Short Review of the .41 Magnum Redhawk 2.75" Barrel

Here is the new Ruger Redhawk 2.75" barrel .41 Magnum.
Trigger pull averages 5lbs 15oz with no creep. Sights came adjusted all the way down and most of the way left so it took a couple shots to get it on paper. When I got the sights set pretty close I was able to get the sights, the center of the target and trigger break to all line up at the same time on occasion
Target shot from 15 yards, single action two hands unsupported.


The gaps between the frame and crane are a little uneven and large.




Cylinder throats are all the same at .410 and the front has been chamfered.
Barrel to cylinder gap measures .007" and there is .005" endshake.


Muzzle is nicely finished with a deep crown.


Overall I am somewhat disappointed with the fit and finish of this one vs. the 4.2" Redhawk from a few months ago. The trigger out of the box is better than the 4.2 was but will still need work.

It is one big little gun with a lot of potential.

KO

It's a shame that Ruger has totally abandoned QC, on some of their guns.
I just bought a Toklat and SBH in .480, both are perfect but the last two Blackhawks I ordered were horrible. I won't order a new Ruger. I'll only buy one I can inspect prior to purchase.
I really like the 2.75" .41 Mag Redhawk. Maybe my LGS will get one.
Thanks for sharing your evaluation.

That crane-to-frame fit is atrocious. I thought that line ought to be uniform and almost imperceptible. I grabbed the nearest revolver I could to see if I remembered wrong and, nope, it's just a line (S&W 442). Kept looking: early 90's GP, Taurus(!) 96 and Security Six, all the same thing. I _want_ those new .41's, but that's just ridiculous.

Thanks for the review but I'll pass for now I hope they can do a better job.

Nice review and beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing. You guys are killing me :lol: I've got a Super Redhawk Alaskan in .44 Magnum but love love love the .41 Magnum caliber. Bet that'd look great with a Tyler T Grip on it too!

May have to mosey into the local gun store tomorrow!

Nice review and great pics. What kind of ammo were you shooting?

djw54 said:

That crane-to-frame fit is atrocious. I thought that line ought to be uniform and almost imperceptible. I grabbed the nearest revolver I could to see if I remembered wrong and, nope, it's just a line (S&W 442). Kept looking: early 90's GP, Taurus(!) 96 and Security Six, all the same thing. I _want_ those new .41's, but that's just ridiculous.

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I agree. Pretty ugly. ps

cmonti77 said:

Nice review and great pics. What kind of ammo were you shooting?

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Lyman 410459 220gr SWC over 8.1gr Unique.

KO

Changed out the factory hammer/trigger spring for a Wolff 13lb spring and smoothed up some of the rough spots in the action. Trigger pull is now 4lb 6oz vs the factory 5lb 15oz.

KO

powder smoke said:

djw54 said:

That crane-to-frame fit is atrocious. I thought that line ought to be uniform and almost imperceptible. I grabbed the nearest revolver I could to see if I remembered wrong and, nope, it's just a line (S&W 442). Kept looking: early 90's GP, Taurus(!) 96 and Security Six, all the same thing. I _want_ those new .41's, but that's just ridiculous.

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I agree. Pretty ugly. ps

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You can,t sell 5 million a year by making them perfect!

Whats up with those off-center primer hits on some of those spent cases?

myco4you said:

Whats up with those off-center primer hits on some of those spent cases?

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I have the same issue with my single seven.

I like that revolver a lot. Bummer about the QC issues, but congrats and nice review regardless.

It's a fistful of dynamite, rough and brutal. And looks that way. Lovely.

A little rough around the edges but still a nice looking and shooting gun! Had to send my new Alaskan back thru Ruger assembly when I got it and it came back really nice.

I just got one of the 2.75" barreled Redhawks in 41 magnum today. I actually took a picture of the OPs gun crane in the first series of pictures to make sure I wasn't going to get one looking like that. As a matter of fact, the two Redhawks I saw today, mine plus a new Lew Horton 5" blued gun had slightly wider crane to frame gaps. They were exactly the same on both guns but they were also straighter so, I just said heck with it. Maybe the Redhawks are all being made this way now? Found an online review of a 4" Redhawk 45LC revolver with the same issue to. All the GP100s and Super Redhawks at the store today had nice tight crane/frame lines but the Supers/GP100s I looked at today had other issues that made me pass and when it was all said and done the regular Redhawks were overall better constructed IMO. Anyhow, with the rear sight leaf centered the gun shot point of aim at 10yds. The one snag I have right now is the rear sight is screwed down all the way and I can't get it unstuck so I'm going to have the gunshop see if they can do it without stripping the screw slot or breaking the head off. If it's screwed up in any way I will have Ruger fix and take a look at the crane gap while they're at it.

I like this gun! But boy, is it ever loud. I shot only 18 rounds as that's all I had on hand and they were Hornady XTP factory 210gr loads. These rounds weren't so loud through my old 4 5/8" Blackhawk but they sounded like artillary cannon loud through the snubbie. I may just keep cowboy loads for around the house if I want to keep my eardrums. Recoil wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be either. I think I could spend an hour or two shooting this with full power loads with the factory wood grip and bare hands. I'll be working up some good lead handloads soon to get the thing broken in good and tighten the groupings up. Yep, I really like this one.

ko41 said:

Changed out the factory hammer/trigger spring for a Wolff 13lb spring and smoothed up some of the rough spots in the action. Trigger pull is now 4lb 6oz vs the factory 5lb 15oz.

KO

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Be sure to extensively test the double action function. I have the 44 mag version Kodiak and it was not totally reliable in DA with the 13 lb, but it was with the 14 lb.

You will notice that the hammer doesn't go back as far in double action as it does in single action. Thus, it hits harder in SA than double.

I have sent my Kodiak to JRH Advanced Gunsmithing for a trigger/action job. It came back with the stock spring installed.

I feel like it came back a "new gun".

When I talked to Jack, he said my Redhawk would come back with a smoother double action pull, and with the single action pull on par with the feel of a good S&W. He said that most people call BS on him when he says that, but that he stands behind it. And with good reason !

I would say that is a very accurate description of the job he did. The double action is much smoother, especially once the cylinder starts to rotate, and the singe action let off is exceptionally crisp.

On my Lyman digital trigger scale, the single action averages 3lbs nine ounces with the stock spring installed. The double action is consistently 11 lbs five ounces.

The turn around time was a very impressive 15 days door to door.

It gives me a new respect for the Redhawk !