bamayote23
New member
2mg, those are some great looking guns! i would love to just see your collection of guns! you have posted some great looking rifles!
Ruger Redhawk .44 mag barrel length?
- Thread starter easy_money
- Start date
FurFlyin'
New member
2much, how do you like the ORH rear sight. I've kicked around getting one for my SBH, but have read about having problems with them shooting either way high, or way low, can't remember which. I do like the idea of the rear peep sight. Love the grips on your Bisley. I have shot a Bisley some but never got use to the angle of the grip. I guess that's why they don't make only one gun, gives folks options for what they like best.
The ORH sight is very good .... but at this time don't try to buy one from the official web site ..... I am told that several members over at cast boolits have been STUNG out of their money ...... something fishy.
If you are interested .... don't hesitate to PM me and I'll dig up some more pertinent info for you on these.
Back to .44s ...... Oh .... that's a favorite fat chewing excersize for me!!!
I am a died in the wool double action fan .... but I am also a come lately to them ..... and in particular the grand .44 mag.
My journey began in '97 and though I have been at it for a relatively short time ...... I came to the "banquet" with an empty stomach.
My first is a Redhawk 7.5" SS integral.
In the fall of '98 .... I bought a Smith Mountain gun (629-4) .... these are a four inch SS with a tapered barrel as Smith used to make their .44 specials .... around the '50 Target persuasion but of course stainless.
Third, I bought in 2000 .... a Super Redhawk in 9.5" ..... I fully intended to sell the Redhawk and CHOP the Super to around six inches.
What gun size to go for?
It is my firm conviction that with the right and good holster ...... you can carry just about any handgun fairly comfortably.
Now that said ...... if you are packing a rifle ... then .... all bets are off!
But for just a handgun .... I do believe this.
A hip holster and a Redhawk or a Super Redhawk .... for hiking .... forget it. Get the Chesty Puller ..... or the Biannci HUSH system .... you WON'T BE SORRY!
I'll tell you right up front .... I bought my Smith because the Rugers were too heavy ..... for the holsters I owned.
Riding a horse and wearing a 7.5 or 9.5" barreled gun isn't fun.
A four inch gun fits over the cantle on a saddle and does not dig into the seat of a vehicle like the longer guns.
If you are going longer ... then you need to wear it "upstairs" and then you wear on your shoulders .... UNLESS you go into a suspension system ... enter Chesty Puller and Biannci HUSH .......
Ten years and my SRH still sports a 9.5" barrel. Why?
The reason is that I came to the .44 mag looking for a defensive gun ...... I found it and MUCH MORE! The reality is that the fourty something revolvers with enough barrel aren't just for defense .... they are for HUNTING!
The .44 mag, the .45 long colt and heavier guns and also the .41 mag are ALL GREAT prospects.
Single and Double actions are both great! I prefer DA's but that's me.
But you are either going to end up making a compromise or end up like me with a brace of these guns to find the Holy Grail.
After a while I bought a K22 Smith and then my handgunning took off like a SCALED DOG!!!!
That is the secret ..... get a good .22 revolver as close to your chosen big gun as you can. Shoot that .22 like you life depends on it ..... after all it may well!
AND THEN .... for the big gun(s)........ HANDLOAD!
It's mandatory ....... if you want to get to the point where you'll actually be in a position to defend yourself.
For if you agressively pursue handloading you will find as I did that just like a stair case ...... it has STEPS ... each and every one is spaced just right to give the user a gentle and doable climb .... you can easily load the .44 mag just like that stair case.
It will take a few powders and don't worry ... they don't spoil and even as you climb to hotter loads and loftier expectations ... you will still need to revisit those lower levels regularily.
My only regret:
I did not join the ranks of .44 mag shooters sooner .... MUCH SOONER! .................. Oh, those "lost years"!
Three 44s
If you are interested .... don't hesitate to PM me and I'll dig up some more pertinent info for you on these.
Back to .44s ...... Oh .... that's a favorite fat chewing excersize for me!!!
I am a died in the wool double action fan .... but I am also a come lately to them ..... and in particular the grand .44 mag.
My journey began in '97 and though I have been at it for a relatively short time ...... I came to the "banquet" with an empty stomach.
