Ruger Redhawk. Heavy Duty Revolver, and the story behind this Heavy Hitter.
Sport and target shooters and handgun
hunters of the 1970s
remember the "Ruger Six" line of revolvers, the Security Six, Speed Six
and Service Six, (Police Six) and the introduction in 1979 of the Six
Line's overlapping successor, the Redhawk revolver. It had a
large single piece reinforced frame allowing for heavy, fast repetitive
firing of the largest .44 Magnum handloaders' rounds, and was able to
handle the stress of heavy recoil. The Redhawk was also known
for
its stiff trigger pull. It was a big, heavy large caliber
revolver, and one of the most powerful ever made. To aid in
accommodating the recoil, the grips were made of a soft,
vibration-absorbing, non-slipping polymer material, called Santoprene
with attached polished wood or polymer panels for appearance.
The
Redhawk had an extended cylinder, enabling it to accept the the longest
reloaded rounds, making it a favorite of handloaders. It also
had
locks at both ends of the cylinder to help keep things together during
heavy firing with large caliber high velocity rounds.
Handloading
is the manual rebuilding of spent casings, reloading the powder, primer
and adding a new bullet to the round, which requires special tools,
dies, presses and other equipment. Obviously, handloading is
for
serious enthusiasts who do a lot of target shooting or
hunting.
The main reasons for handloading are usually for economy, especially
these days when ammunition is in short supply and prices are going up.
This is a political thing, and let's not get me started on
that!
In fact, ammunition can be hard to even get now, and waiting on an
order can take weeks. Handloaders can also customize the
rounds
to their liking, to have more powder (more range and velocity) and
better accuracy. Errors in handloading can be dangerous, so
it is
recommended that you familiarize yourself with the practice before
attempting to reload and fire the homemade rounds.
In the 1980s, there was
a reported problem with
the barrel separating from the frame. Ruger
responded by
extending the frame more than two inches beyond the face of the
cylinder, and eventually, it was found that the original problem was
caused by a lubricant issue, which was corrected. Ruger was
prepared to discontinue production of the classic Redhawk, with the
introduction of the Super Redhawk, but decided to keep the classic in
production. It turned out to be a good move, because many
shooters prefer it to the newer Super Redhawk. The newer
model
better accommodates scopes and other accessories, but many prefer the
classic Redhawk, which is still in production.
The
Redhawk comes in two finishes, blued or stainless steel. It
is
now produced in .45 ACP and .44 Magnum calibers. In the
1980s,
Ruger produced models in .41 and .357 Magnum calibers, and discontinued
them in 1991. Other features include a ribbed and vented
barrel. Redhawks are offered in 5.5" and 7.5" barrel lengths,
although there is now a new Redhawk with a 4" barrel that is getting
rave reviews by shooters, citing smooth action and lighter
trigger-pull. It's still as strong and tough as ever.
Firearm Type: Single
Action / Double Action, Heavy Frame 6-Shot Revolver
Nation Of Manufacture: USA
Manufacture Dates : 1979-Present
Variations: Redhawk, Super Redhawk,
Redhawk S, Alaskan, GP 100, others
Ammunition: .44 Magnum, .45 ACP, .357
Magnum, .38
Special, .41 Magnum
Wars: N/A Made for Civiilian Use by
Handgun hunters and Sport Shooters
Recent Prices: US
$600-$1,100 (Depending on Features, Age, etc.)
We offer the Licensed Blank-Firing
Ruger Redhawk. This is licensed by Ruger, and except for a projectile, is in
every way like shooting the real thing. A real heavy duty shooter, Not for the timid!
Here's a large photo
of our Blank Firing Redhawk.
Call Us Toll Free: 1-800 258-5167
