Ruger Redhawk In 45 Colt (long Colt)

[32winspl]

Hey Folks,
Ruger now offers a Redhawk 4" in .45 Colt. It's also available in .44mag, .454Casull, and .480Ruger, maybe others. I'm interested in the KRH-45-4 6 shot, 4 " .45 Colt version. Does anyone here know if it has the same metalurgy or tempering as the .44mag or .454Casull versions? Or is it only hardened to accept .45 Colt (long colt) pressures? In my Hornady reloading manuals 5th and 7th editions, I see that there are 2 load levels; 1 for standard .45 Colt and 1 for use only in Contenders and Blackhawks ONLY. (not Redhawks).
I don't want to buy/carry a Super Redhawk. I think that they are butt-ugly and way bigger than I'd care to carry. Now I know that I could buy a .44mag Redhawk and load it with .44 spl's up to .44mags for anything from home defence to full-house hunting loads. But from my several loading manuals, it appears that I could do the same with the .45 colt if the revolver itself is up to the pressures. I know that if I bought the Super Redhawk Alaskan, I could have a revolver designed for really high pressures, but it only comes with a 2 1/2" barrel.
Now, the way I do my math, a .45 colt is 1.1 times larger frontal area than a .44, or a .44 is .905 the size of a 45 cal. I don't know if this means anything at all other than I am of the opinion that larger and heavier beats smaller and lighter. Now with either caliber (44spl/44mag) vs (45colt/454casull) I'm almost certainly going to go with the softer loading for self-defence. But I also want the higher pressure loading for possible hunting. But I still want all of this in a 4 to 5 1/2 " gun. Am I just nitpicking? I'm sure I can download the 454 casull to any pressure level I want; but how far up can I load the 45 Colt?
Is the Ruger Redhawk in 45Colt made of the same stuff as the .44mag Ruger Redhawk? I hope you guys are seeing what I'm trying to ask here.
Robb

 

[campbell]

Ruger now offers a Redhawk 4" in .45 Colt. It's also available in .44mag, .454Casull, and .480Ruger, maybe others.

Redhawk comes in .44 mag and .45 Colt. Alaskan version of the Super Redhawk comes in .454 and .480 as well as .44.

Does anyone here know if it has the same metalurgy or tempering as the .44mag or .454Casull versions?

.44 mag and .45 Colt Redhawk are same steel and heat treat. .454 Super Redhawk has upgraded steel in the cylinder and barrel (Custom 465 and 15-5) to handle the pressure.

Now, the way I do my math, a .45 colt is 1.1 times larger frontal area than a .44, or a .44 is .905 the size of a 45 cal. I don't know if this means anything at all other than I am of the opinion that larger and heavier beats smaller and lighter.

Besides frontal area, an advantage of the .45 Colt is that the increased diameter and case capacity means it handles heavier bullets (300+ grains) easier than the .44 mag.

how far up can I load the 45 Colt?

.45 Colt Redhawk will take "Ruger Only" .45 Colt loads, up to 32,000 PSI, and you'll wear out before the gun does.(actually a bit higher, but there's not much point as you're already putting two holes in any North American animal with standard "Ruger only" loads)

 

[20nickels]

Yes it can be loaded way down. A better option would be to use Short Colt brass for light loads. Someone on this board has one machined to add .45ACP and 45 Win Mag in moonclips to the list.

 

[VA27]

Get one and don't worry. I've had mine for a coupla months now and I've fired most of the "Ruger Only" loads, including some with a cast 420gr 45/70 bullet sized down to .451. (It's suprizingly accurate with that load, too.)

I've used these same loads in a .45 Blackhawk, the cylinder walls of which are thinner than the Redhawk.

The 4" Redhawk is a dandy gun, although I don't like the Hogue grips. I picked up a pair of old Redhawk wood grips and put on a Tyler T-Grip for 'normal' loads. For the hot/heavy stuff, a pair of Pachmayer Presentation grips helps with the 'bump'.