root

Years ago my father won a Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag in the Hunter Model which he never fired. Figuring he would never use it he decided to transfer it to me. This is my first handgun and I'm having trouble getting used to it. He had a box of Remmington UMC 44 Mag 180 Grain Jacketed Soft Point ammunition. I've put less than 30 rounds through the firearm - I find myself anticipating the recoil by pushing the muzzle down/forward. Possibly developing other bad habits. Its a nice revolver but not the one to have for a first handgun... I was thinking of changing out the stock rosewood grips and possibly using 44 S&W Special ammunition. Any suggestions grips and possible loads to use which will allow me to concentrate on shooting. Also, any other suggestions would be great. Thanks!

ryker411

Congrates on the gun! That is quite a fist handgun to own.
When I shoot .44 mag loads, or any caliber for that matter, I have my .22 with me as well and I alternate between the two. I love my .44 and is one of my favorite guns but I am still trying to tame the beast.
I am no expert but I think a .22 is a must have for any shooter to develope good shooting skills. I would get a .22 and shoot both and you may find yourself shooting the .22 more often and shoot the .44 when you want "that rush".
Hey, you already have one gun so why not two? : )

41 Magnum

Never cared for the stock Redhawk grips ! They put your finger too high & too tight between the grip & trigger guard, & always pounded my knuckle. Find a set that fills in the space between the grip & trigger guard, & fills your hand, & you'll see a 100% improvement immediately !!!

kevfin

I put the Pachmayr decelerator grip on my Redhawk and I think it made a big difference. It has a cushioned part that covers the backstrap which is a nice addition to this hand cannon. The Redhawk is the strongest, sturdiest 44 mag revolver made period.Try shooting 44 special after shooting mag loads ,it will feel like a completely different gun.A quality trigger job on this gun really improves shootability.Nice gun , this is a keeper.

Waveform

Welcome from SW Florida. Ditto the idea of getting a nice 22 revolver and practice technique. 22 ammo is cheeeeep! 44 mag is NOT! You don't want to develop bad habits.

Wave

bwinters

Many good ideas here 444 special first and either pachmyer decelerator grips but I still like pachemyer presentation grips. if you want to fire 44 mag try the 200 grain loads lighter recoil than 240 grain and less muzzle flash than 180 grain. You will see you flinching by letting someone else load the revolver with a mix of light and heavy loads. You will not know which load is heavy or not so your mind will make you flinch each time and you can learn control.

North country gal

Not a good choice to learn the basics, but a truly great revolver and a keeper.

I agree with the others; a 22 is practically a must to learn the basics of pistol shooting and, once those basics are down, move up slowly to the magnum stuff. That's the typical way most of us learn to shoot the big bores. Not the only approach, of course, but one I'd recommend. If you want to become a good shot with a pistol, you will need a lot of practice and it is much easier and cheaper to do it with a 22 and you're much less likely to develop a flinch shooting a 22. .

Be very careful shooting 44 mags - bad habits, especially flinching, can be very difficult to correct, once they creep into your shooting form. By all means, start with 44 Specials and work a few 44 mags into the routine, always checking to see if you are developing a flinch. Eventually, the recoil and blast just becomes part of the shooting and something you ignore, but that only comes with experience and plenty of shooting.

IRONHEAD61

You have a good handgun..............enjoy and be safe. Bad habits are hard to break. Buy some inexpensive light loaded ammo like this:

Ammo .44 Magnum BVAC Semi Wad Cutter 240 Grain 884 fps 250 Round Value Pack

Solid lead bullet.
Muzzle velocity: 884 fps.
Velocity at 100 yards: 816 fps.
Muzzle energy: 426 ft/lbs.
Energy at 100 yards: 363 ft/lbs.
Uses: Target shooting, Plinking, Deer sized game.

root

Thanks for the great feedback, its really appreciated. I'll definitely go for changing out the grips with a set of Pachmayr's. Not sure which set of grips would work best, the decelerator or presentations grips. The decelerator grips sound great, but I'm not to sure how the finger grooves will fit my hands. I may have have to got to a few gun shops and see if I can find a set already on a handgun. If not I could always fall back to the presentation grips.

Thanks for the link to the magnum BVAC ammo - they practically cut the muzzle velocity in half at a great price! I haven't searched yet but I would think I should be able to find some light 44 special loads too.

I've been tooling with the idea of picking up a pistol chambered in .22 for the kids to shoot... of course it would be great and cheap for me to shoot. I may have to move that up a bit in my timeline.

