Newbie -- Questions about Redhawks and Blackhawks (44 mag)

[Chris Brines]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on this site. I do not currently own any Ruger products, but I DEFINITELY have my eye on a few. I have a quick question for those that are familiar with the .44 magnum. I have pretty much made up my mind to buy one, and I know it'll be a RUGER, but I can't decide which one.

I am on a somewhat limited budget, but still willing to pay for quality, especially with this particular gun.

This will be my first gun NOT bought for the sole purpose of defending my home. I want something amazing to shoot for fun, that has excellent long range capability, with plenty of "knock down" power, and is also VERY effective for defensive purposes, should the need arise. That is why I have my eyes on these Ruger .44 magnum Black Hawks and Red Hawks.

I even had a "to buy list" that included a .45 ACP, a Pistol Grip Stock Tactical Shotgun, and a AR-15 .223, (brand names not important). I want all of these guns for specific purposes, as I already have my "home defense collection", and am now looking to buy some "fun guns". (Not that my 9mm [sub compact, CCW], .40 SW and .38 Special aren't fun), but you know what I mean.

I have been having a difficult time deciding which one of these to buy first, the shotgun is only about $350, the .45 ACP is $565 and the AR is about $1,000........I have, however, in the last day or so, been seriously considering buying a Ruger .44 magnum in the place of ALL of these.

Any feedback on that idea is greatly appreciated, as I am somewhat new to shooting. I'd call myself an intermediate.

One quick question, can anyone tell me what the difference between a Ruger Bisley Black Hawk and a Ruger Super Black Hawk?

Just curious, I have pretty much narrowed my search down to the Red Hawk 5.5 inch or the Red Hawk 7.5 inch stainless steel .44 magnum, but haven't quite ruled out the Black Hawk just yet.

I realize I will probably never or rarely shoot this monster in double action, but I would still like to have that option, which is why I am kinda leaning towards the Red Hawks.

Besides that fact, I am extremely impressed by the Black Hawks, and really questioning if it is really even worth it to be concerned about S/D action with such a big gun. After all, is it really practical to fire a .44 magnum in double action? Oh and I guess I should mention I'm 5'7, 150 lbs, but for some reason I take well to bigger guns than smaller ones. I have never shot a .44 magnum, and have been advised to start off with .44 Special rounds, and I plan to follow that advice lol....

Can't just become "Dirty Harry" overnight, and I realize that.

Any Thoughts? :shock: :twisted:

 

[Hugh]

Welcome to the Ruger Forum.

Well, at the risk of taking some heat, here goes.

I am the proud owner of a 4" Ruger Redhawk .44 Magnum. I am also the proud owner of some Ruger New Model Blackhawk .45 Cal (Colt, not ACP.) One is 4-5/8" and the other is 7-1/2". Don't have a .44 Magnum Blacknawk.

Of those mentioned I prefer the New Model Blackhawk .45 in 4-5/8". Wow, what a shooter. Have not shot the Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum, however it is on my list of things to do. Based on my experience with the .45 I'm guessing the Super Blackhawk would be my choice.

I'm guessing also, that some folks more familiar will be stepping in directly.

Just so you know, I have shot my Redhawk .44 Magnum double action. For me it's not practical. I learned revolver shooting in single action with a .38 Spl at a very early age, and still do almost all of the time. The only time I would consider shooting my redhawk double action would be in an extreme situation. For that reason, I believe I'd stick with a single action (Blackhawk) in that caliber.

 

[contender]

Welcome to the Forum.
I hope you have some experience shooting magnum handguns before you get one for yourself. If not, I'll strongly suggest some PROPER training on them before spending your money. Find a good instructor to help you learn the proper grip, stance, eye dominance, sight alignment, and trigger control.

