8 shot .357 Redhawk

[turkeestalker]

Well I got the beast back from Ruger a week ago last Thursday.
They did improve the fit of the grips to frame, but did so by altering both the wood grip panels and the frame.
The panels were refinished much darker and with a very high gloss.

There were new issues though.
Not sure how it could have happened, but there were dramatic ripples that could be seen and felt at the front of the trigger guard up under the crane.
There were also severe inconsistencies in the profile of the grip frame from the left to right side, that's a pretty narrow distance.
The revolver had visible abrasions and marks all over the surface in different spots that would not simply wipe away.
They were into the finish, some pretty well into it.

I honestly don't believe that the condition that it is in now can be corrected.
I sent it back again requesting that it be replaced.

Never had any issues with Ruger CS until now.
We'll see how this pans out.

[HighValleyRanch]

How wide is the cylinder and what does it weigh?

[XDforever]

Oh my! That's crappy! Hope Ruger CS does better this time around!

Joe

[Concerned Citizen]

The fit of the wood grips to the frame is indicative of the rush to get them out that Ruger seems to have suffered from lately. Not horrible, but could've been better, the same as all of the other manufacturers.

Great gun, but there is no excuse why it shouldn't be absolutely perfect at that price. It's not like people are rushing out to buy these. Good luck ever finding one in the average gun shop, it's a special order item for sure.

I would contact Ruger and request a set of replacement grips that fit right.

[Siggy-06]

My 4.2 Sp101 came really rough new. Top strap, front sight area, front of the barrel were all scratched or had rough edges. I let my gunsmith hone and polish it for $75 instead of sending it back to ruger. It now looks like it should have in the first place. Quality control is slipping.

[UncleEd]

Ruger's new president/CEO is expected to address QC.

Or so I've read.

[turkeestalker]

How wide is the cylinder and what does it weigh?

Pretty wide and kinda heavy!
I'm kidding of course, I'll measure and weigh it when I receive the replacement hopefully.

[Bayou]

I've been lucky enough to acquire a 357 RH, vintage 1984, with a 7.5" tube. The revolver is just a pleasure to shoot. Not sure if Ruger has any plans to revisit this line.

Here's the RH next to its little brother, vintage 1979 Security Six:

[HighValleyRanch]

I was wondering if it was like an L frame, or is it more like the Alaskan.

[turkeestalker]

I don't own either to compare, but I will gladly measure and weigh when it's in my hands again.

It is about the same weight of the Taurus 608SS4 that I purchased earlier this year.
With it's needless porting, the 'effective' barrel is about the same length.

[TruthTellers]

I got my hands on one of these today at a store. While it's a heavy gun, it doesn't feel heavy in the hands, I'm sure the short barrel is the reason, but what I was really surprised by was the trigger. Double action was super smooth and the single action was very crisp with no creep.

The trigger on the .357 Redhawk in store felt way better than the trigger of my .45 Colt/ACP Redhawk.

Still, for the size of that Redhawk, I'd gladly lose a round in the cylinder and have a S&W 686 Plus.

[turkeestalker]

Well it took a little time, but I've finally been told that Ruger will be replacing the revolver. *whew*

I was told that it was first returned to the original tech in an attempt to correct the issues from the first trip.
That would explain the amount of time it has taken.
Unfortunately the end result was rejected for returning to me.

They informed me that there was a run of these being built last night.
Therefore my new baby bruin was born last night!

Should finally have one back in my hands sometime next week with the assurance that it would be thoroughly inspected/scrutinized before being shipped out.

I'm good with that, it's just a pity that all of this has transpired to get here.
Fingers crossed!

[smee78]

Looks like a solid chunk of steel you got there, congratulations. I have one of the S&W 627 UDR's and the 8 rounds are real fun in a gun with such a short barrel ( I do carry it from time to time). On this gun I think I will wait for a nice 5 or 5 1/2" barrel model if I pull the trigger. Hope your replacement is in better shape than the last one.

[turkeestalker]

Picked up the replacement yesterday after work and I'm satisfied with it.
Fit and finish is the level that I expect and have typically experienced from Ruger.
The DA trigger pull measures just a skosh over 11lbs, is smooth and breaks clean.
The SA has a barely detectable hitch in it at just over 7lbs with a tiny bit of creep, but that should be pretty easy to remedy as should reducing the pull weights a little for both.

It is a shame that it took two tries with one debacle in between to get here, but Ruger did come through once again as you would expect them to.

Alright, here is a partial answer...

The Ruger Redhawk 5033 cylinder measures 1.781" in diameter and is 1.754" in length.
It has a 2.75" barrel and weighs 2.75 lbs. unloaded.

The Taurus 608SS4 cylinder measures 1.751" in diameter and is 1.686" in length.
It claims a 4" ported barrel, but the porting reduces the actual rifled portion of the barrel in contact with the bullet, to approximately 2.75".
Likewise it weighs 2.75 lbs. unloaded.
(Did I mention that I think porting on a .357 this heavy is a complete waste of time unless you're fond of trying to remove carbon from the sides of your front sight?)

Looks like the S&W weighs in at .4 oz. less with a 5" barrel.
Can't tell you the dimensions of the cylinder but maybe someone who owns one could measure the cylinder and post if there is still any interest.

[turkeestalker]

July 20th to September 29th is a long time to wait just to try out a new toy.

[turkeestalker]

Got to try it out this morning finally!

Shot very well with full house ball ammo, but I ran a box of 125 gr. Speer Gold Dots through it did not seem to care for them at all, not sure what was up with that.

Though I really like the look and overall feel of the grip profile vs. my standard Redhawk, I can't say that I like the way that it shoots compared to it.
Tends to shift just a little in the hand with that round butt and wood grip panels.

None the less I believe that it would be an awesome backup sidearm on a hog hunt or a woods gun in areas where we're not necessarily at the top of the food chain.
Just going to have to shoot it some more to get to where I'm confident with using it for such purposes.
That's the fun part!

[BBarn]

Mine only holds 6.



Loads that twist your wrist in a 357 snubby feel like 38 specials in this club. Mine sports a 5 1/2" barrel.

[fourbore]

Ruger's new president/CEO is expected to address QC.

Or so I've read.

This is over due. Can anyone provide a link?

[Bayou]

Very nice vintage RH in 357, BBarn. I found that the factory grips were a bit too small for my hand. The box my RH came in had a pair of Pachmayr Presentation grips. Those are bigger and fit perfectly in my grip....

[smee78]

Glad your newest version is up to par. I am glad to hear Ruger is attempting to get its quality control back up to its previous level, I like Ruger products and would hate to see them slip down due to rushing out product.

[TraumaRN]

Just wish they would make it with a 4" barrel

[otasan]

Dirty Harry indeed would love these revolvers.

[MINSH101]

I have this baby on my wish list...I wish my wife would let me get one.

[otasan]

Nice CCW revolver.

[ifithitu]

I'm blown away,I love it.