I never thought I'd own a SRH for a couple of reasons, of the .44's I've handled the barrels are too long making them nose heavy for me. I generally do not buy with aesthetics in mind but they are not very svelte compared to my S&W's.
Then last year I got a 4 1/2" SBH in .480 and not wanting only one launching platform I got more reasonable, but still not enough to consider a SRH. So I wrote Ruger to see if they'd install a 4"-5" barrel on an Alaskan, nope dead end there.
With .480's being so hard to come by configured the way I want one , I looked at BFR's but no again, only 7 1/2" barrels without $pecial order. Then I discovered the Toklat. No again! No .480's to be found.
THEN a custom 5" SRH in .480 pops up and I wound up in a bidding war. But overall I gotta say to the losing bidder I'm glad you lost, if you were a shill bidder I had no problem paying for it!
This beauty cost me a bit more than a new 7.5" SRH in .480 but boy... nice balance and the smith that did it was good at making it an unofficial Toklat. It locks up like a tank, barrel was crowned nicely, the DA trigger "stages" 100% of the time, the throats appear to have had attention as does the forcing cone. No leading as I PC my 325's.
After two range trips I have to say I'm happy I got it. Maybe someday Ruger will make an Alaskan in .480 with a longer barrel till then I could care less
Then last year I got a 4 1/2" SBH in .480 and not wanting only one launching platform I got more reasonable, but still not enough to consider a SRH. So I wrote Ruger to see if they'd install a 4"-5" barrel on an Alaskan, nope dead end there.
With .480's being so hard to come by configured the way I want one , I looked at BFR's but no again, only 7 1/2" barrels without $pecial order. Then I discovered the Toklat. No again! No .480's to be found.
THEN a custom 5" SRH in .480 pops up and I wound up in a bidding war. But overall I gotta say to the losing bidder I'm glad you lost, if you were a shill bidder I had no problem paying for it!
This beauty cost me a bit more than a new 7.5" SRH in .480 but boy... nice balance and the smith that did it was good at making it an unofficial Toklat. It locks up like a tank, barrel was crowned nicely, the DA trigger "stages" 100% of the time, the throats appear to have had attention as does the forcing cone. No leading as I PC my 325's.
After two range trips I have to say I'm happy I got it. Maybe someday Ruger will make an Alaskan in .480 with a longer barrel till then I could care less
