Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Redhawk 44

A bowhunter friend has on with a 5" barrel (he says, but I think they made 5 1/2") he is thinking of upgrading to a S&W Ti. He has carried it on a number of sheep hunts so I cannot judge the condition right now. Can anyone give me a ballpark for a used Redhawk?

He has used it twice for bear deterent, so it seems to work for that.
art

Actually, he should just spring for the new 4" Redhawk in 44, should be3 able to get out the door for less than 6. And yes, I am Ruger Biased, you can't shoot hot loads all the timein a Smith, I don't care what anyone here says, Smith's just aren't built as strong, they do have great actions, so I will give credit where credit is due. Les

Les
This will be carried a lot and almost never shot. Back-up gun for a bowhunter and nothing else. Weight is everything and that is where he is headed with the trip...
art

I sold a 5.5" stainless Redhawk about 2 years ago for $400.00. I thought I sold it a little too cheap but have seen others sell for around that price, too. Nice gun but heavy. The Scandium frame is the way to go for a light weight carry gun, IMHO.

If he goes with scadium pistol, he will only want to shoot it once.

The Redhawk is a good revolver and one of the more pleasant .44 mag's to shoot. If it's in very good condition, it's worth $400.00 or more, depending on how bad you want it.

Tell your friend to get the S&W, that way you can get his Redhawk...Always err on the side of buying the new gun.

I traded off a polished, stainless 7-1/2 .44 mag, NLNIB, two weeks ago for $400.00. You know the dealer will jack that a couple hundred but I had one of those flashes a guy gets now and then. I just had to have a stainless 1911 and I thought it was a fair deal. Still do..

I did have a dealer try to low-ball me on it a year or so back and he offered me less than $300 on an overpriced Ruger .45 Convertible.

They are great shooters and one heavy duty package with emphasis on the HEAVY.

+1

Depends on how fast he wants to sell it. $350-375 shipped should move it ok. $400/shipped and he'll be working on it for a while is my guess. Lots of people on here. Saw a 7-1/2" at $375 sit for quite a while, but the 5-1/2 is more popular.

Art,

I had the opportunity to fire a pard's M329 that had been magna ported and set-up with with Pachmayr Decelerator grips (that cover the backstrap).

All in all it sucked, but not all that different than firing a Mountain Gun. There's a little more than 10-oz. difference between the M329 and the MG, and the porting and the proper grips kinda even things out.

Up here I'd say $400 to $450, if it comes with holster that helps sweeten the deal.

Having shot a 357 mag titanium S&W, I would never ever want to shoot one in 44 mag! The little 357 is the most painful handgun I've ever fired, even worse than a 4 5/8" super blackhawk 500 Linebaugh that was loaded hot.

I can appreciate a lightweight gun, but when it gets to the point you can't shoot it, what good is it?

I think the lightweight .357 snubbies are MUCH worse than the M329. A snubby barrel, 12-oz weight, and small grips are a recipe for the Ouchies - unusable for me.

The M329 has a 4-in barrel, weighs 26-oz, and has the N-frame grip. The feel of the tweaked one I fired was more like a 4-inch K-frame with hot .357 Mag loads - or like a regular .44 Mountain Gun. I would have to add the tweaks, but for a carry .44 Mag I think its a nice route.

Thanks to all for the insights!

A little more detail... Troy is a stout guy and probably has the hand strength to hold onto the gun. He probably will not shoot the gun as he has already has had a couple close encounters with bears... And if he does it will be at bears bothering him...

I do not think the gun will be fun to shoot, but he wants the horsepower and expects to shoot it only if really needed... I personally would carry a Taurus 85 Ti in 38+P... but he wants the HP... I doubt it will ever shoot a full box of ammo... but he wants the HP.
art

A 4" Redhawk would fill that role perfectly. Of course so would a stainless 4" M629 Smith. I just sold a 5.5" 44 Redhawk a few months ago. I sold it for $350.

Just sold off my 5 1/2" for $400 to buy the new 4". I like the new grip even though the back is still open. Shot some 300's and was surprised how well it/ I handled them. Need to work on the 7 lb trigger.



I have a set of Ruger express sights if any would like a set. V groove and gold bead. The 4" has the front sight pinned so they won't work.

Tom

I have a 3" S&W 360 kit gun. With full power loads, it is nastier than my .500 S&W mag. I don't expect to ever get another aluminum gun.

I have 5 1/2" Redhawks in .44 and .45. They are very pleasant to shoot with full power loads. They are also controlable. If he wants a 25 oz. .44, he better be able to get it done with the first shot, because he is going to take a while to recover from the nasty recoil.

A good condition Redhawk under $500 is a good deal. Dealer cost new is over $500.

Art,

I seem to remember that the first Redhawks that came out offered 5" and 7" bbls. After a while (I believe) they went to the 5 1/2 and 7 1/2". Some here are very versed in the Ruger lineup and could correct or sustain my memory

bhtr

Art, I have had a few Redhawks, they are anvil-tough and have a very usable (in my experience) double action trigger pull, the single action mode however seems to always need 'smithing. When I went all 45s or bigger, the Redhawk was my first, best choice (then came the Freedom Arms infection, that still has not cleared up). Personally, I would prefer the .45 RH, but 44s have a fine track record as well. I would spend real money on the holster(s), a pistol will be of little use unless it is secure and handy. Best of luck, Bill