Been a while since I have owned a Blackhawk, but seeing 357 Mag in a shop a few days ago for a reasonable price has me thinking it may be fun. The last ones I owned were a pair of Bisleys one in 22lr and the other in 45 Colt. They were fun but I ended up trading them off for something and now kind of have an itch for a single action revolver again. I did not see any recent threads about them so thought I'd start one up. So where's the love? or are single action revolvers 'not cool' enough to even talk about anymore........

Would never be without one, just beware of the quality of the newer Ruger products.......had some bad luck with the last few revolvers I bought new.

Yes.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...7116779/chigs-grips-bisleys#Post17116779

I have a couple. The 4 5/8” 357 I picked up ages ago for $125 after it had been abused and left to rust and pit. I cleaned it up and got rid of the rubber grips but left it rough to be an under the pickup seat gun. It’s always ready and never skipped beat no matter what you throw at it. Also happens to be one of the most accurate handguns I’ve ever owned, my buddy was pissed when I repeatedly outshot him with his prewar K38 one morning at the range.

For no particular reason, I've never had much interest in single-action revolvers. I've only had four I can think of offhand. One was a Single Six convertible that my brother borrowed 20 or 25 years ago and I haven't seen since except on his hip. Another was a like-new, New Model Blackhawk .357 mag that a friend waved in front of me for an extremely attractive price in the mid-90's. I sent it to my son when he was stationed at Whidbey Island and that he sent back after he bought a Beretta 96. Last year it was one of a number of items I threw together for my grandsons when I went out to visit him in Missouri. It has been taking up space here for 20 years or more without ever having been fired. Finally, there are two more single-actions here. One is a Colt New Frontier convertible with .22 lr and .22 Mag cylinders that, again, I seldom use. The other is a three-screw Blackhawk in .30 Carbine. It's pretty beat up, but it shoots like a sumbitch. It's also got a ferocious muzzle blast. Lately I've been thinking about sending it to Ruger for a factory refurbish. Other than a few belonging to friends that I've fixed and/or played with, that's about my experience with single-action revolvers. I really like my Smiths.

I had a stainless Blackhawk in .357 Magnum back in the 1980s, 4.6" barrel length. Cool guns. Not a thing wrong with them as working guns on a farm, ranch, camping, hunting, etc.. A lot right, in fact. I just had little use for it, so sold it after a few years.

Slap on a Super frame (dragoon) and theyre tolerable.

When, if any bugs are worked out I consider a NMBH to be one of the most dependable & hardy handguns made. One or a few will remain with me till I'm gone.

If for some accident they get away from me & I'm still able to use one, another BH will be purchased as soon as I'm able.

Big fan of them.

Sure! Nothing wrong with a trusty ol Blackhawk. I have one I bought cheap in the early 90’s had a gunsmith buddy re-blue it for me, and I made a set of pretty Sumac grips for it. I have other everyday carry pistols/revolvers that see more use lately, but occasionally it’ll get toted for old times sake. Great workhorse revolvers in my opinion.

I've had five Blackhawks, a .41, a couple of .44s and a couple of .45 convertibles. All of them shot well, but none of them "stuck", for some reason or another, I swapped them off for "something else". I have nothing bad to say about them, but they lacked the pizzazz I was looking for.

That said, I'm not saying I'll never buy another one, but it will have to be something that really speaks to me.

I have a Bisley .480 that beats the heck out of me no matter how I grip it. On the other hand, my super blackhawk with Hogue grips is a pleasure to shoot. I see no other option but to change the grip frame or get rid of it. So, are you suggesting a super Blackhawk frame and is it a do it yourself? Mine is stainless steel.. Thanks!

