Redhawk with sleeve and shroud vs Reg barrel

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winchester348

Single-Sixer
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Jun 14, 2009
Messages
488
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Georgia
I see the newer Redhawks have a sleeve and shroud barrel like the SW 69 .44. What's the improvement? Is it just cheaper to produce? I love me some Redhawks and have several in all the calibers. I've been waiting on a used 8 shot 357 in 5.5 to pop up but this new barrel configuration has me wondering.
 

Chuck 100 yd

Hunter
Joined
Mar 20, 2010
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3,251
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Ridgefield WA
Are you talking about the Super RedHawk ? I have some of both RedHawks and
Super RedHawks. They are both great guns. The Triggers on the RedHawk is easier to work on if need be ,both are fine guns and will outlast most people and their grandkids.
 

Jimbo357mag

Hawkeye
Joined
Feb 22, 2007
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10,350
Location
So. Florida
Chuck 100 yd said:
Are you talking about the Super RedHawk ? I have some of both RedHawks and
Super RedHawks. They are both great guns. The Triggers on the RedHawk is easier to work on if need be ,both are fine guns and will outlast most people and their grandkids.
Scroll down from the top to find the Redhawks with sleeve and shroud barrels.

https://ruger.com/products/redhawk/models.html
NEW MODELS AVAILABLE WITH SLEEVE AND SHROUD BARRELS
The way I read it all new Redhawks have it.
 

David Bradshaw

Blackhawk
Joined
Sep 11, 2012
Messages
933
winchester348 said:
I see the newer Redhawks have a sleeve and shroud barrel like the SW 69 .44. What's the improvement? Is it just cheaper to produce? I love me some Redhawks and have several in all the calibers. I've been waiting on a used 8 shot 357 in 5.5 to pop up but this new barrel configuration has me wondering.

*****

Winchester348..... the Redhawk, leastwise up until now, has a barrel which is drop forged, profile machined, and broach rifled, same process used by Smith & Wesson for more than a century. A drop forging allows formation of rib and ejector shroud----without the outlandish machining which bar stock would require. The Super Redhawk incorporates the ejector shroud in the frame, while round stock is put through a hammer forge to form rifling in the drilled & reamed hole. Together with a grip-spike, which doesn't require polishing, the Super Redhawk results in a revolver with better single action trigger, with better grip options, that costs less to produce than the Redhawk.

It strikes me that a new Redhawk----with sleeved barrel----could take advantage of hammer forged rifling. This could reduce tool time, eliminate or reduce critical THREAD TIMING, and ease setting BARREL/CYLINDER GAP. The barrel then could be made in Ruger's foundry by the lost wax (i.e., investment cast) process. This would put all manufacturing in-house.

In speaking with Eric Unger, who retired as foundry director about 2007, he says that to make a barrel by investment casting would cost more than machine, gun drill, ream and broach a drop forging.

If the scene I paint fits the actual picture, that would leave the Super Blackhawk the only barrel perhaps originating as a forging. If so, that too might eventually fall to the sleeve process.

To rule on merits of the two methods----barrel insert & sleeve vs solid barrel----I would have to see the sixguns dance head-to-head on the FIRING LINE, out to 100 yards.

Note on Dan Wesson concept
Dan Wesson's barrel screws full diameter into the frame. A shroud slides over the barrel to butt the frame. A muzzle nut jams against the shroud, putting tension on the barrel. Thus, the barrel acts as a draw bolt. The system produces great accuracy, proven thoroughly in IHMSA silhouette. The shooter may adjust barrel/cylinder gap, or swap barrels, a system unavailable in the Ruger. I don't know whether the Ruger sleeve threads into the frame. if so, the barrel insert will be thinner around the forcing cone than the tenon wall of the Dan Wesson, which utilizes a full diameter tenon.
David Bradshaw
 

planetcat

Single-Sixer
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Feb 10, 2009
Messages
308
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U.S.A.
David Bradshaw said:
winchester348 said:
...

If the scene I paint fits the actual picture, that would leave the Super Blackhawk the only barrel perhaps originating as a forging. If so, that too might eventually fall to the sleeve process.

Noooooooooo! I think that would drastically take away from the classic SA look of the BH/Super BH.
 

NikA

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Yrisarri, NM- high in the Manzanos
I am under the impression that the non-Hunter BH/SBH barrels are round stock that is gun-drilled and hammer-forged, then turned down to the barrel profile. The new sleeved Redhawk barrels should be producable on a CNC lathe, similar to many of Ruger's other revolver barrels.

Wonder if they will implement this on GPs and SPs in some way. Both are ovate sections that have added manufacturing complexity requiring non-lathe operations.
 

maf

Bearcat
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Aug 27, 2016
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Location
NH
I was planning to buy two new Redhawks within the next 12 months. I wanted a 5.5 and a 7.5 inch model. Not any more, due to the sleeved barrels. No thank you.

