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JohnK
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| Posted: July 06 2005 at 2:40pm | IP Logged
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lovesrugers has written up a good review of the new small frame 357 Blackhawk that I think you'll enjoy - even the Glock shooters. 
There are several nice photos in the article that make it easy to see how the flat top is different than what most of us think of a Blackhawk looking, and what the key lock looks like.
Ruger’s 50th Anniversary Blackhawk
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Buffalogun
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JohnK, lovesrugers,
Thanks for the article and the link, I have been eyeing this model and have decided that I need either this Blackhawk or the New Vaquero in .357. I wish the New Flattop were offered in stainless.
Down here in the sunny South were the humidity is very high, the stainless models come in handy.
Buffalogun 
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lovesrugers
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Buffalogun, we can always hope Ruger will make this gun a regular production item with options. I personnaly would like one in stainless with a 5.5-6.5 inch barrel. For me the big advantage the anniversary Bh has over the New Vaquero is the adjustable sites. If this is not a problem for you than the New Vaq in stainless should work. It is made on the same frame and has all the same features as the anniversary BH.
Jerry
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miltfarrow
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| Posted: December 21 2005 at 8:27pm | IP Logged
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For all you folks wishing you had an original flattop .357 Ruger Blackhawk, don't feel you're missing that much. I've had my 1958 flattop .357 since about 1970, and I shoot it about 100 times each summer lately. I went decades without even firing it. It's fun, and pretty accurate. The gun is like new, but the bore, as manufactured, is rough compared to my early 1950's S&W .38s. I like cast bullets, but NOT in the flattop any more. Jacketed only; I got tired of removing lead. I will say the grip fits my hand better than the various later Blacktops. My advice: Buy a 50th anniversary Blackhawk and enjoy shooting it! Life is short, guns are meant to be shot. Read Skeeter Skelton on point.
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BigBlue
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| Posted: December 24 2005 at 5:00pm | IP Logged
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JohnK wrote:
| lovesrugers has written up a good review of the new small frame 357 Blackhawk that I think you'll enjoy - even the Glock shooters. |
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John,
Some of us enjoy both!
I did enjoy that article, lovesrugers has missed his calling. He did a better job than I've seen from any professional gun writer.
I have to agree with him on the grip panels, but my fix will be a nice set from C L C Custom grips. I also had to shoot mine, lost value or not, I didn't buy it to be a safe queen. This revolver will be my new woods carry gun. Too pretty for the woods? Oh well, like lovesrugers it's the only way I would have gotten a flatop. These guns are built to take it. The steel grip frame is a real God send and the feel of the gun is something that has to be experienced to be believed. It handles recoil better than any other Ruger SA I've owned. The only loads I've shot so far are jacketed bullets over a strong dose of H110, but the recoil was hardly noteworthy.
Don
Edited by BigBlue on December 24 2005 at 5:14pm
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lovesrugers
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Thanks for the praise Don. I don't think I can out write John Taffin. I do have to admit some of the stuff I have seen gunwriters do in the last few years has been pretty bad.
Jerry
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daizee
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I bought a 50th anniv blackhawk not because I always wanted an original, but because I thought it was the most beautiful revolver available for under $1000 (and I was afraid they would disappear). Of COURSE I shoot it. last weekend I fit a set of Hogue cocobolo grips to it, and now it's an eye-popper. I mean it looks incredible.
My current load is 12.5gr of IMR4227 with Hornady 158gr XTPs for just about exactly 1000fps. I'm going to work up from there and try some 2400 also. I'm mainly interested in mild recoil accuracy in a full-length .357 case.
I don't think my 4" groups at 25yds (hands on a bench) were that hot, but I'm not a very experienced handgunner, and have even less time with centerfires.
One of my reloading goals for this gun is to produce "factory" velocity without the associated flash/bang of all that extra powder being rocketed out the front-end. I figure the .357 spec is wasting a lot of energy as recoil and noise in my short barrel.
-daizee
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BigBlue
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daizee,
Welcome! 
I have a few guns that I could never part with, the Anniversary Blackhawk is now in that group. It has such a different feel to it.
Replacement or aftermarket grips are still hard to come by for this gun, but one of the finest makers out there is making them for both the New Vaquero and the Anniversary Blackhawk: CLC Custom Grips. Not cheap, but it's a lifetime investment for me.
Don
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guncrazy2
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It is a nice gun for sure. I still love my new model though  And yes if I owned one, I would have to shoot it. Cory
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lovesrugers
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| Posted: March 03 2006 at 11:53am | IP Logged
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daizee, welcome to the forum. Your goal of getting full magnum levels of power out of the short barreled gun will best be achieved by using a slower powder like H110, Li'l gun, and 2400. I know it doesn't sound right but tests have proved that what provides the highest velocity out of a long barrel usually does it for a short barrel. Unfortunatly trying to get the most velocity out of short barrel is going to result in lots of muzzle blast and flame. If you click on the link to the article above there is some chronograph data for that gun. The hotter loads easily hit 1300 fps out of the short barrel. Keep in mind the Lil gun load is still around 1 gr short of being max. So 1350 fps out of this gun with 18 grs Lil gun should easily be possible. Not bad for a short barrel. Yes it does have some muzzle blast, and recoil is pretty good but hey it is a magnum load.
