Hunting with a redhawk

I have a Roger redhawk with a 4" barrel that I would like to take deer hunting. I know most people would use a longer barrel length but what are your thoughts on hunting with a 4" barrel? I wouldn't take any shot longer than I should and I know my limitations. What do you all think?

I'd say hunt away......

It's not the length of the barrel that counts. It's the placement of the bullet.

Doable for sure, however that 4" barrel is less than optimal.

Find the distance that you can put all bullets into a pie plate. Cut that in half and that would be a good max effective range in the woods. Figure that your shots will probably be either right at sunup or at dusk and the fading light will make the open sights less accurate than on a nice bright day at the range.

From a knock em down standpoint, the 44 has more than enough power even out of a 4" barrel.

Some states have a minimum barrel length to be legal. If you are legal, hunt away.

That'll teach them deer to,stick their tongue out at you!

JPGLSG said:

I'd say hunt away......

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4"er will kill them as dead as a 6"er. Go for it.

Let us see pictures of the results.

I agree with all.I've taken Shiras moose,elk,whitetails,mule deer,black bears with 4" Redhawks in both .44 and .45.The moose was at 65 yds,elk at 75 and the farthest was a mule deer at 95 yds.The .44 load was a 305 gr hardcast and the .45 load was a 325 gr.All bullets exited except the shot on the elk which hit the heavy shoulder knuckle and good portion of the bullet sheared off,reducing the weight quite a bit.That one stopped under the skin on the opposite side.

I also hunted deer and antelope,a few years with a 4" S+W .44 Mtn gun,using a few different 240 gr soft and hollow points and that worked really well.I think the longest of those shots may have been 60 yards max.

You will be fine.Pick a load and bullet to match your game.I have a lot of confidence in my 4" Redhawk.

Goose ,

Welcome to the forum ,

The most important thing is how you shoot it. Most will shoot better with the longer sight radius , that being said , if your comfortable with the shorter barrel and can shoot it accurately ... Oh, and practice , practice and practice some more. Good luck.

regards , brushunter

Short Barrel said:

I also hunted deer and antelope,a few years with a 4" S+W .44 Mtn gun,using a few different 240 gr soft and hollow points and that worked really well.I think the longest of those shots may have been 60 yards max.

You will be fine.Pick a load and bullet to match your game.I have a lot of confidence in my 4" Redhawk.

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Short Barrel,

Congrats on some fine hunting trips and shooting. My son used the 4", 44 Smith , Mtn gun for a couple years. It was absolutly brutle to shoot hunting loads. The only load that we could shoot effectivly was a 240 SWC at 900 FPS. Though that load was effective on deer , it certainly isn't what the 44 was made for. He finally sold it and found a 5 1/2 inch , Redhawk. Thats a keeper !

regards , brushunter

brushunter,you are right about the Mtn Gun.It can be a handful with heavy loads.It's a great sidearm for carrying in the mountains though.I didn't shoot mine for fun at the range but would sight it in, then hunt with it.One or two shots at game wasn't bad and like all revolvers,the right grips can help.I decided to dust it off a few months ago,built a new set of grips for it and did some shooting.I had some 300 gr XTP loads and decided right away that that wasn't fun.I can still tolerate the 240's so that's what I'm running in it.The extra weight of the Redhawk helps a ton in that department.

I prefer revolvers with shorter barrels to those with long barrels. The only accuracy issue with a short barrel is typically the shooter in that many cannot shoot a revolver with a short sight radius as well as they can one that has a longer barrel. There is nothing about a short barrel that makes a revolver any less accurate than one that has a longer tube. Now, if you put an optic of some sort on it, the human error factor is negated. One of my more accurate revolvers was a custom SRH that was chambered in .500 Linebaugh. It had a 5-inch barrel. I mounted an Ultradot 30 on it and practiced my rear-end off. I killed a cow moose in Maine with it and my first shot was 100 yards away -- follow-ups were at 125 yards (measured afterwards). Barrel length really isn't an issue with lots of practice.

Both of those moose should pretty well fill a freezer. Looks good.

I've heard of Roger over and out, Roger wilco, Roger Ramjet, but never Roger Redhawk

Come on now you know Roger Redhawk, he cousion to Roger Rabbit!