The legend of big red: Ruger's Super Redhawk is awesomely powerful and exceptionally strong. Here is the story of how the biggest production revolver came into existence

American Handgunner, May, 2002 by John Taffin

Shooting The Big Gun

There is no such thing as a "comfortable shooting" .44 Magnum or .454 Casull. However, an advertised weight of 58 oz. for the .44 Magnum and the .454 with 9 1/2" barrels, plus the added weight of the scope and rings as well as a set of soft rubber grips, places the Super Redhawk at the top of the list of the easiest shooting of the big-bore sixguns.

This attribute carries over to the new .480 Ruger. Most shooters find all three chamberings to be in the "easiest-to-shoot" category, at least until recoil fatigue sets in during a long shooting session.

I equipped three Super Redhawks in .44 Magnum, .454 Casull and .480 Ruger with Leupold's excellent 2x LER pistol scope for testing. This rugged scope is one of the best to be found for handgun hunting with a revolver and offers all the magnification needed to suit the sensible range of a hunting sixgun. With the Leupold 2x in place, my groups with the .480 Ruger and factory ammunition averaged 1.5" at 25 yards and 2.5" at 50 yards.

Although I have placed the Super Redhawk magnums at the top of the list of "easiest shooting" sixguns, it does not mean that these big bores should be approached nonchalantly. They do kick. When I first tested the .44 Magnum Super Redhawk in 1987, I was almost invincible. Well, at least at the peak of my ability to both handle recoil and wring the best performance from a big-bore sixgun. It was no problem to pound heavy loads down range hour after hour.

By the time I got to the .454 Super Redhawk in 1999, the intervening years and thousands upon thousands of heavy loads had taken their toll. Now, two years later as I test the .480 Ruger, I realize what the ravages of recoil have wrought on my wrists. What could be done before in matter of a few days now requires several weeks with a lot of recouping time in between.

This was really driven home after three weeks of load development for the .480 Ruger. I spent a day recuperating with two new small bores, a .32 Magnum and a .32-20. I could literally drive tacks with the .32s. Are they more accurate than the .480? I think not. But I am not able to block out recoil as I was once able to do. Younger, stronger hands and wrists could probably cut the group sizes in half.

The Old Man's Super Redhawk is the ultimate big-bore revolver. It's the strongest and the easiest-to-shoot magnum available to handgunners. The Super Redhawk is just one example of the design genius of William B. Ruger Sr.