Which 44 Mag

[gravelyctry]

Need some help.

I had a Ruger SRH and now I've got a Ruger Redhawk. Neither of them have good triggers, and the Redhawk doesn't "feel" real good to me.

I use them mostly for target practice fun out the back yard, and I'll also use them for hunting. I don't have to have accuracy, but I really like it and want a tight gun with a good trigger. I'll probably shoot it no more than 500 times a year.

I've thought about getting one of the PC SYW 629's, but not sure they're worth the money. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks for the help, Neil

 

[dbriannelson]

Got two of those 629s and love them. There are many on the used market that are tight and not terribly expensive. And despite what you might read, they are durable as long as you aren't loading beyond the maximums shown in loading manuals.

Be sure you want to go swapping handguns though. The two you have are good and you can change the feel with a set of grips.

-Don

 

[critter]

I have a Ruger Blackhawk .44 Mag in the Hunter model with a Bisley grip. It is my 'go to' 6-gun for hunting whitetail. Accuracy is superb and the trigger is quite nice.

I sold a Ruger Redhawk .44 in order to get it and it WAY outdoes the Redhawk in accuracy and the trigger is better. Give them a look.

 

[Shawnee]

+1 for what "Critter" said.

I've had three Blackhawks and three Super Blackhawks and they've all been good. The only two people I've personally known who had Redhawks were disappointed in them.

 

[Hutch]

I had a Redhawk that had been tuned and lightened, and it had a fine trigger, both DA and SA. Since then, I've decided to stick with S&W, but your issues might be fixed with a relatively modest action job.

 

[Legionnaire]

How long ago did you have your Redhawk? I have two of relatively recent manufacture and both have very nice triggers, SA and DA.

 

[tipoc]

+1 for what Hutch said. For much less than the cost of a new gun a trigger job on your Rugers will help a great deal.

tipoc

 

[.38 Special]

Another vote for trigger work, if the guns are otherwise satisfactory.

Redhawk triggers have the reputation of being relatively difficult to tune, so it may be in your best interest to stay away from the local gunsmith and let one of the nationally known folks take care of it, but you will still come out of the game with A) more money, and B) a better trigger than is available on any factory gun.

 

[Starter52]

If you are looking for a replacement, I'd have to agree with dbriannelson. A used 629 will serve you well.

 

[Floppy_D]

Another +1 for critter.

 

[buck460XVR]

I've only put about 500 rounds thru this one, but I am happy with it so far. It's twice the gun my ol' Blackhawk was and unlike the Ruger, which beat me up, a real pleasure to shoot. Recoil with factory magnum loads is similar to my 686. I'll keep most of my loads on the moderate side and it should last me a lifetime....

 

[Heck]

another +1 for critter

 

[Guillermo]

What DBRIANNELSON said.

 

[.38 Special]

It's twice the gun my ol' Blackhawk was and unlike the Ruger, which beat me up, a real pleasure to shoot. Recoil with factory magnum loads is similar to my 686.

Well, considering it's literally twice the gun of a Blackhawk, I'm sure it hardly recoils at all!

 

[cowboy68t1]

Picked up a Blackhawk and never looked back.

If you don't like the feel of the grip get something different. I have both Pachmayer Presentation grips and Hogue Fingers groove grip on my hand guns. Finger grooves work and feel better for me. Thou.

If you like the guns, but not the trigger get the trigger reworked.

Been shooting Blackhawks for 17 years now. Tried a couple of S/W wasn't real happy with them. Have 10-1/2 Super Blackhawk and a 7-1/2 Super Blackhawk Hunter both .44's. And 2 Blackhawks one 4-1/2 and 6-1/2 both .357's. Triggers are fine for me. All are sighted in for 100 yards. Except the 4-1/2. And give great groups with HP-XTP Factory ammo. Working on reloads now to try and duplicate the factory ammo groups. Have two down to 2 inches at 100 yards. Trying to get it better.

 

[buck460XVR]

Well, considering it's literally twice the gun of a Blackhawk, I'm sure it hardly recoils at all!

I guess I don't know what you mean .38special. IIRC, weight wise there isn't much difference between this 629 and my old New Model Blackhawk with the 6" barrel I had back in the early seventies......but the balance and the grip angle to me actually makes it seem lighter, even with the longer barrel. The trigger and accuracy are much better too. I agree, the PC629 costs twice as much as a standard Ruger D.A., but to me it was worth it.

I have no beef with Rugers as they are some fine guns. Mine just did not fit my hand and thus was brutal to shoot, so I got rid of it for something I would use. One of the reasons I was so hesitant about getting another .44mag was the bad experience I had with the Blackhawk. After a 686 and a compensated X-frame .460 I thought I would try a .44 again.......and again, I am very happy with the PC629 and have no regrets.