What is the sturdyist .44 mag for heavy hunting loads like the corbon and garrett loads. Looking for a 9" or so bbl and scope.
Need some guidance on what I should order. I think the amount of reading ive done shows that a good 44 and scope combo with the heavy loads will do all the killing i can handle

Probably Super Redhawk, long barrel & easy to scope. Don't know what's available from Freedom Arms these days, they have had .44's in the past.

Personally I would rather have the Super Blackhawk Hunter, but I'm a single-action kind of guy. The Super Blackhawk Hunter doesn't have the 9" barrel that you are looking for.

Either should hold up fine with the heaviest factory loads you can find. The extra weight of the Super Redhawk should tame the mightiest .44 mag loads.

Two comments. I used a scoped Super Redhawk 9" for a year and the extra barrel length and weight (almost had to put wheels on it) were a disadvantage for me. As for recoil, the Blackhawk's tendency to rotate in your hand versus the Redhawk coming straight back lessened the recoil for full load .44s. I had Mag-Nu-Port implement a four slot muzzle brake on the 9" barrel which really reduced the upward movement, but didn't do much for felt recoil. I didn't mind either revolvers recoil, but did feel more comfortable with the lighter Blackhawk.....but then like Mike, I prefer the single action revovler. If you have the opportunity, I would suggest shooting both the Redhawk and Super Redhawk to make sure you want the Super Size version.

Dan

you may find that with a better set of grips on the super redhawk the recoil is better directed- i put a pachmayr grip (its one piece) and it helped. The redhawk handled some very stout loads,300gr LBT @ 1350 fps over and over ( 9 inch barrel), this is my pet load for this piece and it is all i shoot in it anymore. the pistol is heavy but i think that it aids the accuracy as well as taming the recoil. this pistol with this load shoots 2 inch groups at 50 yds.
I shoot a freedom arms 454 now for hunting. my hot loads in it make the 44 seem quite tame- altho i recall having a sore arm after 100 rounds of the redhawk too!
the ruger is my choice for your 44 (the super redhawk) but if you have alot of extra money the freedom arms 454 will truly impress you. good luck
Chuck

I think DOK gave you some pretty good advice. See if you can shoot all three, Super Blackhawk, Redhawk, and Super Redhawk and see which one you like best. I love Freedom Arms revolvers, but with a relatively low pressure round like the .44 Magnum (when compared to the .454 round) you have all the strength you need in any of the Ruger revolvers. Unless you just want to spend the extra money a FA costs for hand fitting, I can pretty much guarantee you that the Rugers will shoot just as accurately as the FA for most shooters. I have the Redhawk and SuperB and they certainly do recoil quite differently. I like the SA grip, but others like the DA grip and the way they handle recoil. Neither is "better" and I think you should base your decision on which you like best. Ruger is bringing out their Hunter SuperB again from what I hear, which has the scope base milled into the barrel and is 10 inches. IMO, 10 inches is a lot of barrel for a revolver. My FA .454 has a 10" tube and it is just a bit too much of a good thing for a revolver. I much prefer the balance and feel of the 7.5" barrels on the SuperB and Redhawk, but since the FA is factory ported, I cannot bring myself to lop off 2.5 inches. One thing about getting a too long a barrel is that it is much cheaper to shorten a long barrel than it is to "stretch" a short one.

May I asked the friends that answered this man's post......how much actual game have you killed with the guns and loads you talked about? I'm not beinng a smart A**, just curious. Best Regards, James

My response addressed the handling charactistics of my long barreled Super Redhawk which was never used for hunting because it was too unwieldy. The Super Blackhawk (44 mag) referenced has been used for two blackbear (Minnesota), three wild turkeys (Iowa) and one wild pig (Florida). The load in all cases was 15.7 grs. of Blue Dot, 240gr. XTP, Starline brass, WLP primers which yields 1350 fps. The Blackhawk is topped with a Burris 2.5X8 scope.

There is no doubt in my mind that the TC Encore is the sturdiest, and most accurate, and easiest to scope 44 Magnum that you can buy. The TC contender would be second in line, and a bit lighter to boot. Either of these two pistols will give you more velocity than ANY revolver of similar barrel length and will stand up to a lifetime of maximum loads with no decrease in accuracy or durability. A 10" barrelled TC is about the same size as a 8" barrelled revolver and a good bit lighter.

If you need more than one shot, the Freedom Arms M83 is, without a doubt, the stongest, most accurate revolver you can buy.

If you're on a budget, like most of us, you would probably be best served by a Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter. The trigger on the single action is poor, but so are all of Ruger's 44 double actions, and it's most easily corrected on the single action. All the Ruger revolvers, single or double action, are sturdy as a brick outhouse so you can't go wrong with any of them. I've had some bad luck with Ruger quality and finish as of late, but they do make a darn tough revolver.

If I had my choice for a general purpose hunting, read that nothing that can grab you in it's jaws and shake you like a rag doll, it would be a Ruger Blackhawk with a 4 5/8" tube or a Bisley Blackhawk with it's 7.5" tube in 41 Mag caliber. If I was to scope it, it would be my Super Blackhawk Hunter in the same caliber. The 300gr SSK bullet will do 1300+ in the 7.5" tube and over 1200 in the short pistol, so it's about the same as a .44 Mag unless you get into the really heavy bullets. Not trying to disuade you from a .44 as my guess is that you shoot factory ammo, and there is a lot more of it for .44's than 41's.

If you are on a Ruger budget, and need more than one shot, the Super Blackhawk Hunter is the way to go from my biased opinion. (I like single actions)

DOK and All.....Thanks for the comeback! I also have found the Hornady 240 gr XTP to be an outstanding jacketed bullet for game. We will be playing with XTP in the .357 Mag this season. Best Regards, James

Deer - Super Blackhawk, 280gr. Beartooth, lotsa W296, about 1350fps at the muzzle. Needless to say I did not recover the bullet ....

DOK and All.....Thanks for the comeback! I also have found the Hornady 240 gr XTP to be an outstanding jacketed bullet for game. We will be playing with XTP in the .357 Mag this season. Best Regards, James

I'll make it easy for you! 12.5 grains of 2400, top it with a Hornady XTP, 180 grains. Deer go down! :)

22 grains under 240 grain xtp's in a ruger super redhawk.