just got my Super Blackhawk, anything I should know?

H

headbangerJD

New member
I just picked up my 50th Anniversary Ruger Super blackhawk yesterday. This is my first single-action revolver, so my knowledge of the gun is minimal. I am hoping that you guys & gals can fill me in on anything that I may need to or should know about this particular gun, or single-actions in general from everything to maintenance, to shooting, to ammo selection, etc.

I appreciate the advice,

Jd
 
R

rclark

New member
Well, that's a big subject!

Here is a place to read up on the gun.

http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-50thSBH.htm

The instruction manual should be read.

The following forums are a big help too :

http://rugerforum.net/forums.php

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/index.php

Anything you should know? Well it will kick like a mule with .44mag loads. Be prepared......

As far as ammo is concerned, you can shoot .44 Special or .44mag out of the revolver. As a reloader, I personally load my .44mag down to .44 Special loads as full house .44mag aren't much fun for extended shooting sessions.

I assume you have shot before? The .44mag isn't a beginners revolver. Shoot .44 Specials before moving up to .44Mag. With this revolver you can load all six as it has the safety bar.

Then, just go shoot it and get a feel for it. Takes a bit to get used to shooting a .44mag. Make sure you have a real firm grip the first time you shoot it. You don't want it digging a hole in the back of your hand or flying out of your hand. After a couple of rounds, you'll know better of how firm a grip you actually need. Wear ear protection and enjoy :) ! Oh, depending on your hand size and grip, it may rap your knuckle. If that happens you can tape up the knuckle before shooting. Some people don't get rapped. All hands are different.
 
O

Ozzieman

New member
Good advice from rclark.
Start with specials until you get the hang of the gun. That gun tends to lift or rotate in your hands so start light and work up.
The big thing about the super is that YOU will wear out long before it will.
For a first single action it’s a very good choice, now just feed it and keep it warm and you will end up keeping it for life.
 
J

Jim March

New member
Yup. Good advice so far.

Next: pull the grip panels. Is there a keylock under there? Find out, then call Wolff Springs, see which spring kit is available for that gun. If there's no keylock, then any spring kit for New Model (post-1973) SuperBlackhawks will fit. If there's a keylock in there, I don't know which kit will be right. Wolff should.

http://www.gunsprings.com/

The spring you need the most is the one on the base pin latch. It's abnormally strong and eliminates the possibility of the base pin jumping out under recoil. You don't want that happening. If it ever happens ONCE, you want to fix it somehow, either with a stronger latch spring or with a Belt Mountain base pin with a set-screw nailing it down tight.

Spring kits are $20 or so and also help your hammer cocking and trigger feel.

Belt Mountain base pins tend to tighten up the action some, and often improve accuracy just a smidge.

http://www.beltmountain.com/

Other upgrades include sights:

http://www.bowenclassicarms.com/parts_Rug_Rough_Country_Adj_Rear.htm

...and if you really have trouble with the SBH "squareback" grip frame, a total conversion to a Bisley parts set (hammer/trigger/grip frame) for about $250ish. That setup is well regarded for dealing with big recoil.
 
W

warnerwh

New member
As the people above have stated recoil is strong and the gun will roll up. I have one with a 4 5/8" barrel. I don't use it to fire full magnum loads because it's just too much for me to deal with. I have a Dan Wesson for heavy loads, a much heavier gun. However I load my SBH down to a .44 Special+P load and recoil is still stout. The .44 Special ammo is the way to go.
 
S

stonedog406

New member
I have an older 3 screw that had pachmayr grips when I bought it. I found some original wood grips to replace them, so as to have it as close to stock as possible. After shooting 5 rounds through it with the wood grips, I put the aftermarket grips back on and kept the wood ones if I ever want to just look at it! A good investment for 30-40 bucks if you want to shoot it a lot with magnum loads.
 
