Sold a Ruger SBH 44 mag earlier this year and am getting ready to buy something else. Only plan to use it on deer for right now, but you never know what else one may try in the future. I will likely have a black bear hunt in a year or two, although I could use a rifle for that. The SBH never fit me right from the start and I never much cared for it. The SBH seems to fit me really well, at least in the store. My logic on the 454 is it has 45LC as a cheap load like 38sp in a 357mag, so that's a plus. The 480 lacks this. I guess I always seemed to be at the top of the book for 44 mag too. For the present deer hunting I plan to stick to light bullets, maybe even light loads or heavy loaded 45's. I have found a store that wants $570, I was going to go with the 9.5" barrel since it's not a carry gun. I've heard the longer barrel helps a little with recoil, easier sighting too. I have heard using 45 LC means a really nasty cleaning job prior to going back to 454. The other obvious problem is recoil, I could do pretty good with the SBH one handed. The lousy trigger bothered me the most. I plan to use both hands on this one! Any pitfalls I haven't seen?

Very good gun for the money. The 9.5" barrel should help with recoil. I would personaly opt for the 480, but just because I reload and cast my own bullets. I think I would like the 400 - 440 grainers.
If the gun is what you want, get it.
Some have reported that with the highend 454 loads the brass will stick due to the cylinder expanding and then shrinking back around the brass. Don't know for sure.
Get it and shoot it. If you do not like it, it should be easy to re-sell.

David

Based on the experiences I've had with the SRH .454, I can only say they would make a good boat anchor-maybe. MY SRH is the only firearm I haven't regretted selling. A friend's SRH gives him mediocre accuracy at best; that's after a trip to Mag-Na-Port. If you have not tried a Freedom Arms yet, I recommend you try one before making a purchase. The grip is very different form the SBH and more closely resembles the Bisley grip. Reloading is the best way to go with the .454. Then you could load from mild to firewall, which by the way, most people give up long before they reach the limiits of the revolver.

Hitman, I don't understand why your SRH would not shoot! We bought three .44 mags at the same time and all three would shoot well under 1" groups at 50 yds., at times down to 1/2". I used to have fun shooting pop cans at 200 yds. and kept 6 out of 6 in a five gallon bucket at 400 meters. What in the world were you shooting out of it?
I did sell mine to a friend because I needed money for my BFR and I will regret it until I die. Of course the BFR 45-70 shoots as good and I have a 200 yd group that measures 2". Home made mold and boolits too. Shot two deer with it this season and it is devastating to say the least.

I shot many many different loads out of mine. The SRH in .44 are in my opinion much better than the .454. I know some people have had very goos luck with theirs and I'm glad for them. But I also know of two that aren't worth a damn.

I have had my 454 SRH for couple of years and i really like mine.It will shoot good groups at 50 yards off sand bags.When i bought it a box of hornady ammo came with it and nearly every one stuck in cyclinder.After I shot all that stuff up I have been using Starline brass with max loads and never had a piece of brass stick.People have had some problems but not me.

Wheelgun, I like Starline brass. I know the steel on Rugers is more flexable then the Freedom arms but soft brass will make them stick and harder brass will not give these problems. There are no safety issues with the Rugers and they will take very heavy loads.
A friend of mine shot a round through his Ruger .41 mag with no powder. The bullet stuck in the barrel somewhere and he fired another behind it. The cylinder did not break. It swelled into the top strap and bent the top strap up, ruining the gun, but there was no split steel or shrapnel. Only god knows what the pressure was. Ruger replaced it at a modest cost even though it was my friends fault.

Looks like mixed reviews. I have shot Freedom Arms before. Spectacular firearm, trying to keep the budget under control though. The 454 and 480 SRH are a new gun so some of the positives on the old ones may not be valid. Thanks for the input. I think I will give it a try.



I've read about the sticking brass before, it's not just the brass because the same ammo will not stick in other 454's according to what I have read. This may be due to thinner cylinder walls (I've read they are thinner). All steel has roughly the same stiffness (Young�s modulus). The big deal with Carpenter 465, which the Ruger cylinder is made out of, is the high yield strength (when it starts to permanently deform). The cylinders inflat when the gun is fired. Same stiffness, thinner walls, they are going to inflate to a larger diameter. After the bullet is gone the cylinder will return to its original geometry. I assume the gun is still really safe because the alloy has such a high yield point. Usually high yield strength steel is important for saving weight or making springs. I assume in this case it was used so they would not have to do a complete re-design. This is just a guess. It could also be a lousy job of finishing the inside of the cylinders.

