Please school me on the ruger blackhawk.

[Sbarton]

Hi friends,
I've been thinking about buying a ruger blackhawk in .44 mag this year. I turned 44 this year, and I thought it'd be appropriate to celibrate with a .44 mag revolver!
I have a couple italian made .357 ssa reproductions that I shoot quite well, so I think a blackhawk would suit me nicely. And it'd make a nice companion to my browning 92 .44 mag!

While I do own a couple already, I'm not really up on what to look for when buying a revolver.
What do I need to look out for so I don't end up with a lemon? What are the particular problems and weaknesses one finds with a blackhawk?
Should I look for an older one, or is the new style better? Is there any thing else you all think I should know?

Thanks a bunch!

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[Ura-Ki]

Hi friends,
I've been thinking about buying a ruger blackhawk in .44 mag this year. I turned 44 this year, and I thought it'd be appropriate to celibrate with a .44 mag revolver!
I have a couple italian made .357 ssa reproductions that I shoot quite well, so I think a blackhawk would suit me nicely. And it'd make a nice companion to my browning 92 .44 mag!

While I do own a couple already, I'm not really up on what to look for when buying a revolver.
What do I need to look out for so I don't end up with a lemon? What are the particular problems and weaknesses one finds with a blackhawk?
Should I look for an older one, or is the new style better? Is there any thing else you all think I should know?

Thanks a bunch!

The Blackhawks are absolutely BOMB PROOF, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about when looking at them, other then the standard Revolver stuff like the hand and timing and such, you'll want to also have a good look at the bore and cylinder gap, but other then that, you should have no issues!
Keep in mind, there are several versions, some folks don't know there are differing versions, especially the Supers, but you shouldn't run into that!

 

[tinhorn]

Happy Birthday! I touched off a .44 magnum many years ago. What a blast! Too much gun for me, though. I share your affection for .44s--have a few "cowboy load" conversion cylinders for my 1858 Remington replicas.

I'm butting in just because of my love for Ruger. Y'see, I bought a 50-year-old Bearcat from Red's Trading Post on Gunbroker. Red's said it was in perfect condition. Ruger just informed me that it's beyond repair. But here's the thing--because Ruger didn't want me to be sad, they're sending me a brand new Bearcat to replace the paperweight I bought from Red's Trading Post. I've never before received such awesome customer service.

Can't advise you on the Blackhawk particularly, but you're sure on the right track with a Ruger.

(Single Six convertible x2, Birdshead Wrangler, Bearcat and now TWO of them!)

 

[Kruel J]

Hard to go wrong with a Ruger revolver, especially for the money.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Here's the most badass Ruger there ever was, the Old Army!
Basically it's the Grand Daddy of the Blackhawk ( of vise a vie) and these are the gold standard of Holy Black Revolvers!
They are almost interchangeable with the Blackhawk, only Ruger knew crazy's like me would try it, so they made it so you couldn't swap some of the needed "Conversion Parts" between the two, for legal reasons, though any good 'Smith worthy of the name could handle that easy!

You want a badass, Old School Cool, this is it!

 

[oremike]

I've got 5 Blackhawks so must like them. I don't have one in 44 Mag though for no real reason other than I've got a S&W 629. All of the New Model Blackhawks have the transfer bar safety so you can load 6. One thing I don't like on some of the 44 Mag Super Blackhawks is the square knuckle buster trigger guard. It looks cool but hurts like he!!. Not all models have that "feature" so just be aware of that. Other than that they are very reliable and accurate.

 

[Sbarton]

Happy Birthday! I touched off a .44 magnum many years ago. What a blast! Too much gun for me, though. I share your affection for .44s--have a few "cowboy load" conversion cylinders for my 1858 Remington replicas.

I'm butting in just because of my love for Ruger. Y'see, I bought a 50-year-old Bearcat from Red's Trading Post on Gunbroker. Red's said it was in perfect condition. Ruger just informed me that it's beyond repair. But here's the thing--because Ruger didn't want me to be sad, they're sending me a brand new Bearcat to replace the paperweight I bought from Red's Trading Post. I've never before received such awesome customer service.

Can't advise you on the Blackhawk particularly, but you're sure on the right track with a Ruger.

(Single Six convertible x2, Birdshead Wrangler, Bearcat and now TWO of them!)

Wow! Now that's exceptional. Well deserved reputation.

 

[solv3nt]

Blackhawk doesn't come in 44mag, only the super Blackhawk, which is a little bigger.

 

[Sbarton]

Here's the most badass Ruger there ever was, the Old Army!
Basically it's the Grand Daddy of the Blackhawk ( of vise a vie) and these are the gold standard of Holy Black Revolvers!
They are almost interchangeable with the Blackhawk, only Ruger knew crazy's like me would try it, so they made it so you couldn't swap some of the needed "Conversion Parts" between the two, for legal reasons, though any good 'Smith worthy of the name could handle that easy!
View attachment 1300265
You want a badass, Old School Cool, this is it!

That's a fine revolver! I almost bought one of those a few years back, and wish I had. I ended up with a pietta, a pale reflection.

 

[po18guy]

Big. Strong. Heavy. Kinda unwieldy. Needs mag-na-porting. And some trigger work. Had one decades ago. On my (then) FFL, $112.00 and a very long wait. Mag-Na-Ported it. Still didn't like shooting it. Sold it.

 

[Sbarton]

Good input everybody, i appreciate it.
I feel like I'm on the right track.
I think the super is the way to go, I didn't know the standard one has an alloy grip frame.

 

[solv3nt]

I didn't know the standard one has an alloy grip frame.

I could be wrong, but I believe it's stainless.

 

[Sbarton]

Big. Strong. Heavy. Kinda unwieldy. Needs mag-na-porting. And some trigger work. Had one decades ago. On my (then) FFL, $112.00 and a very long wait. Mag-Na-Ported it. Still didn't like shooting it. Sold it.

Good input, guess I should shoot one first.
I just occurred to me that a friend of mine has a pair he used to use in cowboy action shooting.
I'll try to convince him to bring them around.

 

[po18guy]

They are far more comfortable to shoot with medium to heavy .44 Special loads.

 

[RVTECH]

Blackhawk doesn't come in 44mag

Actually the early versions were just 'Blackhawk' and not 'Super' .

See my ad in the classifieds for the four digit .44 Mag Blackhawk I posted for friend earlier this year.

Early 3 screw .44 Mag Blackhawk 6 3/4".

Posting this for a friend. The Blackhawk is an early model (pre super) with a low, four digit serial number and does NOT have the Transfer Bar Modification. Pretty good shape overall with 'average' holster wear for its age but is tight with a crisp action. Asking $1000 and seller will split...

www.northwestfirearms.com

 

[Sbarton]

I could be wrong, but I believe it's stainless.

It is hard to imagine it's not steel.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Dependin on yer budget, I can also recommend a Colt Anaconda!

 

[drstrangelove]

My best advise is buy a Bisley 44. The grip ergos work MUCH better for handling recoil than the plow handle.

 

[titsonritz]

My best advise is buy a Bisley 44. The grip ergos work MUCH better for handling recoil than the plow handle.

^^^This x1000, forget the Blackhawk, in 44 mag go for the Bisley.

 

[titsonritz]

A primer...
https://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/single-action-army-bisley-revolver/