M

mec

New member
They are exceptionally strong. They will develop cylinder end float if you pound them with extra heavy loads. It is a good idea to keep the ejector housing screw tight as these have been known to shear and launch the assembly off the gun. I've had this happen twice with 300 grain bullet loads that were listed in some of the older handbooks. At the time the manuals were published, the industry standard maximum pressuers were higher than now and it appears they relied, for the 300 grain bullets, on some published data by a gunwriter who went into print before the manuals came out. Later publications reduced the loads considerably. Using those early loads, my ejector housings launced even though the screws were tight.
If you stick with factory level loads or those listed in current handbooks, the revolver should have a very long service life.
I'm not up on the mainspring associated with the internal lock but I've always found it best to leave the Mainspring at full strength. A common trigger pull reducing move is to either kick one leg of the trigger return spring off of the gripframe peg, or bend the legs upward to reduce trigger return tension or replace the spring entirely with a lighter one from Wolff. The only caution in modifying the original springs is to make sure that enough tension remains that the trigger does not kick forward as the hammer falls.

A lyman /keith type hollowpoint at 1365fps. Fairly moderate but got full expansion. The revolver is a 5.5" termed a "Blackhawk" but aside from the cylinder fluets and short grip frame, the same as a SBH:
attachment.php


Stainless SBH
attachment.php
 
Last edited:
J

Jim March

New member
Yeah, blue locktight on the ejector housing screw is a good idea Ditto the five grip frame screws, although they're not as critical. Use quality hollow-ground screwdriver bits that fit the screws.
 
T

troy_mclure

New member
ive had my sbh for a while, i fire hot 300gr .44mag thru it.

i have a pachmayr decelerator grip on it that is awesome. those stupid wood grips make it painfull to shoot even moderately loaded .44 rounds.

the pachmayr grip lets me shoot hot loads all day. and i aint no hulk either.
 
G

GeauxTide

New member
Haven't had the ejector housing screw loosen with my SS SBH; however, get a Bowen Rough Country Rear Sight, and a Belt Mountain Base Pin. After a couple hundred full loads, get a good trigger job. The base pin will slide out with full loads, so get the BMBP with a lock screw.
 
C

Cult .44

New member
Yeah, keep an eye on that ejector housing screw. I had mine pop off once at the range. It was a little embarrassing as a cease fire had to be called so the range guy could go grab it. Fortunately, we were able to find everything except the screw. I bought a couple of new screws from Midway and a bottle of blue Loctite and was back in business. Also a good idea is to regularly check the frame screws as they like to loosen up over time.

With the square-backed, plough-share grip, you'll want to hold it lower than other types of pistols (I have big hands so my pinky goes underneath). It took me awhile to find just the right spot in my palm, but once I did I was able to shoot pretty stout loads comfortably.
 
R

RickE

New member
I found rubber Pachmeyer grips help with the mag load. It helps minimize the recoil torquing. Great hunting gun with 7.5" barrel. Federal makes a hunting load that delivers enough foot #s at 100 yards to hunt Elk in Washington State. 300 grain lead bullet.
 
M

mec

New member
Earlier sBHs had a bushing to accept the ejector housing screw. I sheered one of those off with a 300 grain load. Don't know if the screw was loose or not. The second one I launched was a later model with the screw threaded directly into the barrel. This one was tight, loctited with bead of superglue under the housing. I stopped using high recoiling 300 grain bullet loads.
 
H

headbangerJD

New member
I haven't been able to shoot my new beauty yet, so I've been just handling and looking at it for the past few days. This gun is sharp! I would hate to have to replace the nice cocobolo grips, but if recoil is more than expected I'll consider the pachmayr decelerator grips. I definitely will be replacing the rear sight, so a Bowen Rough Country Rear Sight may be getting ordered pretty soon, even though its a bit pricey. I'll also be getting a locking Belt Mountain Base Pin, but does anybody know if the bluing on it will match the great blue finish of my revolver? I also will probably be getting some work done to the trigger because it is a little gritty during reset.

I love this gun :D
 
Last edited:
R

rclark

New member
I'd make an honest effort to get used to the gun and break it in before making modifications.
Click to expand...
+1 !!! Putting rubber baby buggy bumpers on a sixgun is heresy for example..... :) . Remember you don't have to shoot wrist busting rounds thought it. Almost 100% of my shooting is at .44 Special power levels. More fun that way.... and it's a load that will handle just about anything out there you might run into.
 
H

headbangerJD

New member
The rear sight is the only part of the gun that I am definitely going to replace right away. The rear and front sights are both black, so even by aiming and dry firing I can tell that getting them aligned is harder than it should be. Everything else are just "maybe's" that I am pondering doing after I get a good feel for my gun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top