Super Redhawk

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Super Redhawk

Type Revolver
Place of origin United States
Production history
Designer Sturm, Ruger
Designed 1987
Manufacturer Sturm, Ruger
Produced 1987 - present
Specifications
Weight 1190 g / 42 oz (unloaded)
Length 215 mm / 8.5 in
Caliber .44 Magnum, .454 Casull and .480 Ruger
Action Double action
Feed system cylinder
Sights Fixed front and adjustable rear, with scope rail

The Super Redhawk is a line of double action magnum revolvers made by Sturm, Ruger beginning in 1987. The Super Redhawk includes a number of features that make it unique, including:

  • Integral scope bases in the frame
  • A one-piece frame that allows for a wide variety of grip shapes
  • A massive, high strength interface between barrel and frame
  • An easily removed trigger group, allowing field stripping
  • Ruger's unique front and rear cylinder latch system
  • Offset cylinder stop notches
  • Push-button latch on front sight, allowing easy changing of front sight blade

Contents

[edit] Development

[edit] First generation double action revolvers

The first large-bore double action Ruger revolver was the Redhawk, which was based on the "Six" line of Ruger .357 double action revolvers, which included the Speed Six, Security Six, and Service Six. These revolvers were produced from 1970 to 1988, and were unlike other double action revolvers in that they used a one piece frame, rather than a removable sideplate, which lent them superior strength. The Redhawk, introduced in 1980, was a scaled up and improved version of the Security Six, the target model, with a square butt grip, adjustable sights, and 5.5 and 7.5 inch barrel lengths. The Redhawk was available in blued or stainless steel, and was primarily used by handgun hunters. The Redhawk, designed for long term use with the heaviest .44 Magnum loads, included a new latch at the crane, to firmly lock the cylinder at front and rear, a feature last seen in the Smith & Wesson triple lock design, discontinued in 1915.

The Ruger designs also used a modern coil spring design, which had largely replaced old fashioned leaf springs in most modern revolvers. Unfortunately, the revolvers also used a single spring for both the hammer and the trigger, and this meant that the force required to pull the trigger was higher than similar offerings from other manufacturers, and there was no way to correct this as it was inherent in the single-spring design.

[edit] Second generation double action revolvers

The second generation Ruger double actions, beginning with the .357 Magnum GP-100, was introduced in 1986. The GP-100 used a different trigger mechanism, with separate trigger and hammer springs. This significantly improved the trigger pull. Another change was the shape of the frame. Traditional revolver frames have exposed metal at the front and rear of the grips, with the frame determining the shape of the grips. This meant that to have a round butt concealed carry version and a square butt holster or target version of the same gun usually meant having two different frame shapes. The GP-100 series instead used a small, rectangular "peg" grip, which was just large enough to enclose the hammer spring and strut. The grips could then be any shape desired, as long as they were large enough to enclose the peg. The stock grips are made of Santoprene, a soft, chemical resistant elastomer that helped absorb the recoil of firing. Panels on the side, made of black plastic, goncalo alves wood or rosewood, provide contrast to the flat black of the Santoprene.

The GP-100 kept the crane lock that was introduced in the Redhawk, and even the small frame SP-101 family of revolvers uses the same thickness solid frame and double latching system used on the heavy .44 Magnum. Because of these features, the GP-100 series is widely described as the strongest medium frame revolvers ever made.

[edit] Problems with the Redhawk

When Ruger started to scale up the GP-100 to build a .44 Magnum version, they began to have reports of failures in the Redhawk revolvers. Some Redhawks were reported to be separating at the junction between barrel and frame. It was not known at the time why this was happening; the Redhawk had been on the market for years with no reported problems, but Ruger decided to address the issue anyway, by extending the frame 2.5 inches past the cylinder face, all the way to the end of the ejector rod, to provide a massive surface into which to thread the barrel. The extended frame also provided enough length to allow scope bases to be mounted on the frame, rather than on the barrel as was done on the scoped versions of the Redhawk. It was eventually determined that the barrel separations on the Redhawks were due to a change in the lubricant used when attaching the barrels to the frames, but by that time the new Super Redhawk design was already well underway and the extended frame was kept.

