The main pros of the Ruger Super Redhawk 22 Hornet are its exceptional accuracy, massive eight-round cylinder capacity, and virtually nonexistent recoil, while the main cons are its incredibly heavy 66-ounce weight, heavy double-action trigger, and high retail price. Introduced as a highly specialized niche hunting revolver, this massive stainless-steel hand cannon pairs a legendary big-bore frame with a classic, high-velocity small-game cartridge. While it is far too large and unwieldy for any kind of concealed carry or casual belt holster use, it consistently delivers rifle-like precision when shot off a rest or bipod. Because it features integral scope mounts, a cold hammer-forged 9.5-inch bull barrel, and a recoil-absorbing Hogue Tamer grip, it serves as an outstanding and highly unique tool for handgun varmint hunters and dedicated .22 Hornet enthusiasts.
Ruger Super Redhawk 22 Hornet Pros And Cons
| Feature | Pros | Cons |
| Accuracy | Consistently capable of 1.5 to 2-inch groups at 50 yards with quality factory ammunition. | The extreme weight makes off-hand precision shooting very fatiguing. |
| Build construction | Features a virtually indestructible, solid stainless steel frame originally designed for big-bore magnums. | Weighs an astonishing 66 ounces (over 4 pounds) before adding a magnified scope. |
| Action and lockup | The triple-locking cylinder ensures perfect timing and immense structural strength. | Ejection of the long, tapered .22 Hornet brass can occasionally become sticky after heavy firing. |
| Trigger pull | The single-action break is remarkably crisp and clean, excellent for precision varmint shooting. | The double-action pull is notoriously heavy, frequently maxing out standard 12-pound pull gauges. |
| Sights and optics | Features integral scope mounts machined directly into the frame and includes 1-inch Ruger rings. | Finding high-quality, long-eye-relief handgun scopes is becoming increasingly difficult on the modern market. |
| Capacity | Holds a generous 8 rounds of high-velocity ammunition in its massive, unfluted cylinder. | Loading and unloading 8 long rifle cartridges by hand takes considerably more time than a standard six-shooter. |
| Ammunition performance | The .22 Hornet is a fantastic, flat-shooting cartridge that is incredibly cheap and easy to reload. | Factory .22 Hornet ammunition is expensive and can be difficult to find on local store shelves. |
| Varmint hunting performance | An absolute terror on coyotes, groundhogs, and prairie dogs at extended handgun distances. | The blast and noise from the revolver cylinder gap are quite loud for a .22 caliber firearm. |
| Muzzle velocity | The 9.5-inch barrel pushes 35-grain to 45-grain bullets to blazing speeds, often exceeding 2,000 fps. | Still significantly slower than firing the same cartridge out of a 24-inch bolt-action rifle. |
| Trajectory | Flat enough for a simple point-and-shoot zero inside 100 yards. | The lightweight bullets drift aggressively in crosswinds at distances beyond 100 yards. |
| Effective hunting range | Highly lethal on small predators and pests out to 100 or 150 yards in capable hands. | Drops below the kinetic energy threshold needed for ethical coyote kills at extreme ranges. |
| Ergonomics | The factory Hogue Tamer Monogrip perfectly cushions the hand and provides excellent control. | The 15-inch overall length makes the revolver front-heavy and difficult to maneuver in tight spaces. |
| Recoil management | The massive weight and soft grip make the recoil of the .22 Hornet practically nonexistent. | None. This is one of the softest-shooting centerfire revolvers on the market. |
| Price/value | Offers premium features like a hammer-forged barrel and fiber-optic sights straight from the factory. | Carries a premium MSRP of around $1,500, making it an expensive niche investment. |
| Safety features | Incorporates Ruger’s patented transfer bar mechanism, making it 100% drop-safe when fully loaded. | Lacks modern manual safeties, relying entirely on the heavy double-action trigger pull. |
Accuracy And Barrel
The Ruger Super Redhawk 22 Hornet is engineered to deliver rifle-like precision in a handgun package. It utilizes a massive 9.5-inch cold hammer-forged bull barrel. Notably, Ruger chose a 1:9-inch right-hand twist rate rather than the traditional 1:16-inch twist for this caliber. This faster twist perfectly stabilizes modern, heavier .224-caliber bullets alongside traditional lightweight 35-grain varmint loads. When shot from a sandbag rest, experienced handgun hunters can easily print 1.5-inch to 2-inch groups at 50 yards, making it devastatingly accurate for picking off small pests.
