MatthewVanitas
Member
One of the shooting niches I really enjoy is shooting relatively big bullets at low speeds, so I've been debating getting a big-bore snubby for that. I'll emphasize it's for no practical hunting/bear/CCW/HD purpose, just for casual shooting fun and to have something interesting to handload for.
Looking at options, most of the N-frame S&Ws look to be pretty pricey, particularly as many of the all-steel big-bore snubbies have been out of production for a while, and the Scandium ones seem much more suited to carry than range use and have some scary blowup cases that make handloading sound less appealing. That mostly leaves Ruger as the option, and they're come out with some really cool big-bore options in the last 5-10 years. The main models I've been considering are the GP100 in 10mm or .44 Special, the Redhawk in .41 Mag, or the Super Redhawk in .480 Ruger. I'm less interested in 44 Mag or 45 Colt or Cassul since I want something a little unconventional just for cachet and handloading weirdness.
At this point I'm mostly focused on either the snubby .41 Redhawk or the .480 Alaskan Super Redhawk snub. (The 10mm just seems barely into the big-bore category, the 44Spl doesn't come any shorter than 3"). Would either of these be good options for casually shooting big fat marbles at low velocity, just for the joy of a mellow(ish) boom with an authoritative thwack on the target end?
The Redhawk has some appeal because I like traditional frames with actual front/back strap and slab grips, plus almost every sixgun I've owned felt better with a Tyler T-Grip (I have small hands). The Super Redhawk grip (which is apparently the same as the GP100) looks less small-hand friendly in stock form, though a Pachmayer might help fix that, but supposedly the multi-spring SRH/GP system is easier to get a good trigger pull on than the RH/SS system. Or should I really be taking a harder look at the Smiths, and the considerable extra cash would be worth it to get a snubby 696, 657, 625, etc? The .41 Redhawk snub can be found just under $600 new, and I'd think a 657 snub will be both hard to find and cost double that.
Any suggestions on my best bet for basically "lobbing a brick" for range fun, and the joy of a big bore in a fat little package?
Looking at options, most of the N-frame S&Ws look to be pretty pricey, particularly as many of the all-steel big-bore snubbies have been out of production for a while, and the Scandium ones seem much more suited to carry than range use and have some scary blowup cases that make handloading sound less appealing. That mostly leaves Ruger as the option, and they're come out with some really cool big-bore options in the last 5-10 years. The main models I've been considering are the GP100 in 10mm or .44 Special, the Redhawk in .41 Mag, or the Super Redhawk in .480 Ruger. I'm less interested in 44 Mag or 45 Colt or Cassul since I want something a little unconventional just for cachet and handloading weirdness.
At this point I'm mostly focused on either the snubby .41 Redhawk or the .480 Alaskan Super Redhawk snub. (The 10mm just seems barely into the big-bore category, the 44Spl doesn't come any shorter than 3"). Would either of these be good options for casually shooting big fat marbles at low velocity, just for the joy of a mellow(ish) boom with an authoritative thwack on the target end?
The Redhawk has some appeal because I like traditional frames with actual front/back strap and slab grips, plus almost every sixgun I've owned felt better with a Tyler T-Grip (I have small hands). The Super Redhawk grip (which is apparently the same as the GP100) looks less small-hand friendly in stock form, though a Pachmayer might help fix that, but supposedly the multi-spring SRH/GP system is easier to get a good trigger pull on than the RH/SS system. Or should I really be taking a harder look at the Smiths, and the considerable extra cash would be worth it to get a snubby 696, 657, 625, etc? The .41 Redhawk snub can be found just under $600 new, and I'd think a 657 snub will be both hard to find and cost double that.
Any suggestions on my best bet for basically "lobbing a brick" for range fun, and the joy of a big bore in a fat little package?