Revolver questions

EasternPredHunter

EasternPredHunter

New member
I'm considering a Ruger Super RedHawk in 44 mag. Barrel length has got me all wound up. what barrel length does this revolver perform best at? 7.5", 9.5".......I dont want something so long I cant hardly pull it out of the holster and i dont want it to weigh 7 lbs either. its gonna be a hunting revolver.

A few side questions:
+ how accurate are these guns out of the box with the shooter doing his job properly?
+ How effective will a 305 grain hardcast flat nose pushing 1300 fps be at stopping a grizzly or a brown bear? assuming I could only get one shot off.

EDIT- Just discovered a load from buffalo bore sending a 340 grain hardcast flatnose driving 1400 fps. LOTS of energy there. You are up in the 454 range now
 
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I've owned 44M's for a long time and gradually have gotten to where I rarely have anything over 6". I want to be able to carry it. My current go-to 44 is a Freedom Arms M83 6" with a red dot sight.

My 454 is a 7.5" FA M83 as well. Since I want to run the 454 a lot faster than the 44, I wanted a little more tube. Started out with a scope on it and I've never gotten warm and fuzzy over scopes on handguns so it now has a red dot too.

Both of these FA's are very accurate. The 44 shoots Speer 240gr. SP's quite well but cast loads took more work. I've finally found a 250gr. Montana Keith that shoots very well. Most lead 240's wouldn't stay on the paper. The 454 really likes 300gr. XTP/HP Mags. I'm working on a 315gr. cast load now.

Can't help you on bears as I've never shot one and don't plan on shooting one, particularly with a 44. Unless, I have a buddy beside me with a heavily loaded 416.
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Here's the 454C:





Here's the 44M:



BTW, watch the advertising hype on some of the loads. I have read where guys have chrono'd some of them and found them to fall miserably short.
 
I hunted deer for a few years with a Ruger GP100 6" in .357 though & found it perfect for carry and ease of length.
 
Originally Posted By: EasternPredHunter
+ How effective will a 305 grain hardcast flat nose pushing 1300 fps be at stopping a grizzly or a brown bear? assuming I could only get one shot off.


Would it kill a big bear? Sure. Would it stop a charging big bear? Sure. Just as long as you hit him in the brain or cut his spine in two with the shot. Neither would I likely be able to do if a griz or brownie was in full charge. But I would have to try my best to put one in his head as I sure as heck would not be able to run because before that bear took his second step towards me I will have s#it all over myself by then.
 
My SRH has the 9 1/2" barrel. I also have a Super Blackhawk that has a 7 1/2", so I don't find the extra 2" barrel length to be an issue.

From a rest, I can normally shoot a 3" 5-shot group at 100 yards.

No idea about the loads you mentioned. Biggest game I hunt is PA black bear, although I have not had a chance to pull the trigger on one yet. Had the chance a few years ago, but passed because it ended up being a mother with two cubs in tow.

I shoot either 240 or 300 grain XTP's and they have been deadly on deer.
 
I deer hunt with a super redhawk in 9 1/2 inch barrel with a 2 power scope and a 8 1/2inch taurus 454 casull.Most of the time I pick the 454 because it folds deer up like a cheap cardtable.
 
I'm a fan of the 7.5" barrels for the way the balance and move under recoil, and it's just about the longest wheelgun that I care to carry around. I've had some 9.5", 10.5" and 12" barrels, just not a big fan for how they carry or balance.

You'll never notice the weight difference between 7.5" and 9.5", but you WILL notice the difference in balance, and probably notice the difference in how they recoil. The 9.5" will get a tiny boost in MV with most loads, not enough to make me care about, however. BUT, the heavier nose does help keep the muzzle down a bit, not enough to make it faster really on follow up shots, but just enough that you'll notice it in your palms. It'll have more of a straight back recoil, compared to a bit more comfortable roll with a shorter tube.

The biggest difference for me is how long my holster needs to be to hold it. 7.5" is just about as long as I can tolerate. Porting that 12" wheelgun that I had used to drive me absolutely batty. To each their own though.
 
I have a Redhawk ss 7.5" with a red dot sight. I can consistently break 5 outa 6 clay pigeons out to 100 yds. (No not in the air!
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). This is with a 240 gr. Hard cast LSWC Keith style bullet, 8.0 grains of Unique and CCI 300 primer. I took a mule deer with it one year. If it was all I had for bear sure. But I wouldn't go out looking for one with it.
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Great! Thanks for the help! 7.5" definitely seems like the route for me. I'm gonna make a new topic on this revolver specifically for pics and reviews. Thanks again!
 
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