Author Topic: New Ruger Alaskan (Read 960 times)

v-man · « **on:** June 11, 2005, 09:53:39 AM »

Does anybody have the inside scoop as to when Ruger will start shipping the new and highly touted Alaskan?

reakin · « **Reply #1 on:** June 14, 2005, 01:44:30 AM »

They have already been shipping to Alaska (go figure), and a few have made it to the lower 48. Still pretty scarce though. reakin

AK|Bandit · « **Reply #2 on:** June 22, 2005, 05:27:23 AM »

I've called most of the gun stores in Anchorage, Alaska (I live right outside of Anchorage)...Only a few of them have seen the Super Redhawk Alaskan. The few places that have seen them said they were gone 15 minutes after they put them out...

v-man · « **Reply #3 on:** July 15, 2005, 02:38:32 PM »

My dealer told my my Alaskan would be in next week. It feels like Christmas. I'll be glad to provide a review after a couple of range sessions. It will be interesting to see what the chrono says using the same loads that I shoot in the full size SRH.

v-man · « **Reply #4 on:** August 03, 2005, 12:38:20 PM »

there may not be a lot of interest but just for the record I finally got my new Ruger Alaskan SRH 454 Casull. It shoots great with 45LC and other than pretty stout recoil the big boomers work well too. The velocity loss when shooting various loads in my 7 1/2" SRH and then the same loads in the new 2 1/2" Alaskan is 12% in the lighter loads with faster burning powder and 14 or 15% in the hot loads with slower burning powders. This leaves me a little skeptical as to whether I will really gain much over the 5 1/2" 44 Redhawk I've been carrying but I'll reserve judgement for now.
I have found some very good target and defence loads already but have much more testing with handloads and hotter factory loads like grizzley, Corbon and Hornady before I decide what to hunt hog and deer with. I know they will all kill them but I want to be ready when I run across that rare 600 pound Florida buck.
More to follow

Nazgul4570 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 03, 2005, 03:40:38 PM »

Was in a gunshop in Louisville, KY last week and they had just sold the only one they had received. So they are starting to get around.

v-man · « **Reply #6 on:** August 08, 2005, 04:35:50 PM »

I don't know if anyone else cares about these numbers but I'll share a little anyway. I'm disappointed that the hottest loads that any of the load manuals show for the 454 Casull don't seem to come anywhere near it's potential. I have factory loads from Corbon and Hornady that that boast over 1900 fps from a 9 1/2 inch barrel and I get 1800+ in my 7 1/2" SRH and almost 1600 in my 2 1/2" Alaskan. Pretty good if you ask me. But my handloads loaded at and even above the so called "max loads" with a broad range of powders,Unique, Power Pistol, Blue Dot, 2400 and H110 are no where near these velocities. I show no pressure signs so I know these are not dangerous loads but good sense prevents me from pushing my luck too much. Believe it or not, it isn't at all unpleasant to shoot.
I also did some interesting comparisons with identical loads interchanging small pistol primers, std and magnum and small rifle primers, also std and magnum. They all fit the same hole and the hottest loads in the 454 call for the SR-Mag for best ignition. If anyone is interested in my results I'll be glad to detail on another post.