Ruger Redhawk .45 ACP / .45 Colt

[whatnickname]

i recently acquired a LNIB Redhawk. My question is this:

The Ruger Blackhawk is designed to take high pressure loads in .45 Colt caliber that are the equal of those of the .44 Magnum. The reloading manuals say nothing about the use of these same loads in the Redhawk. Is the Redhawk in .45 Colt constructed as strongly as the Blackhawk? Is it safe to use with high pressure + P loads?

 

[Hanzo581]

While certainly not definitive, this was on their site when I clicked on the 45lc Redhawk.

• Rugged stainless steel construction with no side plates, is designed specifically to handle powerful magnum loads through extra metal in top strap, sidewalls and barrel mounting areas.
  

 

[cowboy77845]

This was discussed on the Ruger forum in some detail, I bought one to shoot 45 Win mag loads from. Then found out the moon clips would not chamber Winchester brass without some alteration. According to the article Starline brass works ok. As soon as I receive it I am going to see what Underwood will do. I do not reload and I have a bunch of 45Win mag I have accumulated over the years. Seems like it will handle the 45+ P loads. I think I made a 1000 dollar mistake.

 

[entropy]

Much stronger. I shot HOT loads my Dad made for his Ruger .44 auto rifle out of mine, without a hiccup. They were so loaded up, I had to shave the lead off the front down to the jacket line to get the cylinder to close. Bear in mind the Redhawk frame has been used by Bowen, Leinbaugh, and others for some rounds that make .44 Mag. look kinda pipsqueakish.

 

[DPris]

The Red is stronger than the Black & fully capable of handling any COMMERCIALLY-PRODUCED & SOLD .45 Colt and .45 ACP round on the market.

It will also chamber longer .45 Colt rounds/bullets than the Black.

It IS possible to blow one up by getting stupid with handloads, but it's a very strong gun.

You may find inferior accuracy in ACP rounds in the convertible model with many loads, just be aware.
Denis

 

[vba]

I load my .45 Colt Redhawk with 10.0 grains of Unique over a 255 grain cast bullet. Recoil is mild and velocity, based on an article in Guns Magazine, is ~1000 fps. In other words just right for me.

 

[whatnickname]

The Red is stronger than the Black & fully capable of handling any COMMERCIALLY-PRODUCED & SOLD .45 Colt and .45 ACP round on the market.

It will also chamber longer .45 Colt rounds/bullets than the Black.

It IS possible to blow one up by getting stupid with handloads, but it's a very strong gun.

You may find inferior accuracy in ACP rounds in the convertible model with many loads, just be aware.
Denis

Thanks Denis. I do hand load and fully realize the potential for de-commissioning a weapon. Not going to do anything stupid but would like to use the loads in the current Hornady manual that are ear-marked for the Ruger Blackhawk & TC. What's your opinion here?

 

[whatnickname]

I load my .45 Colt Redhawk with 10.0 grains of Unique over a 255 grain cast bullet. Recoil is mild and velocity, based on an article in Guns Magazine, is ~1000 fps. In other words just right for me.

That's pretty stout for a lead bullet load. I use a cast 255 grain SWC over 8.0 grains of Unique in my Vaqueros and Uberti revolvers. That's gonna push the bullet around 850 fps more or less. Not a barn burner but for social functions I can't imagine anyone volunteering to step in front of one of those.

 

[DPris]

The Reds can handle any handload the Blacks can.
Denis

 

[whatnickname]

The Reds can handle any handload the Blacks can.
Denis

Thank you

 

[vba]

That's pretty stout for a lead bullet load. I use a cast 255 grain SWC over 8.0 grains of Unique in my Vaqueros and Uberti revolvers. That's gonna push the bullet around 850 fps more or less. Not a barn burner but for social functions I can't imagine anyone volunteering to step in front of one of those.

Yes, it may appear to be stout, but recoil is not bad at all and it is accurate in my gun. I do not shoot this load in my New Vaquero. I keep the Vaquero between 7 to 8.5 grains of Unique.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I had a Ruger RedHawk. 5.5"bbl.
Yes, It's stronger even than the Blackhawk. But, realize it's HEAVY!!! Even at that, the recoil is brutal with ".45magnum' loads.

I loaded some Lee .452 300gr FNGC over 20.0gr of #2400. I once shot a 6-shot 1-hole group with it at 25yds off a bench rest. That was all I stand to shoot at one time.