[edit] The introduction

The Super Redhawk was introduced late in 1987, in .44 Magnum with 7.5 and 9.5 inch barrel lengths. The final product used the same trigger design and same grip panels as the .357 Magnum GP-100, but had a larger, stronger frame with integrated scope bases. The extended frame made the new revolver look very odd; it looked like a 2.5" barreled revolver that had an extra 5 or 7 inches stuck on the end. The Super Redhawk shipped with scope rings included, and with a scope mounted, the odd appearance was not as obvious. The Super Redhawk received positive reviews, edging out similar offerings from Colt and Smith and Wesson in accuracy and price[1][2].

The Super Redhawk was only available in stainless steel, though a number of finishes have been offered. The standard finish is a brushed finish, which gives a semi-gloss look to the steel. Polished, high gloss versions have also been offered, though this option is not currently available. Stainless steel one inch scope rings are included, which used the standard Ruger lockup common to all Ruger integral bases. The Super Redhawk uses different front/rear rings, with the rear ring being shorter than the front ring due to differences in frame height. This is a feature common to the Ruger Model 77 bolt action rifles, which use a higher ring in the rear than in the front.

Despite plans to drop the Redhawk revolver with the introduction of the Super Redhawk, the original Redhawk (with the barrel thread lubricant issue corrected) remains in production today. Many shooters prefer the more classic lines of the Redhawk, especially those who do not plan to use a scope, or those who prefer blued steel over stainless. The Redhawk is also available with different barrel lengths, 5.5 and 7.5 inches.

[edit] The .454 Casull

Introduced in 1999, the .454 Casull marked a first in that caliber, as it was the first six shot .454 revolver. The Freedom Arms and Taurus Raging Bull, the previously available .454 Casull revolvers, both use five shot cylinders. To handle the extreme pressures of the .454 Casull without changing the design of the frame, Ruger used a different alloy and heat treatment process to increase the strength of the frame. The stronger frames are marked by the use of a special target grey finish, which is produced by tumbling the parts in a special polishing media.

The .454 Casull model is actually marked as .454 Casull/.45 Colt, and is capable of shooting the slightly shorter .45 Colt rounds. The .45 Colt is a far more pleasant caliber to shoot, lacking the severe muzzle blast and sharp, heavy recoil of the .454 Casull. Just like shooting .38 Special in a .357 Magnum revolver, the option of using .45 Colt expands the versatility of the gun, and reduces the cost of shooting.

[edit] The .480 Ruger

2003 saw the release of Ruger's first cartridge, the .480 Ruger, which was developed for the Super Redhawk. The .480 Ruger is built on the same frame as the .454 Casull, and was introduced as a six shot model. While the .480 Ruger is not loaded to the rifle-like pressures of the .454 Casull, the bigger bore makes the .480 Ruger capable of pushing bigger (.475 caliber, 12 mm), heavier bullets than the .454 Casull can handle, making it a good choice for handgun hunting. The .480 Ruger operates at far lower pressures than the .454 Casull, making it more comfortable to shoot as well.

The .480 Ruger cartridge can produce a muzzle velocity of 1350 fps (405 m/s) and generates one-third more muzzle energy than the standard .44 Magnum cartridge, with substantially less recoil than other big bore hunting handgun cartridges. The large, heavy bullet still offers excellent penetration for big game hunting.

[edit] .480 Ruger model redesign

In 2007, Ruger temporarily ceased production of the .480 Ruger models due to fired case extraction issues. After analyzing the problem, Ruger decided to start fitting the .480 Ruger models with 5 shot cylinders, rather than the original 6 shot cylinders. With this release, Ruger also changed to Hogue Monogrip grips, and added a Target Grey All-Weather finish.

[edit] The Super Redhawk Alaskan

Introduced in 2005, the Ruger Alaskan is Ruger's first short barrelled, big bore revolver. The 2 1/2" barrel on the Alaskan ends at the end of the frame, and the scope bases are omitted. The interchangeable front sight is replaced with a pinned in ramp sight, but the adjustable rear sight is retained. The Alaskan is available in .44 Magnum, .454 Casull/.45 Colt, and .480 Ruger, with the .480 model originally a 6 shot, replaced in 2008 with a 5 shot model. All Alaskans feature a brushed stainless finish and a Hogue Tamer rubber finger groove grip, rather than the standard GP-100 style. The .454 and .480 versions have an unfluted cylinder while the .44 Magnum features a fluted cylinder.

Intended for use as defense against large, dangerous animals, the Alaskan offers more power than most other revolvers of its compact size, when loaded with .454 Casull or .480 Ruger, and is rivaled only by competing models from Taurus.

[edit] References