Return of the Ruger Hunter Model

Guns Magazine, Nov, 2002 by John Taffin

Ruger now had the Super Blackhawk available in both blue and stainless, and with a choice of a 7.5 or 10 inch barrel, as well as the blued 7,5 inch Bisley Model all chambered in .44 Magnum. What was left to offer .44 Magnum single action sixgunners?

Enter The Ruger Hunter

The answer was a single action designed specifically for handgun hunters. In 1992, Ruger first offered the Super Blackhawk Hunter Model. This version was fitted with a heavy bull barrel with an integral rib cut to accept Ruger scope rings, thus allowing this .44 Magnum to be very easily fitted with an LER scope.

The finish was stainless steel only, ideal for a hunter's gun that might be carried in wet weather. The ejector rod and housing were also made longer than normal to assure easy removal of fired cases. The Super Blackhawk grip frame was maintained, although the square back trigger guard was rounded off for greater comfort when firing heavy loads.

This new Ruger .44 Magnum was all the handgun hunter could ask for. Ruger's simple and rugged scope mounting system gave the gun great flexibility. If desired, or if bad weather conditions made it necessary to do so, the scope could be easily removed with no other tool than a fifty-cent piece. The scope could be replaced and would return to zero.

It was my good fortune to acquire one of the early Hunter Models and I've used it successfully in a number of hunting adventures. Stoked with 300 grain bullets at 1,200 fps or even faster, it is more than adequate for taking most big game cleanly.

An Unexpected Development

Now that Ruger had the near-perfect hunting handgun, they did a most unexpected thing. They removed it from production! No explanation was ever offered as to why this was done, and in the meantime, scalpers were able to get anywhere from 50 to 100 percent over the original cost as the demand for these guns far outweighed their supply. Ruger has not made many mistakes in its half-century of existence, however this was a major one. Finally, they have corrected this error and the Super Blackhawk Hunter Model is once again available.

A Smart Addition To A Great Sixgun

As far as I can tell, this newest production of the RSB Hunter is identical to the original versions. I did note a greater degree of cylinder float in my sample of the current version. This was easily corrected with a call to Belt Mountain and a request for their No. 5 stainless steel base pin to fit the Ruger Super Blackhawk.

This base pin has a head reminiscent of that found on Keith's No. 5 SA, and is made slightly larger in diameter than the Ruger base pin. It was an easy fix to remove the old base pin and replace it with the tighter fitting Belt Mountain base pin. This is a custom feature, a do-it-yourself project that is recommended for any single action that shows excess play in the cylinder or are handicapped with a base pin that will not stay in place under recoil. Belt Mountain base pins also feature a locking Allen screw to fix them firmly in place. It's a darn good product.