Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns New production Redhawks

I have had a new 4.2" Ruger Redhawk on lay-away at the LGS for about two months. Finally got the funds together and brought it home yesterday.



The main difference in this Redhawk and the others that I own/have owned is the caliber. I have never owned a 45 Colt in any form, so I am looking forward to working with this one.



I thought I would share my opinions of the new production guns with those who might be interested in my example of one.

1). The first thing I did was remove those rubber grips and replace with a set of factory wood grips that I had on hand. I know some like the rubber, but my preference is what counts here. (Grin)

2). Metal fit seems to be on a par with the earlier Redhawks. Crane to frame fit is not as sloppy as some I have owned; not quite as good as a few I have owned.



Fit of the trigger assembly to the frame is as close to perfect as any I've had in the past. This gun is not fitted on a par with my Smith & Wessons, but is excellent when compared to other Redhawks.

3). Metal finish is nowhere as good as the older Redhawks. Not that it is terrible, but just not quite polished out like they were in the past. Maybe that will get better as time goes by.

4). The action workings were typical Redhawk. Double action trigger was gritty and heavy (about 14 lbs. and single action was creepy and heavy ( 7 lbs.). I have already dry fired the gun five hundred times and that has helped a bunch. Gonna have to work on that single action creep, but that is typical of most Redhawks.

5). One question; does anyone know the reason for the ejector star change?



Was there a problem with the old pin-guided style or is the new style just cheaper to manufacture? Seems to work ok.......

All-in-all, I like some of the changes Ruger has made. The moving of that warning from the side if the barrel to the bottom of the ejector lug is a good move as is the new method of applying markings and logo. No more roll marking. It is EDM or something, but very attractive. I also really like the change to the plunger replaceable front sight like the longer barrels have had. Now to get to shooting..........

Very nice, and I really like the grand old 45 Colt cartridge.

I've got some 265 gr. Keith bullets cast by Dave Jennings at Montana Bullet works that were gifted to me by my nephew in Montana along with some Winchester brass and a set of RCBS dies, so I'll get to work. Not going hot so I will start with 8.5 grains of Universal which should Chrony at about 950 fps. If the Universal doesn't work out, I've got a new pound of Unique waiting in the wings.

Looks good, enjoy it!

Shot four cylinders full thru the 45 Redhawk today getting the sights regulated to my load of 8.5 gr. of Universal. Fired the load thru the Chrony, average for six shots was 985 fps. Was able to get a three inch group from a rest at 25 yds. Probably wii do better after a little trigger work. I think I'm gonna like it.

That looks perfect!

If the picture is accurate, I prefer the more subdued stainless finish on this Redhawk as shown -
Than the high polish finish I have on a stainless Ruger SA revolver.

I got one a couple of months ago, still getting use to that single spring. I have smith's in my blood going back years.
I would second the finish remarks, as I can tell on mine where they didn't finish polishing it enough as close to the barrel frame hookup.
I did the dry fire thing, and also put in a lighter spring. And have fired about a box of ammo, reloads, through it so far. 250grain berry's about 9grains of unique. The weight of it makes it nice to shoot. It's kind of growing on me.
i do like the ease of getting the front sight out, just wish they would have made it of some other material.

Ron,
What is your front sight? Every Redhawk I have owned has had a blued steel (black) sight with a red insert. I just tried a magnet, the new one is steel also.

i had to go look, you are right. Was thinking some kind of plastic from the finish on it.
I do know I have a blued .41mag redhawk, that has that ruger aftermarket set of sights which are plastic.

one thing i might mention if unfamilar with .45colt. See if you can get some of the david scovill rcbs saa bullets. Rated at 270 grain, they cast to about 283grains with wheelweights. I got a mould out of slovenia for that bullet which in addition to a keith solid, also throws a hollow and pentad hollow point.
With about 8.5 to 9 grains of unique it is a thumper. 45's are addictive. We were shooting at quemato a browning replica low wall in .45colt. Just absolutely sweet.

Thanks for the tip. As I said earlier, I've got most of 250 cast bullets from Montana Bullet Works, but those won't last long. A bullet mold or two will be a priority. I've got all the molds I need for 38, 41, and 44, but no mold for a good 45 bullet.

