more on the 480 super redhawk

well i had a couple of free hours yesterday, so i figured it would be a good time to really examine the srh. so, i started by cleaning it up nice and pretty...

first, the target gay finish... i thought that the 454's and 480's were the color they were because of the type of steel ruger had to use in order to get the cylinders strong enough to handle these higher intensity loads. i no longer think this is the case. there were several areas in the harder to reach nooks and crannies that showed either no finish, or very light finish, and the unfinished portions appeared to be run-of-the mill unpolished stainless.

when i had the cylinder swung open, i had a chance to really look at the hinge area... 'wow' is all i can say. very sloppy work, indeed. the area was very rough, and there was a burr on there that was big enough, and sharp enough that it cut me while i was trying to get a patch in there to clean it up. very disappointed.

the hammer doesn't seem to fit very well, either. despite the very low round count, there are already places on the right side of the hammer that are definitely showing wear from contact w/ the frame. also, when cocking it, i can definitely feel a halting, gritty feel - same as when i lower the hammer manually.

i pulled the grips off it, and on the left side, behind the wood panel, there is a small cut-out in the rubber. in this cut-out, there was a pin resting there. i have no idea what the pin is for - anybody know? my best guess is it is for ballast.

i also decided i didn't want to mess around in there very bad, so i put the pin back in its slot, and screwed the grips back on. think i'll have a 'smith do an action and trigger job on it. i think this one is beyond my meager skills.

there were tooling marks and casting marks all over the gun. the pipe that was hanging on it (best way i know of to describe the barrel on this beast) appeared to have crown defects - but maybe because of the size of the hole on the end, it just looked that way and wasn't really the case. at any rate, the non-crown portion of the barrel was very roughly finished... i'm gonna have to investigate the crown further.

despite all these things, the fit of the gun is very nice (except the hammer). i forgot my feeler gauges, so i didn't get a chance to take any measurements, but the cylinder does lock up tight, and endshake is minimal.

when comparing this gun to my s&w 686, the difference is night and day. the smith is refined, polished, and smooth throughout. there are no defects on the smith, and it looks like it was assembled by somebody that paid a little attention to detail, and maybe even took a little pride in his work. i also paid $200 less for the s&w.

the ruger appears to have been slapped together by the cheapest labor available, in the fastest manner possible.

overall, i am mostly satisfied w/ the gun, though i think that given the quality of the finishing work, and the ill-fitting hammer, i paid too much.

i hear so much positive stuff about ruger that i thought this sixgun was a no-lose proposition. however, i would rather pay $100-$150 more for a little better quality, than what i paid for what i got; given what i know now, i wouldn't repeat this purchase.

I would send it to Ruger with your comments and I bet they would clean it up. If they don't know you are dissatisfied, they can't fix it.

I once order a Colt Python for a fellow, that came in the  same shape. A letter to Colt along with the gun and they furnished a new one, with better fit and finish.

saddlesore- maybe you are right... when i get home, i'll see if i can get ahold of someone who might want to look it over...

Dakotasin;

I'll go look & make sure tomorrow, but I think I remember the price of a Ruger SRH at Big Bear was 599.95.  What did you pay for that one?

900F

Dakotasin;

I did check on that .480 at Big Bear when I picked up the Tikka.  It was 579.99.  From what little I was able to inspect, it seemed to be pretty decent.  I did notice that the gray finish did not cover the muzzle.  Hammer was centered, no side rub.  Trigger was heavy, but smooth & the hinge area looked to be OK.  I'd think about sending a letter to Ruger & asking to send it back.

900F

A buddy of mine was over the other day with his .480 Ruger. We were shooting at a fire extinguisher hanging on a "L" bracket at 230 paces. I dinged it 2 out of six times comming pretty close the other four. We found 2 of the slugs in the dirt near the extingisher. Both of them looked like they could be reloaded again other than the grooves in the sides. Just to let you know. If you shoot some beast at 200 yds. with a .480 don't expect the bullet to expand.