Mastery of a Short barrel Super Blackhawk

[Bazoo]

I have a 4 5/8" barreled super blackhawk in 44 Remington Magnum that i've been working to master. I went from shooting very left and making 6 or 8" groups at 15 yards, down to being mostly centered and down to 3" groups.

I am an excellent shot with other handguns, but im still getting used to the recoil and muzzle flip of the 44 magnum. I have a single six at my disposal (Moms), and i've been shooting both specials and magnums in the blackhawk. My main problem, at least, the one I see, is that i've got an inconsistent grip. Being used to shooting 22's, 38s, 1911 45's, and 357 blackhawks, i've not always had a death grip on a gun. But being used mostly to the 22 single six, with a light grip mostly, and even with the 357s.
So i've been firming my grip as much as I can without shaking, and thats helped a lot, unless I forget.

Also, I was anticipating the recoil when shooting double handed, and pulling the gun left with my off hand. I noticed when I first shot gun single handed, and was centered instead of left. I have not done any sandbag shooting with the gun though. So i've been firming my grip with my strong hand, and being careful about my off hand grip. I've also changed my offhand grip slightly so its less around my strong hand, and more squared off my knuckles.

So, other than practice, getting used to the recoil and muzzle flip, and working on better consistency with this gun, i've been thinking of trying some checkered grips.

I've been using standard ruger wood grips. When I got the gun, it had hogue rubber finger groove grips, which help with control greatly. They look bad though, and I changed them, knowing i was going a step backwards in the handling department to gain in the aesthetics department.

I might add that this is a standard sized grip the same as a regular blackhawk, and not the longer grip of a standard super blackhawk. It also has a round trigger guard.

It's crossed my mind, having a longer barrel put on the gun, but that is a last resort really. I am content with the shorter barrel. I bought the gun because I didnt want a square trigger guard, aside from being ugly, i dont want my knuckles chewed up, nor do I want to snag my hand or fingers on it. I also dont like the look of the longer grip, preferring the look of the standard shorter grip.

Any ideas that might help me at this point?

Does anyone have any experience as to if checkered panel grips will help in any way with control of the blackhawk with magnum loadings?

~Bazoo

[XDROB]

My only idea, a nice set of fingered wood grips. I think Rosewood looks good on any color gun.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[Bazoo]

I appreciate the idea XDROB, However, I dont like the way it looks. I havent tried a set, but have thought on it. My hands, although large, have short fingers, and i've predetermined, right or wrong, that they wouldnt fit my hand.

[ReloaderFred]

I have Altamont Fleur-de-lis grips on all my Blackhawks, and they make a big difference in shooting.



Here's the link: https://www.altamontco.com/pistol-gr...ger/blackhawk/

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Dryball]

You don't really need a "death grip"...it will take some getting used to but try this; wrap your weak had over your strong and apply pressure with your weak hand and use your strong hand to "steer the gun." Also, lock your wrists and not your arms

[nicholst55]

For an SA revolver with any kind of recoil, you don't want a death grip. You want the gun to 'roll' a little in your hand, and rubber or finger-groove grips don't allow that. It sounds like you're on the right path, and have already tightened your shot group up significantly. I have the same gun, and they're not as forgiving as the longer barrel revolvers. Keep practicing!

[Thumbcocker]

I have Hogue rubber finger grooves or Bisley grips on all my Ruger .44 magnums. Beauty is as beauty does. Results trump aesthetics.

[contender1]

I own a chopped down OM Super that has the 4-5/8" bbl. It shoots VERY well. I'd not look at a bbl swap for you gun,,, but instead, work on a correct shooting grip & also,,, JUST use reduced loads,,, (44 spls,) until you master it.
In gripping,,, using both hands, the dominant hand is for control, and the off hand is for bracing. I usually suggest about 30% of the grip is with the strong hand, and 70% is with the weak hand. Just as Dryball has mentioned.
May I suggest you visit another Forum, singleactions dot com owned by Lee Martin. Look for a member's posts,, "david bradshaw" and he has some EXCELLENT info on shooting, how to, and even several videos demonstrating he knows a lot about the things he shares. There is even a compiled bunch of his stuff.
He does an excellent job of sharing how to keep a consistent grip & how important it is. He also has a long & successful history of steel silhouette shooting to back up his info.
Look into it,, and I can say that once you learn the gun, even 100 yds is a doable distance with it.

