Redhawk Backpacker

I like my 5.5 SS Redhawk in .41 Magnum. The one complaint I've had is the large square grip frame. I've wished forever that they would bring that one feature over from the Super Redhawk... just put a grip stud on it and use GP100 grips! So I'm excited about the new Redhawk and the rounded grip. I'll end up with one someday.

I have an Alaskan already and it is a total top ten favorite gun. I would carry it occasionally except Oklahoma says it is illegal for that. Somehow our brainy legislators wrote the original law to only allow concealed legal carry for handguns .45 caliber and under. So my wonderful .480 Alaskan is somehow too super deadly. Grumble, grumble.

Gregg

tulsamal said:

I like my 5.5 SS Redhawk in .41 Magnum. The one complaint I've had is the large square grip frame. I've wished forever that they would bring that one feature over from the Super Redhawk... just put a grip stud on it and use GP100 grips! So I'm excited about the new Redhawk and the rounded grip. I'll end up with one someday.

I have an Alaskan already and it is a total top ten favorite gun. I would carry it occasionally except Oklahoma says it is illegal for that. Somehow our brainy legislators wrote the original law to only allow concealed legal carry for handguns .45 caliber and under. So my wonderful .480 Alaskan is somehow too super deadly. Grumble, grumble.

Gregg

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Should have got the 454 Casull I guess. LOL!

I'm gonna end up with an Alaskan too at some point. It's a sickness. :mrgreen:

I took my new Kodiak Backpacker out today for it's maiden voyage.

In short, I love it. I shot all what amount to "special" loads. Stuff that books between ~800-900fps. I don't have velocities because its to dang cold here now to drag out the chronograph. I will chrono some loads in the spring.

For now, I went by feel. I shot 240gr LSWC bullets. I had about 30 each of:

7.0 gr Unique
6.0 gr W231
5.5 gr Bullseye - I had about 75 or 80 of these on hand so shot this load the most today
5.5 gr Titegroup

Other than the Bullseye loads which I had, I loaded the other 3 last night just to test out this revolver.

Could only tell difference in these loads as far as recoil by putting one each in the cylinder. The Bullseye and Titegroup were pretty much the same. As I expected because they are next to each other in the burn rate chart. The Unique and W231 also felt about the same, likewise next to each other in burn rate. It's like shooting a light loaded 38 special in a 357 GP100. You know, slightly heavier because the bullets are 100 grains heavier. Most anyone could plink all day with this gun and these loads.

Maybe I'm nuts, and I may change my mind once I chrono but I think my go to load is going to be with W231. It caused the least amount of smoke when fired and was just as accurate as the others. At 21' I could keep all rounds in a 2" orange spot stuck on a paper plate. With any of them really.

I know this gun will easily handle it and I'm sure I'll shoot some hot ones through it just to see what it feels like but I just don't have much desire to shoot 23 grains of H110 or W296 under a 240 gr JSP. I don't even enjoy those through my 7.5" Super Redhawk much anymore. I'd just as soon lob bullets as send them on a rail to the target. My hands and wrist appreciate it much more. I've got some 19 gr 2400 240 gr hard cast loaded up I might give them a whirl next time as a compromise. Haha.

Overall, it's a neat pistol. I'm glad I have it.

I've got 8 revolvers now. Kinda having a revolver renaissance. Nice to shoot 200 rounds through 3 different guns and not have to chase brass all around the range.

Jimbo357mag said:

That's what a snub-nose 44 ought to be.

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Bear Paw Jack said:

I have not only seen one, I own one!!! Nice guns.

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Well then, next time I'm over your way, let me try it out. :mrgreen:

Varminterror said:

Terry T said:

Funny thing is that the listed weight on the Ruger web site is the same for the 454 Alaskan as this .44 mag "Backpacker". :shock:
I don't see an advantage. :?
Terry T

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Grip, feel, and sex appeal!!! :lol:
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Yes! I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I think this revolver is gorgeous!

WAYNO.

Terry T said:

Funny thing is that the listed weight on the Ruger web site is the same for the 454 Alaskan as this .44 mag "Backpacker". :shock:
I don't see an advantage. :?
Terry T

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Mine weighs in at 42.6oz on my digital postal scale. I took some pics this morning. Real gun pics are always a plus I hope. Other forums seem to require it or it doesn't exist. I don't see any individual owner photos in the thread so here goes. :mrgreen:

but I think my go to load is going to be with W231.

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Strictly IMO... but I strongly dislike using super fast powders in big cases. Just for fun, try seeing how many layers of your favored load you can put in that case. At least in some other cartridges a double charge will result in a "full case" and give you a chance to notice your mistake. In .44 Magnum brass, you could double charge W231 and never notice anything. Probably not even looking down with a flashlight.

