Well my wife is finally going along with my request for a custom big bore magnum and I am seriously looking at the Gary Reeder American Hunter. Anyone have an opinion on his guns or the 475 Linebaugh cartridge?

Sounds like a hand cannon to me.... I like it! Worth a try....

Thats one fine looking handgun!! Almost to pretty to carry afield.

From what I have seen and heard Gary's stuff is top of the line. I have a rechambered t/c bbl from him and it works just fine.

I am going on the Africa hunt with him in April so when I get back I will be able to answer the question a whole lot better b/c if RSA lets us use handguns this year I am sure he will bring all that he can.

Feel free to ask him questions on his message board. He will answer any question you have about anything he makes and some he doesnt.

If I could afford one of the African Hunters I would probably have two.

I own an african hunter and a southern comfort both in 475. Both guns are nice and have been pretty reliable. I have about six or seven hundred rounds through both and have had only minor problems normally associated with ruger guns and heavy recoil such as two broken hammer pin retaining grip frame screws, base pins jumping(fixed with wolff extra strength base pin latch springs), and extractor housings shifting(fixed by using loctite sleeve retainer where it slips into frame and used red automtive loctite on screw)

Gary Reeder's stuff is awesome looking. Never owned one yet. Thinking about sending my POS Ruger SBHH in the have him modify to his Ultimate Hunter. Maybe then that thing will shoot like the rest of my rugers.

both of my 475's that gary built shoot nice but I had to play with loads until I found one they liked which was 28.8 grains of h110 behind a 370 grain cast performance bullet. I know what you mean about the sbhh, I finally got fed up and sold mine and bought my only tc contender.

Man I'm glad someone else has had problems with their Hunter. That thing just won't shoot. Maybe Reeder can do some voodoo to make that thing work. I won't sell it, I'll use it as a paperweight first. Just wish it would shoot like the rest of my Rugers

Magman,

Is that hunter a 44 or a 45? If its a 45, have you measured the cylinder throats?

Stush

I don't know about magman but mine was a 44 and I tried several factory and a bunch of handloads including all the ones that shoot good in my other 3 blackhawks but I couldn't get it under 4" at 50yds shooting off a rest with a scope, and most six shot groups were pushing 6-8"

If I were in your shoes, I would carefully document this information and send it back to Ruger with sample targets. They will likely make it right for you. You could, of course, spend money trying to fix it yourself but this sounds like it is a true lemon. Send it back and politely tell them that you want it made right.

The only problem I have had with custom guns like the Reeder guns and other pieces is once you start the custom road it never ends.

My SBH Bisley Hunter shoot's good @ 50 yards

thats the way they should shoot. my other two 7.5" barreled sbh shoot good but my sbhh was just screwed up, but thats ok because selling it gave me the opportunity to buy my 375jdj contender without my wife being able to yell at me, at least she didn't yell too loud. that is one piece of advice I can give any newly weds out there don't order two of reeders custom guns and not tell your wife, that is unless you like your ears ringing, and not from muzzle blast. you would think at 36 I would be smarter than that, but like they say it is easier to ask forgiveness than permission.

Stush, The gun is a 44 and it has been back to Ruger twice. Both times, they find nothing wrong with the gun. So it must be me. I can shoot my other Ruger 44s w/o problems, but not this one.

is your gun a bisley or standard grip? I don't know if it matters but mine was standard and I had the same problem as you.

Standard grip.

maybe it's got something to do how the guns fit our hands, but if you do send it to gary his grips are different from the factory hunter.

It is hard for her to say no when you have it in the safe.

thanks for the idea builder, of course if i do get caught you'll know it, cause there aint no internet in the dog house

Erick,
I own an ultimate .480, an ultimate Bisley in 5-shot .45, an ultimate .410GNR (a .454 necked down to a .41), and a 10" encore in .410GNR. All there is to say about them is OUTSTANDING ! Quality, looks, and accuracy are superb with all of them. If ya go with the .475 you can also shoot .480's out of it. (like a .357 shoots .38's) Customer service is bar none, too. If you have any problems at all, however slight, Gary goes above and beyond to help you. I have never had someone take so much personal time to make sure I was satisfied. In short Gary and his products ROCK.

Gundawg

Thanks Gundawg. My gun should be ready in a couple months. Can't wait to shoot it.

Erick

Eric,
I just had Gary bore my .480 cylinder out to a .475. We'll have to share the reloading data we come up with.


Gundawg