shot my Vaquero .44 magnum for the second time this past weekend
first time was with factory ammo, and was too much for this small gun and small grip
so I dialed it down a couple grains on my reloads and much better now
accuracy was pretty good considering the u-notch rear sight and blade front sight.  much better accuracy than my Vaquero .357.  the 357 front sight is taller for some reason, making the POI lower.  I'm going to have to fix that sooner or later.
but back to the .44mag.  with the lighter load its much more enjoyable to shoot, easily hitting the steel targets at 50m.  that's all I expect out of this gun, its not a target or hunting revolver, just a nice looking SA with decent accuracy.
shot all 50 rounds of my reloads, and my hand was no worse for wear.   

comparing my SBH to the Vaquero.  SBH is 4.6" barrel, Vaquero is 3.75" barrel.  you can see SBH frame and top strap is more beefy

That Is sswwweeeettt!

I have heard that if you write Ruger and let them know about your SBH printing (insert number)" low, they will send you the appropriate lower front site blade. It looks like it is only held in place by a roll pin. So easy to change out.

the one that is shooting low is the Vaquero 357, the SBH is shooting very accurate

if you look at the front sight carefully, it looks different than the 44 vaquero.
its definitely taller, and its rounded
the 44 mag front sight is shorter and is more squared off

I should get a better side by side pic to see it with better comparison

I was thinking of coloring the front sight.  painting the top part white or black so to change the sight picture to raise POI.  I really don't want to file it down if I don't have to, but that's a possibility too

the one that is shooting low is the Vaquero 357, the SBH is shooting very accurate

if you look at the front sight carefully, it looks different than the 44 vaquero.
its definitely taller, and its rounded
the 44 mag front sight is shorter and is more squared off

I should get a better side by side pic to see it with better comparison

I was thinking of coloring the front sight.  painting the top part white or black so to change the sight picture to raise POI.  I really don't want to file it down if I don't have to, but that's a possibility too

Aaaaaaah, I understand now. And I see the difference in sight profile. Let me know how the blacking out works for you. I have an old revolver that prints 12"-18" high at 25 yards. Has a notch rear sight and the front sight blade is tall to begin with so I am trying to figure out the best way to raise the front sight even more. I don't want to significantly modify it but I will probably have to.

Aaaaaaah, I understand now. And I see the difference in sight profile. Let me know how the blacking out works for you. I have an old revolver that prints 12"-18" high at 25 yards. Has a notch rear sight and the front sight blade is tall to begin with so I am trying to figure out the best way to raise the front sight even more. I don't want to significantly modify it but I will probably have to.

i'll let you know how the coloring works out when I do it

I have a GP100 357 mag in 4" and a 7" super redhawk 454 casull.  People say the super redhawk is ugly, but it kinda grew on me.   The revolver with its extended frame and unfluted cylinders looks mean. 

The 454 looks very similar to the one below, except with a different scope that I'm hoping to upgrade to a burris 2x-7x (sorry at work and no pics handy).  I actually like shooting this gun alot. You can shoot standard 45LC rounds, which are really easy to shoot, hot 45LC rounds (halfway between a normal round and a 454 round), and 454 rounds.  My advice regarding revolvers is not to get a bigger caliber than 357 unless you're reloading or your wallet is loaded and you don't mind reloading that  .    The cheapest factory 45LC is ~ $0.80 a round, the cheapest 454 is ~ $2.00.  If you reload (and not factor in the cost of the brass), it brings the cost down to ~$0.15 for the 45LC and ~$0.54 for the 454.

Edit for fixing cost of reloads

Now that I'm not working I finally got around to taking pics of my revolvers.


7. Ruger Speed Six 9mm

I want!  lol 

I want!  lol

I like your Super Redhawk!!! I have one just like it. I busted the scope with some hot loads so I now have a red dot on it. I can usually hit small steel targets out to the 100yd area of the silhouette range. I reload and shoot lead mostly. I pay about $0.12 a round for each boolit. That puts my cost per round at about $0.20. With light loads the brass takes a very long time to wear out. I can't shoot the hot loads any more. But I sure enjoy taking it out and ringing steel with it. 

Since I last took those photos I have added two more to my collection. I'll take some photos and put them up soon.

I like your Super Redhawk!!! I have one just like it. I busted the scope with some hot loads so I now have a red dot on it. I can usually hit small steel targets out to the 100yd area of the silhouette range. I reload and shoot lead mostly. I pay about $0.12 a round for each boolit. That puts my cost per round at about $0.20. With light loads the brass takes a very long time to wear out. I can't shoot the hot loads any more. But I sure enjoy taking it out and ringing steel with it. 

Since I last took those photos I have added two more to my collection. I'll take some photos and put them up soon.

Nice:)  can't wait to see them!

$0.12/round is really cheap, so I just double checked my math on the 45LC. Think I goofed bad on the cost of the powder.  Primer $0.05, powder $0.03, bullet $0.14 = $0.22 per round.  That's cheaper than factory .38.

454 cost per reloaded round - Primer $0.05, powder $0.15,  bullet $0.34 = $0.54 per round.  Cost would come way down if I just loaded lead cast bullets instead of hollowpoints.

Recoil wise, I actually find the 454 loads less punishing than on my 357.  The 357 has a much snappier recoil that hurts the webbing of my hand after a while.  The 454 is more of a very hard push, the weight of the barrel+scope probably does a lot to keep the recoil down.  Can't imagine what it's like in a 2.5" ruger alaskan.

Nice:)  can't wait to see them!

