Redhawk Handloader

Has anyone else read the article in the Oct. Issue of Handloader mag. about the Ruger Redhawk 45colt & handloads? And went wow.
It goes on to say the 45colt Redhawk is 30% stronger than Blackhawks. And you can load them upwards of 45,000 to 50,000 psi.
The load data posted is pretty damn close to the 454.
Am I the only one who didn't have a clue about this?
It makes me want to get a 45colt Redhawk. And if the Redhawk can handle that kind of pressure why couldn't you chamber it in 454? And I know I could just get a 454 SuperRedhawk but I never like the looks of them. They always reminded me of a BIG SP101 with a BIG round bbl. sticking out of it. They needed to make it with a full lug.

I believe that Ruger uses their stronger stainless alloys in the .454 chamberings and it is said that .45 LC brass tends to be thinner.

While is definitely true that the Redhawk elevates the .45 LC to a new plateau of performance ........ I think you'll find that level is below the .454 by some degree.

Three 44s

They needed to make it with a full lug.

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I prefer this:

Three44s said:

I believe that Ruger uses their stronger stainless alloys in the .454 chamberings and it is said that .45 LC brass tends to be thinner.

While is definitely true that the Redhawk elevates the .45 LC to a new plateau of performance ........ I think you'll find that level is below the .454 by some degree.

Three 44s

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That pretty much nails it.... 8)

I'm just saying you can load a 45colt Redhawk up to 45,000 to 50,000 psi. What is the max psi for the 454? As far as 45colt brass it might not hold up to many reloadings going that high. Get the mag. & read the article.
I'm not saying that it's equal to the 454 just pretty damn close if you load to that high of pressure.

SweetWilliam said:

What is the max psi for the 454?

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SAAMI specs are:

44 mag 36,000 psi
45 LC 14,000 psi
454 65,000 psi

Everyone has heard of "Ruger-only" loads and knows the Ruger 45's can take a LOT more than 14,000 psi but I haven't seen any official SAAMI spec for them.

In the link below, the quoted pressures are in the "Maximum Average Pressure (MAP)" column and are given in 100's of psi.

http://www.saami.org/specifications_and_information/specifications/Velocity_Pressure_CfPR.pdf

I can tell you this much.....in the 4.2" .45LC Redhawk, a handloaded 275 gr. cast flat nosed bullet car get up to 1168 fps with the only damage being to the shooters hand.... :lol:

As to the brass, it is more a matter of chamber dimensions than modern .45 LC brass. I use Starline brass, but I have heard that Federal brass is better in the .45 LC. I have loaded the same brass 10 times with this load and it is still dimensionally the same as when I started. 8)

45colt ruger only loads are max 32,000 psi. And this article is saying you can go up to 50,000 psi in the Redhawk.
And yes damage to your hand can be expected. I was just shooting my Lipsey SuperBlackHawk with some 320gr handloads last weekend & they were a definite hand hurter.

I read the Handloader article by Brian Pearce and purchased a used 5 1/2 inch Redhawk in .45 colt. Previously I had loaded "Blackhawk only" loads with 305 gr. lead projectiles, now I have "Redhawk Only" loads made with 350 gr. lead projectiles and mucho WW296.
They are quite stout but the empties eject easily and the Starline brass looks good. I am replacing the grips as the stock wood grips are not the best choice for this much recoil................

It may be worth mentioning here that if 45Colt is loaded to 50,000psi, neglecting the scaling factor for case volumes, then it'd be loaded to a similar pressure as many factory 454 Cassull loads. Despite the fact that SAAMI MAXIMUM spec is 65,000psi for the 454C, it is one of few rare cartridges that often gets loaded well below that mark in common factory loadings.

SweetWilliam said:

45colt ruger only loads are max 32,000 psi. And this article is saying you can go up to 50,000 psi in the Redhawk.

