Ruger just announced a new chambering for it’s popular Super Redhawk revolver. This one’s chambered in .22 Hornet. Some might consider that a little esoteric, but I think it’ll find a good following from loyalists of the cartridge.

The .22 Hornet round has been around for almost a century and is a mid range round good out to about 150 yards. It’s great for varmints and critters like prairie dogs, woodchucks, foxes, skunks, possums, and even coyotes. Unlike the .22LR and .22 Magnum it’s a centerfire round, and considerably more powerful than those other .22 rounds, although it’s still a good ways behind the .223 Remington in power.

Bullet weights commonly run from 30gr to 45gr and they’re available in a variety of jacketed hollow and soft point loads. Muzzle velocity with a 30gr bullet can run around 3100fps, which is 900fps more than a .22 Magnum with the same bullet weight. Muzzle energy tends to be be in the 700 to 800 foot pound range compared to the low 300’s for the .22 Magnum so the difference is significant.

While those numbers are out of 24-inch test barrels and will drop substantially in the Super Redhawk’s 9.5-inch barrel, proportionally it will still remain well ahead of the .22 Magnum, let alone the .22LR.

While capacity on a varmint gun probably isn’t generally a big deal, the new Super Redhawk holds an impressive eight rounds. Good if you need to take out a whole prairie dig town, or are about to be overrun by a heard of skunks. Recoil should be negligible, particularly with the revolver’s Hogue Tamer grip and the whopping 66 ounces the pistol weighs.

The new Super Redhawk comes with a Hi Viz fiber optic front sight and adjustable rear sight, and can readily accept a scope or other optic as well. Construction is of stainless steel, which is nice for a gun designed for the outdoors.

While a .22 Hornet revolver may not be for everyone, it’s a handy gun that should find favor with handgun hunters and fans of the .22 Hornet alike. It may not be the most common round you see anymore, but it still fills a niche between the rimfire .22’s and the bigger centerfire rounds as a pleasant, capable mid-range varmint and pest buster.

I like seeing companies like Ruger take a chance and bringing out unique, but functional designs that aren’t just a rehash of what everyone else in the industry is doing. The only missed opportunity I saw with this release was Ruger not naming it the Super Hornet, like the Boeing F/A-18E and F fighter planes.

Check out the Ruger release and specs for more on the .22 Hornet Super Redhawk . . .

Ruger is excited to announce that the Super Redhawk line of revolvers is now available in .22 Hornet. The Super Redhawk in .22 Hornet is ideal for long-range handgun varmint hunters. This new model features a Hogue Tamer Monogrip; a 9.5ā€ cold hammer-forged barrel with a replaceable HiViz green insert front sight; and an adjustable rear sight. The Super Redhawk has long been known for its ability to meet the needs of handgun hunters and this offering in .22 Hornet is no exception.

Specifications:

Overall Length: 15″
Barrel Length: 9.50″
Capacity: 8
Grip: Hogue Tamer Monogrip
Finish: Satin Stainless
Front Sight: HiViz Green
Rear Sight: Adjustable
Weight: 66 oz.
Twist: 1:9″ RH
Grooves: 5
MSRP: $1499.00

Ruger .22 Hornet Super Redhawk AKA The Super Hornet

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92 COMMENTS

  1. A revolver in 22 Hornet? Really? Criminetly. Ok, the only reasonable way to balance the world out after this is for Ruger to chamber that new Marlin lever rifle in 357 Max. Criminetly.

      • I’m a seriously old f@kc, and I’ve never even *seen* 22 hornet. Where would a normal human buy such shcheit?

        • I have seen 22 hornet ammunition in the local stores here. It’s normally in very small amounts. Every few years it shows up on the shelf.

          You will probably have to become a reloader. In order to have a constant source of ammunition.

        • I have .22 hornet in my ammo collection. Interesting cartridge as a conversation piece, but otherwise boutique IMHO.

        • “You will probably have to become a reloader. In order to have a constant source of ammunition.”

          I bet that tall, skinny necked case is a pain to reload.