That said, if I were looking at jumping into a 44 mag, I'd try & rent or borrow the ones you mentioned BEFORE a purchase. The Redhawk is a Double action, while the Super Blackahwk is a Single Action. Most importantly, get the one that fits YOUR hands.
Now, most of us who have both types will tell you that quite often, we all shoot our DA's in the SA mode. Most of us do not shoot much DA, especially fast, in our Redhawks. Why? Recoil, & sight aquisition.
Lastly, to answer the question about the differences in the Bisley Super Blackhawk, and the regular Super Blackhawks, it's all the gripframe. The "plow handle" type is the regular Super, whereas the Bisley has a distinctly sharper downward angle to the grip. MANY folks prefer the Bisley for heavier recoiling handguns. It's all about what fits YOUR hands. Either way, between those two, the recoil will naturally push the firearm in an upward roll. That is normal. If you "fight" the recoil, then you'll have accuracy issues, and it won't be much fun to shoot them.
I hope this helps!

 

[Hawk-in-Wi]

One quick question, can anyone tell me what the difference between a Ruger Bisley Black Hawk and a Ruger Super Black Hawk?

same basic gun, just different grip frame and hammer , the Bisley has a longer grip which is curved more straight down than the plow handle on the Super and the bisley hammer spur is lower

the super blackhawk in the 7 1/2" and 10 " have a squared backed trigger guard, the super blackhawk hunter which has a 7 1/2' barrel has a rounded trigger guard, fully adjustable sights and also comes with factory scope rings , Hunters can be had with either the standard plow handle grip or the Bisley grip

then of course there are also the 5 1/2" and the 4 5/8' version too

lots to think about

Redhawk can be had in 4" , 5 1/2' and 7 1/2" and the 7 1/2" can also be found in the Hunter version which comes with scope rings

 

[anachronism]

I made the commitment years back to learn to shoot revolvers double-action, and most of my shooting since then has been only double action. Even with Redhawks, and Super Redhawks. As you might guess, sight picture recovery suffers measurably shooting 44 magnum, but I feel this was the direction I needed to go. Now, I don't even own any single-action revolvers any more. They just no longer fit in. I'm not going to go into the old single-action vs double-action pros & cons, we all know what they are by now, and I'm certainly not going to trash single-actions. They're just not what I want in a revolver. I recently sold my Super Redhawk & bought an S&W 629, which was probably a mistake. The Super actually worked better for me than the Smith does, but I put a lot of effort into it's trigger for DA shooting. My personal favorite is the 5-1/2 in std Redhawk, it seems to balance best of all for me, and the trigger is manageable, but not in the same class as the Super Redhawk. YMMV, of course.

 

[Chris Brines]

Thanks for all the helpful info. I will definitely rent and try out this caliber of weapon before making a purchase. I am in no way disillusioned to the fact that I have never shot anything like this before, and I can't even imagine what it would be like.

I am sure that at first the recoil will kill me considering my size especially. I also know myself pretty darn well, and know that I am particularly fascinated with something so powerful, and would thoroughly enjoy learning to shoot it, as well as how to hold it, stance, and eye dominance, in perfecting my use of the .44 magnum.

I also agree totally about the benefits of shooting single action, the accuracy is simply unmatchable. I just thought maybe the extra half second to cock the hammer can cause you some valuable time, but I guess with literally a cannon in your hand, the first shot you let off should definitely slow ALL of the enemy down, whether you hit them or not. Just the sheer shock.


I have decided to get my shotgun and my AR-15 first, however, strictly because they have a higher priority on my "reasons to buy" list, and the .44 magnum, although clearly a BEAST, is something I would be buying more for a "toy" (for lack of a better word, but you get my drift.

Before I became a gun owner, (which was less than 6 months ago), I just assumed semi autos were "better" than revolvers because the capacity is higher, and you can reload quicker. Since I have gotten pretty good at shooting my .38 special, however, I have developed an all new respect for revolvers, and now I am convinced that neither semi autos nor revolvers are "better", they both have their pros and cons.

I will say that I have more overall respect for revolvers and those who have mastered the use of them. These above mentioned models of Ruger .44 magnum revolvers, between 5.5 and 10.5 inch barrels, are something I am beginning to realize are the "boss" of handguns.

 

[Wrangler John]

Don't build up the .44 Magnum as some mythical super cartridge, it is nothing more than a souped up .44 Special. Nothing mythical or special about it.

