New revolver

[sogarimfire]

Hi guy I purchased my first centerfire revolver today.What should I be expecting when I shoot this beast.Ill be firing WWB 240g Ive shot a 357mag before but not a 44mag.Any suggestions on a scope and holster,Would love to kill a whitetail with it before the season is out . Thanks.

 

[Big Bill]

Congratulations! I had one for several years and finally gifted it to my son. It was just too heavy for me to carry around. (I'm getting older.) I didn't have a scope on mine, I was/am too much of a traditionalist to put a scope on it.

 

[jrb_pro]

Very nice!! Congrats on getting a great wheelgun!

 

[hardluk1]

How far do you think your shoots at deer might be? Any number of good quility red dots or halographic sites would be very fast on target and if the dot is on target you should hit it. For scopes a 2 power up to 2x7 are your choices but you will find you need a very good hold at most distance's. It will depend more on your hunting still ,stand or walk'n, as to what works for you. I have many years hunting hogs along with a couple deer with a 357 dan wesson and used a farly cheap red dot and made shots out to 75 yards on deer but bow distances are much more likely. I now have a 44 DW with a 35mm burris red dot and it will like my 357 will shoot 3" groups at 100 yards at the bench. Keeps dot size small like 3". Two buddies put EOtec 512's with a 1" dot on the ruger SRH and shoot just as well. Hollster's? many make cross chest holster for big heavy revolvers,I went cheapy and bought a uncle mikes. Ain't fancy but works well.

 

[bkhosken]

With that barrel, you will not have any problem controlling it. It's not going to be that bad, more like a 357 with a 3"-4" barrel. The weight and length of that barrel will help you out a LOT.

 

[sogarimfire]

Thanks guys.hardluk1 I have also been looking at Uncle Mikes holsters.Most of my shots will be around the 40-75 yard range but would like to sail one to 100 yards.Im thinking of red dot myself but going to shop around and make sure what I like.I think it might be a little challenging holding the heavy gun up and look thru a powered scope.Will be stand and walk hunting and using a tree next to me as a rest haha.

 

[32 Magnum]

With the longer barrels - gaining a steady sight picture, under duress, will be a bit dicey. Heavy handguns get wobbly very quickly. I'd suggest you find a firm branch, tree trunk, etc. upon which to rest your barrel while sighting - especially if you're planning on shooting 100 yards. Be humane - insure a clean kill.

 

[Cosmoline]

For the heavy Rugers in particular I love the Alaska Sportsman chest holster. It distributes the weight much better than a traditional belt and allows for more flexibility when scrambling around scree and up rocks.

 

[Confederate]

The .44 mag is a little much for my taste, but if you're going after whitetails, it's worth mastering. If you don't own and use a .357, however, I heartily recommend you pick up a GP-100 and practice with it.

The .44 mags have many purposes, but being fun to shoot isn't one of them, at least for new shooters (in most cases). The .357 is, and it's capable of a great variation of ammo and purposes.

The Ruger .44 is a strong and heavy revolver, but I see it more as a tool. The .357 I hope will be your next handgun.

 

[hardluk1]

sogarimfire I think we all used trees for rest when you can but watch for bark blast. Some of these newsingle pole grip lever shooting sticks seem to work well for stand hunting if you have some kind of loop to rest it against. It can be a challenge for sure. You might have a hard time finding all the red dots scopes as most only sell a small amounts but if your close to a bass pro or cabelia's you might have better luck. My burris came site unseen, only read reviews and i am very happy with it. You will need a adaptor to the gun and Wiegand make a good easy to mount adaptor. I don't reload my hunting ammo and am doing to try the double tap 240gr jsp at 1500 fps. My buddies rugers get better than 1480 out of them and it get a bit closer to there advertized velocity. Good luck with your SRH this season.

 

[zombie44]

Colt Python 4" 357 mag vs Ruger SRH Alaskan 2.5" 44 mag, I much prefer shooting the 44 mag. In terms of recoil the 357 is just plain violent with a crackling muzzleblast while the 44 is more of a thump and BOOM. But it's probably more of an individual thing so shoot both and decide for yourself

 

[sogarimfire]

Thanks for all the info guys.I think Im going to stay with the iron sights for a while and keep shots 50 yards and under until I get used to it.I will be reloading for it at some point.

 

[Taildragger-J3]

One option is loading it with 44 Specials. They shoot BEAUTIFULLY in a 44 mag without all the fuss & bother and have more than enough stopping capacity for a white tail IMHO.

 

[Ole Coot]

Good gun, plenty of loads just get plenty of practice and it won't let you down if you do your part.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

Nice revolver man, thats my kinda rig. Don't worry about the recoil, darn near anyone could shoot super redhawk well if they don't psyche themselves out before pulling the trigger.
Don't forget a range report, and pics with any critters you bag.

Best of luck.