357 Blackhawk

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kcub

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Blackhawk 45 Colts can be souped up to 44 magnumish levels.

Ok, so what can an over engineered 357 Blackhawk do? 357 Max?
 
hot

I'd suspect the problem would not be the gun, but the brass. The .357 is already a high intensity cartridge of sorts, whereas the .45 Colt is not. Modern brass allows hot rodding a .45 to some degree, as the tough Blackhawk will take some higer pressure, so to speak. But the .357 is already operating at peak pressures.

A max load is pretty much a max load.
 
The 357 Maximum is too long for the cylinder. If you could approach Max ballistics in a shorter case I think the old forcing cone erosion bug a boo would rear it's ugly head. Also the 45Colt is a much lower pressure cartridge giving more room for safe and greater power increase compared to the 357 mag. The 357/44 B&D should work in a regular Blackhawk but still would impart a lot of fury on the forcing cone. I you did use the B&D I would say keep the bullet weight on the heavy side to burn a little bit less powder.
 
Keeping the bullets on the heavy side is what contributed to the throat erosion in the maximum.
 
Ok, so what can an over engineered 357 Blackhawk do?
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It can actually shoot REAL .357 Magnum ammo. Stuff loaded to the original 1935 load levels, not the reduced loads sold today.

Loads too hot to work in a K frame or smaller guns will not bother the Ruger.

STUPIDLY high pressure loads, of course, will. Rugers are strong, they are not invulnerable.
 
It can actually shoot REAL .357 Magnum ammo. Stuff loaded to the original 1935 load levels, not the reduced loads sold today.
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I take it you're talking about loads like those from Buffalo Bore, Underwood, Doubletap, etc.? Or can they be pushed even higher?
 
I have hot rodded Ruger NM Blackhawks in 357 to near Freedom Arms pressures before and 3 times pushed the recoil plate back enough to have the primers fill the void and lock up the action. However the 357 original loads will operate very well in both the mid size and full size Ruger frames. It's always been my opinion that the downsizing of the 357 power wise was done to help promote the larger calibers more. After all the 357 for some reason just can't do what it used to do has become a common thought and I guess it can't with factory ammo.
 
I concur with .44AMP. A Ruger Blackhawk enables the reloader to get "true" 1935-style ballistics out of a pistol, using loads that would shake apart a K-frame in short order.

Trying to turn the .357 Mag into a .357 Max or .35 Remington is tempting fate in a big way.
 
I concur with .44AMP. A Ruger Blackhawk enables the reloader to get "true" 1935-style ballistics out of a pistol, using loads that would shake apart a K-frame in short order.

Trying to turn the .357 Mag into a .357 Max or .35 Remington is tempting fate in a big way.
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Absolutely, Even a Ruger has it's limits and it's just asking for problems going over that limit.
 
1935 ballistics were a 158 tossed out at 1515 fps from an 8 3/4" barrel. I have chronoed old ammo enough to say, "yeah, they were close". I load my REDHAWK up to 1500 FPS with a 158 routinely. I have shot the same load in my Pre-27's and the recoil is stout. I would say a blackhawk could handle it but I would not push it much more than that.

As a 357 max fan, the max round would not fit in blackhawk frame. That is why Ruger made the SRM or the stretched frame that was used on the 357 Maximum Blackhawks. I love mine and it is a hoot to toss full powered max loads out if it.
 
Ruger did produce a Bisley Model 357 with a 7 1/2" barrel in fact one of the guns I set the recoil plate back on was one.
 
Really? Now that would be a sweety!!!

One of my dream guns is a blued Ruger New Model Blackhawk in .357 magnum with a pair of nice custom walnut grips, and a nice action and trigger job with the cylinder gap set to .002"-.003" :)

I'd reload a bunch of 158 grain hard cast Keith bullet .357 magnums loaded as hot as safely possible, and go to work on some swinging plates! I'd also use it for hunting deer and maybe even hogs, with appropriate loads.

C'mon Ruger make it happen! :D
 
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So in summary it sounds like a Ruger Blackhawk new or old can easily handle the boutique hot and heavy loads such as offered by Buffalo Bore, DoubleTap, Underwood, Grizzly, Littlestone, etc.
 
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Since Elmer Keith souped up 44 special in Colt SAA that lead to the 44 magnum (after blowing up a 45 Colt due to its thinner cylinder walls relative to notches) a 357 Colt SAA ought to have ample steel for old time 1935 magnum loads. Ruger Blackhawk even more so.
 
But do you want to subject your nice Flat Top or Colt to such hot loads? In the end, what do you gain for all the extra stress? 150 fps?
 
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