It appears you know a bit about strengths of materials, don't forget that work hardening begins to lower the yield strength and allowing plastic deformation at lower strain. I do not know for sure how much strain actually occurs when a cartridge is fired, so the process may take a long time to occur, but you are correct concerning the choice of alloy to keep from changing design. In my opinion, this revolver would have been much better as a five-shot.

As far as keeping the budget under control, for what I paid on my SRH and shipping it all over the country to try and get it to work, I could have had a very nice used Freedom Arms.

Yes, I work as a metallurgist. My job mainly concentrates on fractured parts and not on design. I have to be careful not to get over my head here. The only assumption I feel really safe on is the yeild strength is not being exceeded. I think if the cylinders were suffereing permanent swelling all the guys with micrometers would be burning up the forums! Good point with the 5 vs 6 shot design. Once they get up to 3 I think I would be satisfied. It's a pretty big gun for anything but hunting. I can't think of a good reason for lousy groups though. Maybe I'll get lucky, if not it won't be the first gun I turned around in very short order. It passes the first test, it fits my hand and the way I hold revolvers well. I think I may just have a weird body type, I have a Vangard Classic II rifle that feels like it was custom made for me. Most of my friends think it's the most awkward piece of crap they ever layed hands on.

I love my SRH. I have it in the 480 and it is very accurate. The problem with the gun is it weight. When you carry it it will usually be the primary weapon not a back up. For size of barrel pick both up and try them. I think the 7.5 balances better without a scope. The 9.5 is in theory more accurate when you shoot iron sight. It has a longer sight plane. With a scope I don't think that matters. I recommend getting different spring to make the trigger pull better. Have fun

Hcliff

makeminestainless



I have a 7.5 " SRH 454, scoped and it shoots better than I can hold it. So if your looking to move up the power chain go for it. As to those who said there's didn't shoot I'd bet they didn't shoot it enough!! The 454 has a totally different recoil then the 44 Mag and you must get used to it before you'll shoot any good with it-some folks just never get used to the recoil and never able to shoot them any good. When I first started shooting with mine I couldn't get cast bullets to shoot for beans- but with alot of load work and range time I shoot my cast loads as good or better the Jacketed loads.

With jacketed bullets I had no problems with mine right out of the box-great acurracy! If you are willing to put the time in and learn how to shoot the 454 you'll get good results- if your not you'll never shoot one well!!

Gunnut,

The guns just wouldn't shoot. Neither Larry Rogers nor I can be considered neophytes to hard kicking handguns by anyone's imagination. The Raging Bull of Larry's shot so much better than either of the SRHs. They were just crap, pure and simple.

I had a 7.5" Super Redhawk 44mag that wouldn't turn in acceptable groups no matter what I fed it. I sold it and got a Bisley 44mag and the group sizes shrunk more than half.

I think you will be very happy with a 454. The huge selection of bullets in that caliber make it more versatile than any other caliber, even 44.

I too would recommend sticking with 454 brass and downloading for those "454 lite colts" (454LC). You will find that Unique is to a 454 what Bullseye is to the 357. I like a 325gr @ 600fps for short targets, mild but still smacks them with authority.

Both my and my buddies 480 SRH's have been incredibly accurate, shooting 1" 5 shot groups at 50 yds. I know a few other 480 shooters who seem to be happy with theres.

I've only had cursory experience with the 454 SRH, but based on the two I've shot, I'd say their trigger pulls more much coarser than the 480's, and the accuracy wasn't neerly as good, more in the relm of 2" @ 50 yds. Then again, I can't say that those guys put in the same time I did to wring out loads in the 480.

I also sold a 44 SBH, as I could not shoot it well, and I tried many different grips. I find that the SRH fits me well, and not only can it shoot well, but more importantly, I can shoot it well.

Unless you handload and cast, stay away from the 480. If you do handload and cast, or have a buddy that will keep you in cast bullets for reasonable cost, then the 480 is a very special and fine round I wouldn't trade mine for any other large bore pistol, though I admit that I would like a 6" octagon barreled FA 83 in 480

Looks like you have just got done doing the same thing that i have and thats reading all the forums on the problems people have had with cases sticking and such.
I also after weighing the pros and cons on this have bought a SRH in the 454, as i have owned quite alot of Ruger handguns and have always been satisfied with them.
Most of the problems with the case sticking seemed to go back to the finish on the chambers from what i read and i read at one site that was all about the type of stainless used for the cylinder that it machined so well Ruger was thinking about skipping the final pollish on the chambers.(it almost seems like that maybe what they ended up doing)
Most everyone who sent the gun back to Ruger got there gun back with the problem solved.
I would love to here some of you guys pet loads for your SRH 454.

