Concealing a Ruger Redhawk

[wmg1299]

My next bucket-list gun is probably the 2.75 inch barrel Ruger Redhawk .357 mag. While any number of the stores in my area can order a Redhawk for me, I have been unable to locate one on store shelves or for rent at the nearby ranges. Are there any Redhawk owners out there who can advise me on how comfortable/uncomfortable it is to carry this revolver concealed? I am 6'05" with a large frame, if that would factor into your advice. I am not bothered by the listed weight of the gun, but would like to know if it is reasonably possible to carry the Redhawk without printing.

[magnut]

Thats what I like to here..... Big Guns with lots of firepower concealed. Yes it can be concealed.

Horizontal shoulder holster if your fat. If your slim belt carry either OWB, IWB or appendix. Cover it up with an over garment jacket or coat.

when I carry big bad monster guns I like high rise cross draw or high rise pancake strong side. You know its there but its comfortable. Shoulder holsters work but it can flop around a bit without some sort of chest strap.

[TruthTellers]

I'm a fan of the .327 in the SP101 because it gives an extra round over .357 in what is a very easy to carry and conceal revolver.

The Redhawk is neither and it gives you one round over the 7 shot GP100. When you're going up in frame size to get one more round in the cylinder, you're not going about things right. It will be a LOT easier to conceal and carry the GP100, which is available in a 2.5" barrel in .357.

The Redhawk is built for .44 Mag and larger calibers. Putting the .357 is nice, but it's not frame .357 works best in.

[ms6852]

I carry a 686 + 7 shot revolver with a 3" barrel OWB. I use a vest to cover it or Hawaiian type shirts.

[the Black Spot]

I frequently carry a 6 shot single action in 45 colt. Iwb or owb, pretty comfortably.
I am 5'-9" not fat but not a string bean.

[jfruser]

Not easy, but with proper carry gear, do-able:
Serious gun belt
Pancake type holster for weight distro

Or vertical shoulder holster.

I do this with a 4" bbl S&W 629.

[44 AMP]

.357 Magnum. I get that. Large frame revolver? I get that, too. Now why pee away most of the .357s advantage with a 2.75" barrel??

When you are trying to conceal it, the bulk of the gun is in the frame and the grips. Barrel length makes little difference, and so I would want a 4" or longer, personally.

Have carried 6" and longer pistols, vertical shoulder holsters (I don't like the horizontal ones) from Bianchi and Uncle Mike. A good jacket is all I ever needed, even an old Army field jacket does the job, if it's not tight fit.

Carhartt coat? the brown ones? Nothing shows through those, and its not impossible the coat itself could stop some bullets..

[Real Gun]

Carrying my Redhawk concealed would be my last choice. It is a great gun but not for that purpose. However, the latest Redhawk with a round rather than square butt grip frame improves concealability. Mine on the other hand is the real deal 5.5" barrel.

[Siggy-06]

If you have a proper/solid gunbelt, an owb pancake holster at 3-4 o'clock should work pretty good. I'm 5'11 at 165lbs, but have concealed a 4 inch gp100 in a paddle holster of a few occasions.

[HighValleyRanch]

I tried to have a Ruger Alaskan on my carry permit. That cylinder is HUGE!
Like 2.5 inches in width. So it was like having an expose hernia all the time.
Carried AIWB but the weight was like a boat anchor. Gave it up.

[wmg1299]

Originally Posted by TruthTellers

I'm a fan of the .327 in the SP101 because it gives an extra round over .357 in what is a very easy to carry and conceal revolver.

The Redhawk is neither and it gives you one round over the 7 shot GP100. When you're going up in frame size to get one more round in the cylinder, you're not going about things right. It will be a LOT easier to conceal and carry the GP100, which is available in a 2.5" barrel in .357.

The Redhawk is built for .44 Mag and larger calibers. Putting the .357 is nice, but it's not frame .357 works best in.

I own a 2.5" GP100 and love the way it shoots. That gun is what got me interested in the Redhawk in the first place. I was hoping to find one at my LGS or a range so that I could compare the two side-by-side. Does the Redhawk feel significantly larger than the GP100 when carried IWB or OWB, or do they feel reasonably similar in size?

