Ruger Super Redhawk .454

[azrugershooter]

I have had problems with extraction when I use Starline brass and shoot loads over minimum. Winchester and Hornady brass is ok but doesn't seem to last long. 2-4 reloads max with heavy loads. It seems like their brass is harder but more brittle. It just cracks down the side after a couple of resizes. It is not cheap either.

Where are you buying your starline brass from? I just bought 3 bags of it from Dillon for $32 a bag of a 100. Compared to $55 for Hornady at bass pro and $65 and up for Winchester just about everywhere. I like the $32 price. I have starline 45 colt brass that has been shot in a 5 shot Bisley with loads near 50k and most of it has reloaded 8 times. The only problem I ever had with starline or any other brass is over working it with expanding.

 

[Tommy Kelly]

I have a 454 alaskan that has no problem with ejection at all all cylinders are smooth and no problems with any load I have ever tried. a fine little pistol.

 

[tomiswho]

My SRH 454 is a doll.I got it in 2003 or 4 and it was made in 2001. It seems the 1st owner had Mag-na-port not only put in the quad ports, they smoothed the action up too. One of my nicest.

 

[huntnfool]

I will be ordering the SRH .454 next week. How does everyone feel about shortening the barrel to 6"or 5.5" and Magna porting. How much additional muzzel blast have you seen and if needed, could you shoot without hearing protection in an emergency without goin def. Did Magnaporting give you enough reduction to make it worthwhile.

 

[azrugershooter]

Well if firing the gun without hearing protection means the difference between having your ass eaten by a bear and living then your hearing shouldn't be a concern! :lol: :lol: As far as mag-na-porting goes it adds more blast but it can reduce muzzle rise. You would be better to either buy a SRH 454 with the houge tamer grips on it or find some after the fact.

 

[huntnfool]

azrugershooter, the hogue grips are a given, a must have for this pistola. I'm going to have the barrel shortened for sure for ease of carry while packing, but want to have enough barrel to still use it for hunting, so that leaves out the Alaskan model for me personally. If the Hogues do a good enough job, I will shorten to 5.5 or 6" and not port the barrel. This would be a great setup for my intended use. But as to your advise, you are correct in that I would rather keep my ass and gain some ear ringing anyday. Winding up staying in northern Idaho as a steaming pile is not what I consider to be a successful hunt. :lol: :lol:

 

[azrugershooter]

But as to your advise, you are correct in that I would rather keep my ass and gain some ear ringing anyday. Winding up staying in northern Idaho as a steaming pile is not what I consider to be a successful hunt. :lol: :lol:

Good plan :lol: :lol:
ANother option I don't recall seeing in this topic is using hot 45 colt ammo. You can load the 45 colt to levels above a 44 mag (at least in this gun or any 5 five shot 45 colt) but not nearly as flaming as a 454. Hot 45 would also make a good and a cheaper pratice ammo. If nothing else it would save on the cost of using 454 brass.

 

[huntnfool]

Yes, I have researched a lot of load data, and the 45 colt +P hot loads are what really sold me over the 44 mag. I've had several single 44's and to me, the 44 special is pretty useless for my needs. This way I can have a 45 that exceeds 44 mag ballistics and still have something a lot bigger in reserve.

 

[azrugershooter]

Yes, I have researched a lot of load data, and the 45 colt +P hot loads are what really sold me over the 44 mag. This way I can have a 45 that exceeds 44 mag ballistics and still have something a lot bigger in reserve.

Exactly

 

[bigboredad]

I have that gun and it is simply amazing how accurate it is I have done nothing special to it just shoot it. The .45 colt option is something that should not be looked at as just loading down the .454 I cast my own and cant amazing results in both speed and accuracy. Also a bonus of the .45colt brass is you can load longer bullets in it. for example I load a 340 grain in the .45 brass and it fits just fine I can achieve a velocity of 1400fps out of my gun and it is very accurate for my needs. The same bullet in the .454 brass will not fit the srh or the .454 puma. I load mainly .45 colt brass for the .454 for cost and it can be amazing what you can do with the .45

 

[maxpress]

my guess would be that these guys (if there not full of it and just repeating some elses story) may have shot a bunch of lead .45 ammo not cleaned the chambers then shot some .454 stuff.