        • It was pretty popular with varmint hunters mid last century. (man, that makes it, and me, sound old) Handloaders found that the brass needed to be trimmed regularly, and even sometimes neck turned, because the tapered design of the cartridge tends toward allowing brass flow as they are fired. The K-Hornet was an improvement, with a sharper shoulder and slighly larger case capacity, and it tended to have a bit more consistent accuracy because it could headspace off the shoulder as well as the rim. If I were to get into shooting this one, I’d ream the chamber to K-Hornet and not look back.

      • Would also like to see a production 480 Ruger lever action…….but yeah ammo/components would need to exist first outside of a few resellers and overlooked local sporting goods stores.

      • Didn’t even begin to consider it then I read up and realized it is essentially a larger 44 magnum that I would either have to find higher velocity bullets or a different set of casting molds………not saying no especially seeing brass actually exists in meaningful quantities. But probably more a later why not purchase when money and gun safe space are abundant. All the same great suggestion thank you I enjoyed learning about it.

        • Oh I know but higher velocity can be a bit rough on various hollow points and cast lead depending on mix and potentially diameter if it exceeds what they can realistically withstand. Hitek coatings could be fun though.

        • I have a 444 with a MicroGroove barrel that shoots heavy (300 grain and above) loads very fast and very accurately. The “secret” is to load only gas-checked hard cast bullets sized to the gun; in my case .432″ works the best. Ironically, jacketed 240 grain bullets for a 44Mag don’t shoot nearly as well at the same velocities, more than tripling the group size… go figure. Haven’t tried the Hornady LeverRevolution(?) loads in it as the cases are shorter and would be worthless for me to reload.

  3. It would be much more relevant to potential buyers to know the velocity and energy possible from this short, gapped barrel, which will be nowhere near the rifle figures quoted in this article.

      • I highly doubt that, but hope you are right. Those numbers would be pretty sweet. That’s not too far off from a 10.5″ AR in 5.56. I just don’t see it with the cylinder gap and .22 Hornet.

        • To compare, the load I worked up for my 10ā€ Contender in 223 starts a 50 grain Speer TNT at an average of 2801fps, according to my notes. An additional .5 grain of H322 added ~70fps, but also gave me engraved case heads and sticky extraction, so I backed it down. Yeah, it wastes a bit of powder so I get a 5 gallon bucket sized fireball, but it shoots 3/4 moa and kills groundhogs with some authority. The Hornet will do what JWT says, but with less than half the powder charge of my 223 recipe and therefore is more efficient.

        • JWTaylor,
          You certainly know far more about this stuff than I do, so I will take your word on it. šŸ‘

  4. They need to spend more time concentrating on upping their production of the .327 caliber snubby revolvers.

    • Ultimately we are probably waiting for the purchase panic to die down so there may even begin to be demand for nonstandard rounds that is worth noticing….. but it has been a great reason to get into reloading especially with our ammo purchase database

  5. For $1500 I’d expect a second cylinder for .22lr or magnum. You’d need a 2-position firing pin. .22 Hornet can’t be cheap to shoot. Add: just checked .22 Hornet is >$1/rnd.

    • Most people who still use 22 hornet have a reloading setup. I didnā€™t even know it was still sold commercially.

    • Hey SuFML, it’ll really blow your mind when you read about the Inuits using 22Hornets on Seals,
      Brown Bears, and the occasional Polar Bear… I don’t think I’d want to get close enough to one for it to be effective

      • In the way that large bears have been killed by 22lr I would have no problem believing it possible or having happened. I have a lot of trouble believing it could ever be a good idea but with enough experience who knows what determination can produce.

  6. I’m surprised it’s not 350Legend or 45-70. But the real shocker is that it doesn’t come with a red dot. I mean really…people can’t shoot it if that isn’t there.

  7. Kind of a niche round. LKB keeps saying he wants a new Marlin in .41 mag. Another niche round. We’ll see if it goes anywhere.

    • Niche round? .41 mag?

      Undeservedly so. Those who hunt south of Atlanta and east of the Mississippi can do no better.

      The Hornet is a nostalgia trip. Nothing wrong with that, just saying.

