Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 Mag

L

Laslow

Inactive
Hey.

Right now, the only gun I own ;) is a 1974 Ruger Security Six .357 Magnum, 4 inch barrel, blued
(It's pretty darn cool, except that it's a 150-serial prefix, which means finding grips for it is next to impossible. It slides up on your hand, which is why Ruger changed the grip design on 151 prefix and up :barf: )


I'm going to be purchasing a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 Magnum
4 and 5/8th inch barrel, probably blued.

Does anyone have any major comments, or suggestions on this?
Also... Do you think blued is the best choice over stainless?
Mostly personal preference, I hear. :eek:



My Security Six is blued, a bit worn... for a 1974 gun it doesn't look bad.
Actually, I almost like how it looks -- Kind of hard core. :cool:
 
Nothing wrong with the SBH whether blued or stainless. Stainless is a little easier upkeep if you are in a humid or salty area. Since you already have a Sec6, why not go to the Redhawk in .44M? Not much more money, can be found, maybe, in 5 1/2" barrel, has been available blued or stainless. Very similar to the feel of the Security Six. Accurate, very strong and more troublefree than the SBH - no base pin to kick out, no ejector housing screw to shear under heavy recoil, fewer screws to loosen.
 
Reallyyy...? :eek: :eek: :eek:
Hmm.

I like the short barrel and the look of the Super Blackhawk...
But if it's more troublefree... :eek: I was, actually, considering it.

What about other Ruger 44 Magnum revolvers...? Single-Action. :eek:


It's not very often I shoot double-action with my Security-Six.

Now I'm really considering a Redhawk, though. :p
 
If you want a single action Ruger in 44, hurry up. There will be no Ruger single action 44s in the near future. I suggest the Super Redhawk myself in 454/45 Long Colt.
 
I have the 357, 44 & 45 Blackhawk 4 5/8" and love them. I have had the Redhawk, S&W 629 and the Colt Anaconda but nothing compares to the Blackhawks. I suggest SS for making things easy to clean.
 
There will be no Ruger single action 44s in the near future.
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First, this is an absolutely false statement. There has been alot of rumor and supposition about the Vaquero line of single action pistols, but this has nothing to do with the Super Blackhawk that the original poster was asking about. Let's address the Vaquero rumors as well. As we all know the Vaquero has been redesigned for the SASS crowd to a smaller frame (Blackhawk) and will be chambered in .357 and .45 colt to begin with. This frame will not support the .44 Magnum cartridge. What many do not know is that Ruger intends to keep making the large frame in .44 magnum, which is not a popular SASS caliber. I was given this information by our distributor and am trying to verify from Ruger now. So before anyone freaks out, I will do the due diligence to provide information regarding the .44 magnum Vaquero. All that having been said, the .44 Magnum Super Blackhawk isn't going anywhere.

Now to address the original question.

Either the Super Blackhawk or the Redhawk will serve you well in .44 magnum. I would caution you away from the 4 5/8" Super Blackhawk and more toward a 5 1/2 inch in either gun. The 4 5/8" is a fun gun to shoot, but if you are not an experience single action shooter, I find it can be hard to shoot accurately. I own a 4 5/8" Super Blackhawk in .44 magnum, as well as 7 1/2" Redhawk in .44 magnum and a 5 1/2" Redhawk in .45 Colt. Don't worry about the "supposed" issues with the Super Blackhawk. In the 8 years that I have been working in a gun shop and the 25 plus years I have been shooting them I have yet to see any of the issues (no base pin to kick out, no ejector housing screw to shear under heavy recoil, fewer screws to loosen.) that were mentioned. Both designs are strong and durable, get the one that you like the most. Good luck and let us know what you get.

.44mag
 
Base pin problem is common as dirt. My 5 1/2" SS SBH has been kicking it's pin forever. Probably detempered the spring slightly by shooting it until too hot to hold time and again. Son's identical SBH same and sheared ejector housing screw. 'smith said this was very common and had a replacement screw ready to go. Still a great gun and blue Loctite keeps the screws in place.
 
Base pin problem is common as dirt. My 5 1/2" SS SBH has been kicking it's pin forever. Probably detempered the spring slightly by shooting it until too hot to hold time and again. Son's identical SBH same and sheared ejector housing screw. 'smith said this was very common and had a replacement screw ready to go. Still a great gun and blue Loctite keeps the screws in place.
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Its a lie, no Rugers have any problems whatsoever. Ruger are the infallible machines of the firearm industry...just ask 44mag :D
 
I prefer the longer barreled Super Blackhawks. Mine is a 7 1/2 inch. Reason being the 7 1/2" and 9 1/2" have a longer grip than the shorter ones.
I've been shooting mine for six years with no problems. It might be because the additional weight dampens the recoil more than the short barreled versions. I also stick mostly to the 240-grain offerings, maybe the maxed-out loads out there accelerate any problems.

The Redhawk comes in 5 1/2" as its shortest barrel.

Both are easy shooting guns, and about as tough as you'll find. I prefer The Super Blackhawk, just shoots easier and better for me. The recoil in the 7 1/2" version is almost dissapointing.
 
