pondering my big revolver purchase

[MJRW]

I'm up in the air about alot of things. .44 or .454? S&W 29, Redhawk, or Super Redhawk? Barrel length? I have an opportunity to pick up a 29-2 (might be -3) with 8-3/8" barrel, but I'm not sure I want it. I'm thinking so far .44 Redhawk with 7.5" barrel, the model that already has the mounts for the rail. I believe this serves all functions. Looks cool, can hunt with it, it'd be fun for the range, and I believe it will be enough bang to hunt (provided I get the real estate I'm looking for). Is there anything I couldn't do with a .44 Redhawk with 7.5" barrel other than conceal it?

 

[Cal4D4]

If heavier loading is intended, I would avoid the -2 and -3 S&W.
My 29-3s have the finest trigger pulls of any revolver I have ever handled. They (both 4" and 6") feel like scalpels compared to my SRH which is 7.5" and heavy. I save the S&Ws for special occasions, Ruger used most often. SRH has a better grip for me than the Redhawk comes with. I wouldn't ever exceed about 7.5" in a revolver and 5" is just fine. Just my opinion.

 

[stans]

I agree with Cal4D4, Rugers are great for shooting the heavy loads and the SRH will live forever shooting Magnum loads. The S&W's are sexier and have better triggers out of the box, but are not as durable and live longer with reduced loads.

 

[Peter Gun]

Love my SRH .44mag . I prefer the super over the reg redhawk because of the post-style grip frame. Really sucks up the recoil and fits my small hands. It is very versatile. The stock adj sights (red ramp front and white outline rear) are very easy to see, but precise. Built in ring mounts means you can use a scope and have it rezero easily. I also have a Weaver rail mount for my red dot that works very nicely. It even tames the heavy duty loads. Garrett hammerheads dont hurt, but they sure are fun! Plus, non-gunnies are really impressed by that extended frame!
Wow, look at that cannon!

 

[Parker Dean]

I feel like I'm starting to sound like a cheerleader here, but I've decided that later in the year I'm going to get one of these:

http://www.danwessonfirearms.com/lf.htm

What has me interested is that the .460 looks like a 44 mag on paper, and the 45 WinMag looks like a lower end .454. Should be able to cover the feel of a variety of cartridges with one gun. MarineTech has one and has posted his appreciation of the gun.

Found it:

Originally posted by MarineTech

Guess it's time for me to chime in my 2 cents. I've owned a Dan Wesson 7460 for 7 months now, so I'll pass along some of the things I've found.

Moonclips - Bought a bunch of them from www.Moonclips.com and they're very good quality. I HIGHLY recommend picking up one of their demooning tools (Looks like an oversized screwdriver). Your fingers will thank you, and you'll get a lot more trigger time at the range. When Dan Wesson says that the cases have to use Starline brass, they mean it. Standard moonclips won't work with Winchester factory ammo. BUT, there is a way around it. I took 10 moonclips, and using a thin grinding head in my Dremel, I relieved just a little bit of metal from around the inside of the cartridge area and from the lips. It takes some practice to know how much metal to take off, but you get the hang of it. Just go slow and take a little off at a time, then check with a cartridge, repeat as necessary. Now Winchester brass fits perfectly in those 10 clips. I've marked them and keep them seperate from the rest. One thing to keep in mind with the 7460, where it's designed to chamber a number of different cartridges, you HAVE to use the moonclips. Other .45ACP revolvers will still headspace off the case neck, and let you fire the cartridges, but you have to hand extract the cases. Not the 7460. Even the longer .45WinMag cartridges still require a moonclip to fire.

Weight, Size, and Heft - This is a BIG, HEAVY gun. Add in the fact that I specifically requested an unfluted cylinder and you've got a real beast to tote around all day. The gun's heavy enough that if you should run out of ammo engaging a big critter, you can put some huge dents in its cranium swinging the gun. You almost get a cartoon like impression when you pick it up the first time, because it looks like you have a huge cartoon gun growing out of a tiny little grip until your mind gets used to the proportions. However, this does wonders for recoil. With a 6 or 8 inch barrel screwed in, .45ACP recoils like a .38 and even full bore .45WinMag and .460Rowland feel like you're firing .45ACP +P out of an Officer's size 1911. Drop down to the 4 inch barrel with the heavy loads though, and things will start to come alive. Still I found it much more controllable and tolerable than any .44 Magnum of the same size. Do not think for a moment that you'll use this gun for concealed carry. Unless you're a sasquatch and have clothes cut like a circus tent, everbody in the vicinity will know that you're toting this puppy around. You may have some problems finding holsters to tote this around in. Very few companies advertise leather for the Large frame Dan Wessons. Presently for the 6 inch barrel, I use a leather crossdraw hoster made for the Taurus Raging Bull, and I tote it around with the 4 inch barrel in an Uncle Mikes nylon holster made for a 4" N frame S&W. Most N frame holsters should work as long as they're not custom fit for the Smith. If they use the "fold-over method" for the holster, they should have enough extra room for the full lugged Dan Wesson.

Reliability and wear - This gun has gone bang or BOOM every time I have pulled the trigger. Considering that I keep this as my nightstand gun in addition to using it for hunting, I do practice with it on a regular basis. I presently have 650 rounds of .45ACP, 150 rounds of .45ACP +P, 100 rounds of various .45WinMag, and 55 rounds of .460 Rowland through the gun and the action is still as smooth as the day I bought it. No sign of wear, jiggle, or slop anywhere. Dan Wesson built this baby to last.

Accuracy - More than you'll every need. You'll see why Dan Wesson has been a popular choice for long range silhouette shooting for years. I have notices that the higher powered .45 WinMag and .460 Rowland cartridges do seem to print tighter than .45ACP. Best accuracy off a benchrest for me was with the Georgia Arms 230gr. FMJ .45 WinMag load. It printed in 1 large ragged hole at 25 yards. Most .45ACP ammo printed in a fist size group that's plenty accurate for defensive shooting purposes. I'm sure with well designed handloads, you can do even better.

Overall, I would recommend this gun to anybody looking for a general purpose gun that can fill a lot of roles. If you're a small person, it may not be the gun for you.

Remember you said "BIG" revolver purchase

 

[MJRW]

I've contemplated the DW revolver, having just bought a DW 1911. I especially like the shiny unfluted cylinder...so purty.

 

[Pappy John]

One thought on the Redhawk Hunter (with the scope mounting cuts on the rib). Its OK with typical magnified pistol scopes, but the ring cuts are too close together for any red dot type scopes that I have found. I was thinking about changing over to a dot, but I'm stuck with what I've got.

 

[10-Ring]

Go w/ the Ruger! She's plenty strong & ultra reliable!