[44man]

Those are truly some beautiful grips. But I use Pachmeyer signature grips on Rugers and the BFR's came with Uncle Mike grips. I hold low on a hog leg so my finger is straighter to the trigger and I hold very firmly so my hand does not change position at all. I let the gun raise my arms.
If you have slippery grips a thin leather shooting glove will do wonders.
Those short barrels can really buck, accuracy comes from keeping the same hold.
Your hands are all different of course, one friend has short, stubs for fingers and he shoots every gun left. He pushes the frame. Even a 1911. He just can't get a straight pull. I have large hands and long fingers nut a concern is the trigger guard on my knuckle. I have a huge knuckle from shooting heavy bows. I must have a filler behind the guard and hate the square one. A Bisley will beat me to blood.
Two guns I can't maintain a consistent grip with are the S&W 29 and the Bisley. The 29 is deadly accurate but never, ever took top spots in IHMSA and I think it is the grip. I could shoot 1/2" groups at 50 meters, put the gun down and shoot another 1/2" group but it would be 10" from the first. To put the gun down between shots was a disaster. I only shot one good group with a Bisley but sweat blood to do it.

[nagantguy]

You've already come a long way! The 4!5/8 is my favorite for general use and it's what I'll be hunting pigs with this weekend with some old Marine Corps buddies. Grip on a single action is slightly different beast. Firm not death, needs to roll, one of the most common problems I see in my pistol classes is for some reason when some people grip a pistol or revolver they fled thier lats and neck muscles like they are not n a body building contest! That'll put you low and right or left depending every time and as the muscles fatigue the groups open up sometimes by feet! Remember it's a total system, grip stance hold breath sight picture/alignment consist trigger manipulation and follow through! I'd agree with shooting specials until you master the platform! For normal handgun hunting distance you don't give up much in accuracy over longer barreled revolvers and the 4 5/8 is a dream to carry! By chance what color is your front sight? Red,orange white all work for some but I've found most do best with black.

[44man]

I own a chopped down OM Super that has the 4-5/8" bbl. It shoots VERY well. I'd not look at a bbl swap for you gun,,, but instead, work on a correct shooting grip & also,,, JUST use reduced loads,,, (44 spls,) until you master it.
In gripping,,, using both hands, the dominant hand is for control, and the off hand is for bracing. I usually suggest about 30% of the grip is with the strong hand, and 70% is with the weak hand. Just as Dryball has mentioned.
May I suggest you visit another Forum, singleactions dot com owned by Lee Martin. Look for a member's posts,, "david bradshaw" and he has some EXCELLENT info on shooting, how to, and even several videos demonstrating he knows a lot about the things he shares. There is even a compiled bunch of his stuff.
He does an excellent job of sharing how to keep a consistent grip & how important it is. He also has a long & successful history of steel silhouette shooting to back up his info.
Look into it,, and I can say that once you learn the gun, even 100 yds is a doable distance with it.

I was booted from there and know lee, he has been here to shoot. Heck of a nice guy. He seen me shoot the BFR 45-70 and wanted me back. But I have a beef with Taffin.
Lee and his dad are tremendous gunsmiths too and build some wonderful rifles but some are too much for me. 90° up with recoil with big calibers in light guns---OUCH.
Now Bradshaw is a man to listen to. One of the best with any gun.
But the site is populated with tail draggers to Taffin. He started on me from day one.
Now Whitworth was a friend and knows revolvers and can shoot. He would go in my tree stand and bust little water bottles off hand to near 100 yards. If he says anything, you can take it to the bank. But Taffin did not earn what he claims, shoots factory loads most, holds a six gun wrong, ruined his wrists so he has someone else shoot or uses a Ransom and only counts the best 2 or 3 out of 5 or 6 shots. Fliers are never measured.
With what is here at Cast Boolits you will go there and laugh. But for sure look at Lee, Whitworth and Bradshaw.

[44man]

You've already come a long way! The 4!5/8 is my favorite for general use and it's what I'll be hunting pigs with this weekend with some old Marine Corps buddies. Grip on a single action is slightly different beast. Firm not death, needs to roll, one of the most common problems I see in my pistol classes is for some reason when some people grip a pistol or revolver they fled thier lats and neck muscles like they are not n a body building contest! That'll put you low and right or left depending every time and as the muscles fatigue the groups open up sometimes by feet! Remember it's a total system, grip stance hold breath sight picture/alignment consist trigger manipulation and follow through! I'd agree with shooting specials until you master the platform! For normal handgun hunting distance you don't give up much in accuracy over longer barreled revolvers and the 4 5/8 is a dream to carry! By chance what color is your front sight? Red,orange white all work for some but I've found most do best with black.

You need to look at steel shooters with veins bulging and strength. Jerry with a revolver, no wimp hold. "Roll" a gun, NOT.

[44man]

I have taught many to shoot. I go backwards and give them a big gun first. Much fear shown but with instruction they come to love the gun and hit all targets. Then I drop to the little .44 mag and they think different and master the gun.
The best was a friends son, scared to death of my gun but I got him shooting it. He hit at 50 off hand and fell in love. Then took his dads .454 and busted water bottles at 100 off hand. He wants a .500 JRH now. I quit from a .22 up. Your mind will fall apart with the anticipation of recoil. A .38 is the start of flinch.

