1) What is the best quality DA revolver?

2) What is the best bang-for-the-buck DA revolver?

Bang for the buck is the Ruger Redhawk.

Best quality is opening a can of worms.

1) Smith & Wesson

2) Ruger

The others are either out of my price range or below my standards.

Take it for what it's worth.

WFR

Smith & Wesson N-frame for quality, because of the fit, finish, smother action, ect.

Ruger Redhawk, best bang for the buck. Also heavier and stronger built. But they are just as accurate as any of my N-frame S&W's in .44 mag.
And I've yet to so see a "worn out" Ruger Redhawk!

Best quality in terms of fit/finish, or accuracy? Smith has always had the edge over Ruger in terms of a smooth action, but in terms of accuracy I think the super redhawk will go head to head with any gun and likely outshoot most of them.

So I'd give the super redhawk the best bang for the buck in terms off accuracy and durability.

1. Ruger Redhawk or Alaskan
2. Ruger Redhawk or Alsakan

If I were buying a brand new DA revolver in 44 magnum, it would definitely be a Ruger Redhawk.

The only thing from Smith and Wesson that I would be interested in that is new would be the model 69. But it is a 5 shot revolver on an L frame. And then I would have to look it over in person to make sure the little detent lined up properly.

You didn't specify if you're looking for new or used.

If new is the only option then I agree with the Ruger Redhawk recommendations. Not a fan of the new S&W's.

If used is an option I'd find a sweet 629-4 with a 4" half-lug barrel or the same with a 5" full-lug in the Classic configuration.

I agree with everything here, but- the Redhawk's trigger just can't touch the Smith. Even after tuning.

This X2�

I own ALOT of 44 Mags� and my favorite is my S&W 629-4MG� smooth DA cycle, the best SA trigger I've EVER owned, and very accurate. BUT, my Ruger SA 44 Mags (SBH, Bisley BH, and Vaqueros) are a lot of fun to shoot, and are all very accurate, and will shoot loads that would turn the Smith N Frame into shrapnel.

But that 629-4MG is sooooo sexy!

s&w mountain gun

A Colt Andaconda, of course.

Best bang for the buck, I would say Ruger.

I have several S&W .44 mags and one Ruger Redhawk. If your primary criteria is strength, probably the Ruger would win hands down. There is little or nothing out there that can touch a standard, untuned S&W trigger. I don't think you could ever get there with a Ruger. My Smiths are more accurate, right across the board then the Ruger I own, but it is still a very accurate revolver. I comfortably shoot loads in the Ruger that, while they wouldn't turn the Smiths into shrapnel, would result in excessive, premature wear. You carry around a Smith for a while and the Ruger feels and handles something like a boat anchor. Really, running .44 magnum loads a Smith N frame won't handle is probably more a psychological than practical advantage.

Good thing aesthetics weren't in the criteria or the Redhawks wouldn't even warrant an honorable mention.

Fat bottom girls make the rocking' world go round!

Ah, Redhawks don't look too bad.....





But the Smiths are nice......





Just take your pick. They'll both get the job done.

Nice taste in big-bores lastround!
That 6" 629 is dang near perfect!

4" model 29.

Life's too short to look like a peasant.




Travis

#1 personal preference. For me, I prefer the craftsmanship of the older Smith and Wesson revolvers like the pinned and recessed N Frames like the 29-2.

Another newer nice example is the 29-4 from the early 90s with the endurance package. The 5" Classic and Classic DX are awesome examples from the period and are truly superb shooting machines.

Here is a pic of a 29-2:




For best bang for buck, in my opinion, that honor goes to the Redhawk. Built to shoot all the light loads you want at small game such as rabbits, as well as being built to shoot all the heavy elk stomping loads your wrists can endure, the Redhawks are hell for stout.

You can reasonably expect that 70 years from now your grandson will be shooting the same elk stomping loads through that old Redhawk that his long departed grandpa did.

He can look at pictures in an album and tell his kids that the gun he carries on his belt is the same one that grandpa took that old bull with...

