This Alaskan Can Get You Out Of Hot Water
The Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan is a revolver designed to be carried in challenging places, and employed under nearly impossible circumstances. Most good revolvers can be considered robust and efficient. The Ruger Alaskan takes this a step further, combining old school design with very modern refinements. The gun is built almost entirely of stainless steel. Most of the gun is “melted”, meaning that edges that are normally square have been radiused. The seams where the sideplate connects to the frame and where the cylinder pivots are so closely fitted, they are almost nonexistent. The trigger face is smoothed, and the trigger action is crisp. Machines can build good revolvers, but only the care and hand of craftsmen can build one like this.
I tested the Ruger Alaskan, a 44 oz, 6-shot revolver with a 2.5” barrel. The Ruger Alaskan comes in 44 Magnum, 480 Ruger, and 454 Casull. I picked the 454 Casull because I believe it is one of the most versatile cartridges in the handgunning industry.
The 454 Casull cartridge can generate up to 65,000 PSI, according to SAAMI, entering the range of rifle pressures. There are several Buffalo Bore 454 cartridges that exceed 1800 foot lbs of energy, throwing bullets as heavy as 360 grains way past supersonic speeds.
Brutal Recoil Requires Shooting Strategy
One of the things about the 454 Casull that causes one to pause is the physics of this cartridge. The recoil can be brutal, even for shooters who are used to launching 357 Magnum or similar cartridges. Of all the big bore magnums in the industry, the Ruger Alaskan is one of the easiest to shoot, besides the BFR. First, the gun weighs 44 oz, or 50 oz fully loaded. Second, the Hogue Rubber Tamer Grip, which is an oversized, textured, rubber grip with finger grooves, really tames recoil. Besides the generous contact area in the palm, this grip allows the bottom two fingers to align on the grip area in a manner that allows full recoil control. The Hogue grip also has an internal recoil cushion, which really works. Despite the great design, one must remember that the 454 Casull is basically a short rifle cartridge, and the Ruger Alaskan is not a short rifle.
Shooting the 454 Casull also requires the shooter to use strategies. This caliber allows an incredible range of power. When I tested this gun, I mostly used my own reloads. I load my 300 grain gas check bullets to 1120 fps, which is light for a 454 Casull. Before you begin to think this is an anemic load, only heavily loaded 44 magnum loads approach these ballistics. That is, 44 Magnum cartridges loaded as “bear defense” are in the category of “light loads” for a 454 Casull. Make no mistake about it: The 454 Casull can easily outdistance the 44 Magnum without breaking a sweat.
The 454 Casull cartridge is a lengthened 45 Colt, though the chamber pressures are several times higher. The 45 Colt can be shot in the Ruger Alaskan in the same manner a 38 cand be shot in a 357. In this big gun, the 45 Colt feels lighter than shooting a 9mm.
Built For The Real World
At the range, I fired it for accuracy. I started to get my shooting rests out, and then thought, “Would a real world user use this gun on rests in the field”? Although a small percentage might, the Ruger Alaskan is really for the startled user who needs to fire as many shots as possible at a charging threat. I decided to test it by shooting it off hand at 25 yards. Although real-life users probably need to fire as many accurate shots as they can during a 2-4 second charge, the only pressure I encountered was the scrutiny of my shooting buddies. I was able to keep an off-hand group under 3″. Since I don’t often do this with my own guns, I can attest to the accuracy of the Ruger Alaskan. I backed these groups up with more. Considering the vigorous mechanism required for a reliable strike on a rifle primer, the double-action trigger was as smooth as some of my wheelguns with trigger jobs.
The Ruger Alaskan has fully adjustable sights. No, the front sight is not filed down. When I first test fired it, the bullets flew in the exact center of the target. I did not need to adjust them.
The 454 Casull and 480 Ruger Alaskan both have a non-fluted, non-recessed cylinder. Fluting is a machine process that removes material that could take away the strength of the cylinders and the weight of the gun. In this case, weight, and having more flex reducing material around the cartridge, is a good thing.
Not recessing, or counterboring, the charge holes in the cylinder is my preference, but the advantage is debatable. This was something standard for the higher pressure cartridges, in case the case heads blow out from overpressure. This is less of an issue since brass manufacture has vastly improved. The fact that this is done on a revolver designed for some of the highest pressures in the industry should tell you something. If I had to build a revolver that needs to work in really, really, bad weather, this is how I would design it.
This Beauty Will Reign In Most Any Environment
The top strap, barrel, and sidewalls are built like an armored car. The amount of meat around the forcing cone will keep the steel industry in business.
The cylinder is triple locked for the firing sequence. That is, it locks at the front, the rear, and the bottom. This is about where I have to deliver a confession in order to demonstrate how good this gun really is. I loaded up some 300 grain loads using the latest from Northern Precision Custom Bullets. I crimped them hard, but apparently not hard enough.
A revolver with heavy recoil can cause the bullets in the still loaded cartridges in the cylinder to creep forward, unless they have heavy enough crimps. As one shoots, the cartridges get longer. Since I was trying to punch these guys out at around 1450 fps or so, the gun kicked in a healthy manner. All of a sudden, it wouldn’t shoot. Everything locked. It took me a second for the light in my cranium to go on, perhaps because there were still spots dancing before my eyes from sending Thor’s hammer down range.
My poor reloading practices just added another testing criterion. Ordinary revolvers generally have a little play in the cylinder. A little play would allow me to rock the cylinder open. The Ruger Alaskan has zero play. Zero. I was standing on the range trying to keep from calling any attention to myself while trying to pop open the cylinder. If my buddies caught me, I would not hear the end of it.
I did get the cylinder open and removed the faulty cartridges. Later, I put some of the corrected cartridges into targets, and they performed admirably. I could make some of these bullet holes touch!
I shot some 45 Colt rounds in the Ruger Alaskan. This is an inherently accurate cartridge, and this is an inherently accurate gun. With 45 Colt, it turned into a plinker. I was having a blast poking holes in paper.
If the Ruger Alaskan was not a firearm, it would be a top candidate for a modern art design award. It has all the beauty, simplicity, aesthetics, and sustainability as any other pieces in design awards competition. Since it is the kind of thing carried by the most conservation conscious people in the world, it would also reign in the “ecologically conscious” category. I belong to the category of users who agree with the design superiority, meaning “I have to own one”.
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