I found the gun too heavy for all day carry. Traded for a S&W 329PD. Too light. Sold it. I now have a S&W M625 "Mountain Gun". I wouldn't even dream of shooting such loads through it, but don't need to. I normally carry the RCBS 270gr SWC over 9.2gr of LongShot. Otherwise I shoot it a lot with either Lee 255gr RFN over 8.2gr of Universal or 6.0gr of RedDot or 6.5gr GreenDot.
It's accurate with the Lee 200gr SWC, but requires raising the sights.

 

[Walkalong]

If I was going to carry it a lot and shoot it occasionally, I would also tend to go lighter than the Redhawk for .44 Mag or Ruger Only .45 Colt. That said, my Redhawk is a range toy, and I love it.

 

[VThillman]

The Redhawk is stronger than the Blackhawk. The Redhawk is regularly chambered in 44 Magnum, the Blackhawk is not. The Super Redhawk is built up in significant places to handle the beyond-44 Magnum cartridges (454Casull, etc.) The Super Blackhawk is the Blackhawk's big brother.

 

[Riomouse911]

Since you are not a handloader, Buffalo Bore makes stout loads for your .45 Colt Redhawk. They are really pricy and they do kick, but they'll take the fight out of just about anything you will run into on this Continent. Regular cowboy 255 LFN loads will make perfect practice ammo, and recoil will feel like you are shooting a .38 in the Redhawk.

You may want to think about buying a Lee setup and getting into handloading. I did many years ago, and I can honestly say it has saved me thousands of dollars over the cost of retail ammo purchases in .38 spl, .357 mag, 44 spl, .44 mag and .45 Colt.

 

[huntsman]

The Redhawk is stronger than the Blackhawk. The Redhawk is regularly chambered in 44 Magnum, the Blackhawk is not. The Super Redhawk is built up in significant places to handle the beyond-44 Magnum cartridges (454Casull, etc.) The Super Blackhawk is the Blackhawk's big brother.

Ok but the Blackhawk uses the same frame as the SBH.

 

[Varminterror]

Some folks here need to do more reading before they make claims about frame sizes and strength among Rugers.

It's well documented in multiple places online - even here in this forum - the Redhawk and Super Redhawk (which share the same cylinder and frame dimensions save the grip tenon and barrel lug) are "stronger" than the Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk (which also share the same cylinder and frame dimensions). The only exceptions are the flattop Blackhawks and old models on the mid-frame.

The cylinder is the primary failure point for over-pressure use. The RH, SRH, BH, and SBH all use the same steel in the cylinders for .44mag, however, the RH/SRH cylinder has thicker walls than the BH/SBH.

However - also well documented is the fact the Single Action design with the solid main pin is more durable. So while a BH/SBH will blow up with loads which the RH/SRH will not, the RH/SRH will shoot loose before the BH/SBH. It's also much cheaper to repair a loosened BH/SBH than their double action counterparts. Mainpins, hands, and locking bolts for the BH/SBH are readily available on the market, not so for crane/pivot assemblies, pawls, and locking bolts for the RH/SRH.

And since all of the Rugers are proofed for double loads, the "strength" question largely becomes moot anyway.

AND - of course - if a person is shooting enough to wear out any of the Ruger revolvers, then the price to replace the firearm will pale in comparison to the price of ammo which they have fed to it. I've ran about 3,800 cylinder length 300 XTP's over 22.0grn W296/H110 (overbook load - proceed at your own risk) through a 1998 .44mag SBH, with a total count over 10,000 through it and other than normal wear and tear and a few replacement parts, it's as tight and accurate as any Ruger you might pick up on the shelf today. Figuring 30c for the bullet, 8c for the powder, 3c for the primer, and a penny for brass life, having paid on the order of $400 for the revolver ~20yrs ago, I've paid FOUR TIMES as much on just the XTP loads ran through it, not to mention a couple thousand factory loads which would have been in the 5-6x ballpark, and a few thousand other loads which would have also made up for multiple times the expense of the revolver.

Cost of ownership for a Ruger revolver is most accurately measure by the ammo cost, not the revolver cost.

 

[cfullgraf]

My 45 Colt Redhawk will last forever as I only shoot nothing hotter than standard 45 Colt loads in it. If I want wrist snapping recoil and 427 Chevy block penetrating loads, I'll drag out my X-frame S&W in 460 Magnum.

Regardless of what a gun may handle, I do not load it with anything hotter than what chambering that is stamped on the barrel.

That is my choice, your wants and desires may differ.

 

[huntsman]

Well that's one way to do it,but I don't want to buy another gun if one will suit my needs.