I prefer the longer barreled Super Blackhawks. Mine is a 7 1/2 inch. Reason being the 7 1/2" and 9 1/2" have a longer grip than the shorter ones.
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I have a SBH with the 4 5/8 barrel. My only real complaint about the gun ( many about the company) is that the grip is just too short. To shoot it I have to rest the grip on my little finger.

Due to an unfortunate altercation with a telephone pole in my younger days I have no strength in that finger so the recoil spreads it outward and it hurts like hell with mag round
 
I used both 7 1/2" and 9 1/2" models for IMHSA silhouette shooting and loved both of them. The 9 1/2" was especially fun to shoot and a great hunting gun. Noise was not much of a problem when hunting without hearing protection.

I've done almost a hundred trigger jobs on Blackhawks of various configurations and found that it's easy to bend the factory trigger return spring tails into a U-shape and a C around the mainspring to lighten the pull. After smoothing the trigger/hammer surfaces and bending the spring, it's easy to get a pull around 2.5 lbs. and eliminate backlash by balancing the return spring tension. It takes special techniques to go lower than 2.2 pounds and I don't recommend it for any but seasoned target shooters.

The Redhawk is an especially difficult trigger mechanism to tune. Maybe with today's kits?

John
 
I have a SBH with the 4 5/8 barrel. My only real complaint about the gun ( many about the company) is that the grip is just too short. To shoot it I have to rest the grip on my little finger.
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I just bought a 4 5/8 SBH .44 mag...I really like it, but I have noticed the same thing about the grip being short...in fact, I also rest the grip on my little finger. It's a real nice shooter and I find it fairly accurate. In terms of choosing a redhawk or SBH, it really depends on what you are using it for and your preferences. I wanted an 'old west' kind of gun...that's why I bought it...but if you were considering it for protection (like from large animals), you might want to get the DA gun.
 
Its a lie, no Rugers have any problems whatsoever. Ruger are the infallible machines of the firearm industry...just ask 44mag
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Thank you Body Bagger for your support of Ruger and getting the word out about them.

That having been said, I never said they don't break. I have always said that when a Ruger breaks, the company goes out of their way to fix the problem. I also believe I said that I had not seen the issues listed in my time of shooting and selling SBH's. Doesn't mean they don't happen, just that they must not be that common that someone who deals with guns for a profession has yet to see the them. Good morning everyone. Have a great day.

.44mag
 
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How is the 44 Magnum Bisley Vaquero, Stainless, in comparison to the Super Blackhawk?

I was at a local gunshop just recently, and I saw an old 2-screw Super Blackhawk 44 Magnum, 7 1/2 inch barrel, I believe. It was 200 bucks, somebody parkerized it. I almost bought it just for kicks, heh.
It didn't look too bad.
 
Don't know about the Bisley Vaquero, but I had a Bisley Super 14 years ago.

The grip was completely different the SBH.

It is a little longer so you can get your whole hand on the grip.

The felt recoil is redirected and much more comfortable to shoot.

The SBH I have now was bought used and I've been toying with spending the $100 or so that it would take to convert to Bisley
 
The .44 Magnum has a fearsome muzzle blast in shorter barrels. I think you would be best served by the Super Blackhawk with 7.5-inch barrel, and the added velocity is useful in the field.

If the trigger guard (inside the guard) hits your trigger finger uncomfortably in recoil, you can knock off the sharp edge with sandpaper or a knife sharpening hone (on a stainless gun, which I much prefer) and it won't bite. One reason why S&W .44's are more comfortable to fire is that the contour of the trigger guard avoids abusing the trigger finger in recoil.

I am deeply sorry that circumstances forced me to sell my Super Blackhawk a couple of years ago, and do plan to replace it. I have a superb El Paso Saddlery basketweave-stamped Tom Threepersons holster for it, too.

Lone Star
 
What you need to do is ignore all this advice and get yourself to a pistol range that will rent you any handgun you wish to try and shoot it. Then you will know. I currently have three 41 mags and two 44 mags, all with 7 1/2 inch barrels. I have been at this stuff a long, long time (I'm 64 & counting) and the 41 mag has always been the upper limit of what I can shoot comfortably. Don't get me wrong...I shoot the 44 and hunt with it. There's nothing better for feral hogs. The fact is tho, gun dealers make a lot of money selling 44s and then taking them back in trade on some lesser recoiling gun. Shoot 'em before you buy 'em. From my experience, I don't care for the 454, and the 500 S&W HURTS !!! Enjoy...
 
By the way...I've owned Rugers for over twenty years, and I've never had a problem with any of them. Don't know of anyone who has, either. In fact, my very first Ruger was a Hawkeye single-shot revolver in the then new and exotic .256 Winchester Magnum, which was a huge flop. I may be the only guy on this forum that even knows what it is. This is the first I've ever heard about pins and loose screws business, but if it ever was a problem the word would have gotten out and it wouldn't be (probably) the best-selling single handgun of our time. (No offense, Sam Colt)
 
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