If you want this type of load, try the funny cheerios powder. My powder and reloading stuff is a long way from here and in another building... what do they call it.... gunfighter or gunslinger or something like that. Light loads fill up a big case. I use it in .44 Special and .45 Colt. Otherwise I would fall back on good old Unique. After all these years I still it use it more than anything else for "mid-range" types of loads.

IMR Trailboss. That's the one! Went and looked in the archive of Jeff's site. Gunblast comes through for me again.

Gregg

Well, I have a process on my 550B that keeps me from double charging rounds. I NEVER back up the shell plate. If you don't do that, your chances of double charging are slim. Even though I use a progressive, I am not a place shell place bullet pull the handle. Yes I do that, but I watch things closely. Always watch the powder bar, look into the case as I turn the plate to make sure powder dropped etc. It's not a race for me.

231 like Unique is a mid burn rate powder. There are published loads at 13.0 gr of 231 under a 240 gr bullet that produce magnum velocities. So IF I dropped 12 gr by accident, I get a magnum shot. Plus, it's a Redhawk. I've been reloading for 30 years. Long before the internet made everybody an expert LOL! I learned the old fashioned way, trial and error. I've got a pretty good grasp on the process. :mrgreen: The first 44 mag loads I ever loaded which were the first reloads I ever produced were with a Lee Loader. You got a 1.6cc dipper and a card that said here are the powders you can use with this dipper. One level scoop, IMR 4227, H110, W296, Accurate 9 etc. It sure wasn't an exact science. I had no scale, no calipers just eyeballed everything and never blew up a gun. Knock on wood........ :wink:

WAYNO said:

Yes! I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I think this revolver is gorgeous!

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I have a NIB Lew Horton S&W M-624 N Frame .44 Special. I like it okay. I picked up one of these new Rugers and it felt like only one other gun in my lifetime. No matter the brand, this Ruger had my name on it. It just felt sooo good!

Those are some great pics. And of course it helps to have such a good looking subject!

Wonder if the Alaskan recoil absorbing grip fits this Redhawk?

4MUL8R said:

Wonder if the Alaskan recoil absorbing grip fits this Redhawk?

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They do not.

But Hogue does make rubber grips for the Redhawk. They have an open back strap, so the rounded heel will leave a gap at the back, but a guy could fill that in with one thing or another.

On the other hand, it's just a 44mag.

It's difficult sometimes to respond constructively without sounding sarcastic. Sarcasm is not my intention.

I keep saying, there's no free ride. The smaller the gun and/or the bigger the cartridge, the more recoil it's gonna have.

If a person is attracted to a snubby like this .44 Backpacker, and in the next breath he's looking for recoil absorbing grips, then maybe he ought to be looking for a different gun or cartridge. There's just not a whole bunch of taming that grips are gonna accomplish on a package like this. More on the robbing Peter to pay Paul...Shock absorbing grips are likely gonna be larger, which is contrary to the purpose of a snubby. Shock absorbing grips are harder to conceal, as they always grab at whatever garment I'm wearing, causing the garment to ride high where it's covering the gun. And, if you've ever shot a long string of .44's with any kind of rubber grip, and had any skin left on the pad of your hand, you've accomplished something I've not. :mrgreen:

WAYNO.

Perhaps the person asking about Alaskan grips described them as recoil absorbing but only desires them to fit his XXL hand better?

4MUL8R said:

Perhaps the person asking about Alaskan grips described them as recoil absorbing but only desires them to fit his XXL hand better?

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That part I understand, too. And even I have owned small guns with oversize grips. Large grips on an otherwise small gun effectively make the gun carry like a larger gun, and in my experience, if I'm doing that, I might as well have a larger gun to start with.

These are personal choices, and a guy has gotta weigh just what compromises are gonna satisfy his preferences best.

More thoughts that apply to me...This Redhawk Backpacker...It is actually the shape and the size of the grip that intrigues me. A smaller, rounded grip is easier to carry, either concealed or open. The difference otherwise, in this gun, is the shorter barrel in an otherwise large frame. Carrying vertically, there's not a whole lot of difference between a 2-1/2" and 4" barrel in a gun this large. If the requirement of a large grip overrides any other dimension, then a conventional 4" Redhawk might better satisfy a need better than this Backpacker model. Or even an N-Frame Smith.

But alas, I have experimented over a lot of years with everything we've talked about, and although I have formulated some pretty rigid preferences, my preferences could very well be contrary to my buddies preferences. It's all part of what makes this gun hobby interesting.

WAYNO.