Ruger Redhawk trigger question

[bikemutt]

I'm visiting a pal today and he breaks out this Ruger Redhawk .44 mag he just picked up for $400. It's in quite nice shape visually, feels tight enough in the cylinder but not like new. Then I check the double-action trigger and OMG, it's smoother and lighter than my Colt Python!

Are all the Redhawks like this? And, just to be clear, this is not a Super Redhawk.

For comparison we both squeezed on my S&W 626 which has a DA trigger more like I'm accustomed to, you have to really squeeze it it. We moved to my Anaconda which again is more like the S&W.

I told him I swear his RH has had a trigger job, he just smiles and says whatever.

If all RHs have a trigger like this one, sign me up!

 

[beatledog7]

My Rugers have very smooth DA triggers and almost scary SA triggers. I am not their first owner so don't know what work they may have had.

 

[Mauser lover]

The one that I shot had a really nice trigger, but it isn't mine, and it the guy that let me shoot it didn't buy it new.

 

[flatlander937]

FWIW, I've never actually live-fired a revolver...

But I've been ogling over and fondling every revolver at my local gun store, as I think I want something in .357 very soon. I also looked at the Ruger Alaskan and some larger S&W wheel guns as well... My impressions from dry firing a bit of everything in single and double action was that the Rugers all had incredibly smooth and slightly lighter double action triggers, and the Smiths mostly had shorter and lighter single action triggers. I can see how the term "hair trigger" came to be

 

[stevelyn]

All the Redhawks generally have nice smooth DA triggers. The complaints are with a SA pulls. Don't know why. Mine seems to be okay. It's also pretty easy to swap out the springs on one for a lighter or heavier pull. One coil mainspring basically runs the whole works.

Mine is currently a pile of parts on my table I haven't put back together yet after having opened up the throats a bit. I'm considering a spring swap.

 

[Walkalong]

The DA on a Redhawk can be super smooth with some judicious polishing in the right places. Very even through the pull as well. The single action can be quite nice as well, but will be longer than a Smiths.

After polishing some areas (No real metal removal) they open and close more smoothly than anything I have. The only thing comparable was an Anaconda I had, and my 4" nickle 57 comes close.

The geometry/design of the Redhawk action is excellent, although the two spring GP-100 design is an "improvement" in many folks eyes. It too, can have a super smooth DA. Kind of miss mine sometimes.

 

[WNC Seabee]

The DA on my 4" Redhawk is awfully nice. The SA is a bit rough though compared to my S&W N frames.

 

[gunnie61]

I have 3 rugers....blackhawk .41mag, redhawk .44mag and a gp100 357 and they all have nice triggers all thought i really like the SA better the redhawk in SA has like a 2# trigger very touchy the blackhawk (only SA) is also very light i like them better than my smiths and dan wesson

 

[skidder]

I've had my Redhawk since it's birth in 97, and it has the best DA trigger out of all my DA revolvers. Close 2nd is a Llama 38 followed by my K22. The worst DA trigger belongs to my S101 and Sportsman 999.
The best SA trigger goes to my K22 and SP101.

Nice to see others have discovered this truth about the Redhawk .

 

[WardenWolf]

I can't really speak for Colt, but S&W rather hampered their own development with their fixed "frame" designs. They left themselves little or no room for revolutionary changes by essentially locking themselves into specific layouts decades ago. As a result, the trigger on a Smith may not be as good as a more modern design that was built new from the ground up. Other newer revolver designs may also have benefitted from their designers having a "fresh look".

 

[Master Blaster]

I had a redhawk .44 mag (2007 production) I was never able to make the trigger close to as good as the trigger on my 29 and 629 S&W. I tried a Wolf spring kit and when I tried the next lighter spring to the stock spring it would not fire reliably in double action with any magnum or standard primers I tried. The lyman trigger pull gauge registered 17 lbs double action and 7 lbs single action with the stock spring. I sent it back to Ruger and they said it was within spec. I sold it on consignment shortly after getting it back from Ruger. I also had an SP101. It was not easy to shoot accurately with the fixed sights, and heavy trigger, The trigger on mine was sharp on the edges and I ended up Filing it round to make it comfortable to shoot. In the end I sold it because it was too big and heavy to pocket carry, and not a good target gun at all, so it just sat in my safe.

BTW I have a Blackhawk .45 convertable with two cylinders, a Super blackhawk .44 mag circa 1980 and a XR frame .45 colt Vaquero I like them all very much, and the SA triggers on all of them are great with the stock springs so I am not a Ruger hater.

 

[Nakanokalronin]

FYI, the reason why the pull is so light on the Redhawks is because it uses a single spring for both the trigger AND the hammer unlike the GP100 or SP101 for example.

Click on the "single spring mechanism" : http://www.ruger.com/products/redhawk/features.html

The trigger pull on my 5.5" Redhawk in 45lc is a lot lighter then the pull on my GP100 or SP101, although I don't find them bad at all.

You have to watch it when putting in a lighter spring with the Redhawk since you might start getting clicks instead of bangs like stated above.