I bought a 4 5/8" stainless super Blackhawk 44 mag about 5 years back. Thought I liked the gun, until I bought a 2-3/4" S&W m69. After that, the Ruger seemed to get left at home. I stuck a bisley frame on the ruger, That was a game changer. I leave the Smith at home for the most part anymore

I had a 44 Mag Blackhawk for a while but sent it down the road. Not sure if the timing was bad on it or what, but it always shot low left a substantial amount no matter what I did. Handed it off to others to shoot and same results. On top of that, the darned noise was intolerable. Even with muffs on it hurt my ears like hell to shoot that thing... Hated to get rid of it since it was in perfect condition and had a nice Lawrence holster and belt that came with it...

I dig em.

My dad had .357 and .45 blackhawks, short and long in each, all stainless.
He put Super frames on all of them.

I had an old model Blackhawk.and hated it.
Dumped it and went 3 screw Super. Groundhogs disliked it greatly.

Ever since then, its been 44 mag Rugers. Couple.more OM and NM.

But i like Smith 629s way more.

Only Ruger handgun I have now is my dads brass frame Super. The ej rod housing was loose so I got a new steel one from BRC.
Might pop a deer with it and then just leave in the safe

Didnt buy any of the stainless NM w Super frames from the estate. They all had the billboard warnings on side of bbl.

And that really pizzes me off. Newer versions have it underside and less annoying

I love them for their strength……however, I can’t shoot them worth a darn! memtb

I bought mine, a 6 1/2 " barrel .357, along with a heavy leather western quick draw holster and belt for $85 at a pawn shop in Lawton, OK back in 1970 when I just got home from Vietnam and was stationed at Ft Sill. I made a lighter leather belt holster for it and carried it in the woods for many years until I got my first .44 magnum revolver.

I have an original 3 screw .44mag 6 1/2 " I got from my FIL as a wedding present. He said he thought it was 1958 or 1959. It was FIL's brother's. WW2 Army Air Corp/Air Force pilot that died of cancer before he could retire to Alaska. It is unmodified and was probably unfired when I got it a few years ago. I fixed the unfired part.


I love it. I should shoot it more often. Seems like the 9mm gets all the range time. There are cool .22s and .38 specials in the safe that need some love too.

So the Super Blackhawk grip frame is better because it's larger?

I have 3 Blackhawks. Each hold a special place in my life.

On the Old Models yes.

You can interchange frames from reg to Super on New Models

Dunno if any grip size diffs though.
Do prefer the look of the dragoon Super frame.

Dont have a reg New Model reg frame to compare.
Do have a NM Super frame if ever a deal on small warning label 4 5/8 .357 blued pops up

Prefer the wide lower spur of a NM Super hammer as well.

Well gave that Blackhawk another look. It's an old 3 Screw unmodified version with an aftermarket grip. Wood grip, decent, but not the originals. Bluing is nice with just a faint light area near the muzzle from holster wear. No end slop, nice and tight, don't think it has been shot much. I'm tempted. What do you think its worth in todays crazy market?

I recently sold a fairly clean late old model here back in Feb. for 500. as quick a it sold I must have priced it low.

For condition of it, pics are in my add dated 2-04. That might give ya a baseline.

Thanks, hard to tell where prices are currently. I'm not very knowledgeable about all the little nuances that affect the value.

I like ruger single actions. Used to cowboy action shoot and for me the muscle memory makes them work well. Still probably have 7 or 8 of em.

If I were starting out and did not have any I would buy a 5.5 Single Six 22M/22LR SS followd by a Blackhawk convertable.

I have a 6.5 Blackhawk .357/9mm convertible in SS. They were a distributer special run. First one got sent back to ruger as the chamber depths on the 9mm cylinder was so whacked it would not rotate when loaded. I was pissed as I ordered and waited for it. Sent it back they replaced the gun and now it is good for both and I shoot 9mm out of it alot which is really what makes this such a neat thing too have. Relatively cheap 9mm with little recoil in a steel gun. Fun to shoot.

Vaqueros, blackhawks, super blackhawks, single sixes and bearcats they are all good solid outdoor guns and once you get a good example keep it because getting good ones seems to be getting harder to do and more expensive. Ruger is too busy pumping out wranglers.