      • No insults intended for either round or their fans. But both round are rare on the shelves these days.

        I had a buddy that had the S&W, I think model 58, a fixed sighted duty revolver in .41 mag. It was a good gun and round. They had a ‘special’ level load with a semi wadcutter bullet that was a good general purpose round.

        But I had a .357 and a .44 at the time. Didn’t see the need to buy one just for kicks.

        • Fair enough, but it’s hard to insult the Hornet. The Hornet case looks like a hold over from black powder times, design-wise, and also looks to be a PITA.

          Looking up “Harwood Hornet” confirms that. There’s better ways, these days…

          The 41 Mag is just under-appreciated, especially down South.

  8. The problem is every gun we need is already in the market. So manufacturers focus their R&D efforts on stuff nearly no one needs/wants. To be clear, I’m sure it will be a fabulous gun, if that’s what you’re into. Still, total unit sales will likely hover around “not many”.

    • “The problem is every gun we need is already in the market.”

      You never know…

      Back at the founding (1700s), they were discussing a patent office, to protect new inventions.

      Someone went on record saying something like “Everything that can be invented, has already been invented.”

      It’s fair to say, he was *wrong*… šŸ˜‰

      • That was from the U.S. Patent Office in the 1800s. It was almost shut down at one point due to a (temporary) severe drop in patent applications. One of the head agents was purportedly to have claimed that everything that man could invent, had by that time already been invented.

        • *…was purported…*

          Diction. It’s what’s for breakfast.

          But only after you’ve had your coffee (stumbles off to kitchen to brew today’s pot)…

  10. this was unexpected. I think I would want the fluted barrel and cylinder edition.

    If you went deep enough I would think a full lb off would be doable.

    As of now this is heavier than my 450 bushmaster straight pull AR pistol.

  11. “Itā€™s great for varmints and critters like prairie dogs, woodchucks, foxes, skunks, possums, and even coyotes.”

    Great for Possums? šŸ˜‰

    “Recoil should be negligible, particularly with the revolverā€™s Hogue Tamer grip and the whopping 66 ounces the pistol weighs.”

    While recoil will be light, I bet the fireball and *BOOM* will be impressive…

  12. I wish Ruger or somebody would come out with a modern pistol chambered in 7.62×25. Ruger should be able to do it in the 5.7 without any problem, but that’s just my $0.02.

    • 7.62X25 is one of my favorites also. A good hollow point in a modern handgunm would really make it shine.
      And it would be wicked in an SBR. Like duh, right šŸ™‚

      • Way too hot for the 5.7 system, and too long to cram into a 1911 magazine. And with the way everyone gripes about ā€œgrip circumferenceā€ Iā€™m really not going to get my dream of a double stack to go with my SA 25 braced pistol unless I make one.
        Maybe someone will remake a CZ 52 that doesnā€™t eat rollers and has a bigger mag.

        • the firing pin and rollers are lousy metal and cast to boot. harder forged ones are available at low cost.
          i’ve got 100rds of the norinco, saving for zombie hordes.
          this world needs a new ppsh41.

    • What would be the point? What does 7.62 Tokarev give you that 9mm does not? I don’t understand why anyone who doesn’t have a favorite old eastern bloc pistol they want to feed would want it.

  13. My Dad liked the .22Hornet.
    It was a Turkey/Deer killing favorite.
    I believe the last box of .22Hornets I looked at was $100.
    Shuting is becoming a rich man’s hobby.
    Pity, as there is a lot social earthquakes behind a rich man’s only hobby.

    • Primers and powder are almost non-existent, or just really expensive if available.

      For my next competition year I will be using my stockpile of milsurp ammo and .22LR for 100m matches. I have plenty (as in several crates) of 8×57. I’ll keep the .223 reloads for my son to use.

      • My nephew bought 30acres to build a shuting range, I ask him about High Powers. He said we dont shute much of that because of price. Mostly just a day out with the .22’s.
        Years ago a prepper on the net saying .22’s and a flintlock. He was ridiculed on the flintlock. Now I can see his philosophy.
        Rock, powder, scissors.

