Ruger Blackhawk caliber question

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DavidB2

New member
I am looking at getting a Ruger Blackhawk stainless in either the .357/38 spc or the convertible in .45 Colt/.45 ACP. Barrel length of 4 5/8 since I will be carrying it as a backup pistol when hunting

I have a 1911 and a Cimarron Frontier in .45 Colt. I love to shoot the .45 Colt; but since I am not a reloader; I have to get the ammo online unless I trip over it at gunstores. The .45 ACP is more affortable and available. Love the feel of .45 round; as well as the hole it leaves in targets.

However, I am tempted by the .357/38 stainless as well. Ammo is definitely affortable and available in both calibers at local gunstore.

I am looking at a fun to shoot plinker; and maybe a backup when hunting. I am certain that both the .357 and .45 Colt will drop deer, hogs, and other big game if I am shooting hot loads.

Thanks for any feedback on these rounds when it comes to advantages/disadvantages of both.
 
Two thumbs up for the Blackhawk .357 ;)

Load it up any way that suits your fancy, I've owned two of them, both stellar!
 
my vote is for the 357/9mm

I have the 45c/45acp convertible and love it. I already reloaded 45acp so it was an easy decision since most all of the components cross over. Given you don't reload I would definitely lean towards the 357/9mm. Ammo will be far more available and cheaper. Another thing to consider is seeing if Cimarron will make you a 45acp cylinder for your frontier. One issue you may run into is that if you get a 45colt blackhawk and buy the high pressure ammo it can handle there is always a risk of putting a +p round in your Cimarron causing it/you harm. I reload full power ammo (300gn/1200fps) for my blackhawk and as such will never buy a weaker gun in 45c just to be safe. There are very few things in the lower 48 that a full cylinder of 357 wont put down. Plus the extra trigger time the 9mm ammo will afford you will make you that much more accurate and lethal when it comes to hunting.
 
I have both.. I use the SS .357 Blackhawk the most. Much more affordable to shoot than the .45 Caliber. With the .45 Caliber I shoot mainly .45 ACPs in it--all handloaded and with cast bullets. IMHO it woudl eb best to get the .357 first and but the .45 later.
 
Since you said you don't reload, the .357/9mm would be best for you. You can do a lot cheap plinking with the pea shooter revolver which means lots of practice. Leave your .45s for the 'working' guns :) . I love my .45 revolvers and normally would recommend them, but then I reload.
 
If you're going to modify the gun, the 357/9mm has a lot of merit.

If you're going to leave it stock, I believe that in a full-size frame Blackhawk the 45LC/45ACP combination is more useful. The 45ACP is both your "cheaper shooting" choice and your go-to personal defense caliber. The 45LC on the other hand can do everything the 44Magnum can do in this class of gun, using loads like the Buffalo Bore 45LC+P stuff and similar from Grizzly Cartridge and others. (Cor-Bon has some 45LC+P that split the difference between standard 45LC and the really hot stuff.)

In 357/9mm you've really got more gun than either caliber needs, esp. in terms of strength. However, you can do one of two things with the 9mm cylinder: send it off to Gary Reeder to be reamed in 356GNR (41Magnum shell necked down to .357, shoots through a .357 barrel, delivers 357Maximum energy levels) OR you could take that 9mm and build another "Maurice" :). And yes, I'll guide you on how to do it, if you want. Maurice (magazine-fed and gas-pressure-auto-shell-ejecting New Vaquero) needs a younger brother :D.
 
FWIW I love my .45colt 4 5/8" Blackhawk. Having said that, I've also owned the identical gun in .357/9mm. As said above the .357/9mm is the better choice if you don't reload.
 
David, either get the .357 or a reloading bench.

Reloading isn't that hard, you just have to pay attention. It's very rewarding and can save you lots of $$ especially when politicians threaten to take guns away.
 
David, I don't think you can go wrong with the Blackhawk in either configuration. I've owned several Single Six, Blackhawk, Blackhawk Bisley and Super Blackhawk Ruger single actions over the last many years. I have not owned the .45LC/45ACP version. My single action revolver in .45 ACP is the Freedom Arms .454, with an extra cylinder for .45ACP. Shooting .45ACP in the big FA revolver feels about like shooting .38 wadcutters in a K-Frame S&W, very soft. I suspect it would be similar in the Ruger Blackhawk in being very soft to shoot with the ACP ammo. And, of course, the Blackhawk can handle some very serious .45 Colt loads....

BTW, I can recommend the Williams Shooters Supply stainless KBN-34X 357/9MM revolver if they all exhibit quality similar to the one I bought. Mine, with 4 5/8" barrel, is one of the nicest Rugers I've ever owned as far as fit, finish, cylinder timing with both cylinders, B/C gap, etc. Very controllable with .357 158 JSP ammo.and very soft to shoot with .38 Spcl. 129 grain +P. With standard 9MM ammo, recoil is more noticeable than with .38+P. Recoil inches closer again to .357 with some of the warmer 9MM +P and +P+ ammo...ymmv
 
I had the same dilemmia and I just took some time off the subject to clear my head.
I then came at it from a different angle and asked myself first of all what do I like?
Well I like the old Colt's but shy away frim the imports because they;re flimsy when compared to a Ruger!
I thought about it and it hit me like bruck
1 What about a Vaquero???
Perfect, the looks and I could get it i Stainless Steel too!
OK wht about Caliber?
I wanted one that'd kill about anything on this continent and I decided on the ,357 Magnum.
I could shoot light .38 Specials and even high end fctory Magnums for defense!
So that's what I bought a 4 5/8" ,357 Mag Vaquero!
One nice extra I just discoverd is that I can also shoot +P .38 Specials and I discovered that the Remongton Golden Sabre+P is a VERY accurate load from my Vaquero and quote powerfull as a defense load! So I have found the right gun, the right load and am one happy camper!
HTH,
BPDave
 
Yes, when he said that I immediately thought of .454 Casull which also fires .45LC and of course .45LC can be loaded pretty light is in some of the cowboy loads.

I checked and I didn't find the Vaquero in .454 but I did find them in .44MAG which of course also fires .45LC so this could be an option as well. The Vaqueros in .44Mag can be found with 4 5/8", 5 1/2" and 7 1/2" barrels, stainless and blued. And there is the Bisley variant as well. These seem to be available at around $650.00 and up. It looks like the 7 1/2" barrels go for more but they would make the better hunting gun and really let the .44 Mag loads build up some steam.
 
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