The sleeved barrels look cheap and saves the company money. I see no actual benefit to the consumer. Swapping barrels does nothing for me. I'd rather buy a second gun.

The new Redhawks I've seen cost well over $900.00. I bought my first Model 77 rifle because it: 1. Looked good to the eyes. 2. Was durable/had good quality. 3. Was significantly cheaper than a Winchester Model 70 and the Remington 700 BDL.

I've had quite a few guns over the years. Ruger was always my go to. Not anymore. The executives are cheapening/ruining the brand. I hope Colt revamps the Anaconda in .44 Magnum real soon.
 

SteelBlue

Single-Sixer
Joined
Apr 13, 2017
Messages
423
Ruger STILL is selling 5.5 and 7.5 inch RedHawks that are not sleeve and shroud. So get 'em now and send us all a pic! :)
 
Joined
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Woodbury, Tn
I have an Charter Arms Bulldog with a sleeved barrel. I am not a fan of the looks, but it does keep the weight of the gun down? Otherwise it shoots just like the Bulldog without the sleeve.
gramps
 

eveled

Hawkeye
Joined
Apr 3, 2012
Messages
5,606
It means they don't have to clock the barrel to align the front sight. It's an improvement in everyway except visually.
 

DaveShooter

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 17, 2009
Messages
59
Got one a coming in a 4.02 45/45acp Red Hawk as a replacement on a new Sp101 357 mag that had problems or issues.
Hope I didn't screw up on taking the Shrouded Barrel and not a non- shrouded barrel revolver. Reminds me what the Old Dan Wesson Revolvers used to be like. I do have a Fixed Barrel Wesson 5.0 357 mag revolver.
 

winchester348

Single-Sixer
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Jun 14, 2009
Messages
488
Location
Georgia
If the barrel was interchangeable like the Dan Wesson (Which I love and have a few of) That would be kind of cool. But the look is something I don't care for on a Redhawk. same reason I haven't bought a Smith 69, though I see plenty of used ones for sale at a tempting price. I wonder what the reason for so many off loading them. The Idea of a 5 shot .44 mag on an L frame I like. The gun in real life not so much.
 

steve8261948

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 5, 2006
Messages
398
Location
Central Illinois
Jimbo357mag said:
Chuck 100 yd said:
Are you talking about the Super RedHawk ? I have some of both RedHawks and
Super RedHawks. They are both great guns. The Triggers on the RedHawk is easier to work on if need be ,both are fine guns and will outlast most people and their grandkids.
Scroll down from the top to find the Redhawks with sleeve and shroud barrels.

https://ruger.com/products/redhawk/models.html
NEW MODELS AVAILABLE WITH SLEEVE AND SHROUD BARRELS
The way I read it all new Redhawks have it.

Well, the prices certainly don't reflect any price reductions? Looks like Ruger is starting to price themselves out of my market?
Steve
 

Arctos

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 7, 2010
Messages
88
Location
IN
maf said:
I was planning to buy two new Redhawks within the next 12 months. I wanted a 5.5 and a 7.5 inch model. Not any more, due to the sleeved barrels. No thank you.

As mentioned above, new Redhawks with one-piece barrels can still be found. Just order the correct model number. For example, model 5004 is the .44 magnum with 5.5" one-piece barrel, and it is available at various places online. I'm not positive about the model number for the one-piece 7.5" .44 magnum. Maybe 5003?
 

chet15

Hawkeye
Joined
Jan 22, 2001
Messages
5,993
Location
Dawson, Iowa
Jimbo357mag said:
Chuck 100 yd said:
Are you talking about the Super RedHawk ? I have some of both RedHawks and
Super RedHawks. They are both great guns. The Triggers on the RedHawk is easier to work on if need be ,both are fine guns and will outlast most people and their grandkids.
Scroll down from the top to find the Redhawks with sleeve and shroud barrels.

https://ruger.com/products/redhawk/models.html
NEW MODELS AVAILABLE WITH SLEEVE AND SHROUD BARRELS
The way I read it all new Redhawks have it.

Not all yet, but they probably will be soon.
Chet15
 

chet15

Hawkeye
Joined
Jan 22, 2001
Messages
5,993
Location
Dawson, Iowa
David Bradshaw, I do not see Ruger ever using a barrel sleeve for any of their Blackhawks. The barrels start out as a tube, probably hammer forged, then cut to length turned to diameter and installed on the frame....then the front sight is attached. Using a sleeved barrel for their SA's would add unnecessary manufacturing steps and expense in my opinion.
Che15
 

Passtime

Bearcat
Joined
Jul 16, 2013
Messages
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Cackalcky
I recently ordered a Redhawk 5004. I noticed the 5043. It looked like the 5004 but cost around fifty dollars more. I sent an email to Ruger to find out what the difference was between the two. That is when I found out about the sleeve and shroud barrel on the model 5043. I am glad I chose the 5004. Funny how things are these days with most products. The new improved version costs more but is cheaper to produce. What a crock!
 
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