I went to a local shop that had ordered a Ruger Blackhawk in 45 LC for me. While there and while thinking about all the crap about gun control in the news I looked at an AR. I have never owned one and really know nothing about one but he cut me a deal I just could not refuse. Now I need to get some sort or red dot, a couple more Magazines and a bunch of ammo loaded up. It is time to learn.

The Ruger has been a long time coming. I shot one in 1973 and have wanted one since that day but with raising a family and such I never had the $$$ to pick one up. Now the fun begins.

Not a bad day!!

three good decisions , good on ya'

I bet you are gonna like that AR...everyone needs at least one......

Cool new toys Scott.

Thanks for the show 'n tell.

Very nice Scott.

Is that a DPMS optics ready carbine?

Yep.

Christmas come early!

Nice Scott - you will really enjoy the Blackhawk 45 Colt - I've kept at least one since 1998. For your AR-15 stock up on Magpul magazines - there are plenty out there (once again).

Couple of good choices there Scott. You'll find the AR a hoot to play with.

Think I would like to take both down to see Blue and use both on some of his hogs.

Nice work. Don't overlook a low power compact scope on the AR.

WTG Scott - hope you like your Blackhawk as much as I like mine! What AR did you get - I'm considering getting one, but that would bring me into the LATE 20th century !

Nice guns. I like the Vaquero. DPMS is a descent AR. If you think those are expensive wait till you start feeding them. Enjoy

Scott, tried a reddot on my AR and went to a scope moving the reddot to my Marlin Guide gun......course a bit more open space over here than around the farm

Plain Jane DPMS. Lots of time to fancy it up if I want. Right now I think some sort of sighting device.

You will love both of those, good for ya!

If you are going to put an optic on it look at ultra high rings. Get it up some.

You really ought to try the reciever sights before you decide to scope it.

I gave in and bought a S&W M&P last month. I have two currently un-employed Luepold 4X scopes, but it is so much fun to shoot with the irons that I'm leaving it un-scoped.

And it makes for a handier pickup rifle with no scope.

I agree and I would like to try it without glass first. Tomorrow I will start looking and see what I can find but with my tired old eyes the rear sight will have to be a peep.

Mine came with a pop up rear peep that is sized just right for the post front. With that handle, they are real easy to shoot offhand.

I had a Nikon P223 in 3x on mine. A great scope for the money. If you aren't looking to shoot groups it is really nice. Bright, clear and quick sighting with both eyes open. Use a AR scope mount and you don't have a problem with the front sight in the picture.
I had cataracts so the sight radius was just too short. I haven't tried since I had my eyes fixed though.

Good deal. Hope you enjoy the six-gun. (I've had my 41 since around '85, a 45 Colt since around '92 and I've been holding a Super Blackhawk since I gave a guy a $150 loan about 20 years ago.) Brian Pearce printed and article a few years ago listing just over 6 grains …point 1 or 2 with a 250 grain cast bullet which is an awfully nice shooting load - if you can find Red Dot. I never thought I'd be happy to be "over-powdered" in the quick burning pistol powders. But so many things work perfectly well for plinking ammo if your sources are as tight there as here.

No advice - or interest in- the AR thing. I've got my Mini and that's all the "auto-rifle" I need (mostly because I like the simple, rugged mechanism of the M-design rifles).

Congrats on both of them Scott. I resisted AR's for a long time, but they are accurate, fun to shoot, and easily modified to suit you.

Great Day!

I especially like that 45LC.

This thing came WITHOUT a rear sight ?

Nice firearms sir. I have red dots on a few of my earlier AR's for plinking and HD but like a lot of guys im swapping to an illuminated 1-4, im really liking my newest from SWFA. Shoots like a dot at 1x but gives some magnification when wanted.

A guy can get into a decent illuminated 1-4 with a mount starting around $400.

A 45 LC is on my short list as well but fun money is gone with a new baby and a sig 226 Elite at a price i couldnt ignore.

What I would do is buy 4 Magpul mags for it at either a gunshow or "tactical" type dealer. Whilst there, I'd pick up a set of Magpul sights and then put something like this on it to keep the costs down.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultra-Shot-...5Z-NEW-/301758942118?hash=item46423c0ba6

It's a DPMS Sportical. They come without any optics to keep the cost down.

