Redhawk 41 mag

JonB

Halcyon member
I shouldn't be looking at buying another gun. But there is an auction for a plain looking blued 5.5" redhawk in 41 mag that was owned by Skeeter.
The add says LNIB, and that Ruger gifted it to him in 1985. Was he still writing in 1985? if not, why would Ruger give him a plain handgun? I'd think, since this was near the end of his life, then a gift might be a fancy/engraved model?

The real question is, would a very plain gun with plain wood grips, that was owned by a famous person in the gun world, but never fired by that famous owner, be worth any more than another example in same condition?

edited: Wikipedia says he was handgun editor for Shooting Times until he passed away in 1988.
 
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fiver

Well-Known Member
they used to reprint his articles for another decade till the sheriff come along and got his name built up.

anyway.
if the gun has documentation proving he owned it it will have a premium if someone was a fan enough to pay extra.
to me it's a desirable gun because of what it is, but i wouldn't pay more than 7-800-ish bucks.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
They have been a desirable gun since discontinued. I sold a few at premium prices back in the 90's and early 2000's. ANY quality 41 Mag with limited production is about the same... costly. Add "Keith" in that equation. As long as it can be proven and you have a far larger expense.

CW
 

JonB

Halcyon member
Can you even buy ANY Redhawk for 7-800 bucks right now?
I recently stumbled onto the truegunvalue website a couple months ago, when looking for the value of the minty/early S&W model 58 that my buddy sold me. I was impressed with the website's ability to search out "sold" prices from various sources.

Waco, it seems some have sold in that price range recently...but not the in 41.

the website only found 3 sold in last 12 months ($900-1400)

The bidding on the Skeeter gun starts at $1100, which I think is somewhere in the range I'd bid up to, but I fear it'll go double that?
It's on gunbroker, and it'll popup first in a search, if anyone is curious.
 

Missionary

Well-Known Member
We ave bee in 41 Mag a long time. Generally they are very accurate, well put together revolvers.
To have one owed by Skeeter with documentation would be a good investment if you have the extra $$$ to drop on it.
But we at our house are shooters 1st. I would have a hard time just letting it lay in a box. I would want to see how well it shoots our cast. I would want to pop a corn cruncher with it.
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
Standard Redhawks command a premium right now, new ones don't appear to be available through the factory chain.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
that's like buying tiger woods iron set from 2001, when there is the exact same set down to the donation store for 50 bucks.
you gonna play with them or look at them?
 

JustJim

Well-Known Member
I had a Redhawk in 45 LC, and it was a decent gun once the action got some tuning. I cycle through thinking it would be fun to get a .41 and try to wear it out, then come to my senses and realizing I'd rather have a Blackhawk, or a Smith, or a Dan Wesson. In the past year I've passed on 2 Redhawks (4" blue and 5 1/2" stainless IIRC) for $1100-1200. I've seen a couple 44s in the $750-850 range.

But as for it being one of Skeeter's guns. . . yeah, he owned it. Maybe he shot it, maybe he didn't. Personal guns, or guns gunwriter's frequently mentioned or wrote about (Skelton's 5" Model 27 or 44 special conversions, EK's engraved 4" Model 29 or No. 5) go for well over retail. But in watching past sales of guns that had belonged to gunwriters who'd passed on, it seems guns that they had reviewed, or "gift guns" like this one, might initially sell for 40-50% above retail. In subsequent sales they seem to hold value of about 10-25% above retail. Unless someone "just has to have it" of course. For what this one will probably sell for, you could maybe build up a 44 special on a 3 screw 357 and make Skeeter smile.
 

JonB

Halcyon member
The bidding on the Skeeter gun starts at $1100, which I think is somewhere in the range I'd bid up to, but I fear it'll go double that?
It's on gunbroker, and it'll popup first in a search, if anyone is curious.
Just checked this today,
The bidding is up to $1525 (32 hours left to bid), which is a couple hundred $$ more than I'd spend for that gun, just to get a piece of paper with it, with his wife's signature on it.
 

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
$1525 isn’t too insane for that new old stock Redhawk with the box, in today’s market. It’s more than I would pay for just a shooter. However, collectors are in a different boat. And while a gun owned by Skeeter may be more valuable than a similar gun owned by someone else; I’m not sure how much more valuable that would be to a collector.

As for the provenance of that gun…….a piece of paper with a purported signature is not quite enough for me. It might be authentic, but I would need a bit of corroboration. Proof concerning who Ruger shipped that gun to, proof of who received that gun and when (was Skeeter an FFL? Did he log that gun in a ledger? Did someone else transfer it to him? If so, when? Is there a photograph of him with that gun? A newspaper article from that time frame that mentions the gun.) Was the gun specifically mentioned in a will? Did someone witness that signature? Etc.

The problem with fakes is the person currently selling the item is often an unwitting victim himself. The mere passage of time does not authenticate an item’s lineage.

NOW, $1500 for a NIB Ruger Redhawk in 41 Mag isn’t much of a risk, even if origin story is questionable. So, sometimes the risk is small enough that it doesn’t really matter.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
I've had five 41 Magnums over the years, S&Ws and Rugers. The makers get the dimensions correct in the 41s--all had grooves right at .410", and the throats were all .410" + a few tenths. You can almost bet the farm that a .411" cast bullet will shoot accurately in a 41 Magnum, and will not cause leading.
 

JonB

Halcyon member
Yep, I am a BIG fan of the 41...and the reason you state is the major factor.
I've owned several S&W and Rugers in 41, but sold some of them off, which I regret somewhat. I did have a 7.5" SS Redhawk in 41, which sold at my auction in 2015...it was a nice one, but a blue 5.5 like this skeeter gun would be more to my liking...I'll be on the lookout for one at a more reasonable price.

PS, I also had a blackhawk in 41, maybe a 4 5/8 ??? if I remember right, but I have never been much of a fan of SA and the Blackhawk in particular, but I've given many of them a try, in several calibers, but all were sold...just not a fan of SA.
 
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JonB

Halcyon member
Thanks for the link. It's interesting. I'm sure he'll enjoy it far more than I would have.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
i can't chamber 411 in a couple of my 41's without a hammer and a dowel.
i got Brad to practice his sizing die making skills a few years back and whatever it sizes them to, they chamber with a little thumb at the end.

i like my Blackhawk with the 4-5/8" barrel i have a holster i got somewhere for it, that i tie on my waist with a silk necktie.
it's one of the easiest to carry guns i have.