wyobohunter
New member
So expensive but sometimes necessary. I traded in my 4" bbl 500 S&W and Kel-Tek PF9 for a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in 454 Casull. I definately lost money on the deal but I think I've found the right handgun.
The PF9 obviously is no good for hiking/fishing/family walks in and near Bear country but I carried it all the time as a concealed carry piece because it was nice & light.
The 500 S&W is the most powerfull commercially produced revolver and I really liked it but the durn thing was a huge chunk o' steel to haul around. Especially on those family walks near and slightly into the woods. The other problem I had with it is that IMO it isn't the best backcountry survival platform because birdshot shells are not commercially available.
The Ruger, although not as powerful as the S&W still packs plenty of punch yet it is small/lightweight enough that I don't need suspenders to take it on a family walk. I can get 45 Colt dies and load light kicking plinker and HD loads. Finally, CCI makes bird shot cartridges that will work in this gun - IMO those are a good thing to have as part of a survival kit when venturing into the back country because they should work fine for Grouse/Ptarmigan at close range (I'll post some pattern pics/hunt report when I try it out).
I don't have dies etc. yet so I bought some Hornady XTP 454 300 gr Mag. ammunition & went straight to the range from the gun shop - The recoil is comparable to the 500 S&W because the ruger is 3/4 lbs lighter (just as I thought). It will be much more pleasant to practice with once I get dies (2 sets) and can load the 45 Colt practice/HD ammo.
Accuracy was plenty acceptable for the guns intended purpose; I can put all six shots on a pie plate from 15 yds. firing fairly quickly in double action. These groups will likely improve with load developement and practice.
I am happy with the trade as I feel that the "little" Ruger nicely bridges the gap between the monster 500 and the pee-wee 9mm.
The PF9 obviously is no good for hiking/fishing/family walks in and near Bear country but I carried it all the time as a concealed carry piece because it was nice & light.
The 500 S&W is the most powerfull commercially produced revolver and I really liked it but the durn thing was a huge chunk o' steel to haul around. Especially on those family walks near and slightly into the woods. The other problem I had with it is that IMO it isn't the best backcountry survival platform because birdshot shells are not commercially available.
The Ruger, although not as powerful as the S&W still packs plenty of punch yet it is small/lightweight enough that I don't need suspenders to take it on a family walk. I can get 45 Colt dies and load light kicking plinker and HD loads. Finally, CCI makes bird shot cartridges that will work in this gun - IMO those are a good thing to have as part of a survival kit when venturing into the back country because they should work fine for Grouse/Ptarmigan at close range (I'll post some pattern pics/hunt report when I try it out).
I don't have dies etc. yet so I bought some Hornady XTP 454 300 gr Mag. ammunition & went straight to the range from the gun shop - The recoil is comparable to the 500 S&W because the ruger is 3/4 lbs lighter (just as I thought). It will be much more pleasant to practice with once I get dies (2 sets) and can load the 45 Colt practice/HD ammo.
Accuracy was plenty acceptable for the guns intended purpose; I can put all six shots on a pie plate from 15 yds. firing fairly quickly in double action. These groups will likely improve with load developement and practice.
I am happy with the trade as I feel that the "little" Ruger nicely bridges the gap between the monster 500 and the pee-wee 9mm.
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