Looking at purchasing a Redhawk 45LC/45ACP

[Jesse4rmAZ]

I was wondering if anyone had personal experience with the model. I have been seeing mix reviews online. Any input would be appreciated since it is an 800$ purchase. Thanks guys.

 

[reloader]

I do not have personal experience with that model but from what I have read it is not that accurate with 45acp. The reason being that it uses the same cylinder for 45acp as it does for 45 Colt. If you really want a revolver that shoots 45acp accurately I think you'll want to get something that has a dedicated 45acp cylinder like the Blackhawk convertible or a S&W 625.

 

[Ron IL]

I bought one last summer. It shot pretty good. I reamed the throats to 4525 so I could shoot the same bullet as my Alaskan. I have no problem shooting a water bottle on the 25 yard berm with 45 colt or ACP. When I shoot the hotter 45 colt loads it beats my knuckle on my middle finger on the trigger guard. I figured I would put a Hogue rubber grip on it. None made for it. There are no rubber grips made for that gun yet. That is my only problem with the gun. Mine is really nice with no flaws at all.

 

[cowboy77845]

Mine shoots 45 Win Mag groups smaller than 45ACP. It did not like S&B 45 FMJ. Shot GI Ball reloads in smaller groups. Had to replace rear sight because it would not adjust. Have not had a chance to try it since. I have some match 45 and hollow points I want to try but I want to shoot Win Mag so its not a big deal on the ACP. It shoots 4 rounds close and then throws 2 out to give 2-3" groups. FYI 45 Win Mag Underwood ammo fit the clips and loads with out a problem.

 

[DPris]

There's been much previous discussion of the model here, might be searchable.

If not, the gist of it is that using a long cartridge and a much shorter cartridge in the same cylinder causes the model to produce good accuracy with .45 Colt & generally mediocre to poor accuracy with .45 ACP.

You may luck out & find an ACP load that works well right out the gate, or it may take some experimentation.

I tested two samples, accuracy in ACP ran from a couple inches at 25 yards to 13 inches at 25 yards, with most running 4-8 inches.

The rounded grip is not comfortable with HOT .45 Colt loads, but the gun's a pussycat with standard .45 Colt velocities in the 800-900 FPS range.
Accuracy quite good with most .45 Colt stuff.

Moon clips for the Ruger are proprietary, you can't use S&W clips.
Ruger clips are expensive, there are a couple of aftermarket clip sources that people use, I have not tried them.

The gun should be considered a .45 Colt, with the ability to shoot ACPs in a pinch.
Unnecessarily heavy as a dedicated ACP gun, and you'll run into the ACP accuracy problem inherent to the design.
I would not buy one as an ACP-only deal, unless you're prepared to experiment on loads.

Also keep in mind that if you plan to be switching back & forth between short & long .45s, you'll be shooting to two different points of impact with most loads, unless you also adjust the sights to match the caliber each time you switch.

Not trying to talk you out of getting one, just understand the gun before you spend the money.
Denis

 

[BPGuy]

I bought one last summer. It arrived with a broken rear sight, and during some extended dry-fire it developed trigger problems. I sent it back without having fired a shot. The rear sight was replaced, the trigger assembly "re-fitted" and sent back. It seemed to perform well for a while, but soon started having misfires (light hammer strikes). I sent it back again; this time, they said they said they couldn't repair it and sent me a replacement, which I just received a few days ago.

I really want this to be my favorite gun, but its difficult when it's been so unreliable. I'm hoping the replacement gun will solve all my problems and it will be the gun I want it to be.

As to the grips, it's true that there aren't any made specifically for this gun. But, grips for standard RedHawks will fit. I have a set of Pachmyer Grippers on mine. I give up the benefit of the round butt, but the comfort gained more than makes up for it.

Shooting ACP in a Colt cylinder? I will say that I haven't performed in depth testing, but in my limited experience it has been perfectly acceptable for me. Maybe I got lucky and all the ammo I've tried just works well for me, or maybe my standards are lower (I'm not one to measure groups). I can say that both ACP and LC shot to pretty much the same point of impact and similar size groups to my eye. Keep in mind that the .45 ACP was designed to duplicate .45 LC performance, so similar POI shouldn't be a surprise.

For me, it has been problematic. The first gun shot well enough to satisfy me (when it shot). From an accuracy and performance standpoint, I'm perfectly satisfied. If the new gun gives the level of reliability it should, I will be fully satisfied. If you're willing to put up with the potential inconvenience of returning the gun until they get it right, go for it. Of course, you take that risk with any gun you buy.

 

[DPris]

I did test moderately extensively & there was a wide variation in POI between Colt & ACP loads.

As long as you keep bullet weights & velocities similar in both calibers, POI may be close.
Start to vary (185 ACP vs a 255 Colt, for instance) and the discrepancy is magnified.
I did measure groups, the only way to truly gauge accuracy.

