So I was forced into a trade with a friend... New to me Ruger redhawk hunter in

[tallpaul]

45 colt   She's a stainless steel with not much use on her. I got it with the rings some nice hougue wood grips a bunch of ammo- dies ,molds n brass so my only real gripe was addressed. I load for a bunch of handguns and thought I did not want to have to get the accessories for the old colt round before. I even regrettably sold a 4 inch smith 25 after I got a super clean 4 inch 29 to go with my other 44 mags because it was the only 45 colt in my stable and I had not bonded with it yet.

I have a redhawk hunter blued in 44 mag I really like so I figure this will be as good and maybe even a bit more versitile form what I am reading. We shall see.

I need to decide what scope/dot sight to use. I have a silver accudot I can stick on it to match my blued 44 but may just stick a 2X leupold on her. I was also thinkin of having her machined for moonclips since I already have a smith 625 in the acp and the moon clips etc are already on hand and need fed. The gun could then be even more versatile.

So do any of ya have one of these cannons and any decent loads to start with? Any good reports or bad?

Thanks in advance- paul

[Bigeasy]

Well, my Redhawk is in 44 mag.  Have had it for about 30 years, and have been trying real hard to wear it out.  No luck yet...  I use an ultra dot sight, which works fine for the shots I usually take - 75 yards or under.

Larry

[Catfish]

I shot scopes on handgun for 30 yrs. before I ever saw a floating dot. I can`t stand them, but have friends that love them. If them work for you there is nothing wrong with them. I have scoped handguns with scopes from 2X to 8X, actually 2 1/2 x 8 X Leupolds. For any walk around gun I would recomand a fixed 2X. On a .44 mag. I would not put any more than a 2X on as it will give you all the point of aim you need to shoot to the max. range of the gun, and with a goon range finder and drop chart that is about 200 yrds. I have a 460 S&W that I am going to take off a 2 1/2 x 8 and put on a fixed 2X. The only handgun I have that I am going to leave a 2 1/2 x 8 X scope on is a Striker in .243 Win. which I want to shoot out to at least 500 yrds and if I can get enough accuracy, on out from there.  The last deer I killed with a muzzle loader was at 289 yrds. lazered with a 2 1/2 X scope. Had the deer not already been hit I would not have shot, but even at that range my point of aim was good.

[BCB]

tallpaul,

I have a dozed 'scoped handguns and Contender barrels and I would go with nothing other than a variable...

If you're walking and hunting, go with the low setting.  For longer shots with better rests, you have the higher power of the variable...

I have a SRH in 44 Magnum and it has a 2x-8x Burris on it and I really enjoy the 8x for shooting from the bench.  Those RH's and SRH's with a proper load can be very impressive at 150 yards when just target shooting or shooting as steel...

I have a life-sized groundhog made of steel that I place at 200 yards and once I get the hold-over for that particular day, it is amazing how often the steel will clang.  Try that shooting with a 2x 'scope--not me...

Variable would be my choice...

Good-luck...BCB

[SHOOTALL]

I have one with a 7.5 bbl. shoot Hornady XTP's in it hand loaded not factory. I can't remember load but it was Max. for Ruger guns . I don't use a scope or dot ( yet ) . Mostly 250 gr bullets with a few 300's . I seldom shoot lead .
You have a nice gun , a strong gun fer sure .

[Redhawk1]

I have shot handguns with scopes for many years, I started using Ultra-dot red-dots and have switched all but one of my scoped handguns to Ultra-dots. The rest of my hunting handgun use the iron sights.

I find that the red-dots are faster to get on target, than a scope. As for loads with the 45 Colt, I have some stout loads I use for hunting, I use 300 and 325 gr. hard cast  bullets, and they are like shooting a hot 44 mag as far as recoil. Now I don't shoot them hot just for the sake of shooting a hot load, they are within the load data specs, but that is where I found the best accuracy with them particular bullets. They are indeed a handful.

