I first wrote about Ruger’s
Hunter revolver over two years ago. At that time,
I was very favorably impressed with the sixgun, and
continue to be so. It was a very accurate and well-fitted
revolver. Since then, I have tested for Gunblast the
Bisley Hunter,
and found it to be the equal of the original Hunter, the
difference being in the grip frame, trigger shape, and
hammer. I refer you to those articles for further details
on these revolvers, as it would be redundant to cover the
same ground here again. Both of these Hunter models were
chambered for the .44 Magnum cartridge.
The two latest Hunter models are chambered
for the .45 Colt cartridge and the .22 rimfire cartridges.
The .45 Colt Hunter is identical to the original .44 Super
Blackhawk Hunter, except for the chambering. It has a
modified Super Blackhawk grip frame. The .22 Hunter is
based on the smaller Single Six frame, and has Ruger’s
XR3-RED ("RED" for redesigned) grip frame. The
.22 Single Six Hunter comes with two cylinders. One
cylinder accommodates the .22 Short, .22 Long, and .22
Long Rifle cartridges, including hyper velocity and
special ammo such as CB caps. The other cylinder is used
for the .22 Magnum cartridges. The cylinders easily
interchange without tools. Both revolvers have the Ruger
New Model lockwork with the transfer bar safety, which
allows the guns to be carried safely fully loaded with six
cartridges.
Both of these Hunter revolvers have seven
and one-half inch barrels with a heavy top rib. The rib
incorporates Ruger’s excellent scope mount system, and
the rings are included with the sixguns. Even without a
scope mounted, I really love the balance and handling
qualities of these guns. The heavy rib gives the gun a
muzzle-heavy balance that really helps in accurately
shooting the weapons from field positions. Also, this is
the only .22 Single Six that has a seven and one-half inch
barrel, and it just looks and feels right on this gun. The
Single Six Hunter weighs 44.2 ounces and the .45 Colt
weighs 50.8 ounces, each without scope rings.
The Hunters also have interchangeable
front sights. The Single Six Hunter came supplied with a
fully adjustable V-notch rear and gold colored bead front
sight. I find that I can shoot targets more accurately
with a Patridge front sight, but for hunting, the bead and
notch sights work very well, and I have come to really
like these sights on the Single Six. The .45 Colt Hunter
has a standard rear square notch adjustable sight with a
red ramp front.
Both revolvers have grip panels of a dark
gray laminated wood, which contrast nicely with the satin
stainless finish. The entire Hunter line seems to have
better fit and finish than other Ruger single action
revolvers. They look great.
The trigger pulls on these revolvers
measured just over five pounds, but a quick Poor
Boy’s Trigger Job reduced the pull weights to
just over three pounds, which aided greatly in accurate
shooting.
For accuracy tests, I mounted scopes on
each revolver. Both proved to be very accurate, placing
five shots well under one inch at twenty-five yards, using
several brands of ammunition, along with hand loads in the
.45 Colt.
For power, I prefer the .45 Colt (in a
strong handgun) to the .44 Magnum. In a Ruger, the .45
Colt makes more power than a .44 Magnum, at lower
pressure, with the added benefit of using a bullet of
larger diameter. For those who do not handload, ammunition
is available from Buffalo Bore, Grizzly Cartridge,
Cor-Bon, and others that offer this level of power for
the .45 Colt. These loads should never be used in weaker
revolvers, but work extremely well in the Ruger.
The .22 Single Six Hunter can use any .22
rimfire ammunition. Switching to the .22 Magnum cylinder
offers much greater power for the little sixgun, making it
capable of taking large vermin and predators with the
rimfire handgun. For small game hunting and plinking, the
.22 Long Rifle cylinder offers ample power, accuracy, and
low-cost ammunition. This is a very versatile and capable
sixgun.
Both sixguns come with the scope rings, a
cable lock, and instruction manual in a lockable hard
plastic case.
The .45 Colt Super Blackhawk Hunter is a Lipsey’s
exclusive sixgun. It is made up for this one
distributor only, so have your dealer contact Lipsey’s
to order one. They can be found online at: www.lipseys.com,
or by phone on their dealer line at: 1-800-666-1333.
Lipsey’s also carries the .22 Single Six Hunter, but it
is a standard catalog item.
Check out the full line of Ruger products
here.
For high performance .45 Colt ammunition,
check out www.buffalobore.com,
www.grizzlycartridge.com,
and www.cor-bon.com.