By the time you get one, see it its a shooter, tweak it, get leather, etc. you have some time and energy into it but good ones just feel right and are a joy to own and shoot.

The Super Blackhawk grip is a bit longer than the Blackhawk.

Top to bottom:
Super Blackhawk Bisley 44Mag
Single Six 22/22WMR
Super Blackhawk 44 Mag
Blackhawk 45 Colt/45 ACP
Security Six 357 Mag

Nice group of pistols!!

I like the Bisley models. But I did manage to hang on to one Blackhawk, a 3 screw 357. I almost sold it awhile ago but I couldn’t get what I wanted for it. I’m kinda glad it didn’t sell because it’s a very nice shooter.

Nice holster! Who made it?

El Paso Saddlery

My 45 Stainless

Back in the 70s when 'Dirty Harry' made the S&W 29s evaporate, and you could buy Ruger Super Blackhawks for the same reason, I bought a Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt caliber. I cut my teeth on learning to reload, cast bullets, and handgun hunt. I put Jay Scott ivory stocks., (thye were made out of some man made material) bought Bianchi holster and belt. I finally gave the whole system to my oldest grandson. I need to get my Dillon 650 repaired and start cranking out some ammo for him, 45 Colt ammo is a bit pricy. Blackhawks are grand utilitarian side arms.

I really like the front sight conversion on the top revolver. Please tell us about it!

I have a 4 5/8 .44 special flattop which I generally like very well, except for the front sight. Am I the only one who finds the angle of the front sight makes the thing want to disappear in various lighting conditions? I've killed five or six deer with the flattop, but also had to pass on some shots simply because the front sight wasn't sufficiently discernable. On the stainless guns, this is an easy fix. Simply get a properly angled front sight from Fernin Garza or Clements. Until Creeker's pic I've not seen an easy solution for the blued guns.

I have a this flat top convertible that I like a lot. Very accurate and well made. From the Lipsey first run. Worked on by Ron Power it is one smooth revolver.

I've got an original Ruger Vaquero, i.e., large frame, in .44 Magnum. Close, but not quite.

I'm a fan of the Ruger single action. Don't own any currently, but had a pair of Vaqueros in 45 Colt, an old Single Six, and one Blackhawk in 357 Max in the past. The Vaqueros and Single Six were a blast. I gifted the SS to the wife several years ago, since she's far more of a handgun shooter than I ever was.

The Max, on the other hand, was the only thing I have ever owned that made my ears ring with earplugs in. I took it out shooting ONE time, and promptly traded it off back at the same shop I bought it from. In hindsight, I wish I had hung onto it a while, given what they sell for these days vs what I paid for it back then.

Here's the one that got me to start this thread......It has as set of Herrett's that I'm having a hard time getting used to. I could use a set of XR3-RED grips if anyone has a set laying around, please PM me.

I get along fine with the Old Model Rugers, which are close enough to Colt to feel normal to me.

Up through full 44 magnum loads with 240-250 grain bullets, I'll take the basic Colt 1860 Army grip every time.

After owning a half dozen New Model Blackhawks and Vaqueros over the years, I finally admitted the NM grip just does not work for me. These are a huge improvement for me.

https://www.thesixgunjournal.net/texas-grips-extended-single-action-revolver-grips/

I can get along with Ruger's Bisley grip OK. IMO the best NM grip Ruger ever offered was on the Hunter series revolvers- a full Super Blackhawk grip with a rounded trigger guard.

Ronnie Wells offers a great selection of custom grip frames for the NM Rugers, if you are so inclined.


https://rwgripframes-com.3dcartstores.com/

I have my pap's 1956 .357 , a 50 year anniversary .357 and the .44 Special 5.5" Flattop that I waited 50 years for Ruger to produce. I love the Flattop Blackhawk's , just wish they would quit messing with the way they function.

I really like Ruger Single Actions. They're my favorite sidearms, particularly the Super Blackhawk iterations.

I do spring jobs on them and usually hone the triggers just a hair to take out the creep, and they are good to go for thousands of rounds of single action fun.