That is another excellent reason to buy great leather the first time BTW.






Of course what I am posting is only opinion, and others may have totally different ideas. Hard to go wrong with a .44 Magnum though.

A little surprised no one mentioned the fine Dan Wesson revolvers. I realize you can't just run down to the LGS and buy one new but they were quite popular at one time, especially with the IHMSA crowd.

Great pics MacKay.

Best quality would be anything worked over by a master, like Bowen

but in production, I'd say go with a pre-lock, pre-MIM S&W Classic DX. They have the endurance package, and the DX models came with a factory test target showing they'd shoot 2 inches or less at 50 yards (some targets show 1" or less at 25 being the standard).

I have a 5", and a 6�" Classic. One of these days I'd like to add a 5" DX, but they are not common.

Best buy? Redhawk. Or a Super Blackhawk. Honorable mention to a Dan Wesson 744.

Thanks .270

TexnCal,

Here is a 5" Classic:
Absolutely love. It.

And classic DX 5"

Both just ooze quality and I truly love shooting them though I keep the DX in reserve, shooting it only on occasion.

Not a good pic. Need to get some good family shots.

Yep, I had one of those blued 5" full lugs, and was silly enough to let it go The 5" full lug guns are just about the smallest gun in which I want to shoot a full house .44 load

This is the 6.5" Classic 629. That day at the range it out-shot a scoped .44 Contender



I am partial to the full lug Smiths

Time for a new family photo, these are getting rather old.

4.2" and 7.5" The 4.2 is a hand full with the 320 Buffalo Bores!

The 7.5 shoots the 300 Noslers with H110 great.






Though I may be adding one of these to the family!

http://www.ruger.com/products/redhawkDE/specSheets/5028.html

I meant quality as in indexing accuracy, trigger, and shooting accuracy.

It would be a hunting/riding gun and will suffer the afflictions of use and some abuse, so "prettiness" is of less concern.

Also, I'll want it in stainless.

Overall, over the years...who knows? I've owned most of them and am not a huge Ruger fan for the most part, but I have to rank the Redhawk right up there with the Smith. When it comes down to it, Dan Wesson's offering was pretty good too. Some people are fans of the Anaconda. I guess it was all right. When it comes down to it, the four major US made brands are pretty much a wash. I owned the Astra model and it seemed nice, but I didn't shoot it enough to form an opinion. Skeeter Skelton liked the Llama Super Comanche but I never owned one. I've never owned a Super Redhawk either.

I don't know which would be the best bang for the buck because right now, prices seem to be all over the map. When the prices were more stable, I'd have had to give the nod to Ruger's Redhawk. It's easy enough to throw the Anaconda out of this one since they command such tremendous prices now. I seldom see a Dan Wesson anymore.

If you have no personal preference, I'd get whichever I came across with a decent price, first. Either the Redhawk or the Smith. I have a new Smith 69 L frame which seems pretty sweet, but I haven't shot it enough to really wring it out yet. Also, it remains to be seen how it handles hot loads.

A big +1 on this^^^ One of my Smiths is an 8 3/8" Classic DX and I refer to it as my favorite light-weight deer rifle.

Are you a Guns 'n' Roses fan by any chance?

Well, it's going to be a Ruger or a Smith.

As for best bang-for-the-buck, you're going to have to shoot them both. A couple of hundred rounds each.

Keep the one you shoot best. Sell or trade the other.

Or you can do it the hard way, which is buy one and wonder about the other.

That's about the best advice I've seen here in a while...

That's a good plan, but at least for new revolvers, I figure that to be about $1500 - $2000 proposition.

That's why I'm seeking input from folks that have owned either and perhaps both. I don't want to reinvent the wheel.

Thanks all. Good thoughts.

1. Smith & Wesson Mod 29
2. Ruger Super Redhawk

If these are too expensive go with a single action. My favorite = Ruger Super Blackhawk

The early Ruger's had some issues with their barrels being out of spec. My brother called the barrel on his Super Redhawk a gas pipe. Nothing shot well in it.

By far the most accurate revolver that I've owned is a Ruger Super Blackhawk.