I want to throw something else out there...have you looked at the ruger bisley hunters? Single action with the bisley grip (much better than blackhawk, IMHO). Excellent scope mounting rail that runs the lenght of the barrel. 7.5" tube and chambered in 44 mag.

http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=14879275

As for getting a casull...I don't think that 45 colt will prove that much cheaper to shoot. A box of Remington 250 grains bullets is running around $20 most places. So, unless you roll your own, you'll probably not save all that much. The 44 mag is affordable, very common (big plus if your not a reloader) and will have ample stopping power for both black bears and deer. Here are some cool 44 mag loads...

http://mysite.elixirlabs.com/catalog/index.php?file=catalog&prod_pcategory=49241&clist=0,49198,49241&uid=12665&gpoid=

I like the 480 Ruger, but most reviews I've read seems to think that the true utility of this caliber is not realized until you get into the 400 grain range.

Just another option...

I have two Ruger SRH 454s .I love those pistols.I make up a big top flap holster with a bino strap to haul them around.Its like no weight to carry.I usually keep a 2x Nikon scope on one and the other oNe without one.It is my Alaska insurance policy against bears.I have only had one problem with one.I had shot it about 400 times without cleaning it.The ejector in the pistol got powder in it and jambed the pistol shut.I got wooden mallot and tapped it open and cleaned burn powder out and it was fine after that.I use 296 winchester in my reloads and it sometimes blows back a little.They are awesome pistols for the money.I could have traded my first 454 SRH for a big bag of golddust and nuggets in Alaska hotel.I told the guy that those nuggets might fill the bears teeth good after he ate me but this 454 SRH was my Alaska life insurance policy and bear rug maker.

dgr416,

If you load for .44 Mag or have access to some .44 mag dies, you can use the expanding plug for a .44 to bell the case mouths on .454 and .45 cases enough to start the bullet. Doing this will increase the case neck tension on the bullet and improve powder burn. I have personally seen .454 loads with a 1 fps std. deviation on the load using this technique. That is, if you reload for your SRHs.

I use a dillion 550 reloader for my 454 .I put a very good crimp on the bullets in the grove.My pistol only did that once.I watch for powder build up now.My friend had a Freedom arms 454 locked up tight as a drum when he showed it to me.He sold it right after that did trust it any more.I trust these ruger 454s .I have even loaded some shotshells even for it with #6and #4 shot for grouse.I want to try hard cast 300 gr bullets to see how they do.Its an awesome gun for the price.I paid $620 when they first came out.If you watch gunsamerica.com I have seen alot of 454 Rugers and 480 rugers go for $450 -$500 thats super cheap.I wish Ruger had a carbine in 454.I use to go to a gun range that had 6 Tarus 454 pistols blow the barrels off .That would be no fun at all.I dont think I want a lighter trigger on the 454.I do wish there where larger Pachmyer grips for the Ruger 454 .The factory ones are alright but nothing to brag about.

I put a heavy crimp on all my straight-wall pistol cases. However, a crimp will never hold as well as case neck tension. I am interested to know what your friend did to lock up a Freedom Arms revolver. I use to own a SRH in .454, but was very unsatisfied with it. After buying the revolver and spending as much money as I did to try and make it work properly, I could have bought a FA and had some money left over. I'm glad you are enjoying yours, that was the only gun I have never regretted selling.

My friend was showing me his Freedom Arms 454 and loaded it to see how it was shooting.He loaded 5 in it and tried to cock it.It locked up tight as a drum.He didnt trust it and that was that.A gunsmith opened it with a wooden hammer.What was wrong with your Ruger Super Redhawk 454?I dont like the grips but until I find better ones they will do.

I got both 454 and 480 SRHs and they were exceptional performers from day one. The 480 SRH is the smoother of the two and I like it a little better than the 454. I don't think you will be disappointed with either SRH.

Good luck!

The cylinder would lock up, ejecting .454 cases was an ordeal, sometimes it would not fire when I pulled the trigger, and the thing just would not shoot consistantly.

No matter what was done to it, every spring that was tweaked, every load that was tried, even sending it Mag-Na-Port did not help it.

