I recently found a great deal on a used RedHawk 44 mag with a 4.2in barrel. I have no knowledge or experience with the caliber, and here in West Texas, it is just not that common, other than as a range toy. I bought it strictly as a hunting sidearm, for when I am hog hunting. My typical hunting pistol is a 10mm, so if I hunt anything else, I will probably use the 10mm. I fired some 44 mag Rem 240 jhp, and some 44 Special Hornady, just to check function.
Is there anything peculiar to Ruger revolvers I need to be aware of? All the revolvers I own, or have shot, were Smiths.
The magnum was brutal, any tips to tame the recoil?
What are the general loadings like?
Heavy load?
At what point would you recommend a hard cast bullet, jhp, or sp?
Who do you trust for hunting loads?
I realize projectile selection is important, given the power of the cartridge, is it as critical as in smaller calibers?
I really enjoyed shooting the 44 Special rounds, what is a good self-defense load for it?
Who makes a decent kydex OWB for it? Is there one with a system similar to the Safariland ALS?
Chest holster?
Which speed loaders would you recommend?
Welcome to the world of Large bore Magnums. It’s the entryway to the loads for killing beasts in North America. Shot placement, control for followup and practice is key.
Bear in mind, changing loads changes point of impact. Adjust the sights for the ammo that you use. I zero for 50 yards for hunting.
For defense, you need to be comfortable shooting double action only. For Precision or long distances, you shoot in single action but double action works if you stage the trigger, too. Unlike combat pistols, the pad of the finger is inadequate for double action. It’s more between the pad and the distal joint of the trigger finger.
I zero for 25 yards for combat or in the unfortunate need to defend against a wild/aggressive beast. Check your laws about defense against bear. It’s best to know beforehand. No one cares about feral hog or wild boars.
I started out in 44 Magnum a year ago, but moved quickly by reloading, experimenting and moving all the way up to 500 S&W. It could be intimidating. You CAN and WILL have a tendency to flinch. I load up 2 or 1 short of a full cylinder to recognize if I have a flinch. I have gotten very good about not flinching, but I still practice that way.
You can consider sending yours to Magnaport to help with muzzle rise, but the sound is going to be a tad louder. I shoot outdoors, anyways, so sound is not an issue. If you shoot indoors, well, that’s really pleasant for your fellow shooters in stalls. Quite obnoxious, really. But hilarious.
I practice rapid fire from 7-10 yards away, in double action. You never know when you have to unload into something charging you. Has to become second nature to deal with muzzle rise, recoil, noise, recovery.
4.2" barrel length is good for recoil. My shortest is a 3" S&W 629 Deluxe. I assume you have GP100 grips. They mitigate recoil very well. But if you want more comfort, then Hogue Monogrips work for me. I don’t like the bulk of Pachmayr but I got one for my 9.5" 44 Magnum since it was all they had in the store.
For 44 Magnum, it is pretty much essential to reload. Ammo is very expensive. Ammo is about $45 for 50. Hunting rounds are $2-3 a trigger pull.
If you want to practice, and you want to get good, you need to shoot often. You also want to shoot a lot. If you plan to hunt, you need to be able to hit a small area of 8-10" or a dinner plate out to the distance you intend to hunt. I’ve made it to 75 yards but my goal is 100-125 in 44. In 454 my goal is 125-150. In 460 it’s 150-175. I have a 500 but it’s a fun gun, only.
My 44 Mag
When you graduate, 454 Casull
Smith 460
Smith 500
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Best thing to do with a new 44 Magnum is to buy a set of dies, 500 pieces of Starline brass, 500 250gr cast bullets and a pound of medium burn rate powder (Power Pistol, HS-6, etc.). Load those bullets to about 900fps and you’ll have a load that is easy to shoot and that will be surprisingly effective on deer-sized game.
If you want to get good with a heavy revolver, you need to shoot it often. A set of reloading gear is not only cheaper than factory ammunition, it is cheaper than reconstructive surgery on your wrists from shooting nothing but hot factory loads 
Reloading will be your best friend if you want to shoot big bores. Not only save your wallet but your hands and wrists too.