My first is a Redhawk 7.5" SS integral.
In the fall of '98 .... I bought a Smith Mountain gun (629-4) .... these are a four inch SS with a tapered barrel as Smith used to make their .44 specials .... around the '50 Target persuasion but of course stainless.
Third, I bought in 2000 .... a Super Redhawk in 9.5" ..... I fully intended to sell the Redhawk and CHOP the Super to around six inches.
What gun size to go for?
It is my firm conviction that with the right and good holster ...... you can carry just about any handgun fairly comfortably.
Now that said ...... if you are packing a rifle ... then .... all bets are off!
But for just a handgun .... I do believe this.
A hip holster and a Redhawk or a Super Redhawk .... for hiking .... forget it. Get the Chesty Puller ..... or the Biannci HUSH system .... you WON'T BE SORRY!
I'll tell you right up front .... I bought my Smith because the Rugers were too heavy ..... for the holsters I owned.
Riding a horse and wearing a 7.5 or 9.5" barreled gun isn't fun.
A four inch gun fits over the cantle on a saddle and does not dig into the seat of a vehicle like the longer guns.
If you are going longer ... then you need to wear it "upstairs" and then you wear on your shoulders .... UNLESS you go into a suspension system ... enter Chesty Puller and Biannci HUSH .......
Ten years and my SRH still sports a 9.5" barrel. Why?
The reason is that I came to the .44 mag looking for a defensive gun ...... I found it and MUCH MORE! The reality is that the fourty something revolvers with enough barrel aren't just for defense .... they are for HUNTING!
The .44 mag, the .45 long colt and heavier guns and also the .41 mag are ALL GREAT prospects.
Single and Double actions are both great! I prefer DA's but that's me.
But you are either going to end up making a compromise or end up like me with a brace of these guns to find the Holy Grail.
After a while I bought a K22 Smith and then my handgunning took off like a SCALED DOG!!!!
That is the secret ..... get a good .22 revolver as close to your chosen big gun as you can. Shoot that .22 like you life depends on it ..... after all it may well!
AND THEN .... for the big gun(s)........ HANDLOAD!
It's mandatory ....... if you want to get to the point where you'll actually be in a position to defend yourself.
For if you agressively pursue handloading you will find as I did that just like a stair case ...... it has STEPS ... each and every one is spaced just right to give the user a gentle and doable climb .... you can easily load the .44 mag just like that stair case.
It will take a few powders and don't worry ... they don't spoil and even as you climb to hotter loads and loftier expectations ... you will still need to revisit those lower levels regularily.
My only regret:
I did not join the ranks of .44 mag shooters sooner .... MUCH SOONER! .................. Oh, those "lost years"!
Three 44s
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FurFlyin'
New member
Three 44's, I really like what you wrote. Now, I'm full well a SA kind of guy, but what you wrote pertains to all big wheel guns. You definitely nailed one point, and I failed to bring it up in my post, but it has helped my shooting (of everything) a great deal. To go with my SBH, I have a matching 3 screw Single Six, that I run 100's of rounds of 22 ammo through very often.
One other thing that I do is to dry fire my SBH a bunch. Not only does it help continue to smooth the trigger, it helps improve your accuracy almost as much as firing rounds through it.
One other thing that I do is to dry fire my SBH a bunch. Not only does it help continue to smooth the trigger, it helps improve your accuracy almost as much as firing rounds through it.
2muchgun
New member
The powder thing sounds real nice, but in reality all you need to do is buy some H110 and forget about it.
It sounds as if he's looking for a carry gun for defensive purposes. Anything over a 5 inch barrel would not be very comfortable to carry IME.
My SRH still sports a 9.5" barrel also. It is chambered in 480 Ruger. A 400gr bullet at 1300+fps will do amazing things.......
It will push 325gr boolits to 1500+fps......
It sounds as if he's looking for a carry gun for defensive purposes. Anything over a 5 inch barrel would not be very comfortable to carry IME.
My SRH still sports a 9.5" barrel also. It is chambered in 480 Ruger. A 400gr bullet at 1300+fps will do amazing things.......