  15. I’m about as interested in owning one of these as I am a toothache. However, it should come with factory mounts and rings. Those weren’t mentioned in the specs.

    • Every Super Redhawk comes with rings that mount on the top strap in those two cutouts. So you’re covered there! Well, I’m assuming they wouldn’t leave those out on this package, considering you get them with the .44, .454, and .480 Ruger varieties in all barrel lengths.

  16. The .256Hawkeye was a big seller.
    Ruger had to quit production because they couldn’t keep up with the demand.

  18. I bet they sell only a handful. The .22 Hornet is a neat caliber especially the K Hornet but today itā€™s a dead round. I only sold a handful of CZ527 rifles in that caliber 20 years ago. The rare pre64 Model 70 is way too big and heavy for that caliber. Kind of like having a M107 Barrett in .308 win. Remington and Winchester havenā€™t made ammo in many years and last price I saw was $80 for a 50rd box. Hornady was usually available pre Covid for a reasonable price for their 25rd box. I really like the .17 Hornet but this gun reminds me of the S&W .22 Jet failure. The 5.7×28 is the only .22 centerfire pistol round that makes any sense.

  19. I wouldn’t call it unique. Taurus used to make the Raging Hornet as a variant of their .454 Raging Bull, also with an 8 round capacity. For once, somebody is copying Taurus instead of the other way around

    • As a dealer I never ever sold a single Raging Hornet or even was asked for one. Iā€™m sure CDNN will have those Ruger revolvers on closeout in 2 years.

  20. Fun gun! I have a long-barreled Taurus Raging Bee in .218 Bee, a similar but slightly hotter and more modern round than the Hornet. Scoped, itā€™s a fine revolver for longer range plinking and target shooting. Not bad on gophers, either. Also have one of the Springfield survival combos, an over/under .22 Hornet and .410. Hand loading recommended for both of the .22 cal cartridges.

    • Yupā€¦the 218 Bee is more modern than the 22 Hornet.

      It was introduced in 1937 vs 1930.

      The really ultramodern round is the 221 Fireball Remington brought out in 1963.

      Maybe Ruger could put the 221 Fireball in small-framed Flat top.

      Sorry. ā€” couldnā€™t resist. You tossed up a beach ball ā€¦ā€¦..

  21. Ready-made collector piece.

    The one that donā€™t sell well always bring the highest collector prices in 20 years (maybe 10 years with Ruger).

    This gun may as much as 77/22 hornet Ruger rifle.

    If Ruger would put irons back the 77/22, Iā€™d probably buy one.

    • I have a 77/22H in stainless with laminate stock, and it was frustrating to make it shoot. Finally sent it off to a specialty smithy (C.P.C.) , where all it required was : barrell set back and re-chambered in 22K Hornet, muzzle recrowned, bolt reworked to remove play (it’s a 2 piece assembly), and a larger trigger pin installed. Around $250, IIRC, around 12 years ago…. if they’re still around, I wonder what it would cost to rechamber 8 cylinder holes to K Hornet ?

      • With shipping/insurance two ways across country, I paid close to $150 to have a 10mm GP100 Match bored to10mm Magnum and re-marked for new caliber. I believe they quit doing that conversion shortly after mine, and it took for-ev-er. K Hornet removes a lot more metal, plus two more holes. It’s probably cheaper to buy a reamer and do your own, as I wish I’d have done.

    • That just goes with their plan to eliminate the existing currency, so they can keep track of EVERYTHING you do and buy.

  25. The sad news is that Ruger cannot even supply their distributors with their in-production models so why introduce another model no one can buy because its not on the shelves at any gun store. Try and buy any Ruger model and you will pay scalpel’s prices assuming you can even find one for sale.

    • ……..you stuck in 2021 there bud? Even here in NY you can find most Ruger options (outside of dangerous game rifles obviously) around MSRP if you go to more than one store.

    • Thanks to folks like you dacian guns are selling as fast as they can be made.

      Must give you a warm fuzzy feeling to know you are responsible for flooding the US with firearms.

      • I’d guess that if lil ‘d made a buck a gun on what he’s scared people into buying that he’d be at least a millionaire.

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