You’ll grow to love the .44 by the way. Your 10mm may soon collect a bit of dust.
If you’re like me, and you’ve decided to do all your handgun hunting with a .44 magnum, then the first thing you should know is that not all .44 Magnum ammunition is the same. So should pick and choose your loads according to the game you are hunting, and don’t foolishly assume that all .44 Mag loads can be used against any and all game.
Don’t ignore the 44 special either. It has a long tradition of enjoying a cult-like following. It can be loaded to do anything the 45acp will do, or you can keep going until it starts crossing into magnum territory. Handloading really helps here, as it helps you select a bullet, velocity and level of recoil that you are comfortable with.
As others have stated, the path to getting good with the mag revo is getting into reloading. Even an inexpensive single stage press and working loads up with cast bullets at moderate velocities (HS-6, Longshot) and then full power loads with H-110 or W-296 and hard cast bullets will help. A solid defense load is CCI Blazer 200gr Gold Dot JHP’s in .44 Speciall. My go to hunting load for medium game in non-bear territory is Winchester 250gr Partition Gold .44 Mag, which uses the excellent bonded core Nosler partition JHP. The nice thing about it is the component bullets are available from Nosler, so it’s easy to duplicate the factory load with H-110 when reloading. Everyone always talks about Hornady XTP’s. They’re super accurate, but I’ve had the jacket cores separate and bullets fail to expand with XTP’s in my 629 MG.
If I were hunting in grizzly territory or trying for Elk, I’d switch to a heavy hard cast load like the Federal 300gr Cast Core, or even HC offerings from Buffalo Bore or Garrett Industries, but you definitely need to work up to shooting those. Their recoil will clear your sinuses for sure!
Hope this helps!
The right Grips (also called stocks) will make all the difference in your shooting comfort !!
Check the double action function.
Redhawks have a history of light hits, (DA only) especially with reduced power hammer springs. I had one with this issue. (the issue does not apply to Super Red Hawks)
I can’t add much more than what the previous posters have said. I do know that a 240gr cast bullet going 1,000 fps will go through any animal that you’ll shoot at in West Texas. I would use that as a starting point if you want a load for hog hunting, but there are many options available. You picked a great caliber. 44 magnum really shines when you’re set up to reload for it.
For felt recoil reduction/control I recommend Jordan Trooper stocks by Herrett’s. For chest holsters, the Guides Choice by Diamond D. For heavy loads, a gas-checked LBT projectile either handloaded or purchased from Buffalo Bore, Grizzly Cartridge, Garret Cartridge, etc
www.ammoseek.com for much better prices on ammo than stated above.
I apologize for being so late to the thread. You have been given some very sound advice.
If you decide to reload, it will not be for the expense or shall we say saving money. It will be for the variety of loads you can produce, mostly to tailor them to your gun, for accuracy.
If you do not want to get into reloading, you still have some of the biggest and best choices out there, since you chose the 44 mag as your sidearm.
There is nothing wrong with jacketed or cast bullets both can be good or bad. This mostly depends upon bullet design and construction.
For jacketed. Sure you can buy the cheaper stuff for your play or fun outings but if you are going to be hunting and need to be serious about your ammo then a few suggestions hopefully will help you in succeeding in your endeavor.
From experience The 240 gr XTP is a very accurate bullet. But lacks the performance needed to be a “go to” cartridge.
Buffalo Bore is not really needed, and you are spending money on something that will not do as well as some other offerings. DO NOT Be fooled by Tim’s BS Name “Reduced Recoil” 44 mag. It kicks just as bad as the more potent stuff.
You live in West Texas and so you may have some longer range shots and possibly get a shot at a Muley. You may also be able to hunt in your back yard. BUT ! If you have to pay for a lease and had to travel and spend more money on a hunt then you will certainly want your ammo to perform, and spending a little extra on the ammo can return greater dividends than not.