samething will happen with a .44 mag. shoot a bunch of .44spl 240gr. swc till you get a nice lead ring. then cram a few .44mags in there and you have stuck cases weather you fire it or not. took me awhile to figure out what my freind was doing to get a sticky cylinder (-:

 

[huntnfool]

I finally found a SRH .454 today and played with it. Great gun and real smooth. The frame size with 7.5" felt larger than I expected for back country packing. I guess the SBH SA's with 7.5" I owned had me thinking the SRH's were approx. the same dimensions. I also held a SBH 5.5" with Hogue grips. It felt much better for packing with the 2" shorter barrel, maybe I'm just used to SA's. The RH .44/4" with Hogue"s was also nice. I'm going to keep trying defferent set-ups until that right combination shows itself. Something between snubbie and hunter models. I Wish that the FA 6" .454 did'nt cost as much as a bangkok mail order bride or I'd get one.

 

[maxpress]

GEEZ are bangcock mail order brides that much now?? Guess i shoulda bought a couple back in 2000.

 

[huntnfool]

Just tried a friends Redhawk .44, 5.5" with Hogue grips. Real nice, best balance of all. Not the power of the .454 I was looking for , but Buffalo Bore .44 mag. +P+ appears to narrow the gap somewhat. Unless I get some negative feedback on this revolver, I will order it Monday.

 

[bigboredad]

just to mess with your mind a little bit ruger makes the .45 rh in 5.5 and buffalo bore also makes some pretty impressive .45 ammo if you don't want to reload. Of course if you reload the rh can safely handle reloads that are nipping at the heels of a .454. Good luck on your decision in reality both would serve the purpose you intend it for.

 

[tomiswho]

Two years ago I carried my 7 1/2" SRH .454 around in Alaska. I found it to be quite a load. So during my month this summer I took my BH 4 5/8" .45 with some of my hand loads, 300g LBT w 22g of 296, which should spit out at about 1200 fps. As stout as I want to go with my Blackhawk. It was a bit more comfortable carrying around. Be being back, I've read a few more bear stories, and next trip I'm going to take the .454 again. The Buffalo Bore 360g at over 1400 fps are a bit more stout. Yeah, if I could afford the sweet Freedom Arms Premier Grade 5 shot .45 at my local shop (they have it prices at $1800 IIRC) I'd up the load in the .45 to those "nipping at the heals of a .454" areas...

 

[huntnfool]

I put a lot more thought into this today. Had to decide ,what was going to be the main pupose of this redhawk. I have hunting handguns, (T/C's and 7.5" SA .44's) a 1895G Marlin 45-70 that goes with me sometimes, a Kimber 1911 that I've been carrying a lot, and a 870 short barrel 3" mag 12ga. All of these get carried when I'm mining during the summer months and when packing during Elk season. My main purpose for this is to carry during these times and have a little more avilable power in a revolver with easier packing ability without going to the snubbie versions. So, I ordered the Redhawk .44 in the 4.2" with Hogue grips. It will be here in about a week. I guess I can always order something else later.

 

[Moki]

I had 2 7.5" Ruger SRH's in 454 Casull one I had one shortened to 4.25" a front sight rib/spring kit installed and I installed a front .332" green fiber optic post and Crimson Trace laser grips and bought off a guy here on the Ruger forum black/gray laminate side panels.

I sold the other to a buddy due to it becoming a safe queen after I got the short SRH back.

I load all of my own 454 Casull loads for the short SRH from 240gr XTP-Mag's 1650fps to 405gr Beartooth WLNGC's @ 1330fps it is extremely accurate and a pleasure to carry.

In the 7.5" SRH these same loads do 240gr = 1880fps and the 405gr = 1420fps.

I have had cases stick creating hard extraction but the issue with the sticking cases really isn't an issue for me I actually consider it Rugers built in pressure test system.

Basically I load up until I get sticky extraction then reduce my load by 1/2 a grain of powder resulting in an extremely accurate/powerful load that fall out of the cylinder.

Here is a pic of both of the SRH's and I use Bob Mernickle Holsters for all of my holster needs.

My buddy had the long one in the pic also shortened 4.25" now...

 

[huntnfool]

Moki, that shortened SRH .454 is sweet. I will keep it in mind for a future project. Thanks for the pic's.