Redhawk Hunter or Blackhawk Bisley Hunter

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TxWolf

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I have been wanting to find a Ruger Redhawk Hunter model in 44 mag so I will be able to put a scope on it for hunting and more accurate target shooting. However I have been looking at the Blackhawk Bisley Hunter and read some pretty good things about them and the way they handle recoil. Was wanting info from people that may have shot both. I can handle the recoil of the 44mag full throttle loads but not all day. The one I get will mostly be a target gun shooting light handloads with the possibility of deer or hog shooting. Have a DA Smith and Wesson 29 so having a SA would be no problem.
 
A good friend had the bisley hunter and it was softer shooting than my redhawk with the same ammo. Bu I only fired one cylinder in his gun because we were supposed to be deer hunting. It was nice. The redhawk is like an extension of my arm though.
 
TxWolf, here is my Super Blackhawk Bisley, 44 Mag. Just came back from Ruger on Thursday, the "transfer bar" broke. I installed an Ultra-Dot and replaced the factory grips. I will be heading to range on Monday morning, to make sure the Ultra-Dot is still on the money.

I did have a scoped Super Redhawk (9.5"). You needed two men and boy to carry it in a holster. Sold it and made a nice profit. I'm going to hold on to Hunter. I also have a S&W 629-6 that is in my carry rotation. I haven't shot the Ruger loads out of it (23.5 GR. W-296). I've downloaded to 10.0 GR. W-231 for the 629. Very mild and accurate load.

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I've owned both. I find the Redhawk's recoil less disturbing, though the Bisley Hunter isn't too far behind. The standard plow handle Blackhawk is the least recoil friendly of the three to me when it comes to the big bore magnums.
 
I prefer the Bisley BH Hunter. I have one topped with a 2-7 scope. Even with the stoutest loads recoil is manageable. The scope, rib, and longer barrel helps in the recoil department. With reloads I can get 4” groups at 100 yds.
 
Either will have to be your subjective choice. I have both, and honestly I cannot tell much difference in the recoil “impulse” when it comes to the 41/44/45. Where the SA does start to stand out is the bigger bores...like the 500s. At that level the SA tends to, for me, “roll” in my grip as I shoot. As to pointability, if that is such a word, I tend to find the SA more natural, but that’s not to say the DA is not just as sexy. As for accuracy, there’s tons of data out there, and easy to load for. Hunting? Any good 240-280 grain load and 9-10 grains of Unique and go forth and take game. Good luck! Let us know what you decide.
 
I have the Bisley Blackhawk Hunter in .44 and I love the way it handles. I shoot full house loads all day. I had the Super Redhawk in .44 at one time but sold it. The Bisley Grip handles recoil better IMO by sending it back instead of rolling it up like the standard grip. I am also a fan of the Single action over the double action in larger bore pistols being used for hunting.
 
thanks for the info/opinions. I appreciate it. Ideally I would like to shoot both side by side but thats not likely to happen. May take a while before I get to handle both but will post pics when I get one. Really like the looks of the redhawk better but this gun will probably get a scope on it which will diminish from aesthetics of a revover anyway. At least for me. But the purpose for the gun is mostly what I am looking for anyway.
 
The Redhawk (not Super), when shot in single action, pits the trigger pull against the mainspring tension. So it won't be as light as the Blackhawk. It can be very crisp, but it can only get so light whilst still maintaining reliable ignition.
 
I owned a Bisley Hunter in .44 Mag for some time and it was a very good revolver. It was accurate and handled well. Killed a few critters with it including a 225 lb. wild sow.
 
What did you shoot that Cape buffalo with if you don’t mind me asking?

edit: never mind. Just watched the videos. Lol.
 
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The Redhawk (not Super), when shot in single action, pits the trigger pull against the mainspring tension. So it won't be as light as the Blackhawk. It can be very crisp, but it can only get so light whilst still maintaining reliable ignition.

This is the most important distinction between the two, in my opinion.

Both guns are very good, but both will need trigger jobs right out of the box. Just about any hack can do a passable job with the Blackhawk, but the Redhawk needs the attention of an above-average gunsmith. So for my money...

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Thats good information 38spcl. Nice setup there too. May take a while to find one but I will. Won't buy one that I can't hold and inspect either. Anything I should be aware of or look for in particular that anyone wants to share?
 
I got lucky with one that had a reasonable trigger. It's actually the only Ruger revolver I have owned that did not get a trigger job. I used the old trick of lifting one leg of the return spring off of its peg, which resulted in a three pound trigger with a manageable amount of creep. The problem, though, is that I suspect you could try a dozen of them and not get that kind of luck. As I often have written, I budget for a trip to the gunsmith whenever I buy a new revolver.

Personally, I would simply inspect the gun for really hard-to-fix things like poor mating of the frame parts. I suppose I would try the trigger, because that's just what you do, but again, the trigger almost certainly needs to be fixed anyway. At absolute most, I would bring a few pin gauges to ensure that the throats are uniform and appropriately sized. My experience with the Hunter models, though, is that they tend to be dimensionally identical to one another.

TL;DR: Just buy one. It'll be imperfect. Add a hundred dollars to the purchase price to pay the gunsmith. Then shoot it. If it outshoots you, you're done. If you outshoot it, firelap it. Either way, you will then have a hell of a gun.
 
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0431A7A6-F86F-4FF5-8D81-DF11B43DEC23.jpeg for full magnum loads, i find the standard superblackhawk frame soaks up recoil best

i wear cheap leather work gloves, and let the gun “roll up” in my hands

I can shoot it a lot more that a double action gun without fatigue
 
Not exact comparison but I had a blackhawk 357, vaquero 45 colt, and currently have a Redhawk 44 mag.

The single action recoil never felt objectionable at all. The gun would roll back into my hand

The Redhawk pushes straight back and let's you know it's there.

To me even warm 357 loads in an SP101 had quite a bit more recoil than Buffalo bore 45 and 357 out of the single actions.

The thing for me came down to which platform could I shoot more accurately.
 
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