I ordered this and finally got it today. This will be my new companion outdoors.








It's big, and super heavy. As far as being any beefier in some respects compared to my GP100, I want to do some measurements.

The top strap on the GP100 looks a little thicker, but that could be an optical illusion because the cylinder on the GP100 is significantly smaller. The top strap on the Redhawk looks wider than on the GP100.

The frame on the Redhawk is significantly bigger than the GP100. It's way heavier.

As far as the locking parts, they look the same as on the GP100. Chamber wall thickness and forcing cone diameter appear about the same. The chamber walls may be a wee bit thicker. I can't see any difference between the Redhawk and the GP100 forcing cone wall thickness. Both are very thick, and that thickness accounts for a lot of the toughness reputation.

The double action trigger pull is like glass. Super smooth. The single action trigger pull is a bit heavy. There is a little creep. But it's not too heavy. Certainly a decent single action trigger pull.

It seems to be fit together very well. Except being a wee bit dirty coming out of the box, it meets my expectations. It's one big ass piece of equipment for .357. I am sure it will be a pussy cat with even really hot .357 loads.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Micropterus,

Just last evening, I watched Hicock45 shooting this. His loaner gun wore a much shorter barrel. It was a bit snappy with +p ammo. That is one strong .357.

I almost ordered the 2.75" version with the rounded grip. I think it looks really cool.

I had one for years. Great gun! Mine carried well in a Simply Rugged pancake.

Very nice, I like the 8 shots too.

That’s a beauty right there! I have a 4.2” in 44 mag and it’s a tank!

Looks cool!

Why is there a line around the muzzle?

Does it serve a purpose ?

That looks pretty imposing; nice and beefy.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
Why is there a line around the muzzle?

Does it serve a purpose ?

Hey Bendable, see this thread for the explanation

Wow. That thing is like a Roulette wheel for 357 magnums.
What a beast. I’d have to stop and rest before I got through a full cylinder.
What’s it weigh loaded?

Sweet! I have a GP100 and a S&W PC 627 this looks like a nice combo.

I have the same gun but the 5.5 inch barrel. It’s heavy as crap. I wish I had got the 4.2 inch barrel sometimes.

It’s cut for moonclips and it uses the same ones I use for my S&W 627 Pro.

That is cool that moon clips can work in those. Nice pistol

I wanted to do some comparisons of the Redhawk .357 to the GP100 and SP101.

The Redhawk is a little bigger than the GP100. It is significantly heavier.


In terms of beef. The Redhawk has a little thicker steel on the outside of the chambers. The GP100 and the SP101 appears to have a little thicker steel between the chambers.


The Redhawk (top) has a wider top strap versus the GP100 (bottom). Hard to see due to me tilting the Redhawk, but it is wider.


But the GP100 (right) top strap is thicker than the Redhawk's (left). Curiously, my Redhawk in .44 magnum is thicker than both the GP100 and Redhawk .357.


In fact, the top strap of the SP101 is nearly as thick as the Redhawk's. Though the SP101 is contoured a bit due to the sight groove.


The forcing cone on the Redhawk (right) appears to be a wee bit thicker than the forcing cone on the GP100 (left). The Redhawk has a lot more frame steel surrounding the forcing cone than does the GP100.


Here's the forcing cones for:

Redhawk


GP100


SP101


I have no idea what all this really means. I suppose if you want 6 shots, the GP100 is a significantly more carryable revolver due to its lesser weight. All three seem to be well built to withstand full power .357 loads. It doesn't appear the Redhawk would be any tougher, except possibly in the forcing cone and frame-around-forcing-cone area. It's just bigger and way heavier. And, of course, carries 2 or 3 more rounds than the others. No doubt the Redhawk weight will tame recoil, but recoil is not really that big of an issue in the GP100 or the SP101. The Redhawk has the cool factor over the other two, IMHO.

Here's some .38 SPL rounds in one of the moon clips that came with the Redhawk.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Micropterus,

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:
...
The forcing cone on the Redhawk (right) appears to be a wee bit thicker than the forcing cone on the GP100 (left). The Redhawk has a lot more frame steel surrounding the forcing cone than does the GP100.
...

Your new 8-shooter looks to be the only one with the 'sleeve and shroud' barrel. I wonder if this is the reason why it looks so much more beefy around the forcing cone.

In any case, I like it.
I don't notice the weight of my Redhawk (4.2" 45LC) to be noticeably heavier than my GPs, but the frame size in the hand is definitely bigger.

Sweet revolver. At 49 ounces, it should be a good candidate to shoot the 357 Maximum, if it’s not too long to fit into the cylinder.

Nice. Thanks for the compassions pics. I wish it didn’t have a sleeved bbl.

Beast mode, I see.

A true to form heavyweight this one. So far we've had a couple of them come through the shop and one can't help but sense how much of goliath this one is. A bit too much mass for myself, not that my 3" GP100 that I still occasionally use as a woods carry is exactly a lightweight. However in context of this company it definitely is. Congrats on your new monster.