I'm late to this, but maybe this can help someone in the future.

I have own/owned a Ruger Redhawk 5.5" 44 magnum, a S&W model magnum 57 4" no lock, a S&W model 57 41 magnum 6" with lock. I grew up shooting dads S&W model 57 41 magnum 6" no lock, and his S&W model 29 10 5/8" 44 magnum. I have also over the years shot the Ruger Blackhawk 41 magnum 4 5/8", Ruger Blackhawk 41 magnum 6 1/2", S&W model 29 44 magnum 8 3/8", and Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 magnum 10 1/2".

I realize the question did not ask about 41 magnum, but there is a reason I bring it up. The design limits of the S&W N-frame go beyond just the structural limits. Strength wise, the N-frame is tough, you won't blow one up. The common complaint about them is end shake due to heavy recoil shooting. This is not the end of the world, and can often be fixed with cylinder shims, but S&W's are much more sensitive than Ruger to end shake. Even .003" of end shake and a S&W will start to have noticeable issues with the cylinder opening. Ruger's by comparison, it's basically never an issue, but enough shooting and it could be eventually. The other lesser talked about problem S&W N-frames is cylinder rotating during recoil. What happens is with particularly heavy recoil it overcomes the cylinder stop spring, and this allows the cylinder to rotate during a shot. Often you will take a couple shots, then click. If you open the cylinder you will find that you shot one, skipped one, shot one, then landed on an already shot cylinder. This can be minimized somewhat by installing a Wolff extra power cylinder stop spring, but there are still limits. In a model 29 44 magnum, 240 grain bullets at full power are about the limit for a stock gun. 265 grain bullets will usually be fine with the extra power stop spring. I've never seen a 280+ grain bullet with H110 powder not have the problem in a model 29. This is not a problem with Ruger's at all that I have found. I've gone so far as to shoot Redhawk-only loads in my Redhawk, a 355gr bullet with H110 to almost 48,000 psi, producing over 1250 fps. The Redhawk handles those fine.

Now getting onto the 41 magnum. The reason I bring that up is I believe the 41 magnum is a much better fit for the N-frame. You can basically use any load you want, and they function fine. I still have my S&W model 57 41 magnum 4" no lock, and it's one of my favorite handguns. Yes you do loose some velocity with the 4", but it's not tremendous. The difference in a 4" model 57 and a 6" model 57 is in the ballpark of 100-150 fps. I love both barrel lengths, but since mine gets carried a lot, I really like the 4". It's short enough it doesn't jam into chairs or car seats. Accuracy wise, I shoot both close enough to the same it's not a huge factor to me. If looking at a S&W for hunting only the 4" is fine, but I would consider going even longer than 6". Those 8 3/8" barrels are not as crazy as they look.

More along the lines of barrel length, the super long barrels are not as crazy as they seem. The model 29 silhouette 10 5/8" barrel is a little front heavy, but not as bad as you would think. The super blackhawk 10 1/2" are surprisingly well balanced. They suck for riding or sitting with them on a belt, but if you use a chest rig, they are phenomenal hunting handguns. You don't gain as much velocity as you would think. I would assume you pick up more with the lighter bullets, which I don't use often. The closest comparison I have is 265gr bullet with a moderate load. In my 5 1/2" Redhawk it was going about 1250 fps. In the 10 1/2" super Blackhawk it was surprisingly only going about 1350 fps. You will pick up more with certain powders, and especially lighter bullets. Still, the long sight radius makes shooting a joy. If you use a red dot or scope, obviously that isn't a concern.

So all that said. My recommendation is if you want to hunt with a S&W N-frame, go with a 41 magnum. They may look slightly bulkier, but size and weight wise, the Ruger Redhawk is nearly identical to a S&W N-frame. They are within an ounce of each other. The Super Redhawk really isn't much more if at all, they just appear bulkier due to that strange scope mount extension, but that is offset by a round, lighter barrel. If you consider a super Redhawk ther are even stronger rounds you can consider like 454 casull or 480 ruger, but 44 magnum is a great choice in both the Redhawk and Super Redhawk. If you want a surprisingly light hunting option, the Ruger Blackhawk in 41 magnum uses an aluminum frame. They are sweet shooters, and I love that 4 5/8" barrel model as a great overall choice. The Super Blackhawk is great in shorter barrel lengths too, but not really any better than a Redhawk or Super Redhawk in my opinion. Where the Super Blackhawk is really nice is that 10 1/2" barrel. I wouldn't go shorter than a 4" barrel on any model for hunting, but I don't think there's a giant difference between 4" and 6". I also wouldn't discount the longer barrels.

The Redhawk has a great trigger, it's just terrible when being COMPARED TO the S&W Trigger.

My choice.

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Pre-lock Smiths are my thing. 629-5 Mountain Gun is proper.

Nice!

I have always wanted one but never available when I had the money.