[Chainsaw.]

Originally Posted by Siggy-06

If you have a proper/solid gunbelt, an owb pancake holster at 3-4 o'clock should work pretty good. I'm 5'11 at 165lbs, but have concealed a 4 inch gp100 in a paddle holster of a few occasions.

This for the most comfort. If I can carry a 5” 629 on a hike and forget its there a hawk around town will be no issue.

[Dave T]

Does the Redhawk feel significantly larger than the GP100 when carried IWB or OWB, or do they feel reasonably similar in size?

Since it is considerably larger, I'm guessing it feels larger too. Honestly, don't understand the logic of your question. How would a larger, heavier gun feel "similar" in size to its smaller and lighter cousin?

Dave

[peterg7]

Weight is more of a deterrent than size for me.

A good pancake with a steel insert belt for weight and a tall 1size larger shirt for bulk.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DPris]

I have a shoulder rig & a belt carry rig for my 4-inch Reds.
Have a chest rig for my 2.5-inch Red .44 Mag.
I cannot imagine regularly carrying any of them concealed.

Considerably bigger, bulkier, and heavier than a GP.
I don't see it as practical, at ALL.

You CAN, but why on earth would you want to?
Denis

[HighValleyRanch]

I don't see it as practical, at ALL.

You CAN, but why on earth would you want to?

Because in some states, open carry is prohibited even on forest lands and parks.

[DPris]

Why such a heavy thing when you can carry lighter .357s, is my point.
Denis

[TruthTellers]

Originally Posted by wmg1299

I own a 2.5" GP100 and love the way it shoots. That gun is what got me interested in the Redhawk in the first place. I was hoping to find one at my LGS or a range so that I could compare the two side-by-side. Does the Redhawk feel significantly larger than the GP100 when carried IWB or OWB, or do they feel reasonably similar in size?

Don't carry either, but I can tell you in the hand the Redhawk is significantly larger than the GP100. Carried on the waist or under the shoulder will be a difference, no doubt.

These Redhawks, especially the shorter barrel ones, are more often carried in a chest holster in bear country.

Now, I do know a 120 pound woman who carries a Ruger Alaskan in a pancake holster, so it's not impossible, but to me it's impractical.

[TruthTellers]

Originally Posted by DPris

Considerably bigger, bulkier, and heavier than a GP.
I don't see it as practical, at ALL.

You CAN, but why on earth would you want to?
Denis

For the extra round, of course.

Going with a smaller caliber to increase cylinder capacity is fine, especially in smaller frame revolvers, but when you're moving up to a larger frame to increase the capacity, you're making an improper decision, IMO.

Not to mention, the round butt grip on those Redhawks is much less comfortable than the GP100.

[DPris]

Having two 4-inch Reds, one 2.75 Kodiak Red, two 3-inch GPs in .357, and the new 7-shot 2.5-inch .357 Mag GP, along with three or four four-inch .357 GPs, I have the Ruger .357 line-up fairly well represented.

I do not have a .357 Redhawk, I see no reason for it.
Much as I like Rugers, I don't see a snub .357 Red as having much practical value.

If I want a .357 snub Ruger to carry concealed, I get 7 rounds in a very totable package with the 2.5 GP.

I would gain nothing useful by trying to lug a Redhawk snub .357 around concealed.

Just trying to put this idea in perspective.
The Red is a BIG & HEAVY gun to carry concealed, regardless of barrel length.
Denis

[turkeestalker]

Not to mention, the round butt grip on those Redhawks is much less comfortable than the GP100.

This.

I own one of the beasts and though it is visually appealing, I realized that I don't care for the round butt at all when it comes to squeezing the trigger.

If it works for you, it would certainly aid in concealment.
If I were to consider concealing mine, it would be in a Kangaroo Carry Air Marshall like I wear daily with a 3" SP101 .327.
You wouldn't forget that it was there, but it wouldn't be a problem in that holster.

[Cosmodragoon]

I own a 2.5" GP100 and love the way it shoots. That gun is what got me interested in the Redhawk in the first place... Does the Redhawk feel significantly larger than the GP100 when carried IWB or OWB... ?