The rcbs bullet no 82092 is pretty much what i have been casting:
http://www.montanabulletworks.com/45_Colt.html

Update: I spent the morning loading up 50 rounds with the aforementioned bullet and powder. I have also been working on the trigger with an Arkansas stone. That and a 14 lb. Wolfe mainspring has gotten the now smooth and crisp trigger pull down to 3.75 lbs. Pretty happy with the action now.

I also changed out the sights to some Bowen sights I took off of another Redhawk.






Now to do some shooting to see what she will do.

Hi Weed,
The pictures are taken with my I-phone, so not as good in the quality category as with a good camera. The finish is definitely not a high polish; kind of a muted brush finish. Much like older Redhawks, just not as consistently brushed after finishing, if that makes sense......

I think i am going to have to look for a set of those bowen sights.
question, what are you stoning in the trigger group, by parts?
i did the trigger replacement but havent' polished anything yet.

I like the idea of that front site and it would be interesting to try.

The 45 Colt is one of my favorite rounds, so many different things can be done with it in many different platforms and it is a 45 after all.

lastround
What does that neat looking Redhawk weigh with full chambers, with the 260 grain bullets. Thanks for your time. Cheers NC

Congrats on your new Redhawk! That looks really nice, and I like those wood grips too.

I'll have to get back to you on the weight. I'm not at home right now.

For the sights, go to: www.bowenclassicarms.com and go to parts. The rear sight is called their "Rough Country". They have several front sight designs available.

As far as what did I polish? I used 600 grit wet or dry and polished up all parts that move, metal against metal. The double action sear surface on hammer and trigger, the cylinder locking bolt top surface (helps eliminate most of the cylinder ring, but be careful. Just a polish). I disassembled the trigger group and polished the nose pins on all the springs as well as their contact surfaces on the parts they operate. Polished the sides of the moving parts. A tip here is to lay the sandpaper on a flat piece of glass and move the flat surfaces over the sandpaper. This keeps all parts good and flat. I used the Arkansas stone to actually remove some of the contact surface of the hammer single action sear notch. Be really careful here. Don't change any angles and don't take off too much. (Don't ask how I know). Re-assemble and try numerous times until you get it like you want it. I don't try to eliminate ALL the creep, just most of it. I definitely want to keep a safe trigger.

While you've got every thing apart, I also polish the inside surfaces of the trigger opening in the trigger housing and the hammer opening in the frame. This helps with both smoothness of operation and eliminates most of the scratches that inevitably appear on the exposed surfaces of the hammer and the trigger. A word of caution! Care must be taken when doing what I have described here, but if you undertake to do it, be prepared to spend several hours. The last part is total cleaning of all parts and oiling lightly prior to re-assembly. You will now have one of the slickest working Redhawks imaginable. If you go for it, just take your time and a lot of breaks. Good luck and hope my descriptions help.

northcountry, just stopped and weighed the Redhawk, as it is now and loaded with six cartridges. Weighs 51.75 ounces. The book says gun only wt. is 46 oz. so that's about right. I forgot to weigh it empty while I was there........

lastround
Thanks that is what I was looking for. So basically you would have 3 pounds with the big iron on your hip. Cheers NC

Yeah, it will take a good belt and holster to carry on the hip as the Redhawk weighs a good four ounces more than my 629. I've got a Galco that it fits nicely for belt carry.



However, I also have a 1980's model Roy's Hidden Thunder shoulder holster which is probably where it will be carried the most.

Ruger is telling me that they're only selling 4.2inch barrels with the pin on sights.I told the man I was seeing them on gun forums with dovetailed front sights,but he was adamant that I was mistaken.What's wrong ?

Well, you have seen the picture of my 4.2" gun on this thread. There are at least ten such guns on Gunbroker right now, as well as two or three with the older style pinned front sight. In all cases, the plunger style guns are listed as NIB. I have seen three recently at the LGS. I don't know who you talked to at Ruger, but they are being produced with the plunger style front sight. I am at a loss to try to answer your question in any other way.

I called Ruger the other day to see if they were planning on prolonged production of the Red Hawk,I talked to somebody in customer service.They apparently didn't know very much.

Shameless,
I sure wasn't trying to be curt with my answer at all. I just didn't know how to answer. In my opinion, the proof is out there. As far as how long they plan to make the Redhawks; I hope for a long time.....They are one of my favorites, especially the 5.5" and the 4.2" models.

my 4.2 inch i just bought a while ago, I think was made in march of this year. It has the front plunger you depress to remove the front sight.

