Casull!"

My last bit of advice is that if you have or get a .45 Colt caliber Blackhawk or Contender pistol with the intention of developing high pressure handloads follow the guidelines in the major reloading manuals exactly. Use the same brand of primer, brass, bullet, and powder; do everything just as they did.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/high-pressure45.htm
 
Another data point from the guy who builds custom guns from Rugers:

The Ruger Blackhawks and Bisley models chambered for .45 Colt are approximately 80% as strong as the same Ruger chambered for .44 magnum. This means we can load the .45 Colt to 80% of the pressure of the .44 Magnum round and still maintain the 100% safety level. 80% of 40,000 is 32,000.

To check our findings we again turned to H.P White Labs and their findings paralleled ours. Ruger Blackhawks in .45 Colt caliber were destroyed in controlled test conditions at approximately 60,000 CUP pressure levels.

We went further on our own here and purposely destroyed several cylinders with loads that were later pressure tested in Industry Standard Pressure barrels that proved pressures were in the area of 60,000 CUP. Now that we know just how strong the guns are we are working with perhaps you figure you can heat up the a loads a bit. Such "logical thinking" jaspers will get a REAL LOAD. Overloading often times does no visible harm, but stress and fatigue go unnoticed till something lets go. In this era when shooters and hunters are looked over very critically we need safe responsible hunters, shooters and HANDLOADERS. THIS MEANS YOU!

https://www.johnlinebaughcustomsixguns.com/45conversion
 
I have a Redhawk 44 mag with 7.5 bbl. I've always wanted to cut 3 inches off that barrel so my choice is the 44. You can always plink with 44 specials.
 
I'm normally a .45 guy, but because the op is going to reload, and because there a more options available, I figured the .44 was a better choice for him.

I've said before that I'm not into .44 Mag. I'm not going to reload .45 colt to super hot pressures, but I will take it above max loads for normal pressure and into +P. To me, that's as much power as I'll need. If I want to hottest .45 Colt, I'll buy a box of Buffalo Bore and if my Ruger goes BOOM!... Buffalo Bore is paying for it.
 
I have a Redhawk 44 magnum 5.5" barrel. I love it and wouldn't have it any other way.

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I would go with the 44 in 5.5" because it is the one of the two calibers available in that barrel length. Since I bought my vintage (discontinued) Redhawk 45C in 5.5" ported, the 4.2 gun just sits in the safe, outclassed by other guns/calibers in that barrel length.

As far as carry, I would carry a gun that big either cross draw or in a shoulder rig, definitely a bit much carried strong side. Crossdraw allows the longer barrels to let you to sit comfortably. It also allows you to draw with either hand, drawing with or passing to the strong side hand.

As in the pic below, mine carries the compact grip as the best fit for me and that long trigger reach.
 
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Many thanks for the replies, they helped a lot!

I started out thinking that the guns were pretty equal, and in many ways they are for my purposes, but I learned a couple things that tilt the scale in favor of the .44.

I didn't know that the .45 wasn't rated for +P loads and that it had a thinner extractor. It might seem like I'm splitting hairs here, but since both guns are so evenly matched for my intended purpose, I was looking for exactly those small things which favored one over the other.

Not being concerned with concealment, the difference in barrel length and shape of the grip frame aren't a deal breaker either way.

Note: I almost always carry cross-draw in the field and intend to do the same with this gun.
 
The standard 4.2 Redhawk in 45 Colt is just as capable and is rated for any Ruger-only load you want to try, although I would rather do that in the ported 5.5". The newer gun with 45ACP moon clips is perhaps a different animal.
 
Bought this Redhawk in the 1980's. I have no idea how many rounds have been through it. A bunch though. Factory loads, hand loads, .44 mag and specials. I love it and will never sell it. It is one of my favorites for sure.

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The Ruger Super Redhawk comes in .454 Casaul. It can handle the .454 and the .45 Colt but not the .45 ACP.
The Smith in .460 can handle the .460,.454, and .45 Colt but not the .45 ACP.
Why Ruger does just chamber in the .460 is because they want to sell their .480, I suppose. If they could figure out how to chamber a .460 to take the .45 ACP too you could handle four cartridges in one gun.
Not sure why but a .45 ACP in one chamber, a .45 Colt in the next, and a .454 in the next , and two .460s in the last two cylinders. I dunno why I thought of this. :)
 
None of Ruger's existing revolver frames are long enough for the 460. The 460 cartridge is over 1/2 inch longer than the 454.
 
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