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Yeah and that's crazy unless you want to push your luck.
Does anyone know how much pressure a stock 45colt cylinder can take over a lifetime?
What is the max pressure for the 44mag cylinder? :shock:

There's also the old trick of swapping a 454 SRH cylinder into a 45 colt redhawk. Either way my hands didn't agree with the red hawks grip angle enough to pursue something like that.

red hawks grip angle

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Therein lies the problem with this line of thinking.

This is the data. If this is against the forum rules let me know & I will deleat or you can deleat. Either way it's pretty impressive data.
The bottom load is for a 400gr. bullet.

SweetWilliam said:

Has anyone else read the article in the Oct. Issue of Handloader mag. about the Ruger Redhawk 45colt & handloads? And went wow.
It goes on to say the 45colt Redhawk is 30% stronger than Blackhawks. And you can load them upwards of 45,000 to 50,000 psi.
The load data posted is pretty damn close to the 454.
Am I the only one who didn't have a clue about this?
It makes me want to get a 45colt Redhawk. And if the Redhawk can handle that kind of pressure why couldn't you chamber it in 454? And I know I could just get a 454 SuperRedhawk but I never like the looks of them. They always reminded me of a BIG SP101 with a BIG round bbl. sticking out of it. They needed to make it with a full lug.

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The 45 Redhawk is an exceptionally strong gun. People have been pushing it to 454 levels for a very long time. According to Max Prasac in his book "Big Bore Revolvers", when the Redhawk 45 Colt first came out people would ream the cylinder so 454 cartridges would chamber. The guns held up.

Brian Pearce published 50K psi loads for the Redhawk way back in 2002. I've seen many times on various forums where people have tried those loads and built equivalent loads.

Then there's the people who've swapped Super Redhawk cylinders into their 45 Colt Redhawk. The unfluted super strong cylinder gives an added edge of safety. It also gives a distinctive look to the Redhawk.

Redhawk Only and 454 loads are brutal in the Redhawk. Just like they are in other guns. Practice and a set of grips that work for you tames some of the brutality. For some folks a set of rubber grips work. For others it's a set of target wood grips. To each their own.

Bad ass looking Redhawk!
I've never heard of pushing the limit like that in a 45 Redhawk.
Learn something new every day.

I also remember the '02 article from Pierce about the .45 RH and was quite impressed.

I thought about making the switch from .44 mag and didn't.

Instead, when a trade for a .480 Ruger came along, my 9.5" SRH in .44 mag. turned into a 7.5" SRH in .480 Ruger.

Now, I can smash something really bad without straining brass or my body! ..... that is if something bad comes along.

I did not step up .022" ..... instead I took a nice big 'ole step to another realm. Better choice of grips (the SRH vs. the RH) and I have my .44 Mountain Gun and RH in .44 mag to fill in for them baby bears.

As for the .480 Ruger, I don't cram it all the way to the top either. I don't have to. If those bears start showing up with reactive armor ...... I'll reconsider.

Three 44s

Three44s said:

As for the .480 Ruger, I don't cram it all the way to the top either. I don't have to. If those bears start showing up with reactive armor ...... I'll reconsider.

Three 44s

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Neither do I. I have a theory that if you are getting more than 1200 fps, you are shooting a bullet that is too light (in the larger bores of .429 and up). These guns are hunting guns for big and toothy animals and penetration is what is needed, not laser-like trajectories.

As to recoil, I find that a good goat skin glove and just letting the gun rise during recoil, mitigates the Hell out of the problem. 8)

I have both the .45 Colt Redhawk and the .454 Super Redhawk. I do load Ruger only loads in the RH .45 Colt but have no need to go beyond that. I can easily chose to take the other gun.
That said, where I live and hunt the .45 is beyond powerful enough anyway. I just have the .454 for a toy to play with.

5of7 said:

As to recoil, I find that a good goat skin glove and just letting the gun rise during recoil, mitigates the Hell out of the problem. 8)

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I totally agree. The glove really helps and not fighting the recoil as well.