The problem is that BOTH is too expensive.

And I'm afraid I won't sell the second one and I want to stay married.

Have a SBH and want a DA, hence this thread.

I'll probably look for a SRH. Thanks.

S&W Mountain Revolver circa 1990. Guess which shot was called...

Very attractive gun with those grips.

I have a friend who's had a pair of redhawks tuned by magnaport and I think the smith fan's might rethink their comments that a redhawk can't have a smooth trigger action. MNP work isn't cheap, but having a hell for stout and smooth as silk 44 mag isn't a bad thing.

They can be worked on and turn out pretty nice.

As an aside.....I posted several pictures earlier on page 2 of this thread; now it says that I removed them. Anybody got a idea how this happens? I did not remove them......

There is nothing else on this earth like a Smith N frame.

I would recommend one of these three.

629 or 29 in six inch. 629-3 or -4, 29-5 or -6 (all pre lock with full endurance package)

Same as above in four inch barrels.

A pre lock 29 or 629 classic in the five inch barrel length.

If its to be a hunting revolver look for a 29 or 629 pre lock classic with 6.5 inch barrel.

I have had numerous N-frames, but if you want a piece you can take out to the field and not worry about it shaking loose with upper end loads, look no further than the Redhawk. Yeah, it's a little heavier, but it's a tougher revolver all the way around. So, it just depends on what you are looking for in a .44 Mag. JMHO.

All you have to do is back down a little bit on your loads. Nobody or animal will notice. Been shooting a 629 (no dash) for years doing this. The gun is still tight as hell.


I need a good trigger. Simple as that.

The Redhawks and SRH's are great guns, but I can't get past those heavy triggers and long hammer falls.

This is pretty sound advice from Timberbuck� the big "N" Frame Smiths are in class of their own, IMHO.

You have two choices really.....one is a Lincoln Towne Car, and the other is a F-350 Superduty Diesel.

I love my N-frames, but want the Redhawk for it's ability to handle "Bear" loads when I need them.


As for the Super Redhawk.....you could not GIVE me another one. Just too unwieldy, clunky, and FUGLY in my opinion........ LOL

1] S&W
2] S&W

SRH will rival any S&W for the trigger and accuracy, both capable of 1/2" at 50 yards. I love the 29's but they don't want heavy boolits. 265 max. RH sucks for a trigger, one spring and you need to pay for work. RH is strong and the SRH is stronger.But the SBH Hunter is a wonder too.
The Colt .44 never showed accuracy. I think it faded away.
You shoot 320 gr boolits from a 29 and you WILL get issues.
An out of box SRH is as accurate as you can get. A RH will never match it. Shooting IHMSA, the RH NEVER matched a SBH. Funny grip and bad trigger. Why buy any gun and have to send it off for custom work? Most of us break the bank with a purchase. Then someone that makes $250,000 a year will tell you to send the gun off. Sorry, a box of primers will starve most of us.
You want a DA to do anything, look no farther then a SRH.

I have never once in my life owned a Ruger DA that equaled a S&W trigger out of the box.
All these claims about Ruger handling stiffer loads means nothing to me as S&W warrants their revolvers for life. And I have yet to return any that have "shot loose".

Love all my Rugers and there are many but for DA's S&W's rule.

If you are a fellow that has shot a N frame all your life. You pick up a Redhawk or a SRH. When you pull the trigger on those Rugers, it feels like you have a enough time to light a cigarette before the hammer hits home. It's not just the trigger pull weight, lack of creep, lack of over travel and sharpness of the S&W trigger that sets it apart from the Ruger triggers.

I don't think anyone has claimed the out of the box ruger action is anywhere near as smooth as a smith, but for the price difference of the guns you can send the Ruger to MNP and have a very slick action in a gun that is way, way stronger.

If you spend most of your time dry firing a gun, go with the Smith, if you spend most of your time firing live ammo, go with the Ruger.

Agree!

Dry firing...

That's funny



... but not relevant here.

If you can find a 5" 629 DX it's probably the closest to satisfying both.