That's a nice rig. I had an early .44 magnum that Bowen worked over and it went down the road in a never ending gun consolidation effort. Always wanted to replace that sixgun, if I do this looks like the best way to go.

NO! I didn't take it that way!I've just wanted a 4.2 in 45 Colt like yours for a long time.I've even thought a few times about getting a 7.5 and having it cut to 4" to have a dovetailed front sight.Now that they are being made,it seems like a lot of run around trying to gather information from Ruger.It's just funny that I have to go to a forum to find out what's available instead of the manufacturer.Thanks.

When Ruger makes a 4" blued .41 Rem Mag Redhawk, I'm buying one.

Cool!



Travis

I'd buy one of the new stainless models in 41 mag if Ruger would make them. Maybe a special run for Lipsey's or some other distributer...............as a matter of fact, I want a 44magnum also.

I have owned several .44 Magnum Redhawk and Blackhawks in 5.5 inch flavor. I have to vote for the .45 Colt as the best handling caliber. The factory gun is quoted as 49 ounces in the Redhawk. My .45 Colts weigh an ounce less. In the Blackhawk Bisley the weight is a bit less, around 46 ounces. It doesn't sound like much but the gun is lively and points better. Only when very heavy loads come into play does the extra weight seem to add something to performance. I would like to see a 5.5 inch 480 Ruger six shot Super Redhawk. I guess the chopped barrel route is the only solution. I favor the 7.5 inch .44 Special Blackhawk flattop Bisley. A 7.5 inch Redhawk just seems to be a handful.

they did make one, but think it was 5 inch

I suggest you LocTite the screws on that rear sight once you have it dialed in. If one wants a sight that they plan to move around his Target version is the better sight and still a hell for stout design.

Thanks for the tip, EdM. I take it that you have had a problem with the opposing screws in the rear sight shooting loose? Or do you just prefer the Target version?

I recently got one with the 4.2 barrel , a little polishing and lubricant and the trigger is pretty smooth, very nice gun

interesting article in the current issue of handloader by brian pearce on loading heavy bullets in the .45colt redhawk. He is running them up near 50000psi.
Some of those loads ought to put to rest that a .45colt can't compare to a .44magnum.
out of a 7 1/2inch tube, one of the loads was a 335 grain cast performance at 1511fps. Ouch.

I have a lot of respect for Pearce and his extensive experience, but he tends to "warm" things up a bit. I can't imagine shooting some of those loads in this new Redhawk. I will trust him that the gun would take the pounding; not sure I could. But, to each his own............

at this point, that is pretty much my impression. He was very specific in the article the exact combination needed to be used. But it does give me comfort my relatively wimpy loads aren't stressing the gun, at least the way he does, and/or me.

Yeah, I think his testing points out that a Redhawk in .45 Colt is capable of anything that needs doing with a handgun. Even with considerably lighter loads than the ones he reflects in his article. In my opinion, a well designed cast bullet weighing anywhere between 250 to 300 grains at a velocity of 1000 fps. or slightly less will be all I ever need. Or want.............

funny how great minds think alike, the above comment is what i think too shared by quite a few people i know. The extra magnum blast and recoil just isn't needed. I AM debating sending the article to a guy i know who says the .45colt is obsolete and can't compete with a .44magnum, however. Just to rub his nose in it.

Good reading for anyone who likes the .45 Colt.

http://www.customsixguns.com/writings/dissolving_the_myth.htm

Anyone who doubts the 45 Colt does so out of ignorance or obstinacy.

Ron,
How is your new .45 Redhawk shooting? I am pretty happy with mine, and am through working on the action. I have found it pretty easy shooting with my previously mentioned handload. Small rocks and tin cans at 25 to 30 yds. don't stand a chance. I may work up a little heavier load and see what it will do. (Not a lot heavier, though)

I pulled it out of the safe to refresh my memory a little. The action seems to have settled in to where i don't think i am going to mess with it.
What i need to do is sit down on a bench and rest and static target and mess with the sight/load combination. Most of the shooting i have done with it is the small rock/can variety. I have about 15 or so gallon milk jugs i want to use for various purposes, this being one of them. I loaded some lee 310grain pills for a .44mag at 1000fps curious to see how they compare to this. One other thing i am going to eventually do is chrony a rcbs 270saa load through this ruger, then through a marlin lever .45colt. My original idea was to have a combination rifle/revolver load. I am thinking about 9grains of unique, not anywhere near top end load.