Super Redhawk 454 sticky extraction

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puke

Bearcat
Joined
Oct 6, 2013
Messages
33
I've got a 2002ish 454 super redhawk. In the past, I've rarely shot more than 1 or 2 shots (with it) at the range, due to recoil. I recently installed a Leopold Scope, and the recoil has been reduced considerably. Now I will usually shoot 3 or 4 cylinder's full when I go shooting. This revolver has a major stuck case problem...very noticeable now that I shoot multiple shots. I tap the cases out with a small brass rod and small hammer. I had a ranging bull before this super redhawk, and I never had a single case stick. When shooting handloads, I have to get down into the upper 44 mag range before the cases no longer stick (with 300 gr. gas checks,..I have to be at around 1350 fps or less to be certain I won't have stuck cases...H110 or 4100 is the powder). With decent (hornady 240s which chrono at around 1750 fps) factory ammo it is pretty rare that there will be even one case that doesn't need to get tapped out with a rod and hammer. I've polished the chambers a fair bit with mag wheel polish, but have not touched them with valve grinding compound, etc., The stuck cases will not go back into the chambers once they are pounded out,..they are too big. Also, I don't recall ever shooting 45 colt through it, although I might have. I've never sent anything to ruger and I have a ton of their revolvers,..but on the phone their guy told me that a 5 shot cylinder was not available and that I would need to send it to them and they will look at it. I REALLY don't like sending my guns to anybody, is there another solution?
 

NikA

Buckeye
Joined
Nov 2, 2014
Messages
1,810
Location
Yrisarri, NM- high in the Manzanos
I would send it to Ruger. If there are no burrs or rough spots in your chambers, the behavior you are describing is indicative of improper heat treatment of the cylinder. Basically, the steel is "stretching" too much on firing, allowing the brass cases to become oversized in relation to the unstretched cylinder dimensions.

Nothing against DougGuy or 2dogs, but Ruger is far more qualified to determine if this is the problem.
 

JStacy

Blackhawk
Joined
May 6, 2016
Messages
503
Location
south Texas
some brands of brass is soft and tends to stick in the cylinder. You might try some different brand of brass for reloads before you send it back . However it does sound like a cylinder not properly heat treated. I had a 454 SRH that had a lot of problems and I sold it. Sticking brass with mid range loads, .454 chamber mouths and .11 BCG . Glad to get rid ot it. I have a Raging Bull , yea hate the name too, that never give me any problems and has very tight tolerances. Maybe the new SRH 454 are butter -- I hope so.
 

mike7mm08

Buckeye
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
Messages
1,709
Location
Milwaukee Wisconsin
BABore said:
Are you using new Hornady brass by chance?

Was going to be my question as well. The SRH in 480 ruger were notorious for sticky cases when using hornady brass. Heard of a few isolated cases of the 454s as well. The supposed science behind it is the steel Ruger used in the cylinders would expand under recoil and then retract. The case would expand but not retract as much. Some say a tolerance issue was to blame. But in nearly all situations only hornady brass caused the problems. This was the case for me in my 480 SRH. Starline brass would drop free from the cylinder with all but the hottest of hot loads. Never required any excessive force on the ejector rod just a firm shove.

Other thing I heard and tried with success was cleaning the cylinder extremely well and then degreaseing. I tried this with hornady brass. Still sticky but not nearly as bad as before. I ran a borebrush wrapped in a patch with some flitz polish through each cylinder hole. I would then swab each cylinder several times with denatured alcohol. Theory was that a any film of oil was exacerbating the brass/ cylinder expansion issue. Don't know. As I said it helped but was not as much of difference as switching brass.
 

BABore

Bearcat
Joined
Dec 23, 2011
Messages
8
I bought new Hornady brass when I got my 480 SRH. I got sticky extraction on my initial load workups using WW296. I was at least 2 grains below book max. Solved it by shooting plinker loads for a couple brass cycles. The firing, sizing, and expanding sequence work hardened the brass enough. Starline is hard enough when new.
 
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