Ruger Blackhawk

[RichardWA]

This weekend I was being drug around to garage sales by the wife and found this Ruger. I tried to tell it to stay where it was, but it followed me home anyway.
It is marked Ruger, 45 caliber, New Model blackhawk. Serial # 46-225xx, which I think means it was manufactured in 1976. It seems to be in pretty good condition with some holster wear on the barrel. I probably paid to much for it at $300 but I thought it was a cool looking revolver. The man I bought it from said he had owned it for about 10 years and never fired it.
What I need to know is what 45 ammo does it take and what you're experiences with these guns have been.
Thanks in advance

 

[ISP 5353]

Congrats on a nice find! I have never had a Ruger BH that I didn't like. get some ammo and go shoot it. They are very sturdy and accurate.

 

[Crankylove]

I wouldn't mind a .45 Colt Blackhawk like that one, but I found a .41 Mag. first. I paid $260 for mine (its an '81 vintage) about 3 months ago, and don't think you paid too much for yours, at least judging by the prices in my neck of the woods.

 

[CajunBass]

Congratulations. Nice find. I don't know what they go for but $300.00 doesn't sound outrageous.

It's most likely a 45 (Long) Colt, but Ruger did/does make a convertable with interchangable cylinders for 45 Colt/45 ACP. I've never really looked at one, but I would imagine the cylinders are marked.

I've never owned one in 45, but have owned a couple of .357 BH's and they're good solid, revolvers. You'd about have to take a hammer to them to mess one up.

 

[Leejack]

You didn't pay too much.

Instead, you got one of the best guns there is!

Lee

 

[shafter]

You can fire any 45 colt ammo from it. Ruger's can take pretty much anything. Just make sure its not a 45acp cylinder first

 

[Echo23TC]

If it's got an ACP cylinder in it, you'll know as soon as you drop a 45 Colt through the loading gate - it won't go all the way in. On the other hand, if you try loading a 45 ACP into a 45 Colt cylinder, you'll wonder where it disappeared to...

Odds are it's a 45 Colt, though. I have its slightly older brother that I paid $325 for a couple of years ago.

Looks like someone tried putting an insert in your front sight.

 

[GeauxTide]

I've got a convertible just like yours and a SS Bisley. Spend the money on a Belt Mountain Base Pin and a professional trigger job. If you reload, you'll be in heavenly places. LC ammo is limited and expensive.

 

[44 AMP]

$300 isn't too much

I have had a 7.5" convertible for nearly 27 years, and bought a second one around 10 years ago. They are my favorite big bore revolvers.

It should be a .45 Colt, as Ruger made them in both .45 Colt only, and in .45 Colt/.45 ACP convertible (with a second cylinder). The cylinders are not marked (at least mine aren't).

Look in the cylinder and if there is a line in the chamber (about an inch in) its a .45 acp cylinder. The line is the ledge in the chamber the ACP case headspaces on. IF not, then its the .45 Colt cylinder.

Your gun is likely a .45 Colt, but it is possible it is a convertible, missing the other cylinder.

 

[gun nut]

You should be satisfied with the price you paid. Probably 45 colt. They are wonderful guns and what I seem to shoot more frequently. I've got a couple of vaqueros in 45 colt and they are great to shoot.

 

[Jim March]

Yeah, this is a "large frame" gun, meaning it's basically the same gun as the 44Magnum SuperBlackhawk, except has an aluminum grip frame, aluminum ejector rod housing and higher hammer. And chambered in 45LC (most likely - if it started as a double-caliber gun and all you have is the 45ACP cylinder you'll figure it out damned quick).

In 45LC it can take the +P loads by Buffalo Bore, Cor-Bon and the like.

 

[Pathfinder45]

Good deal.

Does it say, "MADE IN THE 200TH YEAR OF AMERICAN LIBERTY", on the barrel? It should. And it will do everything a .44 magnum will do plus.

 

[RichardWA]

Yep, It's is .45 Colt. Ammo for it is a little hard to find in this area. The one remaining gun shop had quite a few boxes of it. Not as expensive as I thought it would be, 50 rounds for $36.00.
Got to fire a few rounds through it last night, seems pretty accurate, not much recoil, and lots of noise. (which I like) Nice smooth, light trigger.
This is my first Ruger hand gun but after shooting it I am sure there will be more

 

[ladyRuger]

blackhawk

I too have a black hawk .41 mag and a blackhawk .357 and they are both great guns.