It will push 325gr boolits to 1500+fps......
I have 44mag Redhawks in all three barrel lengths and shoot the same basic load from all three 300gr LBT WFN 1300fps or 325gr LBT WFN 1000fps I really don't notice much difference from the 4" over the 5.5" in recoil and muzzle blast I also shoot the same load in a couple of 5.5" Bisley's (IMHO the best grip for heavy loads) I think the 4" carries much better (I carry mine in a Simply Rugged pancake) and for its intended range and purpose is plenty accurate. The one I grab any more for hunting whitetails here in Ohio is the 7.5" with iron sights its taken more than a few deer and is carried in a chest holster but I'm not hiking up and down mountains just the hills in Southern Ohio. I think the 4" barrel would be fine the Redhawk is a little heavier than some of the others but with its longer cylinder you can get a little more out of it.
44 magnums
44 magnums
FurFlying,
Thanks ...... and I forgot to mention dry fire .....
But to those new to dry fire .... beware of dry firing a rimfire weapon .... centerfires by and large are kosher .... be sure and check.
And there is always snap caps for extended dry firing.
The reason rimfires are not to be dry fired empty is that the firing pin can and will PEEN the rim of the rear of the cylinder and also risk breaking the firing pin itself.
I have dry fired my Smith Mountain Gun enough to snap it's firing pin just once in 12 years ....... my Gunsmith replaced it for free .... and when I quized him he said, .... "DON'T STOP ..... it's good for you and it's good for your triggernometry. The downside is a (very) few pins snapped now and then but the upside beats the downside all to heck."
It's been ten years since that moment and I still dry fire my Smith and all my other centerfires revolvers as well. The triggers smooth up and the shooter really gets into his or her gun.
I would have never gained my confidence in my .44s if I had only loaded full house loads. Buying one powder is fine but as long as the stuff lasts why limit choices. And you can't believe how fast a .44 mag gets civilized when it's backed off ..... not to .44 special levels ... but above that and all the way to full house with no discernable gaps.
I load about four to five levels to get to my bear loads. I start at about 100 fps above published Special loads and it's ONE SMOOTH TRANSITION.
For pure woods defense I would look at the Ruger Rehawk in 4 or 5.5" (four being the better)
BUT I would also really look at the Smith Mountain gun .... 39.5 oz. of [beeep] on Wheels! And with a handloading option .... the Smith 329 PD ..... 27 oz of pure kick butt!
Knowing what I know now, the 329PD would be the ticket!
A learning curve ... but very well worth it!
Three 44s
Thanks ...... and I forgot to mention dry fire .....
But to those new to dry fire .... beware of dry firing a rimfire weapon .... centerfires by and large are kosher .... be sure and check.
And there is always snap caps for extended dry firing.
The reason rimfires are not to be dry fired empty is that the firing pin can and will PEEN the rim of the rear of the cylinder and also risk breaking the firing pin itself.
I have dry fired my Smith Mountain Gun enough to snap it's firing pin just once in 12 years ....... my Gunsmith replaced it for free .... and when I quized him he said, .... "DON'T STOP ..... it's good for you and it's good for your triggernometry. The downside is a (very) few pins snapped now and then but the upside beats the downside all to heck."
It's been ten years since that moment and I still dry fire my Smith and all my other centerfires revolvers as well. The triggers smooth up and the shooter really gets into his or her gun.
I would have never gained my confidence in my .44s if I had only loaded full house loads. Buying one powder is fine but as long as the stuff lasts why limit choices. And you can't believe how fast a .44 mag gets civilized when it's backed off ..... not to .44 special levels ... but above that and all the way to full house with no discernable gaps.
I load about four to five levels to get to my bear loads. I start at about 100 fps above published Special loads and it's ONE SMOOTH TRANSITION.
For pure woods defense I would look at the Ruger Rehawk in 4 or 5.5" (four being the better)
BUT I would also really look at the Smith Mountain gun .... 39.5 oz. of [beeep] on Wheels! And with a handloading option .... the Smith 329 PD ..... 27 oz of pure kick butt!
Knowing what I know now, the 329PD would be the ticket!
A learning curve ... but very well worth it!
Three 44s