REVIEWS
The Big Red One
Ruger's mega-size Super Redhawk has long been a top tool for big-game handgunning. And a new version may prove to be the preeminent trail gun.
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Some 25 years ago Sturm, Ruger & Co. brought out one of the finest bigbore double-action revolvers ever--the Redhawk. This sturdy, large-frame .44 Magnum (.357 and .41 came along later) proved to be a fine hunting handgun, and like most Rugers, it quickly became one of the most coveted arms around. Well, the gun had legs and continued to be a top seller--so good, in fact, that the company was prompted to bring out an even heftier version, and this it did in 1986 with the Ruger Super Redhawk.
Initially offered with 7 1/2- and 9 1/2-inch barrels in .44 Magnum, this heavyweight was more than capable of handling more powerful chamberings, and three years later it appeared in a .454 Casull incarnation.
Perhaps I'm dating myself, but I remember some 30 years ago--give or take a few years--Dick Casull coming to the Guns & Ammo office and giving me my first introduction to the .454. First described by G&A's P.O. Ackley back in 1959, it impressed me with its mighty potential. When it went commercial, the .454 immediately became one of the preeminent sporting handgun loads around and provided the impetus for the development of other super magnums.
The first really commercial gun chambered for the .454 was the superb Freedom Arms stainless single action--still to my mind one of the most beautifully made revolvers in the world and a more than worthy platform for Dick Casull's powerhouse.
The round itself, which generates at least 50 percent more juice than a .44 Magnum, was based on a lengthened, strengthened .45 Colt case, and because of this, guns chambered for .454 can also handle .45 Colt.
In his inimitable style, Bill Ruger decided that a .454 double action was the next step in the round's evolution, and the Super Redhawk, one of the most substantial handguns ever built, was the obvious choice.
In 1989 the .454 Super Redhawk hit the stores and was immediately acclaimed as a preeminent hunting and silhouette revolver. Like the standard Redhawk had done 10 years earlier, it became a hot item with shooters, many of whom were willing to pay a premium just to be one of the first kids on their block to get one.
For the most part, the gun was pretty much the same as the .44 Mag version, though the cylinder was unfluted because of the larger-diameter chambers. The mechanism itself was the same as that of Ruger's excellent GP100. The generous topstrap--I believe the thickest on any double-action revolver currently available--was set up for scope mounts as glassing the gun was an obvious hunting and targeting option. Lest one be concerned about overall strength, remember that it's a Ruger we're talking about here. The Super Redhawk, like all Ruger DAs, has a three-point locking system that secures the cylinder into the frame at the front, rear and bottom. Release is effected by a button on the left side of the frame at the rear of the recoil shield. Cartridges are cleared by the time-honored star ejector and manual ejector rod.
