Ruger Blackhawk Convertible .357/9mm

[Lead Freak]

I'm currently casting for .40 S&W and 9mm and I'm in the market for a .357 revolver. Does anyone have any experience with the Blackhawk Convertible in .357/9mm? Are there any performance issues using cast boolits using the 9mm cylinder?

[Wally]

I have one--very challenging as the Rugers barrel is at .358"..in my 9mm cylinder for it bullets sized to .358" won't chamber in it. It does shoot jacketed 9mm bullets quite well but the accuracy with cast bullets in the 9mm Luger is not all that consistent. I find it acceptable for plinking out to 50' or so, but even then I have a lot of flyers. Heaver cast bullets are better than lighter--but that creates a problem as well.

[Guesser]

I have the BH convertible 357/9. I cast and load .358 boolits in 9MM cases. For some reason my 9MM cylinder accepts the larger diameter. I bought my 9MM cyl. separately at a gun show for 15$ some years after I got the 357. Possibly someone reamed or polished the chamber mouths on my 9 cylinder, then I had it nickel plated so I could tell at a glance which one was in place.

[Wally]

I have the BH convertible 357/9. I cast and load .358 boolits in 9MM cases. For some reason my 9MM cylinder accepts the larger diameter. I bought my 9MM cyl. separately at a gun show for 15$ some years after I got the 357. Possibly someone reamed or polished the chamber mouths on my 9 cylinder, then I had it nickel plated so I could tell at a glance which one was in place.

How does yours shoot?

I found I can load with the bullets at.358~.359 and then use a Lee FCD to TC them and to reduce the size a bit so they will chamber the 9mm cylinder. Of course the bullet is reduced in size when I do so & that may well account for the inconsistent accuracy.

One guy gave me a batch of loaded Eygytian 9mm surplus ammo that FTF in his S/A pistol...they shot fine in the Blackhawk and were very accurate--the funny thing is, the jacketed bullets were .351" in diameter... imagine a .351" bullet in a .358" barrel! That fellow gave me over 300 rounds..what a nice guy...

[Guesser]

I cast 358345, accuracy is as good as I can shoot. I taper crimp with a 38/357 taper crimp die so it may be putting the squeeze on just as the lee crimp die can do. It is just plinking anyway, so it doesn't really matter to me.

[Wally]

I cast 358345, accuracy is as good as I can shoot. I taper crimp with a 38/357 taper crimp die so it may be putting the squeeze on just as the lee crimp die can do. It is just plinking anyway, so it doesn't really matter to me.

Amen--I got a 358345 mold last month and shot them through the Ruger 9mm cylinder and they do shoot well. Howver I only had 50 rounds and I shot most of 'em in a Tauraus 99AF. I hope to shoot more of 'em early next month in the Ruger...sounds like I finally will have a good/bullet load for it.

I loaded a large batch of 35642's and they offered spotty accuracy in the Ruger for me--same with the 356242... Kind of funny..plinking with both..most shots were right on target, but others were what I'd call "WILD"...and missed by a sizeable margin.

[rintinglen]

I had one that put me off Ruger Single Actions for 30 years! Wouldn't shoot to the sights at all with 9 mm, only fair accuracy with 38's, and while OK with .357's, I sold it and have never missed it. HOWEVER...Last summer I bought one of the flat top 44 Specials, and wow, what a gun! I am currently working on a 44 mag SBH Hunter. Still waiting for the scope I ordered to come in. I am of the opinion that modern day Rugers are much better guns than those of even a few years back.

[MT Gianni]

http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/ByFireArm/Cast%20in%20the%209mm%20Blackhawk.pdf

Beagle is your friend. I love mine and use his loads. My accurate loads in a CZ75 keyhole in 2 9mm Blackhawks. Once you get what John is teaching here they are a fun gun.

[beagle]

I loved my long barrel so well that I just traded for another 4 5/8" for carrying on the tractor on the place here. You have to tinker with the 9m loads a bit so they'll chamber freely but once you get the recipe down right, they shoot well. I love the 358480HP in mine.

If you lose a few cases, WTH, it's just 9m brass./beagle

[Larry Gibson]

I had a 4 5/8" barreled NMBH 357/9mm some years back......one of those I should have kept.......

I shot lots of .38 SPL WC LEO practice loads through it and it really loved midrange loads with Unique under the 358477. It also loved Magnum loads with H110 under the 358156. With the 9mm cylinder it shot factory jacketed and milsurp just as well as any of the same 9mm ammo did in my M39 and M59 S&Ws and a very nice HP I had. I sized my own cast bullets at .358 (356402 and 358242) and and loaded them over 4 gr Bullseye. My notes show them as accurate as the target WC .38 SPL loads.

Larry Gibson