Build Construction And Durability
To say this revolver is overbuilt for the .22 Hornet cartridge would be a massive understatement. The Super Redhawk frame was originally designed to safely contain the bone-crushing pressures of the .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, and .480 Ruger. By chambering this massive, 100-percent stainless-steel frame in a small varmint cartridge, Ruger created a gun that will quite literally outlast its owner’s lifetime. Tipping the scales at a staggering 66 ounces (4.125 pounds) unscoped, it is a behemoth of a handgun that requires a dedicated chest rig or sling to carry comfortably in the field.
Action, Cylinder, And Capacity
One of the most visually striking features of this revolver is its massive, unfluted stainless-steel cylinder. Because the .22 Hornet is a small cartridge, Ruger was able to safely bore eight chambers into the 1.75-inch diameter cylinder, giving the shooter an impressive 8-round capacity.The action utilizes Ruger’s famous triple-locking cylinder mechanism, locking into the frame at the front, rear, and bottom. This ensures the cylinder remains perfectly aligned with the forcing cone shot after shot, contributing heavily to the gun’s outstanding accuracy.
Sights And Optics Mounting
Because the .22 Hornet is capable of harvesting game well past 100 yards, optical sights are almost mandatory to extract the gun’s full potential. The extended frame of the Super Redhawk features Ruger’s proprietary integral scope ring cuts machined directly into the top strap. Ruger generously includes a pair of 1-inch stainless steel scope rings in the box. For those who prefer iron sights, it comes equipped with a fully adjustable rear sight outlined in white and a high-visibility green HiViz fiber-optic front sight.
Trigger System
The Super Redhawk utilizes a coil mainspring rather than a traditional leaf spring.In double-action mode, the trigger pull is notoriously heavy—often pegging standard 12-pound pull gauges off the scale—though it remains relatively smooth without noticeable stacking. However, very few hunters will ever fire this revolver in double-action. When the hammer is manually cocked for a single-action shot, the trigger transforms, breaking cleanly and crisply at around 4 pounds with virtually no creep, which is perfect for precise, long-range varmint hunting.
Ammunition And Reloading
The .22 Hornet is a classic, bottlenecked centerfire rifle cartridge dating back to the 1920s. While it is incredibly effective and quiet, factory ammunition has become expensive and frequently suffers from out-of-stock issues on store shelves. However, this revolver is an absolute dream for handloaders. Because it uses tiny charges of powder and standard .224 diameter bullets, it is incredibly cheap to reload. Handloaders can carefully tune their ammunition to maximize the velocity out of the 9.5-inch barrel, easily pushing 35-grain bullets past 2,000 feet per second.
Varmint Hunting Performance
For the dedicated handgun hunter, the Super Redhawk in .22 Hornet is a phenomenal tool. The cartridge delivers devastating terminal performance on prairie dogs, foxes, bobcats, and coyotes. It provides significantly more kinetic energy and range than a .22 Magnum or .17 HMR rimfire, but it does so without the massive pelt-destroying exit wounds of larger centerfire rifle cartridges. The 15-inch overall length makes it slightly unwieldy for fast, running shots, but it is peerless when fired from a steady rest over an open farm field.
Recoil Management
Physics dictates that firing a mild cartridge out of a heavy gun results in virtually zero recoil, and the Super Redhawk is the perfect example of this. The sheer 66-ounce weight of the stainless steel frame absorbs almost all of the rearward energy generated by the .22 Hornet. Furthermore, Ruger equips the gun with their excellent Hogue Tamer Monogrip, which features a soft rubber design with finger grooves.Shooting this revolver is an incredibly pleasant, flinch-free experience that will not fatigue the shooter, even after hundreds of rounds at the range.