First Group


Top Row: Super Blackhawk Bisley .480 Ruger; Super Blackhawk Bisley .454 Casull with the grip frame swapped out for the SBH Hunter grip frame

Second Row: Blackhawk Bisley .41 Magnum; Blackhawk Convertible .10mm/.40 S&W

Bottom: Single Six Convertible .22LR/.22 WMR


Second Group


Top Row: Old Vaquero .45 Colt; Blackhawk Convertible .357 Mag/9mm

Second Row: Blackhawk Bisley .45 Colt; Blackhawk .357 Mag

Third Row: Single Six .327 Fed Mag; Super Blackhawk .44 Mag

Bottom: Bearcat .22LR

I am in the process of swapping the 4 5/8" barrel for a 7 1/2" barrel and replacing the standard BH grip with a square trigger guard SBH grip on the .44 Mag.

I've had them in 357, 41, and 44 magnum. I currently have a Single Six convertible

When Super Blackhawks came out, I had a FFL. I bought and sold at cost 9 before I got one that shot extremely well. Some of the early Ruger's had very poor barrels.

I have a 4 5/8" .44 Special Flattop. I think I'd rather shoot it than any handgun I own. It goes afield when I do.

I am a big fan and own a fair number of both OM's and NM's. I have never had an issue with one. These two are my latest purchases from the past couple of years. Both are TALO runs with Doug Turnbull/Ruger. The Bisley is a 45 Colt (1 of 500) and the SBH is, of course, a 44 Mag (1 of 1000). They are the most well put together factory Ruger's I have ever seen. Both were NIB though they no longer are. The grips are aftermarket ones I already had on hand.

44 Spl Flattop here and also have a couple of 5 shot Bisley 480's. I prefer the Bisley grip for heavier loads.

The front sight was too low & the little sixgun hit high for me. I wanted a taller front sight but didn't want to reblue. I purchased a sight blank from Brownells & a dovetail cutter. The front sight was milled off & a dovetail cut in the front base. About any machinist could do this. I shaped the sight to my liking & filed it to the correct height for my load & applied cold blue. It works great.

Do it.

I'm a Ruger single action addict. They fit my hand, they fit my life. At the moment I don't have one in .357 but I'm shopping. I'd probably jump on a S&W M27 4" classic or a Lipsey's 5" half lug GP100 if I found one of those first.

What barrel length and finish does the gun you're looking at have?

They're okay I guess...

Did it. Got out yesterday and put a few rounds through it. Properly sooted up from Bullseye & 148gr LWC 38's. in this photo. It came with the Herrett stock shown in pic. Would like to find some stock grips for it also.

I really love mine..

I have a a pair of .41 Mags. A new model that I bought and an old converted 3 screw that my Dad bought brand new.



I also have a 5.5" Vaquero Bisley in .45 Colt that I really love.



Todd

I'm fond of them. Especially the Bisley Blackhawks. Mine are all Bisleys except for the Buckeye 38/40/10mm with the standard grip.

Top left, the Buckeye, top right, 357 mag, second row left, Flattop 44 Special, second row right, Turnbull 45 Colt, middle, 480, bottom left, 44 mag, bottom right, 41 mag.

Something I find interesting is that Ruger Model 77 bolt action rifles get little respect from the connoisseurs and cognoscenti as the basis for a fine custom firearm, yet as can be seen from several beautiful examples here the Blackhawk in its many iterations is lavished with all manner of work to turn it into a work of art.

Not making any editorial comment here, just noting the incongruous attitude. If someone has an editorial opinion on this please feel free.



P.S. My first centerfire handgun was an Old Model .357 Blackhawk with 6 1/2" barrel bought in 1968, I learned to reload on that. Have long since lost count of the number of Blackhawks and Super Blackhawks that have come and gone but a conservative estimate would put that as at least two dozen, likely a bit more. Blackhawks were also what I used to learn the kind of shade tree gunsmithing that makes real machinists cringe; made most all of them more accurate to a lot more accurate and only ruined one.