Cory, the 50th anniversary Blackhawk is a new model Blackhawk. It is even stamped that way on the frame. It is just built on a slighly smaller frame than the current New Model .357 Blackhawk and has a few cosmetic changes.
Jerry
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guncrazy2
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| Posted: March 03 2006 at 4:25pm | IP Logged
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Quote:
Cory, the 50th anniversary Blackhawk is a new model Blackhawk. It is even stamped that way on the frame. It is just built on a slighly smaller frame than the current New Model .357 Blackhawk and has a few cosmetic changes.
Jerry |
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Oops! My bad! Actually I think I knew that but was brain farting at the time. Cory
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daizee
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Hi Everyone, thanks for the welcome.
I spent another 2hrs at the loading bench this weekend, and next
weekend will assemble a batch with 2400 instead of the IM4227. My local
reloading supplier expects to have 125gr XTPs in stock then too.
Hopefully that will get my velocity up without adding too much powder.
I read most of Ayoob's Combat Handgunning last night, and it sounds like
it would make sense to try the FBI .38sp load in my blackhawk or a
matching handload in a .357mag case. Is there a good source for LSWCHP
bullets? I'm not prepared to cast my own.
I'd aim for (in addition to the target!) ~1000fps 158gr LSCWCHP at around
21,000cup. Ought to be gentle in a 45oz blackhawk. I was hoping to
avoid too much lead-scrubbing, but oh well. It should be good for home
defense and the target range, no? (handloads for home defense argument
well understood, etc.)
Sounds like a good companion to a ~1250fps 125gr XTP.
BigBlue, I got my cocobolo Hogue grips from Brownells for ~$50. I
ordered the ones for the Colt SAA grip frame, and they required a bit of
fitting. Some "light brown" Briwax (beeswax, carnuba, filler) restored the
finish on the sanded parts. Cutting depressions on the inside for the new
internal locking mechanism was annoying, but not difficult.
-daizee
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daizee
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| Posted: May 21 2006 at 3:10pm | IP Logged
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Wow, I found my blackhawk's load! (only one of many, I hope!)
5 rounds into about 2" offhand at 15yds and one flyer which had to be
me. The other group on the same target was still me settling in. I only
had 25 of these things, or I would have shot them all day.
180gr XTP crimped into the foremost cannelure on top of 10.5gr of 2400.
The long bullet fills up the empty space over the light charge, but
pressures appeared to be very low. In fact, the fired shells dropped free of
the chambers without the extractor. The recoil was "soft". More
pronounced than .38spl's, but lower than the 158gr 1100fps loads I'd
been shooting. I haven't chrony'd them, but will next time.
Incidentally, this batch was assembled when the basement (where the
loading bench is) was a little bit damp. There was much less static effect
while metering powder, which probably contributed in no small part to
the consistency.
-daizee
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Paul5388
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| Posted: May 21 2006 at 7:11pm | IP Logged
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daizee,
Welcome to the forum!
I've been shooting 125 gr .357 Mags for over 30 years at over 1600 fps. The muzzle blast is tremendous out of a 6" barrel and I wonder why I continue to do it. There may be hope for me, since I have been loading quite a few more cast bullets lately.
One of my favorites is a 170 gr Keith bullet over 13.5 gr of 2400 in .38 Special brass and a CCI 500 primer, just like Elemer said. It's perfectly safe in my Model 66 and my Dan Wesson 715 and seems to be the right blend of mass and velocity. It's about 1300 fps out of a 4" barrel, which is equivalent to a middle of the road Mag load, but it's more efficient than using Mag brass. I don't see any leading with that load, which is another plus.
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lovesrugers
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| Posted: May 21 2006 at 7:43pm | IP Logged
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The load Paul mentioned has worked great out of my 50th Flattop. If I remember right it chronyed out at just over 1300 fps and was accurate as well. I am sure you will find many accurate loads for your gun. I think another I have found that works well is 6.0 grs Unique under a 158 gr LSWC in a .357 case. Lite recoil and accurate if that is what you want
Jerry
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daizee
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| Posted: May 21 2006 at 7:45pm | IP Logged
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Paul,
I've collected about 250 once-fired .38spl cases and was about to load
a batch a few weeks ago when I realized I only had magnum primers.
Now that I have standard primers I'll try making some up IF I can get
a proper crimp with my .357 dies...
I figure 158gr in the shorter case will give decent consistency with the
powders I have currently. The heads are cheaper too. I'm mainly a
paper-puncher, so I tend to load 'em soft.
-daizee
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Paul5388
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| Posted: May 21 2006 at 9:32pm | IP Logged
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daizee,
I just use a taper crimp on what I load. Obviously, with the velocity I'm getting, the crimp isn't a problem. Lee dies have a modified taper crimp in all of their dies for straight wall cases. Their dies work on .38 Special, .357 Mag, .360 DW and .357 Max, but I can't say the same for RCBS dies. I had to buy a seperate RCBS .38 Special crimping die, but my dies were bought in 1973.
It's actually pretty simple to make a universal die set, if you use a sizing die long enough for the Max and the rest of the dies short enough for the Special.
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dukers65
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| Posted: May 22 2006 at 1:44pm | IP Logged
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try 9 grs blue dot 158 gr lswc, winchester smaal pistol prime in 357 mag case. had excellent results last time out.
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Handloads.Com Forum : Handguns
Topic: Ruger’s 50th Anniversary Blackhawk