Suggestions: Since you have a 4 1/2 barrel, an excellent load for you is the Garrett ammo Defender load. It is a 310 hard Cast bullet running 1020 from a 4" barrel. It is accurate ammo and it kicks considerable less than BB ammo or any of the other exotics and even the 240gr Winchester stuff. Trust me on this stuff taking good care on Real Hogs (300LB +), or bears. This is no problem for any deer.
Swift ammo makes a good cartridge if you want jacketed. I know a couple of guys that have shot hundreds of hogs and deer with the swift bullets Ranging from 44 mag, 454, and 475 Linebaugh.
Please do not overlook the 44 SP… If you handloaded there are several options on this too. But if not It does get limited in Factory ammo.
If you handloaded I would suggest some kind of 250gr cast or the Lyman 429215 mold cast bullet ( it drops weight is 210 -230 grs) depending upon who does the casting and their alloy. These, are the very best for the 44 SP But work great in the mag too. One of the very best and proven loads For the 44 mag, is the Lee 310 cast, with 21.5 grains of H110 or 296 powder. Use a magnum primer on this one for sure.
Practice first at 25 yds then move to 50 yds and if you want to use a red dot or something if you cannot see sights good enough. But it takes a lot of trigger time to get proficient with any handgun.
You should be able to achieve 2" groups at 50yds. It may take trying a few different loads or brands of ammo. If the gun will not do this then send it down the road.
If you get unhappy with the Redhawk, you have several options. The original Redhawks w/ 7 1/2 barrels most were very accurate. So have the Super Redhawks. They are blue ribbon winners in the ugly contests. But they usualy shoot light out. You can go to a BFR since it has a short cylinder and they are Very accurate. and not that much more money. I got very lucky when I bought my Blackhawk. It is a 4 5/8 barrel and Like you , I like the shorter barrels for ease of packing them around. Mine is accurate.
Holsters Chest is a very good way to go. I have one and I have a crossdraw also. These 2 setups seem to serve the best since they are out of the way in a pickup or on the 4wheeler or if you are on a Horse. I have hunted West texas many times and the dust is horrible at times. On my crossdraw I have a partial flap ( think Thad Ripka) style holster. the chest holster allows you to have it under a shirt or jacket to keep dust,rain,snow? or whatever off the sidearm. I keep a 1" paintbrush in gear, for cleaning the dust off. After a few days or weeks of hunting out there, break that gun down and clean and lube it and Oil it good.
Lubrication: Yep any gun needs it especially the BIGBores. A little gun grease or you can even use some never seize in the cylinder ratchet, and the base pin latch area. The recoil and pounding is much better on the lube than on steel to steel.
Grips : I have custom grips on all my pistols. There is Less “Felt” recoil with them. Gunnerblue has good advice. Stay away from the finger grooves unless they really do fit your hand. They usually only fit about 2% of the public.
Trigger: Get a good trigger job from a reputable Gunsmith. Stay away from the poormans trigger job !!! A good trigger will help shrink groups. As well as a good sight picture.
A S&W 29 was my first revolver and I started handloading right off for some reduced loads.
I said that to say, Enjoy the gun and have fun with it.
I want to add if you are afraid of leading, or if you shoot lead bullets and experience leading, Then there are some bullets that have been powder coated or have some kind of coating on them now. Cast Performance has a clear coat on theirs. These Bullets DO NOT lead and since there is no lube they do not smoke either. Best of both worlds. Cleanup is a breeze too. When testing them and using them in my guns I got a slight increase in the velocity (because of the low COF and lubricity) and the accuracy was slightly better in some cases. But remember that this depends upon the bullets design.
If you shoot lead and it leads such as skidding or even deposits lead in your barrel, then get some COPPER “chore boy” scrubbing pads. Cut a small piece off and wrap it around the brush, and use it to clean the barrel. Never use the Stainless Steel pads! BE CAREFUL !!! THE CHEAPER BRANDS ARE NOT COPPER THEY HAVE A COPPER COAT ON A STEEL PAD. We do not need scratched barrels. I stay with “Chore Boy” only.
COF = coefficient of friction lower is better
Here’s some chrono data and penetration/expansion info for some of the more common 44 Special loads.
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2017/6/20/the-case-for-the-44-special-cartridge/