Ruger Super Redhawk 454 Problems?

[Para-Medic]

Does anyone know how long these will last in terms of rounds fired? Are there any documented tests on this gun? I'd only be shooting .45 Colt out of it if I got one. I see some people on the 'net talking bad about them and their Redhawk counterpart some times.

 

[Hammerdown77]

I have one, and it is overbuilt to the max. ESPECIALLY if all you are putting through it is 45 Colt.

454 Casull is a HOT round (55k to 60+k PSI pressures), and the SRH is designed to digest a steady diet of that particular round. There's no way you are going to wear it out shooting 45 Colt.

I love mine. It's one of the most versatile guns I own, but I also handload both 45 Colt and 454 Casull.

 

[CraigC]

One of the last sixguns I'd ever worry about wearing out.

 

[98Redline]

You could shoot the hottest 454 loads in that gun from the day you bought it and your wrists would give out before the SRH did.

IMHO the SRH is probably "the" most overbuilt production gun available.


Just one other small piece of advise if you are going to be shooting .45colt loads out of it: Ensure that you scrub the chambers really well before shooting .454 loads. The shorter 45 colt ammunition can leave a "crud ring" in the cylinder just ahead of the end of the case. When you follow up with a 454 load in the longer case, the crud ring can cause excessive and potentially dangerous pressure spikes.....especially with a high pressure caliber like a 454.

 

[codefour]

I just pulled the trigger on a SRH .454 Casull in 7.5 inch. I chose it over the .44 Mag. I have shot plenty of .44 Mag but wanted the extra power of the .454. I am plaing a few trips in bear country and wanted a hand cannon.

I tried to research reviews of the SRH .454 but all I could seem to find was the Alaskan reviews.

It would be nice to know if any other SRH .454 owners have had any problems with their SRH's as well? Any warranty issues?

 

[CraigC]

It could be argued that all the handloader gains with the .454 is range. For the .44Mag at standard pressures, 330gr and 355gr LBT's can be pushed at 1350 and 1250fps respectively. Brian Pearce supplies us with "+P" data for the big Ruger DA's pushing a 340gr at 1400fps. Meanwhile Hodgdon's .454 data tops out with a 360gr at 1400fps and a 395gr at 1300fps. Those two bullets have a comparable sectional density to the .44's 330gr and 355gr. At those levels and really anything over 1200-1300fps, all you're gaining is a lot of recoil and a little flatter trajectory. The difference is not as distinct as some believe.

The real party pooper is the .480. Despite its beefy appearance, it is lighter than its .44Mag counterpart, even lighter than some .44Mag single actions but it beats them all ballistically too. Lighter 275-325gr jacketed pills can be pushed at blistering velocities (1500-1700fps) for deer but it can also handle the massive 420-430gr LBT's at 1200fps for pretty much anything that walks or crawls on planet earth.

 

[svtruth]

Check

the thread about flame cutting cylinders by .45s in .454.
If you are carrying the .454 in bear country you will have to shoot the bear, it is too heavy to run with. BTW, Buffalo Bore makes a 360gr .454 which is quite accurate.

 

[Hammerdown77]

I think those pressures for the max 454 loads on Hodgdon's website are kinda low. The Taurus Raging Bull guns cannot take the pressure that the SRH's or the FA can (I'd think the FA can take significantly higher pressure than the SRH anyway, although I don't know how much); therefore, Hodgdon is going to have to publish data that is safe for the lowest common denominator, which in this case is probably the Taurus.

A 335 at 1500+ fps in the 454 is a load with lots of safety margin. The guns can take that all day long. I would think a 340 grain 44 mag running 1400 fps is right on the ragged edge.

To me, the biggest benefit of the 454 over a 44 Mag or hot 45 Colt, is 1) Caliber increase, in the case of the comparison to the 44, and 2) Safety margin, in the case of both 44 Mag and 45 Colt "+P" type loadings.

Of course, 5-shot cylinders (for either the 45 Colt or 44 Mag) change these equations entirely.

 

[CraigC]

Most commerical loads are in the 50,000psi range. The Freedom Arms can run 65,000psi all day long every day but the Ruger starts seeing sticky extraction at those levels. Remember that Carpenter Custom 465 alloy they chose to build the cylinders with was chosen more for its elasticity than sheer tensile strength. Which is the reason for the sticky extraction. The sixguns really only need that high strength alloy for proofing. If all you ran was factory or handloads in the 50,000psi range, the standard .45Colt Redhawk will do just fine. Ross Seyfried once said that if you have a strong .45Colt, there is no need for the .454 and I would have to agree. With heavyweight cast bullets, added velocity beats you up for no good reason.

Not ragged edge at all. You can't stuff enough slow burning powder in a .44Mag case to hurt a Redhawk or Super Redhawk. Those heavy 340gr loads are suggested for those guns only and are in the neighborhood of 48,000psi. Which is well within the capability of the guns suggested with plenty of safety margin. Remember, there is also .45Colt data for the Redhawk that runs up to and over 50,000psi. So one must ask, what does the handloader really need the .454 for???

 

[Hunt480]

With heavyweight cast bullets, added velocity beats you up for no good reason.

Never been a truer statement...I have been better off since I finally figured this out speaking for myself...Accuracy is alot better too

 

[Cosmoline]

Well the SRH's have been floating around the Alaska market and getting pretty good use since the late 90's and the used ones still seem sound. I have yet to see any that were shot out or too loose. Obviously there's a limiting factor due to recoil and cost, but I do see them getting shot a lot more than the X frames.

 

[gbran]

I've had mine over 5 years and put a lot of high power loads thru it. I reload from mild to wild. I sometimes use some milder rounds and just don't put 45LC's thu it.

[/IMG]

 

[highlander 5]

The only problem I've run into is I have to clean the cylinder face on a regular basis otherwise it will bind due to the tight cylinder gap. The trigger pull can use some work but other than that you got a pistol that is damn near indestrucible.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Get a 460 magnum. Problem solved. Just kidding. I was going to get a SRH, but I realized I wanted to have the capability to launch a rocket. 460, 454, 45LC

 

[cottonmouth]

Sadly it will wear out one day, but something tells me you won't be around to worry about it! I love mine and this post may be the very reason I pull it out of the safe and touch off a few rounds tomorrow, it shoots 300 grain Sierra JSP's pretty good with a high dose of 2400.

J.B.

 

[Confederate]

The springs will indeed wear out some day. I suspect archeologists some day will be pulling those things out of the rubble and wondering what the hell the people of our time were thinking about. I can just see it now....

"I don't understand it, George. There were no cape buffalo living in Pennsylvania in the early 21st Century!"

They'll probably conclude that they outlawed rifles.

Shooting .45 Colts out of the Ruger SRH seems to be a bit strange to me, but some people like to shoot and work out at the same time.

.

 

[PapaG]

Your great-great grandchildren will still be trying to wear it out. Unless you live in IL and before they come along our state will have confiscated them or taxed them out of existance.

 

[codefour]

Well, I do not plan on shooting any .45 LC through it. I figured I bought a .454 Casull, that is what I was intending to shoot through it anyway. I know it will not be cheap to reload. It is almost twice the cost to handload versus the .44 Mag.

Thank you for all the responses. I am glad nobody reported they had a SRH with timing, accuracy, or quality control issues.

I know many will say this is better or worse than that caliber. But it does not matter. They all get the job done. I am the one shooting these "punishing" loads. And they are actually not that bad at all.