Ok, here’s what I’ve found out thru my records, the internet, and help from many here. The Ruger Redhawk, for what it’s worth, is my favorite handgun. Others are maybe more practical, weigh less, and are much more refined, all in the opinion of many here and on other forums, but it is my personal favorite and the action can be tuned and polished to my satisfaction. The best I can count I own or have owned, shot, and worked on 16 different Redhawks in my life. Manufacture started in 1979...........
1). The first ones were, according to Ruger, shipped to distributors in early 1980. These first models were stainless steel
only and all had 7.5” barrels.
2). In 1983, the 5.5” was added to accompany the 7.5” models. Also in 1983, both barrel lengths were made available in
both stainless and blued models. Also in 1983, a few thousand were made with the hammer pivot pin flat moved from its
original location on the right side of the frame to the left side.(reason unknown). It was moved back to the right side in late 1983, where it
remains today.
3). In 2008, a four inch version was added to the Redhawk line-up, later changed to 4.2” in order to comply with
Canadian import laws.
4). At no time have nickeled or high-polished Redhawks been manufactured.
This is all I’ve got. If anyone has any more information, I would appreciate knowing what you have.
