I was *supposed* to be looking at a .22lr autoloader for my SO a few
nights ago. I was *supposed* to look at them, gauge the price of a Beretta
Cougar 8040, and come home ...

Did I? Nooooo .....

Let me just say that I hate Maryland's seven day waiting period! If they
expected me too 'cool down and change my mind' in seven days, all its done
is make me more antsy to get my hands on the Ruger GP100 I bought last
week.

So, while I was at the range/gunstore, I had to try the look and feel of a
sibling to the GP100 that will soon be in my hand.

While I was there, I took a glance at .44 Magnums. There was a Super
Redhawk with 7.5 inch barrel. I liked it. They had one for rent. I rented
it.

Fit and finish was excellent, for a rented gun. It could have used a date
with a cleaning brush, but that is my only complaint.

The heft was good and the grip was nice in theory, as I generally liked
it before I toted it to the firing line. More on the grips in a bit.

[Take my notes on the firing experience with a grain of salt, because I
can say for the moment that a .44 Magnum and I do not get along. Perhaps,
after repeated exposure to .357 Mag, that may change ...]

Ammo used was 3-D remanufactured 240 grain hollow-points.

Accuracy was good, except that I flinched noticeably during the
experience. [Would have bought more ammo to correct that, but ... $24/box
is robbery ... ] However, at 25 ft, it was not hard for me to get three or
four shots a quarter's distance away from each other.

Recoil, using a two-handed stance was noticeable, but not uncontrollable.
Double-taps and rapid fire were also manageable. One-handed, I decided I
didn't like the grips, as they would 'skitter' down my palm each time I
pulled the trigger. I imagine replacing them with finger-grooved grips
would fix that nicely. [Skitter was enough that I did not try one-handed
rapid fire.]

In general, I liked the gun. In my case, the grips would have to be
replaced. However, someone with much more experience in .44 Magnums might
not even notice.

I had trouble with the .44 Magnum round, as it does have more
'flash-bang-boom' than I am used to. This made my accuracy less than
desirable, but should only reflect poorly on me. :-)

All in all, if you choose the Ruger Super Redhawk, I feel that you've made
an excellent choice.

--
"Mulder ... where's the body?"
                        Dana Scully, X-Files, 1/11/97
-- John E. Jasen  // DNRC Ambassador to Earth \\  jjasen1@umbc.edu --
-- My views are those of the DNRC only. Prepare to be domesticated --