ORIGINAL: Rammer
Well guys, for some reason I haven't been craving buying a new gun in a while (in fact its been a year), and this is highly unlike me (I'm gonna be 23 next month) and I have 20 some guns at the moment.
I decided that I really wanted to get a deer hunting/personal defense revolver (from bears, mt lions, etc). I want to be able to shoot 50 yards (or more if possible), be fairly lightweight and easy to carry, and pack good punch. I think I'm gonna stick to the 44mag unless someone can talk me out of it for something different.
Here is what I'm leaning towards at the moment.
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=811&return=Y
All info/suggestions, etc would be greatly appreciated in this matter. I have numerous handguns in my stash, and shoot them all very well. Will the above gun be a good shooter? I will handload all my cartridges and shoot it quite often.
You won't go wrong with that Ruger, nor with a .44 Magnum! You could also use the .45 Colt in that same revolver, and the Ruger will stand some pretty stiff .45 Colt loads-like a 250-grain Keith semi-wadcutter at 1200 FPS, which will kill anything in North America...... But of course, you can get full-power .44 Mag. ammo almost anywhere.
IMO, your requirement for a relatively light handgun rules out the Ruger Super Redhawk-those ponderous things should be issued with wheels and a pintle hook for towing!! But the 5-shot Taurus Raging Bull .454 is not too heavy, and the recoil is very tolerable due to the porting and shock-absorbing grips. Mine is as accurate as any Colt or Ruger.