Notes: The Bearcat is one of the oldest revolver designs that Ruger still produces, having been first introduced in 1953. The original version was produced between 1953-1972 and had no safety features. In 1993, the Bearcat was re-introduced and a transfer bar safety was added. (Ruger will actually add a transfer bar safety to the older models free of charge.) Both versions have the same dimensions and weight, but the oldest Bearcats (until 1963) had impregnated wooden grips. In 1963, these grips were changed to walnut. The Bearcats produced in 1993 and afterwards have palisander grips. Older Bearcats have an alloy trigger guard that has a brass coating; new Bearcats also have an alloy trigger guard, but it is blued. The frame of the Bearcat is usually of light alloy, but between 1971-1974, Ruger made the Super Bearcat, which has a steel frame. The Super Bearcat had a brass trigger guard until 1973, when it was replaced by a steel trigger guard. The New Super Bearcat, in production since 1993, features interchangeable cylinders for .22 Long Rifle and .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire.

Notes: Introduced in 1986, the Ruger Bisley is based on the well-known Colt Bisley, which is named after its use in the shooting matches in Bisley, England. It is similar in appearance to the Blackhawk, but the grip angle is different and the back of the grip is raised. It is also available in a plethora of calibers and several barrel lengths. .22 Long Rifle and .32 H&R Magnum Bisleys have 6.5" barrels; the others use a 7.5" barrel. All are available only in a blued steel version with walnut (or sometimes finer) grips. In 1997, Ruger stopped making the .32 H&R Magnum and .41 Magnum Bisleys. The Bisley is a common target for custom gun manufacturers and tinkerers.

Notes: This is basically a Ruger Vaquero made over to look like a Bisley-type revolver. This gives the Vaquero a hump-backed grip and a lowered, flattened hammer. The trigger pull is crisp, without being too light or too heavy. Magnum loads fired through the Bisley Vaquero tend to hit high, and .44 Special loads tend to hit low, when using the sights.

Notes: Introduced in 1955, this is basically an enlarged Single Six. It was initially produced in .357 Magnum caliber, but in 1956 the .44 Magnum cartridge became available and Ruger chambered the Blackhawk for it. Later calibers included .30 Carbine, .41 Magnum, and .45 Long Colt. Early .357 versions had barrel lengths of 4.5, 6.5, and 10 inches, and early .44 Magnum versions had barrel lengths of 6.5, 7.5, and 10 inches, but in 1972 barrels were standardized at 4.5, 6.5, and 7.5 inches. At that time, a replacement cylinder was also introduced that allowed a .357 Magnum Blackhawk to fire 9mm Parabellum ammunition. In 1973, a transfer bar safety was added to the Blackhawk, and a replacement cylinder was made available that allowed the .45 Long Colt version to fire .45 ACP ammunition.

The 50^th Anniversary Blackhawk is a new version that Ruger intends to bring out in 2005. It will be manufactured only in 2005, and is a version of the Blackhawk with special markings in gold, such as "50^th Year Blackhawk, 1955 to 2005." It also has special checkered rubber grips, a key lock to secure the weapon, a heavy barrel 4.625 inches long, and it is capable of shooting blackpowder as well as smokeless powder rounds.

The Blackhawk Bisley Hunter is a variant of the Blackhawk which uses a heavy Bisley-type frame and grips, an equally-heavy 7.5-inch barrel, and special sights, as well as a satin stainless steel finish. The cylinders are unfluted and can only accept .44 Magnum cartridges; .44 Special cartridges are not an option. Tolerances are very tight and cylinder action is timed perfectly. The trigger is tuned and breaks cleanly. The hammer, like most Bisley-type weapons, is low-profile and wide. The rear sight is a special Ruger adjustable one, and the front sight is a blade with a bright red insert which makes target acquisition quite easy and accuracy better. The barrel and top strap is drilled and tapped for scope rings. The heavy weight of the revolver neutralizes some of the kick, while the heavy barrel improves accuracy.

The Blackhawk Convertible come in two versions: one that fires 9mm Parabellum/.38 Special/.357 Magnum, and one that fires .45ACP/.45 Long Colt. For both of these revolvers, all one must do to change ammunition types is to change the cylinders (except that .357 Magnum and .38 Special use the same cylinder). No moon-type clips are necessary for the rimless rounds. Using 9mm Parabellum rounds in the Blackhawk Convertible does present a slight problem, however: the smaller diameter-bullets do not quite fit the barrel of the Blackhawk, being a tiny fraction of an inch smaller than .357 or .38 rounds. This means that the 9mm rounds do not quite "bite" into the rifling of the barrel, resulting in slightly degraded accuracy. Some have solved this problem by using slightly-larger bullets in 9mm Parabellum cases, but this is a very tricky handloading job that should be done only by experts.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The 50^th Anniversary Blackhawk does not exist, nor does the Blackhawk Bisley Hunter.

Notes: The GP-100 was introduced in 1988; Ruger, despite its outstanding success with its earlier service revolvers, felt that there was still room for improvement and updating.

The GP-100 is built stronger and more rigidly than normal revolvers, and with a heavy barrel. The construction is modular, allowing for future improvements, exchanging of barrels, aftermarket add-ons, and in addition making the GP-100 easy to maintain. The GP-100 is all-steel, with both blued and stainless steel finishes available. The standard GP-100 grips are rubber with wood side panels (of differing sizes to better fit an individual shooter), but many aftermarket grips are available for the GP-100. The cylinder is released by a button like the magazine catch on a pistol, though the ejector rod can be difficult to use and is not considered one of the GP-100’s strong points. Trigger pull is quite smooth if the hammer is already cocked, but the double-action trigger pull is considered by many a bit long. Sights are usually fixed, with a red dot on the front sight and a white-outlined rear sight notch. The front sight is dovetailed into the barrel; optional adjustable sights are available, but require the use of a very small screwdriver for the windage adjustment.

Notes: This is a military revolver that was once a standard with many police and military police departments around the US. It is a version of the Speed Six/Service Six/Security Six series of revolvers. It is a simple and easy to use weapon.

Notes: The Redhawk is a large, powerful handgun (essentially a larger version of the Security Six with several other improvements) with a well-deserved reputation for accuracy and ruggedness. Some models come within rings for mounting a telescopic sight; others have a sighting rib. Some are ported to reduce barrel climb. All have dovetailed sights, but the standard rear sight is adjustable while the front is a wide ramp with an orange insert. The grips are usually wood, and finishes are usually wood or stainless steel.

Due to be introduced to the market in 2005 is the Super Redhawk Alaskan. It is a "backpack gun" of surprising power, being chambered for the .454 Casull (and .45 Long Colt) or .480 Ruger cartridges (and, as of 2007, .44 Magnum), but the 2.5-inch barrel limits this power to drastically. It is very strongly built and has a bull barrel. The grips are of wood with rubber wrapped around it, but a Hogue soft rubber grip is an option. The Alaskan does not have dovetailed sights, but the fixed rear sight is white-outlined.

In 2007, due to popular demand, Ruger introduced a Super Redhawk .44 Magnum version with a 4-inch barrel. This version generally uses Hogue rubber grips, though walnut grip plates are an option. The front sight blade also has a red dot to aid in quick aiming, with the rear sight being micrometer-adjustable with the aiming notch being outlined in white. So far, the finish is offered only in satin stainless steel for the 4-inch barrel version.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Super Redhawk Alaskan does not exist, nor does the Super Redhawk with a 4-inch barrel.