Showing my age, here, but my first handgun was a 6" Ruger Blackhawk, convertible in 3.57/9mm. I bought it new with the bicentennial rollmark.
Showing my age, here, but my first handgun was a 6" Ruger Blackhawk, convertible in 3.57/9mm. I bought it new with the bicentennial rollmark.
If we have to march off into the next world, let us walk there on the bodies of our enemies.
These are magnificent guns. They're incredibly tough, accurate, and just plain fun to shoot-shooting full-house .357 magnums through them is one of life's pleasures. Mine is a stainless convertible as well; I've found that when my sights are zeroed for 158 gr Hornady XTPs (my hunting round), the same zero works for Federal Champion 115 gr 9mm.
Mine is a 4.6" barrel version, with a lower Super Blackhawk hammer; it belonged co-worker's father who passed away. He bought it in 1978, fired 6 rounds of snakeshot through it, and apparently subsequently carried it with no further rounds going through it. When I got it, I sent it to Ruger, who thoroughly went through it and brought it up to current factory specifications (and added the Super Blackhawk hammer and a couple of other things-they really did a superb job for me). It's been my Pacific Northwest deer hunting mainstay for the past two years, carried in a Tactical Tailor tanker-style holster they made specifically for the gun.
Pretty much the only things I have to add to the excellent previous comments is that I also lightly grease my basepin and the tunnel of the cylinder that it goes through. With the shorter, stubbier 9mm cartridges, be careful when you're loading/unloading or you can tie the cylinder up if they get jammed in at an awkward angle before fully chambering.
Before carrying mine in the field, I thoroughly wipe down the exterior with a Sentry Solutions Tuff Cloth to prevent corrosion.
I've also carefully painted the back face of the front sight with white sight paint; it provides a faster sight acquisition and alignment.
For a speed loader, I use a Desert Eagle .357 magazine with a cut-down spring(to ease the effort needed in thumbing the cartridges from the magazine into the cylinder); with practice it really expedites reloading, and is an easy way to carry spare cartridges in the field. If the magazine is carried an a suitable pouch, they're also afforded some decent protection from the weather and elements.
Best, Jon
Last edited by JonInWA; 04-24-2018 at 12:40 PM.
Will always love some Blackhawk love, my 4.62" .45 would be the last gun I would ever part with.
Not knowing the age of this gun, please be aware that the earlier Ruger single actions used the traditional mechanism without a drop safety. This means, if you are rotating the cylinder clockwise, you load one, skip one, load four, cock the hammer, and lower it to end up with the hammer over an empty chamber. For quite some time, Ruger single actions have come with a transfer bar safety system, so that all six chambers can safely be loaded. if you have an older gun, Ruger will add the transfer bar free of charge. If your gun does not have this feature, I suggest letting Ruger do this.
Most Rugers also have gate-controlled loading. Once the loading gate is opened, the cylinder will spin freely, without the need to place the gun in half cock.
Last edited by Totem Polar; 04-25-2018 at 12:55 AM.