Thanks for the thoughts all.

OK, 3rd question.

Can I get a price check for a used 629 w/ a 5.5" to 6" barrel?

and a used Redhawk w/ 5.5"?

Prices in AK tend to be higher than national prices on big bore revolvers, but it depends on how lucky you are on sniffing out a good deal.

Figure $600 +/- on the Ruger, $800+ on the Smith. You might be able to find a Ruger for $500, and a Smith for $700, but with PFD's just out, don't expect to find a bargain.

timing......

Thanks.

Only DA pull in a SRH is stronger but do you all hunt DA? The SA pull will be as good as a S&W out of box. Most I measured run #3 and less.
RH, good luck, needs money to get better.
Yes, I owned six "N" frames, The SA pulls with every SRH will rival them.
But try my SA's once, I get them average 1-1/2# with over power hammer springs of 26#.
Actually, you can only get a S&W so light, reduce the hammer spring (stupid) and the rebound spring, you get failures to fire and the trigger will not reset.
I have an out of box SRH in my hands right now, zero creep and the darn trigger must be 6 oz. My scale will not register before trigger fall. Don't tell me about the SRH, shot too many of them. It is BETTER then any S&W I ever shot.

have had a sample of 1 each of what you speak of Mike,

but my RH was an old early version and even though I stoned it, never could get it as smooth as I like.

the 629 that I got for Tina, has one of the sweetest triggers of any handgun I've ever handled. a smooth trigger sure seems to aid in accuracy for me anyway.

both were in stainless, the RH went down the road, the S&W stayed

still I don't think you can go wrong with either, just depends upon that actual revolver and the deal you happen to find.

smart to have a sidearm on your hip when one of those nags decides to buck you off

then you know which side to pray that you want to land on! (grin)

BS. The S&W trigger is superior in every way, especially double action. Yes, believe it or not, some people actually shoot double action.



BS. No factory Ruger or S&W will shoot a half inch, even at 25yds. Not even with your magic wonderlube. Drive to Tennessee and I'll gladly pay you $100 for every half inch group at 50yds (five consecutive shots, no cherry-picking) you can manage.



Single action is the same, regardless.



BS. ZERO strength difference between them.



No quantifiable difference between the two.



What???



Most new guns can benefit from basic tuning.



If you're breaking the bank buying a gun, you probably shouldn't be buying it. You probably need a better job. Sorry Jim, not everybody is a broke-ass.



BS. I was making ten bucks an hour when I had my first custom built. Like most folks, it was important to me and I saved my money towards it. You're a real good example of proletentiousness. Someone who is a snob about being poor. That it is noble to be without. That someone who may have worked harder, got more education, made wiser decisions or was simply more fortunate in life, is beneath you because of it. It's a bullshit illusion people like you create to not only feel better about yourselves but to place the blame for your situation somewhere other than where it belongs. With you.



Again, if buying a box of primers starves you, you probably should be spending your time getting a better job or acquiring more skill. Pathetic.

Made a decision.

A bump for this posting.
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/9252013/LTB_Redhawk#Post9252013

sorry Craig, I shot thousands of 1/2" groups at 50 meters with S&W 29's from Creedmore. Also from Rugers. Best today are BFR's. I shot this with Whitworths revolver at 50 yards, .500 JRH, BFR.
Then the SBH, .44 mag at 200 yards.
have you ever shot a 1-5/16" group at 25 when I did it at 200?
An out of box S&W is unbelievable. And I have done 1/2" with the SRH at 50 yards many times. The SBH Hunter will do 1/2" at 50.
You lack proof and pictures. Just have huge keys on the board.

How about 5 shots with a .45 Vaquero at 50 yards, Creedmore. 347 gr Lyman boolit. Supposed to be 325 but-OH WELL.

I will be the last to tell anyone their gun will not shoot based on stupid. Where does that leave you?

You're gonna run all the custom gunsmiths and Freedom Arms out of business.




Travis

The real world.

I'm just glad somebody else still shoots double action.




Travis

Smith Mod 629 for both answers