You do not want a .44 magnum for home defense, it's recoil will prevent fast accurate repeat shots and the over penetration of full magnum loads will endanger people in adjoining rooms or houses. Your choice of a shotgun for home defense, or even a .223 Remington rifle (with frangible bullets) is better.

These statements may seem to be contradictory, but consider that the .44 Magnum is minimal for use in IHMSA Metallic Silhouette big bore competition and minimal for hunting big game. There are other cartridges that nearly double the .44 Magnum's power in a handgun - these are true hand cannons.

I have owned about every type of .44 Magnum from one of the earliest S&W Model 29's to later issue models, to Ruger Super Blackhawks, an early Redhawk, a Dan Wesson, Contenders, and even a Remington 788 bolt action rifle. My experience includes over a decade of shooting metallic silhouette competition, practice and load development for competition. For a big bore revolver the better choice is the .45 Colt double action, or a convertible Blackhawk with accessory .45 ACP cylinder. The Blackhawk Convertible is one of the most accurate I have owned, especially with the .45 ACP cylinder, and either cartridge will do all that needs to be done. The .45 Colt is available in factory ammo from light Cowboy to heavy hunting loads. The .45 ACP is one of the most widely available cartridges today.

Shooting magnum handguns will take a toll on your hands, cuts, bruises, arthritis, and nerve damage can result from a steady diet of shooting them.

The Bisley model was developed by Colt as a 19th Century target configuration and named for the Bisley shooting match held in Great Britain. The Bisley model has a longer straighter grip frame, lower hammer spur and curved trigger that is set back in the trigger guard. It also had a flat backstrap and windage adjustable sight The Bisley was made to have a shorter action, or hammer stroke to reduce vibration when the hammer fell, and allow for minimal trigger over travel, while allowing for a shorter cocking cycle. This allowed less grip displacement when cocking. All these features were designed for target shooting, but proved popular for defensive purposes as they were faster shooting.

 

[flatgate]

I am sure that at first the recoil will kill me considering my size especially.

These above mentioned models of Ruger .44 magnum revolvers, between 5.5 and 10.5 inch barrels, are something I am beginning to realize are the "boss" of handguns.

Horse Pucky! I'm in your "size category" and shoot big bores! Here's a few of my favorite .44 mags......

I rarely shoot the "Full House" 300 grain bullets at high velocity out of the 4-5/8" Flattop and I rarely shoot the 280 grain "mid range" loads out of the long barreled .44's.



flatgate

 

[contender]

The size of the firearm has nothing to do with the size of the person. Having met Flatgate, (That puny ski bum,,,,,,,,,, we love ya anyway Carl,) can easily handle hand cannons. I've seen smaller girls handle them easily enough. It's ALL in LEARNING the proper grip, stance, sight alignment, recoil management, etc.
Since you've mentioned you are fairly new to shooting, might I suggest an idea or two. Start with a 22 LR SA revolver. Learn the basics. Then step up to the 357 in a SA with 38 Spl loads. Then switch to 357 mag loads. Then try the 44 mag, starting with 44 spls, and then add the magnums. After that, try the 45 Colt in a SA.
Then to fully appreciate a hand cannon, try a 454 or a 480. All this will be an education. Ok, schools open. Remember, it's easier to learn good habits first, rather than learn things wrong & have to break bad habits later on.

 

[Chukar hunter]

Several of the previous posters are long time members of rugerforum. One of the last posters mentioned a .22 to get started with revolver shooting and I think that a Single Six would be an excellent choice for a learning revolver. I own .44 magnum revolvers in Vaquero 5 1/2", Super blackhawk 7 1/2", Super blackhawk 4 5/8", Redhawk 5 1/2" and Super redhawk Alaskan 2 1/2". They all have their own feel and different weight. I agree that double action shooting a .44 magnum is not a real high priority, I mostly shoot all mine single action. My particular favorite is the Super blackhawk in 4 5/8" barrel. It isnt too big, but has enough mass to handle about any load I care to shoot out of it. My suggestion for a .22 is to give you an inexspensive way to practice and you'll find yourself taking it out more often than your centerfires. I have one, a stainless single six in 6 1/2" that goes with me every time I go to the range. Good luck!