Blackhawk .45C/.45 ACP

M

Model12Win

Moderator
Guys you might have noticed my recent thread on the Ruger Redhawk .45 Colt/.45 ACP model. Well after doing some reading and judging the results that members have had here, it appears the new Redhawk doesn't group very well with .45 ACP ammunition. This is disconcerting to me to say the least. Since I am not a reloader, the ability to fire .45 ACP ammunition through a big .45 Colt gun would be an invaluable thing. Factory .45 ACP is about half the cost of factory .45 Colt, I could never afford to shoot the gun much with just .45 Colt ammo.

So that leads me back to "square one" as it were. Instead of the double-action Redhawk, I see that Ruger now has several Blackhawk models out that come with a .45 ACP replacement cylinder. I am quite fond of the blued 5.5" model with faux ivory grips.

But now how does THIS gun do with the ACP ammunition? Does it group them widely as the Redhawk appears to do? Or is this more accurate with the ACP ammo? Since I plan to mainly be firing .45 ACP ammo for training and fun, and carrying .45 Colt trail defense loads, I need it to be accurate in .45 ACP.

So what's the verdict on these convertible Ruger Blackhawk .45s? I'd love to own a "big forty five" as it were, right now my largest diameter revolver is a .38 S&W with it's .361" bore!

Let me know revolver peeps! :D
 
I've had a 4-5/8" .45 Blackhawk for a little over 20 years. It shoots equally well with the .45 Colt or ACP cylinder.

I've heard reports of undersized chamber throats, but I've slugged mine, and it's just right.
 
My convertible (.45Colt/.45ACP) shoots well with both cylinders. I wonder if another factor might be involved, but since reloads are not involved, the other factors would seem to be limited.

Jim
 
I have my friend's blued 45 Colt Blackhawk on loan. He found a stainless .45 acp cylinder at a gunshop and it shoots great despite not being 'factory fit'.
 
Thanks, all.

God knows I would have liked to buy that Redhawk, but if it shoots .45 ACP poorly (as reported by several users) than no thanks.
 
As repeatedly mentioned in numerous threads, the Convertible Red & the Convertible Black are two entirely separate animals.

The problem with ACP accuracy in the Red lies in shooting a short ACP round through a long Colt chamber, IN THE SAME CYLINDER.

With the Blackhawk using TWO SEPARATE CYLINDERS, one for Colt & the other properly set up for ACP, completely different situation, and the Blackhawk WITH ITS DEDICATED ACP CYLINDER will shoot ACPs just fine.

The Convertible Black has been around for many years, and it is no more ammo-sensitive in its ACP cylinder than it is in its Colt cylinder.

Just don't expect both short & long .45 ammo to shoot to the same point of aim, you'll need to adjust the sights.
Denis

Denis
 
Neither of my .45s were bought as convertibles, as at the time Ruger didn't offer them, but they would fit an ACP cylinder if sent back to them. I had two done this way, a 7 1/2" and a 4 5/8" model. The 7 1/2" gun worked fine with the ACP cylinder, but the one for the 4 5/8" gun would not even chamber a .45 ACP round, I think the throats were .450" or less. Had my gunsmith ream it out to .454" and all is well now.

I use the ACP cylinder for my ".45 Xtra Short as well, and no problem with accuracy whatsoever.


Bob Wright
 
As I said in the other thread, it's up to you what .45 revolver you want. If you're looking for a plinker to have fun with and be a good woods walking and hiking gun, the Blackhawk is unrivaled for that role.

Also, there are plenty of used .45 convertible Blackhawk's available and you can easily find one for $500 online.
 
#1 thing to do is - slug your barrel.
#2 thing to do is - slug each cylinder throat

#3 - let's work from there.

(As an aside question, why don't you reload?
It's not at all difficult or expensive & it makes little annoying things like this go away easily.)
 
I don't wanna!!

Really, I'm moving soon to a different locale, and it makes not sense for me to perform the reloadings at this current time.

So from your responses it appears the Blackhawk convertible does a lot better with .45 ACP ammo than does the new Redhawk...
 
I had a Blackhawk convertible for a long time. It's a great idea and would work well, especially if you don't reload. Since I have always been a reloader, I never did use the ACP cylinder. If it weren't for reloading, I wouldn't shoot much centerfire ammo at all.
 
One of underlying issues here could also be: Double-action vs Single-action. For me, even if both guns shot equally well in both cartridges, I would go with the single-action, every time. I like the fixed-sighted Vaquero the best, but the Blackhawk is also excellent.
 
Thanks, gang.

Truth be known I was really set on that Redhawk.

But, since I'm a "non-reloading deplorable", no doubt I'd be shooting mostly .45 ACP through the gun. But I still wanted the ability to shoot a wide range of .45 Colt loads up to and including the big Buffalo Bore boomers through the gun.