Don't know much about em'.

Shot Expert with a way older version in the 60's (didn't really have a choice)

Selling a "rifle" without some sort of sights seems wrong, but than and again WTF do I know about rifles.

Scott,...I've got some sorta' Aimpoint here that I can shoot your way, I keep leaving it on , and having to replace the fargin' batteries.

Yours if you need it.

GTC

The Oracle is the same rifle with sights and a forward assist. They are about $80 more IIRC. Who really knows what any of this stuff is "worth" now.

The only Blackhawk I've got now is in 44 Mag. unless you count Bisleys.

Nice purchase.

Makes for good home protection. I hope you never have to use it for that.

Take care.

Katie bar the door, there is a new Sheriff in town!

Good job Scott.

Scott, that is how I ended up with an AR after the price went back down after Sandy Hook. I snore so bad that the wife and I sleep in separate rooms, and She keeps a pistol and laid claim the the .30 carbine, so I got the AR to keep me company along with my 9mm S&W auto. Hope they are just decorator items but they are there if needed. Mine came with a red dot, but I gave it to Curdog, at Quemado one year. He was having trouble with his right eye and he thought that he could shoot the red dot. I think that I remember him telling me that it worked out. I also think that he had Cataract surgery recently and maybe that eye is fixed. miles

Good job, Scott! One other thing you might wanna do with that AR is try the original trigger for a while - then you'll realize that the vast majority of 'em come with, at best, so-so triggers and a good aftermarket trigger will feel oh, so good by comparison..

Best wishes - and have fun with the new toys!

These are great little Red Dots for the $$$.

Bushnell Red Dot

You will likely want to get a riser for whatever optic you use that will meet your needs. These guys have about anything that you would need for an AR. You could pick up the Bushnell there as well or one of PA's own private label Red Dots if even more frugality is in the equation.

Primary Arms

Mounts



twofish

I bought a DPMS Oracle recently. Been very pleaed with it so far. For a first AR, it's not a bad choice. You will enjoy it

GFY










(Good For You.......

+1 BIG TIME; I'd suggest strong consideration of a low power variable. Mine wears a Bushnell 3200 2-7x 32mm w/ firefly reticle and it's brilliant.

I managed to pull the trigger twice as well.

I stopped by the local shop yesterday to inquire about a cheap stripped AR lower just in case I want to build another rifle in a different variety some day. I didn't see anything in the display cabinets so I asked a clerk, he said they had a big box of them in back, buy one and the second was half off- who could resist?

I bought a DPMS Oracle last year. I got a EoTech entry level sight and some flip up sights from Brownells (their brand). I also installed a smaller diameter fore end on it so I could mount the EoTech sight forward and leave room for the rear sight. Enjoy!!!

You'll never find anything that gets you on target quicker and more accurately than a Holosight.

Without any sights at all.

Thanks for ll the suggestions. I will be playing with the ruger for a while, tuning the action, casting some bullets, learning to powder coat, pepping brass, finding and playing different powders, loading, emptying the loaded rounds, and starting all over again.

In the mean time I will be educating myself on the AR and probably looking to build a 300 blackout upper. Fun projects for a old man to keep him busy.

It sounds like you have the AR sickness Scott.

I've thought about powder coating for my blackhawk but lubing while sizing is just too easy.

As i mentioned on the phone, i goofed on one a few years ago, having the pic rail, pop up rear irons, but i left the triangular front sight gas trap on the rifle, should of had it flat top all the way, for low mounting a quick detach scope.
One idea i have been thinking about is a leupold or something like that for longer range, and a side mount holograph for closer stuff.
I have messed with a number of the red dot, but mostly you see 2moa dots or larger, and i like it finer than that. You can easily put more dinero in the sighting systems than the rifle.
I don't really like the idea of junking up these rifles, and have poo poo'd light systems, until i was using a high lumens count light on a glock at midnight a few weeks ago. It lit up the night sky. I really think it's some of these options that make them so versitle. I have a cousin not far from you by the way that went to the beowolf cartridge in the a.r. platform. Kind of like a 45.70 in the black rifle.
I have been thinking a long time about a little heavier round like the 6.8 or the blackout.