Do you carry the GP100 now? Is it EDC or just for occasional carry? I ask because the same qualities that help it to be a good shooter also work against it as a daily carry gun. It's relatively big and relatively heavy for what it offers. The Redhawk takes that balance another step in the wrong direction for EDC. It can be done but like so many others posting before me, I have to ask: Why?!?

I'll wait for the OP to answer before I say anything else.

[wmg1299]

Originally Posted by Cosmodragoon

Do you carry the GP100 now? Is it EDC or just for occasional carry? I ask because the same qualities that help it to be a good shooter also work against it as a daily carry gun. It's relatively big and relatively heavy for what it offers. The Redhawk takes that balance another step in the wrong direction for EDC. It can be done but like so many others posting before me, I have to ask: Why?!?

I'll wait for the OP to answer before I say anything else.

I am interested in the Redhawk mainly as an addition to my collection, and was just wondering about it's practicality as an EDC. I have carried .40 and 9 mm semi-autos for years, but I have always enjoyed shooting larger calibers. I am not a big 1911 fan, and most of the 45's designed for concealed carry have very limited capacity. I enjoy the GP100, and am able to conceal it without difficulty (at least in the colder months). If the Redhawk was similarly easy to carry, then it would be worth it to me just for the extra round.

As for the people asking how I could think a larger and heavier revolver would not feel significantly larger when carried, it is a matter of total effect vs. proportionality. For example, while everyone would notice the difference between a 50-pound dumbell and a 100-pound dumbell during a bench press, the difference between a 10-pound dumbell and a 5-pound dumbell would hardly be noticed, despite both examples being twice as large/heavy as their counterpart. Similarly, a quarter is significantly larger than a dime, but no one is able to tell the difference in weight when carrying these coins in a pocket.

Normally, I would just go my LGS and hold a Redhawk, but finding one in stock has proved to be much more difficult than expected. While every store seems to be able to order a Redhawk, no one keeps one on the shelf. I appreciate all of the advice.

[DPris]

The Red snub is significantly bigger, bulkier & heavier than the GP snub.
The Red WILL add up during the day.
And one extra round would not balance that out, for me.
We're trying to answer your original post.

There IS quite a difference between the two in size & weight.
Your choice, but I don't think we can phrase it any more clearly, and we're talking about CARRYING that weight for sustained periods, not just doing a few lifts, so your dumbbell analogy doesn't apply.
And the Redhawk is considerably heavier than a coin, so that one doesn't fly either.
Denis

[Cosmodragoon]

wmg1299, I think I get it. Rounding out your collection is a good reason to buy a Redhawk. (Cue the "Great Enabler" song from Tom Gresham's Gun Talk.) Getting to carry the guns in your collection is good too. Setting aside some of the recommendations for scratching itch that with a longer-barreled .44, is it a safe bet that you really like this particular model and might end up buying it anyway?

If that's true, this discussion may be more about whether or not to invest in a holster. I know what you mean about qualifying "winter months". I carry an LCR 327 for about two thirds of the year and then switch to a high-capacity semi-auto when I know I'll be wearing a lot more. Big changes in wardrobe in places with big seasonal variances affect both what we can comfortably carry over the course of a day and how we might want to carry it. That said, it's easy to imagine the GP100 falling within the boundary and the Redhawk crossing the line. I'll be very curious to hear about your experiences if this project goes ahead.

Since you are familiar with semi-autos and you did mention capacity as a factor, here are a couple of things to consider. Either of these may be easier to carry than even the shortest-barrelled Redhawk and are likely to have much more capacity:

.357 Sig isn't a bad replacement for .357 magnum at lighter weights, especially when the latter is coming from a sub-3" revolver. At the time of its development, there was still a lot of love among Law Enforcement for the 125-grain JHP in .357 magnum. They undoubtedly had that in mind when crafting it. It's still the most popular weight in .357 Sig today.

10mm is also an option. Getting a 180-grain projectile up around 1200fps is nothing to sneeze at. (That's not counting Buffalo Bore and such.) Doing it with at least 50% more capacity and maybe an easier carry experience might be worth considering. I'd even consider .40 S&W with the right ammo but that's me.