Thanks again for the great suggestions.

David Bradshaw

Good guidance on forum for learning handgun marksmanship with a revolver or auto pistol in .22 Long Rifle.

You may make a head start by dry firing the Redhawk two or three sessions a day, every day. Unload revolver, aim at a spot on the wall, align sights, focus on the front sight and squeeze. Dry firing doesn't hurt the Ruger at all.

For live fire, shoot .44 Special only----not one round of magnum!

Bill Ruger traced the S&W M-29 grip; that is where the Redhawk grip contour comes from. The Redhawk hump comes up a little higher, to match its higher bore axis. I like the Redhawk grip----until I shoot it. Magnums whack the base of my thumb. Shooting .44 Special is fine.

The Pachmayr Signature grip is thick and full in the hand. I prefer it to the Gripper, and here is why... The Gripper is slim, a bit too slim, with finger grooves. The finger grooves are for a large hand. I suspect that Carl Cupp at Pachmayr scaled the Gripper for his hand. Cupp is a large man. The wide grooves spread my fingers, which results in VERTICAL STRINGING on the target.

One's fingers should be together on a handgun grip. Shaving off the finger grooves makes for finger contact and improves accuracy.

The Signature grips may be thinned at the front. All around, the Signature is more conducive to accuracy. Either Pachmayr grip will cushion your hand from recoil in a way the factory stocks cannot.
David Bradshaw

firescout

I installed a Hogue Bantam rubber grip on my 5 1/2" Redhawk. I used a Dremel sanding drum to flatten out the finger groove separators. I like it much better than the stock wood grips or the Pachmayr Presentation grip on my friend's RH. I do have a slightly smaller than average hand, though.

Shooting midrange .44 Mag loads or Spl loads with 240/200 gr bullets will help you learn to properly shoot the RH. A new softer mainspring and good action job really helps the RH perform well.

James6591

Get yourself something smaller to develop your skills and then move up.
Harder to reverse bad habits later.

tguil

I have used the Pach Presentation and Gripper grips and have gone back to the stock wood grips. The Presentation grips were too large and the Gripper grips too slim. The stock wood grips fit just right. Hang on tight and you'll not notice the recoil all that much. Of course, my Redhawk is not a range gun. I shoot it only enough to be sure that I can hit the "kill zone" of a deer at 40 yards.

Lost Sheep

Ditto on the dry firing. Also the 22 rimfire. No one has mentioned a shooting glove. The padded, reinforced palm makes a big difference.

When shooting single action (bullseye style) every drop of the hammer should be a complete surprise to you.

hold the gun with both hands on the grip
cock the hammer with a thumb, either one,
line up the sights with the target
put your trigger finger in the trigger guard and lay it lightly on the trigger
observe your breathing
keep the sights aligned
observe your breathing - as you start to exhale put a little more pressure on the trigger
keep the sights aligned
observe your breathing
if the sights are still aligned, put more pressure on the trigger
repeat, slowly until the trigger "breaks" and it is a surprise

When the Marines have a trainee who has developed a flinch, one technique for demonstrating that the trainee and the rifle ARE capable of accuracy is this:

Have the trainee aim the rifle only, but the trainer has control of the trigger. Invariably, the group size is far superior to those produced by the trainee alone. Imagine that scenario when you are shooting.

Congratulations on a fine gun. If I had not just gotten one, I would offer to give you a fair price for this one. I have always wanted to mount a scope on my Redhawk, but the Super Redhawk has scallops on the frame for mounting a telescopic sight, but they put the scope too close to the hammer. The Hunter model of the Redhawk (and the Hunter model Blackhawk, too) have the scallops on the top rib of the barrel, putting it further forward and out of the way, so my thumb can easily reach the hammer.

Do get a 22 rimfire (with decent sights and accuracy - many are not accurate) or a target grade air pistol for practice.

Do get a shooting glove (will help as much as the new grips).

Do practice dry firing (especially if you don't have the 22 or air pistol).

Good luck

Lost Sheep

root

Dry firing is something I could surely work on and it only costs me the time. How do most folks fire their Redhawks, SA or DA. I’ve been firing mine SA. I guess after I get used to SA I’ll practice some DA.

Lost Sheep, thanks for walking me through the mental picture of firing a shot. It’s definitely something I need to focus on more which of course I can do while dry firing.

I appreciate everyone’s insight, you make this a great forum. I'll keep you posted on my progress.