Price And Value
With a retail MSRP hovering around $1,500, the Ruger Super Redhawk in .22 Hornet is undeniably an expensive, premium firearm. It is not a cheap plinker or a general-purpose utility gun. You are paying for massive stainless-steel construction, integral scope mounts, an 8-round unfluted cylinder, and hammer-forged precision. For the specific niche of handgun varmint hunters and .22 Hornet enthusiasts, the value is strong because there is virtually no other double-action revolver on the market that offers this exact capability.
Main Drawbacks
The absolute biggest drawbacks to this revolver are its extreme weight and its niche application.At over 4 pounds unloaded, it is heavier than some ultralight hunting rifles, making it entirely impractical for casual belt carry.Additionally, the bottlenecked .22 Hornet cases can sometimes swell under pressure and become “sticky” in the cylinder chambers, requiring a firm slap on the ejector rod to clear all 8 empty brass casings at once.Finally, the heavy double-action trigger makes shooting the gun accurately without cocking the hammer a serious chore.
Final Verdict
Is the Ruger Super Redhawk 22 Hornet good?
Yes, it is a meticulously crafted, exceptionally accurate, and uniquely fun revolver that dominates its specific varmint hunting niche.
This revolver is best suited for handgun varmint hunters, prairie dog shooters, handloaders who love the .22 Hornet cartridge, and collectors who appreciate overbuilt, high-quality stainless steel wheel guns.
However, casual shooters looking for a cheap weekend plinking gun, hikers needing a lightweight trail revolver, or everyday concealed carriers would be much better served by a standard .22 Long Rifle revolver or a lightweight .357 Magnum.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does the Ruger Super Redhawk 22 Hornet come with scope rings?
Yes. The revolver features integral scope mounting cuts machined directly into the frame and includes a set of 1-inch stainless steel Ruger scope rings in the box.
2. What is the magazine/cylinder capacity?
The massive, unfluted stainless steel cylinder holds exactly 8 rounds of .22 Hornet ammunition.
3. What is the barrel twist rate?
The 9.5-inch cold hammer-forged bull barrel features a 1:9-inch right-hand twist rate, which is faster than the traditional 1:16 twist, allowing it to stabilize modern, heavier bullets.
4. How much does the revolver weigh?
Unloaded and without a scope, the revolver weighs a massive 66 ounces (4.125 pounds). Once a magnified handgun scope is attached, it can easily exceed 5 pounds.
5. Is the .22 Hornet a rimfire or centerfire cartridge?
The .22 Hornet is a centerfire rifle cartridge. Despite firing a similar diameter bullet, it is significantly more powerful, louder, and faster than a .22 Magnum or .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge.
6. Can I shoot .22 Long Rifle out of this revolver?
No. This revolver is strictly chambered for the .22 Hornet centerfire cartridge. Attempting to chamber or fire a .22 LR rimfire cartridge will not work and is potentially dangerous.
7. Does the gun have a heavy recoil?
No. Because the heavy 66-ounce stainless steel frame was originally designed to absorb the brutal recoil of magnums like the .44 Mag and .454 Casull, firing the small .22 Hornet cartridge produces virtually no felt recoil.
8. What kind of sights does it come with?
It comes equipped from the factory with a fully adjustable square-notch rear sight featuring a white outline, and a high-visibility green HiViz fiber-optic front sight.
9. Is the trigger adjustable?
No, the factory trigger on the Super Redhawk is not user-adjustable. However, many aftermarket gunsmiths can polish the internal components or swap the coil springs to lighten the pull.
10. Why does the empty brass sometimes stick in the cylinder?
The .22 Hornet is a bottlenecked cartridge with a slight taper. Under firing pressures, the brass expands and grips the chamber walls. When trying to eject 8 of these expanded cases simultaneously, you may occasionally need to slap the ejector rod firmly to free them.