$0.12/round is really cheap, so I just double checked my math on the 45LC. Think I goofed bad on the cost of the powder.  Primer $0.05, powder $0.03, bullet $0.07 = $0.15 per round.  That's cheaper than factory .38.

454 cost per reloaded round - Primer $0.05, powder $0.15,  bullet $0.34 = $0.54 per round.  Cost would come way down if I just loaded lead cast bullets instead of hollowpoints.

Recoil wise, I actually find the 454 loads less punishing than on my 357.  The 357 has a much snappier recoil that hurts the webbing of my hand after a while.  The 454 is more of a very hard push, the weight of the barrel+scope probably does a lot to keep the recoil down.  Can't imagine what it's like in a 2.5" ruger alaskan.

I suggest you might want to play around with different grips for your .357. I had the same problem and I changed over to a grip that fits my hand better and the pain in the web of my hand went away. But now I don't shoot a lot of full power loads any more so it is so not bad even with my old grips.

What weight bullet are you getting for that $0.07 a round? That's dirt cheap. Where are you getting them from? I may want to check them out. I get my bullets from a local source. I am getting a 250gr LSWC for that $0.12. Last boxes of primers I got at the gun show were only $0.03 a piece. And I load my cartridges light so only about $0.02 worth of powder. I was loading a full 45LC using a 300gr LSWC with gas check. That boolit cost me the same $0.12 (from the same source) as well as the same $0.03 for the primer. But the big increase is in the powder at about $0.10 per round. That comes out to $0.25 per round. But then the brass doesn't last as long. BTW, that same 300gr LSWC with gas check boolit can be used in a full power .454 Casull cartridge. So add a little more powder for a few cents more. Still cheap to shoot. Wish my hands could still take the punishment.

All this talk about the Super Redhawk makes me want to load up some rounds and take her out next weekend. 

^

Good suggestion on the grips, I was thinking that could possibly be the issue.  The stock hogue grips have thick rubber by the backstrap, something thinner (like the stock 454 grips) might do the trick.

Sorry $0.14/round, another typo.  For 45LC, I'm using berry's plated bullets 200gr swcs.  I pretty much went with the cheapest I could find without being LSWC, but after I run through this batch, might switch.  LSWC is probably as cheap as you're going to get for bullets.

Haha you should take her out 

1st time shooting my Security Six after changing the grips to Hogue monogrips
now its easier to control, although I prefer the looks of wood grips, i'll keep the monogrips bc they just work better
shot some reloaded .357 magnums.  even shooting in DA, its pretty accurate

compared to the LCR, its a little bigger and a lot heavier

Interesting that the mono grips work for you.   I changed them to conpact grips on my 357, and find them to  be a lot better.   Mono grips seem to be made for people with large hands.  I'm 5'10, medium hands


http://shopruger.com/Rubber-Grips-with-Rosewood-Inserts-Compact/productinfo/70084/

Interesting that the mono grips work for you.   I changed them to conpact grips on my 357, and find them to  be a lot better.   Mono grips seem to be made for people with large hands.  I'm 5'10, medium hands


http://shopruger.com/Rubber-Grips-with-Rosewood-Inserts-Compact/productinfo/70084/

I guess its personal preference.  I have medium hands, I guess.  the stock monogrips that came with my GP100 fit good, but I just didn't like how they looked so I changed those to wood ones, just as big as the monogrips and they fit my hands fine.
actually the Hogue Bantam grips on my Redhawk are larger in circumference although shorter in height than the monogrips, and the bantam grips feel fine.  they actually help me hold on to it when firing full 44magnum loads.

I guess its personal preference.  I have medium hands, I guess.  the stock monogrips that came with my GP100 fit good, but I just didn't like how they looked so I changed those to wood ones, just as big as the monogrips and they fit my hands fine.
actually the Hogue Bantam grips on my Redhawk are larger in circumference although shorter in height than the monogrips, and the bantam grips feel fine.  they actually help me hold on to it when firing full 44magnum loads.

My hands are big (long fingers) and the monogrip can be a little small for me. However, the monogrip allows better control for me. I have them on my Ruger Super Redhawk, S&W Model 10 and Model 547. I had a nice set of handmade wood grips on my Model 10. And even tho recoil is fairly mild and controllable, the grips still dug into part of hand and made shooting hot loads and long periods of time painful. The monogrip makes shooting the gun much more pleasant and comfortable.

That grip looks pretty big, long and wide. 

It's funny, I found the exact opposite.  The larger grip bites into the web of my hand and holding the firearm is less controllable.  I guess the analogy might be trying to hold onto a tree branch to control its swaying versus a tree trunk.    But to each his own, eh?

That redhawk is awful pretty!

GP100 Wiley Clapp.  the blued version. 
I like the matte blued finish, the front brass bead sight, beveled cylinder, smoothed edges.  would make a nice carry revolver
I like how it shoots for a 3" barrel.  it can handle factory 357 ammo very well
if you are a Ruger fan, 357 fan, revolver fan, you will not be disappointed with this GP100
this is a great addition to my Ruger collection.  I am very happy with it. 

Nice looking revolver!  The blued version looks pretty mean!  is the rear sights "factory"?

How is the trigger compared to a standard GP100?  I'd imagine it's a bit lighter?

It's beautiful

Nice looking revolver!  The blued version looks pretty mean!  is the rear sights "factory"?

How is the trigger compared to a standard GP100?  I'd imagine it's a bit lighter?

rear sights are factory novak
trigger is supposed to be the same as the standard GP100, but it feels pretty smooth although its still heavy in DA mode.  since this is my 3rd GP100, I'm kind of used to the heavy trigger.

It's beautiful

thanks