The best advice I can give you on loads is, shoot several different bullets and powders, and see which one your gun likes the best. Your gun will tell you what it likes.

[Catfish]

I miss you asking about loads the first look. But as you see different thing work for different people. Anyway, for all hunting load in my larger handguns I use Win 296 powder at max. loads. It gets the highest velocity, or at least did when I started useing it, with the lowest presure and has been very accurate in all of the guns my loads have been shot in and that`s a bunch. H-110 is the same powder so buy the one you can find the cheapest and give it a try. I think that there are acouple of powders on the market today that will get you alittle more velocity, but I have been loading since the 1960`s and had such good luck with the 2 named powders I just haven`t tried anything else. As for bullets my choice is the 240 gr. Sierra HP. It seems to have the best combonation of accuracy and terminal preformance of any bullet for deer. If you are going to hunt thicker skinned game the Hornady bullets are thicker shinned and would be a better choice.

[gman628]

I'm with BCB on the variables.  I have a 7.5" RH in .357 that I scoped with a 4X for a while, then I ran across a used silver Burris 1.5-4X and love it even more now.  Don't think I'll need more than 4X on a .357 and your .45LC is also not going to get you out there to much further than a 4X scope won't work for. JMHO

Gary

[Redhawk1]

Like Catfish, I use H-110 in my 45 Colt loads. I get great accuracy with it.  I actually use it in all my big bore handguns.

[corbanzo]

So I've never heard anybody say they were "forced" into a redhawk.   

[tallpaul]

So I've never heard anybody say they were "forced" into a redhawk.   

Forced... you tell me....

friend " HEY Ya wanna trade me one of your AR'S for a stainless synthetic remington 700 in 223 with scope n rings?"

me "NO"

a couple days later

Friend " how bout the reminton AND a redhawk Hunter in stainless and 45 colt?"

Me no.....

a few days after that...

friend

"How bout the remington and ruger and dies brass and several hundred rounds of the colt"

me "NO"

Friend hey how bout all that  stuff AND a .22mag marlin and 1000 rounds of ammo....

Me- "ya know ya can sell it for a lot more and just buy an ar?"

friend "I know"

Me "let me think about it"

next day

Friend "I will even add two boxes of factory 30-30"

Me... "i'll be over...."

I really did not have much of a choice did I? I mean after all I have several other AR's

I did throw in a dozen AR mags to help me sleep a bit better though....

I had been wanting a 22 mag rifle and the remington 700 in 223 will be useful when workin around sheeple- the redhawk is  useful so....

[SHOOTALL]

Hope your arm feels better after all that twisting . BTW whats friend got left ? and contact info ? 

[tallpaul]

Hope your arm feels better after all that twisting . BTW whats friend got left ? and contact info ? 

He is a good bud and I did tell him I would give him an AR15 to play with for free and he declined. I think he is just giving me stuff to downsize. I keep threatening to leave him all my junk if I die

We have traded before and he always throws stuff in. I got a marlin 357 a couple months back from him and he gave me a h&r handirifle in 357 max and a Gamo air gun that were not in the trade.

I gave the Gamo to another bud for christmas and it seems he is now addicted,mission accomplished

If ya give stuff away it always come back one way or another... And I am serious that he can take about anything I have if he needs it or wants it. 

[SHOOTALL]

good friends better than money

[dan3]

good friends better than money

Shootall - I agree wholeheartedly

[hunter3705]

In any case, you ended up with a really neat gun.  You'll have a lot of fun with it, they're great guns.  As the revolver is in .45 Colt, I would stick with a fixed 2X optical scope, it'll do everything you need with that caliber.  Leupolds are fantastic, but expensive, but Nikon makes a really good one for about half the money, and Weaver has one called a classic which is a really nice little scope for about $150 dollars. 

The thing is, the ballistics of a .45 Colt just don't warrant a variable scope.  The caliber just can't make good use of the extra magnification.  It's a heavy, slow bullet, and the 2X will work fine.  Good luck with it, enjoy!