NGD - Ruger Redhawk 4.2 (.44 Mag)

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Pancake81

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Hey Gang,

First things first. A big "Shout Out" to GunGuy34 for offering this piece to me! I had been on the wait list at Epps since October 17, 2010, with no definite date of when they were going to get these in. Unlike most guns that I order that take forever, I just couldn't get my mind of this one.

Initial thoughts:

Opened the case and slid this beauty out of its protective "plastic bag", and was amazed at how thick it was! Being a 4.2" barrel, I knew overall length would be fairly short, but I wasn't expecting it to be so... chunky. That may seem like a bad quality, but on this piece, it's very suiting. Trust me, if you ran out of ammo, you could do some serious pistol whipping.

The trigger has a little bit of extra pull than I like, but for a stock revolver, it's actually pretty good. I may end up doing a wolf spring kit, but it's good enough to shoot like this for a long time. In my experience, triggers tend to improve with the more rounds you put down the pipe anyway. One thing I do wish though is that the trigger had some serrations on it...

Sights

Sights are really nice on this revolver! I really enjoy the red ramped front sight. Super easy to acquire, and doesn't strain the eyes. The rear sight has the nice white "U" shaped outline, but is low profile enough not to snag or be in the way when carrying.

Finish

I got a few other Rugers in the safe with the Satin Stainless finish, and I love them. This one is no different. Ruger really does a beautiful job on this finish. The S&W tend to be duller from the factory, and look good if/when you polish them up, but then I find you’re constantly trying to maintain that polish look. The Ruger has more of a subtle shine to it that is basically maintenance free to maintain.

Grips

I replaced the grips almost immediately. Not because the Hogue's were bad; actually they felt pretty good. But, I originally ordered this gun over 14 months ago, so I had already purchased some goodies for it. One of those goodies was Nill Griffe grips. This is my first pair of Nill's, but the craftsmanship is amazing. I have always been a Badger Grip fan, but from photos I saw on the net, I didn't like the look on the Redhawk. So. I splurged a little extra and got the Nill's. Gotta say, I love the look, and the feel.

Holster

Last Christmas, my wife purchased me a Galco Outdoorsman holster. It fits in like a glove, and looks great to me eyes. Really comfy on the waist, and sits in nice and close too. I do however, have one complaint about this holster. The retention snap, snaps to the outside of the holster. Meaning, you have to lift up on the snap to release it. I prefer to have the snap on the "waist" side of the holster, so I can push down with my thumb to release it.

Not sure if that makes sense? I can make a quick vid if people are interested/confused.

Overall Fit and Finish

Overall fit and finish is great. With one exception.... I noticed almost as soon as I got it, that the crane does not sit flush with the frame when the cylinder is closed..? I was concerned at first, because all of my S&W's and Colts, fit so nice, you can't even see the seam when the cylinder is in.

With a quick search on Google, I found numerous discussions regarding the "fit and finish" for the Redhawks on the crane assembly. It appears to be normal for there to be a "slight" gap near the top of the crane when closed. Everything locks up tight, and is as solid as a rock; just catches your eye.

Conclusion

If this gun disappeared at breakfast, I would buy another one before supper... If I could find one :rolleyes:. It would be nice if Ruger would get their stuff together, so these were more accessible.

Anyways, here are some photos for your pleasure (sorry for the quality). Hope you like them, because I love this beauty.

Happy Holidays and Straight Shooting Everyone,

PC81


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Kevan said:
Mine ( 45 Colt ) arrived last week and I couldn't be happier with it.
That is a very nice set of grips on yours Pancake .....
Click to expand...

Thanks Kevan,

Hey, can you take a look at yours and see if there is that gap between the crane and the frame? I read that it's way more pronounced on the .44 mag (seriously) than any other calibre. Just curious how others look. Cheers,
 
Hi, thanks for sharing.

Not to p*ss on your parade but that gap at the crane/frame looks way off.

I've had three Redhawks, two regular and one Super and none of them looked anything like that.

