Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Super Blackhawk front sight height

I have this Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 mag, 5 1/2" Bbl. . I prefer heavy weight bullets. Using the Lee 310gr cast, With a stout load of 2400 powder, & at 25 yds, about 2 to 2 1/2" group. 2" high with rear sight all the way down, bottomed out. Am I the only one having this problem? Even my 265gr bullet with heavy loads, same problem. I installed a set of Hogue soft rubber grips. For sure helped some , but not enough. Lots of muzzle flip. For a dead on hold I have to hold the top of the front sight about half way down my rear sight slot. Have thought about having a brass bead soldered on top of the existing front factory sights. Your thoughts...

The Blackhawk 45 Colt front sight is taller. If your gun is stainless and has the pinned front blade, it's pretty easy to install the taller blade.

What does it do all the way out to 100 yards?

Being, 35, 45, 50 etc..

I guess it depends on the amount of precision required and the ranges involved.

Shooting rabbits requires more than deer, obviously. Specialized target shooting too.

2 inches high at 25 provides a lot of range compensation for the bulk of shooting deer at most handgun ranges, usually allowing for even a bit lighter load to aid in making hits.

Anything closer, you should know how to compensate.

MY need is such that all I want is a 25yd zero. We live on large acreage & I carry for defense against large praetors. I also have a 45 colt Blackhawk , 4 5/8" Bbl. Just checked it's front sight . As you said "270winches" , I measured & the front sight on the 45 Colt is exactly 1/8" taller. That would fix the problem. But, how in the world would you drive that tiny, tiny pin out that holds the front sight??

Get a small diameter punch. They make various sizes.

Heck, I just replaced one last night at my kitchen bar.

Get ya' a Grace 1/16" roll pin punch and a little brass mallet. You'll have to drill the new sight blade with a 1/16" bit.

Put the new sight blade in and gently tap the roll pin back in. Easy peasy.

Thank your luck it's a Blackhawk sight and not a Smith and Wesson. The Smith's have much tighter tolerances. 😊😆

Ruger front sight blade MR03611

Grace USA 1/16" steel roll pin punch

Wheeler roll pin punch set

Triumph 1/16" drill bit

After saying all that, as for me, I'd leave it 2" high, and see what she does @50 and 100. 😉

Thanks " skeen " . I already have the tools. Thought it took some special tool for that tiny Ruger pin. 50 yds , OK ... 100yds, A bit far for me for open sights... Our woods are thick here. Took my deer last year at about 70 yds. & my elk at less than 35 yds. Typical for the thick trees. We are always worried about walking up on a bear. Large can of bear spray & heavy cal revolver with heavy 310 gr bullets always with me. Always.

I had that issue with my 4.62" SuperBlackhawk, shooting a 300 grain WFN GC.

I filed material off the bottom of the sight, needed to take .028" off to bring POI/POA together at 50 yards, ended up taking about .035" off to have the additional room.

I have that exact gun, that exact problem though I'm more like 3-1/2 to 4 inches high at 25 yards and that is with 240 grain JHPs and 250 grain SWCs , both with max / near-max loads. (Actually, I have 2 with the same issue. Don't ask, long story.)

Hey Tom. The bullet I'm shooting is my home cast Lee 310gr . I drive it with load of 2400 powder right at 1100 fps.This is the load that gives me 2" high at 25 yds.

I misunderstood by a bit then. You're probably a lot closer to being able to sight in than I am.

I have a 5.5” Super Blackhawk and a 4.62” New Model Blackhawk with the same issues. With the SBH I’ve just resigned myself to shooting 210 grn bullets or lighter. With the New Model I got my gunsmith to make a new patridge site for it.

I wonder why Ruger won’t fix this? They have to know it’s an issue. Freedom Arms just installs a front blade that’s too high so you can grind it down.

Hey McInnis. This has been a problem for years. Why Ruger doesn't address it , is baffling to me. The problem is "Common Knowledge. "

Guessing Ruger chose the front sight height for standard (SAAMI) 250 gr 45 Colt loads.

I agree EdM

David Clements, now retired I believe, made great taller front sight replacements. One of his with the 20 degree slant, on a 45 Colt Ruger. I have the blade of his on a few Rugers. A cut between Patridge and ramped.

The Clements sights are great, but I also heard he retired. Fermin Garza makes nice similar ones, and you can also have your Ruger sight base dovetailed for an appropriate Skinner front.

Come on guys, are you serious about this!

Think a bit, it's Ruger.
Bill was the most arrogant of pricks when it came to guns.

Folks wanted better triggers, talking about accuracy.
"We make hunting guns..."

He didn't give a single shot about what the market wanted, he built what he wanted.
To his standards. Which weren't real high in some areas, solid in others.

The throat issue in 45 colts is legendary.
Look at several businesses that are primarily focused on fixing it.
Custom gunsmiths list the service with pricing.
Yet my 5 or 6 year old Blackhawk was as bad as the 25 year old Vaquero.

Both undersized and inconsistent.
The inconsistent is a product of their system and not giving a Schmidt.
The undersized is either intentional, or the result of using tools that are wore
and resharpened too much.

In my opinion you may's well just post where you want the flowers sent.

Of course you want your sights regulated, who doesn't? Seems useless if they're not. BUT, if you HAVE to shoot some big toothy thing in the face because it's made up its mind it's gonna [bleep] get you, the last thing you'll have time for is sight alignment.

Learn to shoot that thing up close and personal, rapidly, while ignoring the sights. THAT'S what will keep you out of the coroner's van, not if you can perfectly hit a bullseye at 25 yards or not.

Just my 2.5 cents worth.

Good schooling.