I haven't yet scoped my 7.5" .45 Colt Redhawk, but it's probably time. It already makes me a better shooter than I really am.
|
   
   
|
|
I haven't yet scoped my 7.5" .45 Colt Redhawk, but it's probably time. It already makes me a better shooter than I really am.
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Ecclesiastes 1:18
He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool become servant to the wise of heart. Proverbs 11:29
...Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40
Carpe SCOTCH!
I bought one of the first Redhawks in 1981 and poured a ton of rounds through it.. Most, if not all of them back then were Hornady and Speer 240 gr with 22 grs of 2400 and a CCI mag primer. Back then, I couldn't spell "reduced loads". If it was a magnum, by George, I fed it magnum loads...no arthritis then!! I bought a sleeve of 1k primers and I remember throwing the last box away so that gun had quite a break in period. It was scary accurate (with my 31 yr old eyes!) and there were a lot of deer in Alabama and Mississippi wished I'd never bought it. I never heard of the barrel problem until recently but if it did, it did. The $535 price tag is very reasonable especially with the holster. I can't see you loosing any money on that gun. Blued ones came along later as the 1st ones were stainless IIRC. When I came to my senses and started loading 429421's to about 1100 fps, I realized just how accurate the dang thing was. I wish I still had it.
IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!
No, I've not done anything but shoot some coated SNS 240gr through itOriginally Posted by castmiester
I'd have to dig into my older records,, but I do have them. It might take a day or two. I have a few busy days ahead. But I'll check the date of Mfg on my gun.
A bit more to my story.
I shoot a lot more than many people. But the day I bought my Redhawk,, a good friend of mine also bought one,, AND he bought a .357 Redhawk the same day. yes,, 3 new Redhawks at one time. Well, I spent a fair amount of time finding the best load for my gun, shooting almost all the loads in the Hornady manual of that era for the 240 grn bullet. The load it liked the best was NOT a heavy one. Under 4227,, they had (if my memory is correct,,) 4 different powder loads. Starting at the beginning load,, the very next one up was THE load. I had 2 more heavier loads ahead of that one.
As for how much I shot it,, it was shot a fair amount. But again,, not a super hot load either. I'm guessing about 2000-2500 rounds or so prior to the barrel leaving the frame.
The serial number of 501-73410 dates to 1985. And as I've mentioned,, to my knowledge all the "bad" ones were stainless. Never heard of a blued one having the barrel separate from the frame. And as noted,, only very few had it happen.
When I sent it back to Ruger,, all I asked for was a replacement and an explanation as to why it happened. I provided Ruger with the details of my load & how much I'd shot it. It took about 4 years for them to uncover the reason.
And here's another thought. The other (2) Redhawks we bought that day. I now own the .357,, and I have tested my friends .44 to see if it was just as accurate as the one that broke. He still owns it,, and we've had ZERO issues with it. I even tried some pretty stout loads in his .44. Solid as a rock.
Thanks man, l appreciate it.
castmeister, let us know if you buy that RedHawk and give a range report. Good luck.
IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!
That's IF I get this lousy NJ permit. Had trouble over the years and just applied after 9 years. The detective told me to wait 5, we'll see. I wasn't very patient waiting months. BS ! They improved the system and made it more efficient.
What is the permitting process on (what my wife says) "the Jersey side"?
Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
If you don’t live here why do want to know?
I'm merely curious, I have cousins in Morris county that have given me quite convoluted takes on the process.
Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
Apply through NJSP and your local pd takes over. Depending where you live and how busy the department is dictates how long it takes or if the chief is gun friendly or not. Best l can tell you.
That sux.
What happened to a "free" America? Oops,, don't answer that,, it'll derail this thread,, and get very long winded. I actually do know what has happened.
I can just agree that some states have stupid laws that create a lot of issues for us to exercise our rights. Let's not get into that here.
NJ was never part of this country.
Guess my relatives weren't too far off then. Appreciate your information.
Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
Long time reader..first time posting…. This thread caught my eye. My oldest Redhawk serial number doesn’t even come up in Ruger’s database. I bought it new in box from a gun shop
in 1979 or 1980. I still have the receipt somewhere.
Never have had a problem with it and lots of hot loads down range….
03A3KRH,, WELCOME to the Forum.
Collectors like myself use a much better resource than the Ruger factory website. (The factory is still trying to SLOWLY get stuff entered into the database,, & sadly,, sometimes,, the people entering the info get stuff wrong.)
We collectors use the "Red Eagle News Exchange Reference Guide." It is a longtime publication by collectors,, where a LOT of research & info gathering has been done for decades. And collectors are constantly adding to this Guide as best we can.
But the Redhawks didn't come out until 1980,, and started with serial number 500-00001. In 1980,, they ended with 500-03610. 1982 was 500-03611 to 500-19387.
And pics would be especially appreciated. My Redhawk S/N is under 500-00250. 03A3KRH probably should get a factory letter from Ruger for his to see when it was shipped.
If your Redhawk is under #500-00250,, you need a letter too. It should have been a "Subscriber" gun back then.
We discussed this on the Ruger Forum a few months ago contender. It is already lettered, and honestly, I'm ready to go ahead and cut the barrel to four inches for utility and put it to work. It's worthless to me as a safe queen.
Back before electricity & indoor plumbing, there was a couple who made & sold, "the one ragged hole" rear peep sight. it was a simple thing. just a flat piece of metal that replaced the rear sight insert. you'ld take out the original sight blade and replace it with the new one, which had a hole acting like a peep sight. it was fully adjustable per the original set up. worked great. I still have mine installed.
Posting Permissions
| BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
| BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
| BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
| C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
| HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
| PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
| LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
| GC | Gas Check |
Reply With Quote