Got a 7.5" barrel Freedom Arms revolver in .454 to wear on my belt (only because my .475 wasn't ready to go to Africa with me) and felt very comfortable while out walking amongst the elephants and lions. Next trip back I plan to go after Cape Buff with my 6" .475 Linebaugh in FA. I really like my Ruger single action revolvers, but I personally have no use for their double action revolvers.

MS Hitman
So it sounds like you didn't like the SRH 454- that's fine you shoot you super expensive FA and I'll shoot my SRH 454.
If your moving up to the 475 what was the point in getting a 454, do really think you'll master a 475 when you couldn't master the 454? Please let us know how well you shoot that 475?

Actually, with my FAs, I shoot either caliber very well. With my scoped 10" .454 off bags, I can shoot 1-1.5" five shot groups at 100 yards on demand. The iron sighted models the groups double at this range off the bags. I can off hand pieces of clay pidgeon out past 100 yards with ease and regularity to the point it's no longer a challenge.

Yes, my super expensive FA is better than my SRH could ever hope to be. Ruger can not build as nice a gun as FA without charging the same price. If you are satisfied with your SRH, that's great. My experience with the SRH I purchased has made me a firm believer in the old adage "You get what you pay for."

MS Hitman-

I do not doubt you at all about your problematic SRH but I think you should give it another chance. You are the first one that I heard of for having a problem with this super nice double action revolver. Every manufacturer makes a lemon once for a while so you must have one bad one out of the thousands or so. As nice as the FA revolvers are, I bet that they do have a problem here and there just like anybody else. Since you can afford two FA sixguns, may I suggest that you go out and buy another SRH to give it another chance? This time get a 480 instead of the 454 just for a change. Just a thought!!! Thanks!

Thanks, but no thanks.

Hey guys, get a can of STP oil treatment and put it in a squeeze bottle. Put some on the ratchet and make sure you get a good coat on the cylinder pin and extractor rod. I have never had any revolver tie up with this method and with almost 56,000 rounds in my Blackhawk, there is no wear. I also use it in black powder revolvers with great results. If this does not cure your problems, I don't know what will.

MS Hitman

The problem was you didn't send the SRH to Ruger who would have made that gun right or given you a new one to replace it! Try and get FA to do that-for FREE!! I have found there is no need to heavyly modify Ruger guns to get them right-you said you changed springs- what was the matter with the originals? Granted Ruger may not be as smooth as an FA but I've found they are not unreasonabily bad out of the box either - sure the triggers aren't match grade but if you shoot them enough you don't even notice it after a while and they do get smoother with use- I know mine has.

As a matter of fact, I did send the revolver back to the factory. The problem here is you are opening their mouth without the benefit of knowing what you are talking about. I was NOT offered a new gun and after writing a lengthy letter as to what my problems were with the gun, all I got back was a note that the gun was "within factory specs" and no repairs were necessary. Does that sound like "making the gun right" to you? I think your time would be much better spent shooting your SRH and not telling what I did or did not do,;should or should not have done. In other words, mind your own business. If you insist on continuing these attacks, at least take it off forum.

Swede, that is interesting! I would like to have more info such as boolit hardness, gas check or plain base, boolit and bore diameter, throat diameter, etc. That gun should not lead at all. I cleaned all my guns today including an 1894 Marlin .44 with a ported barrel. The one speck of lead I got out of 5 guns was smaller then a pin head. I am running velocities from 1200 to 1535 fps.
I then cleaned my rifled slug gun that I load slugs in shot wads. Darned thing had lead in it. Goofy, must be scraping the petals off the wads.

Quote "Swede, that is interesting! I would like to have more info such as boolit hardness, gas check or plain base, boolit and bore diameter, throat diameter, etc. That gun should not lead at all. I cleaned all my guns today including an 1894 Marlin .44 with a ported barrel. The one speck of lead I got out of 5 guns was smaller then a pin head. I am running velocities from 1200 to 1535 fps.
I then cleaned my rifled slug gun that I load slugs in shot wads. Darned thing had lead in it. Goofy, must be scraping the petals off the wads."

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I do not have a lead hardness tester so I can't tell what the hardness is on my boolit's. I shoot plane base wheel-weight cast RCBS .452 Round Nose Flat Point, This mold was not made for gas checks. I use a .452 Star boolit sizer and can't put gas checks on my bullets anyway. The holes in the end of the cylinder measure .452 with my Starett dial calipers. I don't know how to tell the throat dia or the bore dia. I looked at the inside of the cylinder and it still has lead in it. I like the Raging Bull and if I could shoot lead boolits the cost would be more reasonable. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Swede44mag