44spl/44mag vs. 45colt/454 casull?

[lloydsmale]

heres my take on it. A 629 vs super redhawk is kind of like a porche vs a vette (well maybe a souped up pickup) . Both will do it but the smith to me has a bit more class. the redhawk is a brute. very strong and will take anything but not near as smooth and refined as a 629. Accuracy is about equal. Both the super redhawk and N frame smiths are great shooting guns an ive owned both that were absolute tack drivers. As a pure hunting gun for hunting out of a blind and shooting hell for stout loads the SRH is the animal. For a stroll through the swamp on a cold novemeber morning id rather the smith. One thing i will add and its aimed at the fact your kind of a beginner with big bores. A 44 mag redhawk is an absolute pussycat to shoot with factory level loads. Kicks no more then a L frame 357 smtih. The 629 wth full power loads to me is a bit uncomfortable. Keep in mind that i shoot 500s and 475s and in some ways my 4 inch n frames are more unconfortable to shoot. they tend to bite the web of my hand between my thumb and pointer. For that reason most of my shooting with them i with a 250 grain cast bullet at about a 1000fps. At that level there very comfortable and ive taken many deer, bear and pigs with those loads and never found them lacking. If i want more then that i usualy grab a single action ruger which is more comfortable for me. Especialy if its a bisley grip framed gun. Smart thing for you would be to shoot both before you make that decision as neither are cheap and id hate to see you waste your money on something that didnt fit your needs. Keep in mind too that contrary to what some will tell you you dont need 454 level power to kill deer and dont even need full power 44 mag level loads. Bullet placement and penetration are where its at in handgun shooting. Not velocity and expansion.

 

[mmh]

I have chosen the 44 for sure now...but now I'm stuck on whethrr to get a super redhawk or a 629. I know that the super redhawk is the way to go for hubting but as I stated I will be shooting this for funmuch morw than ill be using it for hunting. I will definitely only be using iron sights. just worrued if the 629 will have failures...who knows what ill shoot but most likely it will be light loads for range days and then 180-240 grainers with a decent load...nothing crazy hot as I will be only hunting deer...unless a black bear strolls on by. will the 629 hold up to this? this may soubd silly but the 629 is so much better looking in my opinion and woukd rather have that

On the 629 I would woryy about how well would it hild up to full house loads. I know that you mention iron sights, but how difficult is it to mount a scope on a 629? Is gunsmithing required?

 

[RT2506]

If you are ever going to even think about using a scope get the Super Red Hawk. it already has built in ring mounts and I have seen some that come with the rings. Also the SRH has the ability to change your iron sights very easy. I put a gold bead front sight and a V-notch rear on the Red Hawk I had and it really worked well for hunting. You can also get a Bullseye trigger spring kit for the SRH to really lighten up the trigger pull.

 

[MR.SWIFT]

go with the 454 and never look back you won't regret it.

 

[MudRunner2005]

On the 629 I would woryy about how well would it hild up to full house loads. I know that you mention iron sights, but how difficult is it to mount a scope on a 629? Is gunsmithing required?

I've had my S&W 629PP 6.5" .44 Mag for many years. Shot tons of ammo through it including Hornady 300gr. JHP's for hogs. There is no need to worry about ANY S&W revolver's strength. S&W is the best...Hands-down.

I also have a 6" 686 .357 Mag that shoots incredible, and a 340PD .357 Mag that gets carried everyday. I trust my life to it.

 

[Rich Coyle]

Years ago I hunted with a .454 a lot. Even with a KEEPER port it was like firing two .44 Mags in one hand at the same time. My buddy purchased a Ruger .44 Mag. Since I was used to recoil I told him, "If you let me play with your .44 Mag I will bring it back to you with 200 loaded rounds custom made for it." It was an offer too good to pass up.

The first time to the range I set up at twenty-five yards on sandbags. All six shots went through the same hole. I told the owner he should get a scope and a trigger job. He did. The scope is a Bushnell 2-6X. When I delivered it to him I brought a target to show him it was sighted in. There were six holes from the six chambers. I fired three on 2X and three on 6X. The 100 yard group measured 2 15/16" center to center.

With this said, the first time I handled a Smith was on my porch at night. I told the owner, "This is the nicest Ruger I ever handled." He said, "That's because it's a Smith."

 

[rhouser]

As long as you reload, I believe I would recommend you really consider the .454 Casull in the SRH. I love mine.

After your initial brass buys, there is no reason to shoot the 45 LC unless you don't have time to reload and need some low/no recoil ammo.

Why not just a .45 LC pistol? I hunt with my SRH loaded with a 260 gr cast loaded at about 1250 fps. This is a serious load for the 30 - 50 yard white tail shot, but, the recoil is manageable and not painful.

For tent nights in black bear country, I load 5 factory XTP Casull rounds and lay the gun by my side at night. This comes from a few years back when a young blackie stuck his head into our tent and snuffed. My wife spent the rest of the night in the truck. It was funny at the time (after I changed my drawers), but, she will only tent with me now if the Casull is in the tent and loaded.

I recommend installing meprolite tritium sights on this gun for night work. Those cat's eyes are very reassuring when you see them looking back at you in the dark. The set I installed are actually better for all around shooting than the factory sights furnished. (Just my opinion).

Either one will be good. My brother has the RH (not SRH) in 44 mag and loves it.

thanks rch

 

[lloydsmale]

best way to get 454 brass is to buy 460 smith brass and cut it down the 454 length. that way you don't have to fool with small primers and you can use a 350 cci mag which is about the best primer out there for lighting off lots of slow burning pistol powder.