[Thumbcocker]

I keep a pair of $3 vinyl coated garden gloves in my rage bag. The right handed one has the index finger cut out. Very handy for long strings of kicking loads. Absolutely prevents gun from rotating.

[Bazoo]

I appreciate all the responses and ideas.

I normally do end up shooting to the left with most guns. I have big hands, but short fingers by comparison. With the single six, im capable of coke cans at 25 yards consistently, even on end.

I have been shooting a combination of specials and magnums, and saw a marked improvement when I started shooting a lot of specials.

I also noticed that i get tense in the shoulders shooting it, as I know im uncomfortable with the level of recoil of the gun. I can shoot all day with my 45 or a 357 full sized gun. So i've got to work on that. I noticed it wasnt as bad when I was shooting mostly specials.

Specials are at a level im comfortable with, but im getting more comfortable with the magnums.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup let it roll!!

For an SA revolver with any kind of recoil, you don't want a death grip. You want the gun to 'roll' a little in your hand, and rubber or finger-groove grips don't allow that. It sounds like you're on the right path, and have already tightened your shot group up significantly. I have the same gun, and they're not as forgiving as the longer barrel revolvers. Keep practicing!

[44MAG#1]

If a type of grip helps your shooting but they aren't pretty go with the grips that help. If you want a show gun buy a show gun. The Ruger 44 Mag you have isn't a show gun. I have a couple. Recoil? You will find you handle recoil with the mind. While some guns are more comfortable to shoot such as a 22LR as opposed to a Smith 500 recoil is still handled by the mind once you realize you can hang on to it.
Let her roll, not let her roll blah blah blah. Just do what YOU do consistantly. Holding tight one shot and loose the next is NOT the way to shoot. Trigger control, trigger control. Period.
Oh yes, after observing many people shoot at the local ranges I have found one thing. That is, If one can shoot well one can shoot well regardless of barrel length if one can't shoot well one can't shoot well. Barrel length has almost no bearing on it as long as one has decent sights to use on the gun.

[DougGuy]

Get a roll of that 1" wide stretchy bandage stuff and wrap the middle finger knuckle.. Shooting gloves all have the padding where the gun doesn't hurt you. Lotta good that does.

Now. Let me ask you this. In dry fire, can you hold the sights motionless? If not, this is what's wrong with your groups. First off, remove the grip panels and pull one leg of the trigger return spring off it's pin, reinstall the grip panels and try it like this. The goal is to dry fire the gun and hold the sights motionless. Take a mental snapshot of the sights the moment the hammer falls. What did the front sight do? Did it dip down and to the left? Then the boolit that would have been fired, hit low and to the left.

Curl your trigger finger a bit to the right when you pull the trigger. This will help you hold the sights still. Not quite standing stock still when the hammer falls after pulling one leg of the spring off? Swap in a Wolff 30oz. trigger return spring from Brownell's. This will help a LOT. Still not staying still? Pull one leg of this lighter spring off and try again.

By now, you should have gotten the basics of the dry fire drill down. DON'T force the trigger, pull evenly on it, if the sights drift off bullseye, hold steady until they drift back to bullseye and resume pressing on the trigger. Let the shot be a SURPRISE to you. DON'T anticipate it, it will learn you to flinch which opens groups by multiples of 3s and 4s.

When you can dry fire the gun and hold the sights motionless, your groups will have shrunk tremendously. THIS is what is required to master a SA revolver. That long hammer fall has to be controlled and you use the dry fire exercise to learn your hands to do this. Keep a mental note of exactly how you held the gun and the exact movement of your trigger finger and go live fire the gun. This also works for a 1911, or any other single action handgun.

DON'T worry so much about the grip, do what feels natural to you, the key is to let the gun move the same way every time in the hands. It's all about consistency. The gun WILL recoil in your hands, let it do the same physical motion from shot to shot.

Good luck, this bit of wit has helped many shooters tighten groups.

Also check out the gun's mechanics. Can you slide a boolit through the cylinder throats from the front? If not, there's part of the issue, the cylinder is sizing the boolits down before they even get out of the case. Is there just too much creep in the trigger? Might want to send a PM if you are interested in correcting any of the typical culprits that ship installed free from the factory..

[44MAG#1]

Dry firing may work if one is not afraid of recoil. If one is jumpy because of recoil it is iffy if it helps. No one has ever described how snapping an unloaded gun that one knows isn't going to go boom and recoil works. I don't think they ever will really.

[DougGuy]

No one has ever described how snapping an unloaded gun that one knows isn't going to go boom and recoil works. I don't think they ever will really.

I just did that. This is the whole point of dry fire. It is a simple and undeniable FACT that wherever the sights were aligned? That's where the boolit went should it have been in live fire. Dry fire teaches the shooter how to remove the variable and improve accuracy. In live fire you don't see your mistakes. In dry fire you see them perfectly and can address them in a manner that will improve your groups measurably.