Redhawk Shooting Technique Inquiry

[wyomingnimrod]

Esteemed Pistoleros,
I ask your sage advice in the following matter. I have a Ruger Redhawk .44 Magnum, customized by the great Hamilton Bowen with his “Kodiak” treatment. It wears standard Ruger Redhawk rosewood grips. I love this damn thing. But I need advice on how to hold it better when shooting as it is a real s.o.b. with any load I put through it. Not talking accuracy here, haven’t even gotten there yet. I mean that within a round or two the webbing by my dominant thumb (I’m right handed) is already bleeding. It’s not fun.
Yes I am aware that shooting gloves would help and I will be going down that road. But I’d prefer to find a shooting style that works with ungloved hands as ultimately this is a revolver carried for bear protection as I live and hunt in grizzly country and I don’t plan on doing any of that with shooting gloves.
Any advice, large or small, greatly appreciated. Fwiw I have a FA 83 .454 Casull and it is a joy to shoot compared to this rig, so I guess I am asking for double action technical grip/posture etc advice.
Also, I’d prefer not to put rubber grips on this gun as it looks so damn classy as is, but if that is the best plan of attach then I’ll welcome advice on that too.
Thank you all for the free (but never cheap) advice.

[contender]

My best advice would be to try & find a local instructor who shoots DA revolvers a lot & get them to critique your shooting style. If no instructors are available,, try & find a revolver competitor,,, or another revolver hunter. Someone who has a lot of experience,, who can assist in finding out where you can improve.

[sharps4590]

Contender gives good advice.

Were it me I think the first thing I would do is find an aftermarket pair of grips that fits me and go from there. I had a Redhawk and that was the first thing I did. I want to remember I went with Hogue but, that's been over 20 years ago. When I got my Freedom Arms I never used the Redhawk again.

[tullymars]

I have a 4” Redhawk that I love to look at with the factory wood grips installed. That sam
e gun is simply brutal to shoot with anything more than .44 special powered loads. For my hands nothing has proven better than Pachmayr Presentation grips. If a sidearm is to be used to keep me from being eaten I’m pretty sure how it looks will be way down on my give- a - crap list.
I do totally understand the ugly factor of rubber grips.
Just an FYI , I m not recoil shy as I’m a regular shooter of the Linebaugh cartridges. Hope you find a cure for looks vs comfort with your gun.

[wyomingnimrod]

Thanks, y’all. That’s all solid advice. Find an instructor if possible. Get over the vanity and find some proper rubber grips. And if that doesn’t work, just carry by Freedom Arms and say “to hell with it.” I’ll give em all a try. Cheers!

[shorty500]

As much as I always loved the looks of the Redhawk with factory grips- for shooting I had to run pachmyar back in the days I still had one

[bigbrowndog]

Start with milder loads, all things considered you don’t need fire breathing loads for a gun that is likely used at feet distances and not yards. I carry 240gr. SWC loads at 1000fps in my 3” 629, they carry enough oomph for anything I’m likely to want it for. Plus, the load is frikken accurate all the way to 100yards. My Ruger SRH 500L shoots a similar load, except 485gr. at 1000fps. I believe Hal Swiggett said many years ago that tons of game will and has fallen to nothing more than 1000fps at the muzzle, or something g to that effect. My loads for DA short barreled guns or field defensive guns is 1000fps and accuracy. The accuracy helps with plinking at turtles, cow pies, or rocks and gives me practice shooting the gun. Most of my shorty field guns wear iron sights and are coyote accurate to 75-85 yards, one of them a FA97 wears a Burris FF3 and is coyote accurate to 100.

Trapr

[markh66]

Standard Redhawk grip frame and Pachmayr Presentation grips go together like PB&J

[RoninPA]

For me, the standard Redhawk grips are just a bit too small at the top (diameter wise) for my hand. I tried several different types before I settled on Hogue (both the rubber finger groove monogrip and the wood finger groove monogrip). The top is bigger and the design positions my hand better. They seem, to me, to distribute the recoil much better. No more beat up web area between thumb/first finger.

[bigbore5]

My Reeder 500L Redhawk has stag for pretty, but Presentation for shooting. Even then it's rough if I push 400's north of 1100. 530's are brutal at 1000.

Since I got a bfr, I have taken to shooting the Redhawk with mild 355's at 1400. Much less painful.

[junebug]

For me Pachmayrs go on everything I can get them for. I like pretty wood but LOVE comfort and control more, and the Pachmayrs give me that. SO PRETTY IS AS PRETTY DOES!

[hgunhtr]

I have a 4.25" redhawk 44 mag with a roundbutt grip- came from lipseys. love the gun hated the grips. a set of presentation Pachmayers and we are good to go. I really like the looks of the factory micarta grips but hated the lack of control and the bite with them. up at bear camp in 2019 i was shooting off the hood of the tocoma with my bear loads and after the first cylinder i found 6 nice little dents in the hood. i couldnt tell it was recoiling through my grip but it sure was. new grips and now a happy camper with ugly grips but it sure shoots nice.

[tj3006]

Both of my Redhawks have Pachmyer grippers.
My 5.5 inch 44 has had a few of the Buffalo bore 340 grain loads with them on. It does not hurt much. But I did say a few.
My 7.5 inch is a .41. It is no problem at all.
...tj

[gnappi]

Pachmayr's and a shooting glove would be my suggestion.

I've had a Redhawk, Super Redhawk, several 629's none bothered me. Then I got one of the new Anaconda .44's and it tore up the bone at base of my thumb and whacked connecting tissue that still has not gone back to its normal size. The bone contusion took over a month to recover from.

Then I got a set of Pachmayr presentation grips that cover the backstrap and a glove and no more issues. I read somewhere (maybe here) paraphrased "Injury is easier to prevent that to recover from" I say amen to that!

[bula]

The glove, need not be a "shooting glove". I've sets of leather gloves here of various weights. Roping gloves, goatskin, and deer skin. A snip to take off trigger finger nd your in a better place. I rub in warmed Sno-Seal, and wipe of excess. Others here have other favorite treatments, and recipes to make them.