I didn't mention ignition problems in ACP that others have encountered, I didn't have any in the two test samples I worked with.
Denis

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

Mine is a good shooter. Quite accurate with selected jacketed or cast loads in .45 Colt. With worked up selected ACP loads it shoots into about 2" at 30'. Not a target gun ,but not bad either.
That said, I did not buy it to shoot ACP's ,but the fact it will is a plus. Bottom line is, I like it just fine !!!

 

[planetcat]

I bought a Redhawk .44 mag nine years ago and wish I had bought the .45 colt version instead. The convertible model is a great setup.

 

[Jesse4rmAZ]

Thank you guys for the input. I wanted the versatility of having it shoot the wide ranges of the 45LC. I also wanted the ability to shoot the ACP as a cheaper alternative for fun because I love to shoot. Hmmm

 

[hittman]

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=255769

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=255440

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=253533

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=252035

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=251103

 

[contender]

I'll add in a little info.
I have a Redhawk in 45 Colt,, that was sent to TK Customs before the factory offered the conversion. It now shoots 45 acp as well,, using moon clips.
I find it to be a good gun. I think the best way to have built the gun would have been to offer a spare cylinder assy instead of just using the cheaper method of moons. But,, hey,, bean counters rule a lot anymore.

 

[BPGuy]

I did test moderately extensively & there was a wide variation in POI between Colt & ACP loads.

As long as you keep bullet weights & velocities similar in both calibers, POI may be close.
Start to vary (185 ACP vs a 255 Colt, for instance) and the discrepancy is magnified.

Denis

An excellent point. I should have noted that the ammo I was using was 230-gr .45 ACP and 225-gr .45 LC. No chrono data, but I would expect velocities to be very similar as well. Significant variation in bullet weight and velocity would probably cause variations in POI.

The same would be true, however, whether you switched cartridges types (.45 ACP vs .45 LC), or just bullet weights and/or velocities in the same round (i.e. 225-gr/850 fps vs. 300-gr/1100 fps, both in .45 LC).

The very thing that makes this gun very attractive, the ability to shoot a wide variety of ammunition and loads, will inevitably lead to varying POI's when loads are significantly different. That's part and parcel of the gun.

 

[DPris]

I've seen discussions of the model where some that were considering it had not even thought of the POI differences.

There are people out there with little experience or understanding of what's involved.

The difference in POI between a .45 Colt & a .45 ACP load can be up to five inches in elevation at 25 yards in this gun, depending on loads used.

As an extreme example, if somebody thought they could carry 300-grain Colts in the gun & then do a quick speed reload with 185 ACPs, they'd quickly find that's not a sound plan.

I mentioned the issue for those who may not have thought of it, and for Jesse in case he hadn't.
Denis

 

[nn]

Some of the group accuracy issue with this revolver with factory jacket and semi jacketed ammo is bullet pulling,
by the time you get to the last 2 or 3 rnds in a clip you will have some pulling.The same thing happens in my 625.

So if I am just shooting, I use a clip with just 2 rnds to preclude the effects of bullet pulling and it has improved my shooting.

The other thing I did was get a tyler T-grip because the rounded grip is just too small for me.

The comment about poa is right on, I have a 1&3/4 turn elevation change on the rear sight; up for .45 acp and down for 45 colt.

 

[DPris]

I did not notice that.
But- if you can't fire a full six rounds in a clip, there's very little reason to bother.
Loading 2, firing 2, reloading 2....?

I've also never noticed that issue in my 625.
Denis

 

[nn]

I did not notice that.
But- if you can't fire a full six rounds in a clip, there's very little reason to bother.
Loading 2, firing 2, reloading 2....?

I've also never noticed that issue in my 625.
Denis

There is no reason not to shoot all 6, there is a reason to try 2 at a time and see if the group gets smaller,
if you were one of the people complaining about groups being too big.

If not smaller, nothing was lost except a few minutes. If the group gets smaller then you know you might have to use crimped lead bullets or at least a better crimp on jacketed if that is possible.

As to the 625, will yours shoot .45 acp without the clip?
A friend of mine has one that does and he does not get pulling----strange isn't it.

But, to notice pulling you have look for it unless you reload a partially shot clip
and set it bullets down on a flat table and happen to see they all do not all touch the flat surface
or the that clip isn't level. I noticed by accident I will admit.

This is just a report of what has happened to me, it may be different due to many factors for others.

Happy shooting, hey.

 

[BPGuy]

It's hard to imagine that .45 ACP ammo would have enough recoil to cause bullets to jump.

In any event, my replacement Redhawk has already crapped the bed (see my thread about Redhawk Return Update); as such, I am now hard pressed to recommend anyone else buying one. I'm somewhat hoping they offer me a refund this time.

 

[nn]

Thank you guys for the input. I wanted the versatility of having it shoot the wide ranges of the 45LC. I also wanted the ability to shoot the ACP as a cheaper alternative for fun because I love to shoot. Hmmm

A Blackhawk convertible may be what you want for best .45 acp shooting.

 

[BPGuy]

Hard to argue with. My Blackhawk convertible has performed flawlessly since I purchased it some years ago.