Just my 0.02 nad worth as much as you paid for it.

Again, not trying to be a ####, just letting you know what I've seen with my previous Redhawks.
 
A little suprised at the amount of gap. On both my GP 100 and my SP 101 there's just a hairline but nowhere near that size of gap in your picture. Again, the fit on both my Ruger double actions looks much the same as on my Colts and S&Ws. Seems a bit much to me.
 
There is a distinct gap on mine at the upper edge of the yoke... enough to slip a piece of note paper in but farther down the front of the crane it seems less pronounced then yours, again it could be just my damned old eyes.
Everything locks up smoothly and the gun is very accurate with a 255 cast load so lets hope the issue is cosmetic only.
I took some pics of mine so I'll post them later.
 
I assumed that gap was just the way the gun was made as it locked up tight and functioned flawlessly. Your pics certainly make the gap look a lot worst then it does with the naked eye. As i said in the PM i didnt pay any attention to it and shot 350 rounds out of it with no problems. Id take it do a gunsmith and get a second opinion if your unsure as i have had no previous experience with Redhawks either and assumed that was just the way the gun was made. If you become unhappy with your new toy, by all means shoot me and PM and in the new year when my finances are in better shape ill purchase the gun back from you.;)
 
Beautiful grips on your revolver, but I gotta say that gap is crazy looking. I just pulled my GP100 out to see if I'd missed something, but the gap on mine is tight and consistent top to bottom.....weird.
 
pageophile said:
Hi, thanks for sharing.

Not to p*ss on your parade but that gap at the crane/frame looks way off.

I've had three Redhawks, two regular and one Super and none of them looked anything like that.

Just my 0.02 nad worth as much as you paid for it.

Again, not trying to be a ####, just letting you know what I've seen with my previous Redhawks.
Click to expand...

Check your MP pageophile

I am a buyer for your BFR 6 INCH ..WAITING FOR YOUR NEW.

Not delay TOO

SOL
 
PC81,
Glad you finally got a KRH444! Now that we both have one we can stop crying on each other's shoulders about the wait;)

Nice grips...btw! Hope you get it out to the range soon.

Here's a pic of my gap. I don't know how you were able to focus the camera but this is the best I could do. Hope it helps.

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Took a quick photo of my GP 100 and SP 101. There is a touch of gap but just in the immediate area of the ejector rod and its housing. I didn't get as sharpe a focus as I should've:redface:.

RugerGP100SP101framegap.jpg
 
Well, I shot 50 rounds at the range this afternoon, and she is bang on. Hitting the 12" chickens at 40 yards no problem. She is a keeper for sure.

Johnto, I set my camera to Macro mode to get a clean focus that close. Also, I angled my camera to almost exaggerate the gap (so you guys could see clearly what I was reffering to). The gap is just big enough to slip a piece or two in, but not a finger nail or anything.

Looking at your guys' photos I am not worried about this one at all. Also, after looking at some more photos online, I see there are lots worse off then mine, that Ruger said were within specification.

Thanks for sharing your photos guys.
 
I don't care for stainless steel, but I do like the look of those grips so much I might want to get some for my blued Redhawk (5.5" barrel.)
 
Pancake81 said:
Well, I shot 50 rounds at the range this afternoon, and she is bang on. Hitting the 12" chickens at 40 yards no problem. She is a keeper for sure.

Johnto, I set my camera to Macro mode to get a clean focus that close. Also, I angled my camera to almost exaggerate the gap (so you guys could see clearly what I was reffering to). The gap is just big enough to slip a piece or two in, but not a finger nail or anything.

Looking at your guys' photos I am not worried about this one at all. Also, after looking at some more photos online, I see there are lots worse off then mine, that Ruger said were within specification.

Thanks for sharing your photos guys.
Click to expand...

Glad your happy, its a nice piece and built Ruger tough for those hot hand loads if you happen to reload. Im thinking of getting a 460V in the new year lol.
 
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