Ruger Redhawk for Deer

[cgbills]

Hello gentlemen, I had a question concerning my new .44 mag. My father bought me a Ruger Redhawk in .44mag with a 4in barrel for my OCS graduation. Now it was not bought for deer hunting but I figure since it is a .44 mag why not give it a shot. I do have a few concerns though. First is will the velocity out of the shorter 4in barrel be enough? I would imagine the velocity drop off would be greater with a 4in barrel than one that is quite a bit longer. So if this barrel length is sufficient, at what distance would you say would be the furthest I would want to engage a deer. My second worry is the sights; they are just simple blade sights. I worry about engaging targets further out because I do not have any kind of sighting system. To solve this should I just practice and get used to the weapon’s holdover? I am sure the weapon will be sufficient but I just want to get a second opinion because I do not want to get out there and wound a deer. Last would there be ammo for hunting that would be better out of a shorter barrel?

[fisherman66]

I think 4" is enough out to 75 yards or so. I wouldn't hunt a 4" barrel without a scope, but other's might. The reduced sight radius is the problem. There should be little scalloped edges where a handgun scope can be attached.

[TheShootist1894]

. . .But in Ohio you need a 5" or longer barrel for Deer, Indiana is next door to Ohio, like I said maybe you can, I don't know, you might want to check

[john1911]

Check the laws in your state. Barrel length requirements vary greatly by state.

I plan to use my 4" Redhawk for deer hunting this fall. I carry a revolver and muzzleloader while hunting. I use the muzzleloader on shots much over 25-30 yards. The revolver is for close in shots and a quick follow up if needed.

[jhgreasemonkey]

4" is the minimum barrel length here in wa state so its okay here. I have a 5.5" redhawk I plan on using this year. I would go for it. Just practice plenty. I take mine to the rifle range so im not stuck practicing at indoor pistol ranges of only 50 feet. I use open sights as well.

[kingudaroad]

In most cases the gun is way more accurate than the shooter. Find your effective range at the range. I have the same gun in 5.5" and it has taken me a year and a half to feel good about 25 yards.

[azredhawk44]

I've got the 4" stainless and the 5.5" blued redhawk.

My 5.5" gun has gold bead ruger sights and I shoot it to pie-plate accuracy out to 75 yards.

My 4" gun has the stock hi-viz red ramp and square notch sights and I shoot it to pie-plate accuracy to 25 yards, but it has much faster sight acquisition.

I carry the 5.5" gun when out deliberately hunting, but to be fair, I've only had the 4" gun for about 6 months. With more practice, I could probably shoot it to 50 yards as it is currently configured. A better shooter than me could shoot it even further, I'm sure.

Regardless of which gun is on me, both of them seem to favor 240-250gr ammunition around 1200fps.

[castnblast]

I can't help you much w/ the 44. I don't own one. But I do want to congratulate you on your graduation from OCS, and give you a a HUGE THANK YOU FOR SERVING OUR COUNTRY!

Sincerely,

Castnblast.

[fisherman66]

I'll second C&B. 'Course that extends to past, present and future protectors of our nation too.

[cgbills]

thanks guys it always means a lot to hear that

[castnblast]

Yeah, too many people take the sacrafices our millitary men, women, & their families make so we can have forums like this, express our views openly, and only risk the occasional heckle when someone doesn't agree. Too many places in this world you would get knocked off, thrown in jail, and for that matter, flat couldn't own a firearm. For that I sincerely thank every past, current and future millitary man and woman.

[101guns]

I have a scoped Super Redhawk in .44 and will not hesitate to squeeze one off at deer out to 75 yards, if I have a rest or other means of bracing.

[ocharry]

if you do some practice and get used to the gun i wouldn't think a 50 yrd shot would be out of the question

i will say that i have a first run production red hawk and it definitely likes the heavier bullets like azredhawk44 said,,,, the one i have likes the 320gr. cast performance gas check bullets really well,,, like coffee cup size ragged whole at 50 yrd. likes them,,,,,,it likes them loaded long,,, so the heavier bullets let me get them out to the end of the cylinder

i would check the barrel length requirements for your state too,,,like has been said in another post,,,, Ohio ,,,unless it has been changed recently is 5"

put a red dot on it

thanks for your service,,,, my nephew is in affganistan right now,,,,,, it's his 5th tour

god bless the young men and women that serve this great country

ocharry

[JohnKSa]

Find your effective range at the range. I have the same gun in 5.5" and it has taken me a year and a half to feel good about 25 yards.

Yup, that sounds very realistic. I'd say that it's a rare shooter who should attempt a hunting shot past 50 yards with an open sighted handgun.

So if this barrel length is sufficient, at what distance would you say would be the furthest I would want to engage a deer.

I've been asked this before and my answer is always the same regardless of the gun or the shooter.

If you're asking this question you should not go hunting.

The way you answer this question is by yourself, with the gun in question, using the ammo you plan to use, at the range.

When you determine the farthest distance at which you can consistently place all your shots from reasonable shooting positions (not shooting everything from a perfect rested position) into a target the size of the kill zone of the animal you're hunting, you'll have your answer.