From the Hip

During the 1970s the popularity of the 44 Magnum grew rapidly for several reasons. Elmer Keith, who was the most influential person for it being developed, continued to praise its virtues, but interest in handgun hunting was also growing. The long-range shooting sport of International Handgun Metallic Silhouette (with heavy steel targets at distances up to 200 meters) helped make it more popular than ever. While single-action 44 Magnum sixguns, such as the Ruger Blackhawk, held up with a steady diet of heavy loads, the excellent and very refined Smith & Wesson Model 29 was just not as durable and required tune-ups and corrections from time to time. Following the introduction and huge success of the Security-Six 357 Magnum in 1971, Bill Ruger set out to design a large double-action 44 Magnum with unique new design and features. The Redhawk 44 Magnum was introduced in 1979 and has proven unusually strong and durable. In time, the Redhawk was also chambered in 357 and 41 Magnum as well as the 45 Colt, which is the subject of today’s column. (Note: Today’s comments are for the Redhawk only and do not apply to the Super Redhawk that has been chambered in 10mm Auto, 44 Magnum, 454 Casull and 480 Ruger and features other engineering changes, including a peg-style grip frame.)  

Today’s Redhawk 45 Colt is fitted with a 5 1⁄2-inch barrel and is constructed entirely of AISI heat-treated 410 series stainless steel, except the rear sight housing. The cylinder is massive and measures 1.782 inches outside diameter and 1.750 inch overall length. The cylinder locks solid with minimal end shake and very modest side-play. The barrel cylinder gap measures .005-inch. Like so many other double-action sixguns, the bolt drops about halfway between the bolt notches, leaving some evidence of drag. The bolt notches (or cutouts on the cylinder) are offset leaving considerable steel on the outside of the cylinder wall for an even higher level of strength (more on that in a moment). The cylinder locks inside the front of the crane and at the breech. However, Ruger describes it as a “triple locking cylinder” due to the cylinder lock (or locking bolt) being the third lock. The lock inside the crane has proven a very effective way to keep a double-action sixgun tight, but it also serves to keep chambers aligned with the bore. The Redhawk boasts of a unique action that allows disassembly in just a few seconds and without tools; however, a coin or the back of a knife blade will be needed to remove the screw from the grips and get access to the takedown pin contained inside the grips. At this point, the cylinder, crane and trigger guard groups can be removed for easy cleaning, lubrication, etc. 

While I don’t want to dive deep into the mechanics, suffice it to mention that the Redhawk features a single piano wire coil spring to power both the hammer and trigger. The grips (aka stocks) are magna style and are designed as one-size-fits-all, but with heavy +P style loads, this shooter prefers larger stocks that encompass the front of the grip frame. The rear sight is fully adjustable, while the front is removable with interchangeable blade options. The trigger is smooth and standard width (thankfully), which aids with double action work. 

The first thing that always stands out to me is the size, weight and mass of this big sixgun that tips the scales at 49 ounces. In my opinion, it is a bit heavy for a daily working sixgun; rather, it is best as a dedicated field gun for hunting, digesting heavy loads, etc. 

Right out of the box, the trigger broke at 6.1 pounds, which is too heavy for precision work. However, the pull weight can be easily corrected by a qualified sixgun smith. The throats were undersized at .449 inch, which can raise pressures, cause barrel leading and usually decrease accuracy. I chose to correct this by using a Manson Precision Throat Reamer designed specifically for this application, which resulted in throats measuring .452 inch. Accuracy and velocity testing were done prior to and after this small modification. While velocities decreased slightly (as expected due to lower pressures), accuracy increased with both cast and jacketed bullets. Several cast and jacketed bullets that have .452-inch front driving bands or full caliber ogive just forward of the case, would not chamber in the tight throats prior to the throats being reamed out. After the modification, each bullet style readily chambered. Incidentally, if a reader is not set up to precision ream the throats, any savvy custom revolver smith can do this work and only requires the cylinder be sent rather than the complete gun, and does not require an FFL (Federal Firearms Licence) or overnight shipping. 

Due to its size and weight, the SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute) specification 45 Colt loads are mild and comfortable to shoot in the Redhawk. Nonetheless, they are still effective and useful loads. Factory loads tried included Black Hills Ammunition 250-grain Cowboy, Buffalo Bore 255-grain Outdoorsman, Hornady 255-grain Cowboy, HSM 250-grain Cowboy and Remington 250-grain Lead roundnose. As can be seen in the accompanying table, 25-yard groups typically hovered between 1 1⁄2 to 2 1⁄2 inches.  

Moving on to standard pressure handloads that are within 14,000 pounds per square inch (psi), jacketed and cast bullets performed well. For example, using the Rim Rock 250-grain RNFP bullet pushed to 820 feet per second (fps) using 6.5 grains of Alliant Red Dot powder, groups averaged 1.80 inches. The 250-grain Hornady XTP-HP loaded ahead of 9.0 grains of CFE Pistol powder, reached 881 fps and grouped into 1.55 inches.  

Now we must briefly discuss the strength of the Redhawk. Simply stated, it is stronger than the Ruger Blackhawk (both old and New Models) that are built on the big 44 frame, but today is not the day to take this gun to its maximum safe limits. Rather, the data listed is ONLY suitable for the Redhawk and Blackhawk 45 Colts built on the large frame and other modern guns designed specifically to handle high-pressure +P style loads. Never use these loads in guns designed for standard-pressure 45 Colt loads. NEVER! The Redhawk and Blackhawk revolvers have proven safe with loads that generate 32,000 copper unites of pressure (CUP). When loaded to that pressure level, the 45 Colt easily offers greater power than the 44 Magnum in spite of the latter generating greater pressures. (Space will not allow a complete discussion at this time as to internal ballistics and firearm strength; however, a comprehensive “Pet Loads” article will discuss this subject in greater detail in the not-too-distant future.) 

It should be noted that not all 45 Colt cases are of equal strength. While any USA-manufactured case can be used with these +P style loads, it is generally suggested to use Starline or Hornady cases that get top ratings for strength, durability, and give less pressure with identical loads. Please note that the overall cartridge lengths should be observed. Bullets were seated to lengths that exceed the SAAMI overall length specifications for a couple of reasons, including increased powder capacity, and loaded rounds will not accidentally chamber in SAA pattern sixguns.  

Using the 360-grain Oregon Trail WNFP gas check bullet, 20.0 grains of Accurate No. 9 powder reached 1,263 fps and grouped into 1.50 inches. Changing to the widely popular Hodgdon H-110 powder, 23.0 grains reached over 1,300 fps and grouped into 1.70 inches. Changing to the 300-grain Hornady XTP seated into the lower crimp groove, 21.5 grains of Accurate No. 9 powder reached 1,270 fps and grouped into just over 1 1⁄2 inches. 

The Redhawk is constructed like a tank. It is tough, durable, strong, reliable, accurate and a worthy field gun.