older ruger blackhawk 357 questions

F

ftballgod

New member
i just picked up a older model ruger blackhawk 357. (1969) it does not have the transfer bar safety. it is in pretty good condition with a couple rub spots.

my questions

should i send it to ruger to have them put the transfer bar safety in?

how do i safely shoot it without it? (i was told to only load 5 rounds and to keep the pin on the empty chamber.) is there any tricks to loading it like that?
 
Keep it like it is. The old three screws are very desireable unconverted. No real trick to loading it just load five and spin the cylinder till the empty chamber is lined up under the hammer. If your just shooting at the range load 6 the only thing the transfer bar does is prevent the gun from firing if its been dropped hard.
 
To load five shots correctly you open the gate with the gun on half cock then place the first cartridge in the available chamber. Then by hand rotate the cylinder skipping the next available chamber and load the next four chambers one after another until you have five chambers loaded total. Then close the loading gate and bring the gun into full cock while keeping it pointed in a safe direction and lower the hammer slowly on the empty chamber. You now have five shots loaded and are resting the hammer on a empty chamber.
 
If anybody's uncomfortable with an un-converted Old Model, they should send it in for conversion, but should first remove & retain the original lock parts (hammer, trigger, pawl, springs, etc) to either keep with the gun or for later re-installation.

Ruger will convert the stripped frame, stamping ALL converted guns with an "R" under the front of the TG/gripframe, where it won't be seen w/o disassembly.

Nobody would be able to otherwise find out via visual inspection that it was converted (w/o disassembly, i.e.), once the conversion parts were removed & the original parts re-installed.

BTW - If you call them with the SN, Ruger will mail you a shipping container, so you can send (UPS/FEDEX/etc) the gun directly to their Service Dept (Legal under Federal Law, but not US Postal Regs).


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I own 2 unconverted blackhawks, a 1968 357, and a 1965 41 magnum. My brother has a 1959 flat top 357. I owned 2 single sixes, one was a super. What do these all have in common? NONE are converted and none will be converted by me or my brother. Pure and simple, the safety is between your ears. The guns also do have a half cock safety like the old Colt SAAs. I don't see why people get their guns converted to the new system. Kind of like the warning label which is also unecessary for any responsible gun owner with any measure of intelligence.

If you ever go to sell your Ruger, but its converted, you better have the original parts or the gun will be significantly less valuable. Some people will tell you it is much safer to have the conversion, but at that point, the smartest move is probably to sell your original blackhawk to a collector, and buy a new model which has the transfer system already. On the other hand, if you get it converted, and lose the original parts, you only make my Rugers that much more collectible!
 
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I saw an old three-screw Super Blackhawk for sale at a gunshow recently, in pristine condition. Asking price was $795. Then I noticed the hammer was not correct, and found the gun had been converted to the transfer bar. Price dropped to around $300, still went unsold.

Bob Wright
 
I much prefer being able to keep six in there and don't have an issue with the transfer bars that some purist do. Being said, no way in hell am I sending an old 3 screw in for a conversion.
 
If you decide to send in the gun (at some later date) Ruger will convert the gunn and then return it to you WITH the old parts. They do not keep those parts.

Bob
 
"Load one, skip one, load four, lower the hammer" was how Skeeter Skelton put it. I would keep that Old Model original-they haven't made them in 40 years.
 
If it was goiing to be a working gun and not a collectors piece, I would personally sell it to someone who would appriciate it more than me. I rather have the transfer bar on guns I use, but I understand why it should remain untouched.

You could probably sell it quick by listing it here, then go buy a new model
 
bacardisteve said:
Keep it like it is. The old three screws are very desireable unconverted. No real trick to loading it just load five and spin the cylinder till the empty chamber is lined up under the hammer. If your just shooting at the range load 6 the only thing the transfer bar does is prevent the gun from firing if its been dropped hard.
Click to expand...
OR if something gets dropped on it. I knew a guy in the Air Force with a 44 caliber groove down the back of his calf. He was wearing such a gun in his holster when cinching a saddle, the stirrup fell off the pommel and hit the gun's hammer. BANG. Ouch.

If you are going to carry the gun around, especially in an open-top holster, that is the only way to carry, with an empty round under the hammer. If you are going shooting (at a range or in a gunfight:eek:) load six. Just don't leave the hammer down on a live primer.

Lost Sheep
 
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