I am messing with powder coating too. But you can't get much easier than this.
A quick trip to autozone, a can of that vtech engine block spray paint, spray the bullets, and a quick bake at 400degrees for about ten minutes. I didn't even size them. It does work.

I've seen enough evidence over at cast boolits that powder coating works. Its just that the techniques that I've seen over there were a lot more involved. Besides, what else am I going to do when there's ten feet of snow outside and it's 20 below?

For something heavier, I'm intrigued by the idea of the 25-45 Sharps.
http://srcarms.com/wordpress/25-45-sharps/ammunition/

Yep, My eye works again. I put the Aimpoint on my 444 Marlin and it worked fine. As soon as I got my eye fixed, I took it off.

I'll be glad to send it back to you.

I don't need it, but if you know or run into anybody that does, feel free to pass it on. I gave it to you with no strings attached. miles

You want to try this Red Dot, Scott?

You did good Scott. The Ruger is going to be fun to work with and will make you realize that the old guys weren't poorly armed in the late 1800's and early 1900's with their 45's. I have had a Ruger single action since 1969 of one type or another and mostly several at once. I now carry a New Vaquero in 45 Colt with a 5 1/2 inch barrel when hunting and knocking around in the woods and sometimes an old Single Six that came with both cylinders. They are both very versatile firearms. One day my sons will get to decide who the next owner of those two will be.

I'm kind of a walnut/blued steel guy when it comes to rifles and it is taking me some work to warm up to my AR's. I started out plinking with a 5.56 and added a 6.8 Remington upper later on when I thought I might want to hunt deer with one. I have been down the accessory road for the AR's and have decided that less is better and much lighter. A sling, scope and 5 round magazine is all my two AR's carry now and they are much easier to use. After using them for several years, they still don't feel like a real rifle to me and I don't know that they ever will. If they were worth anything on a trade in, I'd trade them both in tomorrow, get an M1 or M1A and never look back.

Mine wears a Leupold 1-4.

Low power variables are at home on an AR.

Scott, as many have said already, you're going to enjoy the chit outta that AR. I resisted getting one for years-through a couple of the scare/shortages and finally picked up a basic PSA patrol rifle last year and it has been a blast. Probably more aftermarket options than any gun on the planet but like a couple of guys said, be sure to pick up 3 or 4 Magpul hi caps while they are relatively cheap and plentiful.

jOHN

You can always cut the top of the A2 front sight off leaving it only as a pinned gas block. You could then cover it with a longer rail, sights, lights or whatever turns you on.



The conversion is no problem at all and takes all of 10 minutes and then you can clean it up and paint it as nice as you like.

Two hundred plus 255 grain bullets cast tonight and ready for powder coating. I pick up my stones for polishing the Ruger hammer and sear and will work on it tomorrow. Goal is to powder coat Saturday, load a bunch of sissy rounds with these 255 gr bullets then head out to the range and give the Ruger a try.

Tonight I risked loosing my man card and read the directions on the AR. Now I can take it apart and clean it. Got plenty of time to work on the AR since I have not started to look for components to load and I am just to stubborn to buy loaded ammunition for any centre fire.

1973 is a long time. Since you have waited almost my entire life I'd say you deserve it! Good things come to those who wait.

Heck of a nice double tap Scott! I hope you have lots of fun!

I think you should enjoy a cigar as well....:)

Great idea!

Mark AR MOD 1 1.5-4x20mm Firedot-G SPR (Illuminated)

well, he is kind of a ol fahrt. Hope he figures out how to cock the ar15.

I was out with one of my 45 Colt Blackhawk's yesterday shooting a 285 gr SWC (RCBS 270 SAA) driven by 7.5 grs of Titegroup and the results were stunning. I do like that bullet.

I am casting with a lee 255 gr mould now but looking form something a little nicer. The plan is to powder coat tomorrow then go shoot a little. I think the shooting part may wait a while. We are forecast for an inch of rain tomorrow.