But after hearing about many people having bad accuracy problems with .45 ACP ammo through the Redhawk, it really took the wind out of my sails for that one. No doubt. Our member DPris mentioned he tested his Redhawk and it grouped very badly with many .45 ACP loads.

That being said I've always wanted a single-action centerfire revolver. I hear they're fun!
 
Go back & re-read my post.
There's no "it appears" about it.
The Blackhawk has no problem with ACP accuracy because it uses a dedicated ACP cylinder.
I've had my two-cylinder Convertible Black for over 10 years.
I'm not passing on rumors or third-hand stories.
Don't know how to say it any plainer.

If you want to go further on the convertible Red issue, go find the Kindle book on Amazon detailing the results I had with TWO CONVERTIBLE REDS.
Shows ACP accuracy results at 25 yards off a rest through TWO samples, so you can see exactly what both Reds did with several premium ACP loads.

And I'll add that four years or so ago I tested an expensive convertible Super Red from a custom shop that'd started out as a .454, was modified to also shoot .45 Colt in moon clips, and .45 ACP in moon clips, all through the same cylinder.

ACP accuracy was dismal & velocities markedly slower.

I am not trying to tell anybody not to buy the Convertible Red, just saying ACP accuracy has been documented to be problematic, ditto with ignition, it may take some experimentation to find an accurate ACP load in the gun, and if you plain to shoot mostly ACPs, you may want to re-think.

The Convertible Reds do fine with Colt loads, but not all ACPs deal well with that longer Colt chamber.
If you plan to shoot mostly, or only ACPs, far better off with the Black.

Denis
 
, would that be factory ammo, or hand-loads?
Click to expand...

Both.

Factory FMJ, and HP............. and FMJ, jacketed HP, plated, and cast lead handloads for .45 Auto.

Cast lead factory, and cast and plated lead handloads in .45 Colt.

I've never slugged bore or chambers, but mine seems to shoot better (groups and point of aim) with .45 Auto, or .45 Colt loaded with bullets intended for the .45 Auto.
 
Be careful, tis a TRAP!!! :D;)

I got my first convertible Blackhawk in 1983. .45 Colt/.45ACP 7.5" barrel. It was my first SA revolver, and my first .45Colt.

At the time, only had a .45acp, but I was a reloader. I got the Ruger with the idea that I could plink with .45ACP and not have to go chasing my (precious) brass in the sagebrush. On the way home from picking up the gun, I decided I should have at least ONE box of .45Colt ammo for it. So I stopped at another place and got a box of Winchester .45 Colt. The "standard" 255gr load that they have been making since they switched over to smokeless powder.

I made one small "mistake". When I took it out shooting, the first shots were .45 Colt. WOW!!! Tremendous BOOM!!! and the muzzle pointed to the sky!

I was HOOKED!!!

After that, shooting .45ACP in the big Blackhawk was just kind of "..meh.." Oh, it goes bang, and there is a slight recoil, but its pale and weak compared to the .45 Colt! My original plan of using the Ruger to shoot (primarily) .45acp went out the window with that first cylinder of factory standard .45 Colt.

In all the years since, I don't think I've fired more than 300 rounds of ACP ammo through my Blackhawk. Several thousand rounds of .45 Colt have been sent downrange though.

There is something very appealing to me about shooting the single action revolver. No, its not "tacticool", and its slow speed reloading and shooting "will get me killed in a gunfight"..etc., But I LIKE them! For me, its kind of the same enjoyment I get from driving a high performance manual transmission car (do they still call them "standards"?)

I have a couple of Blackhawk .45 Convertibles, a pair of stainless Vaqueros (4 5/8") a 5.5" Vaquero, a 5.5" Vaquero Bisley, and a 5.5" New Vaquero, all in .45 Colt. Also have a Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum , a Blackhawk in .357Mag, and a Super Single Six (.22LR /.22WMR)

Looking back on it, some folks might say I made another "mistake" by getting a Ruger, not a Colt for my first single action. To those "old west purists" I suppose I did. The Ruger is bigger and heavier than the Colt, and the New Model lockwork is quite different than the traditional Colt system. After decades shooting the Blackhawk, Colt SAAs seem small and fragile to me.

A good friend is a Colt fan, has a lovely collection, and feels my Rugers are "big and clunky".

Its all about what you like, so there is no "wrong" choice.
 
True, just make an educated choice & understand the differences between the Red & the Black.

There's nothing inherently inaccurate in the .45 ACP through a revolver, the problem lies in shooting that short round through the same long chamber in the Convertible Red as .45 Colts, and results are simply not as consistent as with shooting .45 Colt loads through a .45 Colt cylinder.
Denis
 
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