Down to a single example now, a New Model .357 Blackhawk with 6 1/2" barrel. I don't blast handgun loads at full volume much these days, but when I do that Blackhawk is the one that comfortably handles the job, emphasis on comfortably.

Good lookin' gun! A three-screw, no less. That's good for some extra style point.

Grips .. I'm not sure if that has the XR3 grip frame or the XR3-RED grip frame .. grips aren't interchangeable. Finding exact matches to the old Ruger walnut grips seems difficult. What's available is either too fat or too skinny, I haven't found a right match for my recent single actions. (I've had good luck with the Hogue bisley grips in black micarta .. require a little sanding / filing for an exact fit, but the final result is better than factory.) To me the original / correct wood grips had a feel similar to the single action army. The new ones are either like the Colt Navy DA (too skinny) or S&W target (too fat) guns. If you find something perfect please let me know!

Tom

Its the RED frame version. Pretty handy they cast it right on the frame.

.357 Mag.... or Super Single-Six convertible?






GR

I like the grips. They are obviously made from dead wood. At least it appears to be. because of the signs of fungus in the lighter and upper part of the right grip panel. I guy from the forrestry service I know used to work with deas wood by carving it. Sometimes it was quite fragile and difficult to work with. You could start to work and were almost finished with the candle holder or whatever you wanted to carve and suddenly everything was gone and your work was for nothing.

I bought these from Esmeralda, she calls them Rosewood Picazo. I have no clue on what the Picazo means. It’s probably been stabilized be fore carving. They have stood up well. I just got them because I thought they looked pretty cool. 😁

Bought this Bisley Blackhawk from a bear hunter who took many with it. 45LC caliber. He shortened barrel for "handiness". When I recieved it, he also gave me about 40 of his favorite reloads. With a 2 handed hold, revolver wanted to fly out of my hands, was terrible to shoot ! Found out what powder he used (H-110), was 2-3 grains above max in most of my books. Broke them down and reduced powder some. I will say they are strong !

Probably my favorite Bisley, once a SBH.

How do those Pachmyer grips work with the roll of recoil?

A few flattops. I think Ruger wimped out recreating them, notice the thickness of the top strap on the new models vs. the OM's. But, I still like them.

A couple of the pretty scarce Accusport Bisley's in 44 mag. About 935 0f them made in 2002 or 3. After 20 years Ruger is supposed to make them again for Lipsey's & they have a model number for it. But none have been seen so far.

Only have one Ruger SA these days.
Old beater brass frame SBH.
May try to pop a deer w it this fall.

Have used other OM and NM Supers to fill the freezer, but this brass frame was my dads.

Ordered one the day they were announced...been almost 9 months, so far.

Centershot: If your query also includes Ruger Super Blackhawks - I kinda "love'em".
I have owned MANY Blackhawks and Super Blackhawks over the years in 357 Magnum, 44 Magnum and one in 41 Magnum.
I bought them mostly as investments and shot them somewhat rarely.
I am down to just one Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 Remington Magnum now and it is new unfired in the box with 10 1/2" barrel.
I will be selling this nifty and kind of rare pistol come July when I start to sell off my collection of guns.
The first Ruger Blackhawk I purchased was a 357 Magnum back in 1969 when my older brother came home from his second tour in Viet Nam - I gave it to him on his birthday.
We shot the hell out of that pistol before he returned from leave and back to duty.
I am sure that shooting fest is partially responsible for my hearing loss - that 4 5/8" barreled Ruger was LOUD!
Yeah I like'em a lot - "love" well kinda.
They sure are popular on the used gun market - I know that!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I've Owned a few other Rugers Blackhawks (Super) In the past, this is the only one I own now.

I've never owned a Blackhawk but, have shot them, and they are indeed fine guns.

nice!!!!

EPS Tortilla? I didn't know they made them for single actions. I really like it and the BH.

