Big bore Ruger Redhawk in a super compact package— your decisive conceal carry thumper!
One rather interesting type of handgun is the compact yet very powerful revolver designed as a backup to the rifle or as a convenient weapon for those who live or work in areas where dangerous animals are abound. I live in the city where dangerous predators normally have two legs rather than four, but I still like to shoot and handle the big bore back-up handguns.
One of my favorites is a custom chopped down Ruger Redhawk made by Gary Reeder designated the Alaskan Survivalist. My model was marked the Alaskan Survivor. It was one of the first made and due to some copyright problems, the name was changed to “Survivalist” shortly thereafter. The overall length with the 3-inch barrel is about 8 inches and weight unloaded is 43.5 ounces.
The Redhawk is known for its ability to handle heavy loads so it makes a good basis for a custom revolver. The Ruger cylinder release is located relatively high on the frame and its inset works well on a revolver with heavy recoil, as it is unlikely to bite the hand. I have found Redhawks to be inherently accurate and also to come with relatively good trigger pulls. All these features combine to give Reeder an excellent basis for the custom Alaskan Survivalist.