Does Ruger still make Blackhawk’s and Single Six’s?? I haven’t seen a NEW one in 3-4 years....

Had a 44 mag, wish I would have kept it

Shot many deer over the years with various .44 mags, a couple of which were BH's, then went to rifles for a few years.
When I heard of the FT BH .44 Spl coming out I knew I had to had one and was first on the LGS list. Finally, upon arrival (supposedly the first one in MI) those cheese grater grips fit my hands like they were made for them and it instantly became my fave farm, horseback and woods gun. Now, with the front sight becoming a wad of fuzz it will soon be wearing a red dot sight to head for the woods this fall and fill that old itch and put some venison in the freezer with a handgun.

Oddly, no one makes a direct fit RMR mount for the NM FT so some machining will be involved.

They still catalog both those models on their website as New Model Blackhawk and New Model Single Six.

I've owned 3 previously, and currently own another, in .44 magnum. I much prefer shooting my Redhawk. But a Blackhawk is kinda like a 1911 in that your collection is lacking if you don't have one.

I realize they CATALOG it, but do they MAKE it??

I’m not trying to be silly. I haven’t seen NEW PRODUCTION Blackhawks or Single-Six’s in probably 3 years....

Try Bud’s/ Cabela’s/Whitakers/Sportsman’s Warehouse/Scheel’s. Nuttin’....

I have a Stainless 5 1/2” Bisley Blackhawk in .45 Colt. One of my favorite revolvers.

Ron

LGS has a new stainless Blackhawk .357 6.5".
Its over $800 according to the tag.

I saw a new Single Six (5.5") on an LGS website this week. They don't make them continuously, they do "runs" when demand hits a pre-determined level (and scheduling allows), I haven't seen new Ruger Single Actions for awhile myself, but with the new Single Six on the website, I'm thinking they're tooling up to make some batches of each.
Wheelguns aren't selling as well as self-defense small 9mms right now, so they concentrate on those and the revolvers suck dust until they decide to make more.

We have a local gun shop where you can buy any gun you want, as long as it's a 9 mm or 6.5 creedmoor.

my only 45acp and 9mm handguns are ruger blackhawk convertibles.

I hope they make another run of the 4.6" SS flattop convertible in 45 colt/ACP. I've had one on order at the local shop for about 4 years. They said they were on allocation at first but now they don't know what to think. I have a stainless 4.6 super Blackhawk in 44 mag but I really want that lighter flat top framed 45 colt. It should be great with my cast and PC252g swc at about 1050.

I know the flat top frame isn't the one to run full power ruger 45 colt loads but my other 44 colt is a mountain gun so I don't load much past medium loads like the one I just mention anyways. The lee 252g mold has a nice wide meplat for a swc.

Bb

My recent acquisition, a Single Six. Grips came from Lett many years ago.

4.62" SuperBlackhawk with a set of Texas Grips Extended grips.

The load I use is a 300 WFN GC just under 1200 fps and the grips really help manage recoil.

LGS has a stainless 5.5" Super.
Warning label underside ( yay ).
Have a dragoon stainless frame to swap in if I get it.
What do these things fetch nowadays?

Its used like new.

Ive seen other Ruger SA ad DA for sale, new....recently and the prices seemed high ( maybe I did take a nap under a rock for too long ).

Man, hookeye, if ya' want it, buy it. The days of $400 Blackhawks ain't ever comin' back. Usually you see 'em between $800-$1200 bucks and up.

Some mighty fine lookin' Blackhawks on this thread!

Here's a nice stainless one for sale on the Ruger Forum classifieds.

"Someone is going to get a really good revolver here. This is a New Model .357 Magnum Blackhawk with a 6.5” barrel. Added to an already wonderful gun is a Belt Mountain Base Pin, a Super Blackhawk Hammer, Bowen target rear sight with a narrowed .100 front sight, a set of gorgeous Micarta grips by Bob Leskovec of Precision Pro grips.
$750 Shipped FFL to FFL."


Blackhawk for sale