OM or NM... Which one??

[Uncle Grinch]

I got the opportunity to pick up a Ruger BH and need some help making my mind up. One is a New Model and the other is an Old Model. Both are used, but in very good condition. I'm well versed in the NM and own several already. There is only about $20 difference in price, with the OM being more expensive.

The OM is unconverted and has a different feel when using.

I'm thinking the OM will appreciate in value, even if I get it updated, as long as I keep the original parts.

Thoughts.....??

[bob208]

if you are going to mess with the old model. get the new model. if you get the old model updated it will go down in value. ruger no longer retruns the old model parts when they do the conversion.

[2 dogs]

Having several of both, I can say they both have thier place. The OM is a classic and the NM is the standard for strength and an excellent vehicle to have customized.

[Roosters]

I have two of the three screw (old style) that were bought new and haven’t been changed. That said, they require a little more attention for safety when handling and shooting. Here is something you might want to read.
http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/ss/ruger_old_model_blackhawk.htm I like mine the way they are. They make a sound like no other when you pull the hammer back. Here is a little from the above link .
“The Blackhawk should be carried with only five cartridges in its six-shot cylinder. The empty chamber should be under the hammer. The reason for this is that when the hammer is fully forward, it lies against the firing pin, and if the hammer is sharply struck or dropped against something, the cartridge under the hammer may be fired. It should be noted here that the hammer should be placed at the safety notch (first click back from fully forward) when carrying the Blackhawk and most other SA revolvers, empty chamber or not. In this position, the firing pin does not touch any cartridge that may be under it.”


Know what you have and how they work and I guess they are as safe as any firearm.

[Uncle Grinch]

Thanks... I appreciate your feedback!

[Char-Gar]

I have four of the OM Rugers (22LR, 22MAG, 357 Mag and 44 Mag) and two of the NMs both in 45 Colt.

The NM was driven by litigation. If there is a round under the hammer and it gets droped or hit on the hammer it will go off blowing a hole in what is in front of it. Many idiots have been killed or injured by this old Colt style lockwork. So, the NM was developed to allow idiots to have single action sixguns.

If you are an idiot who just can't keep the chamber under the hammer empty, they get a NM. If you are not an idiot then get the one that feels best to you.

[Char-Gar]

The notion of carrying a SA handgun with the hammer on the first notch has been put out there by some folks, but is not a good idea.

Drop an OM/Colt on the hammer on the first notch with a loaded chamber, you might shear off the notch causing a discharge or for certain screw up the hammer at the least.

Drop an OM/Colt on the hammer firm against an empty chamber, then pick up the pistol and go on your way.

Drop a NM ruger on the hammer on the first notch and you get a booger hammer notch.

Drop a NM Ruger on the hammer fully forward on a loaded chamber and it will not discharge due to the transfer bar being down and no damage will be done to the hammer. Pick up the pistol and go on your way.

The first notch on the hammer was put there to catch the hammer, if you let it slip from under you thumb, as you cocked it before it locked into one of the other notches. It was not designed to withstand a drop on the hammer and will not without doing damage. It WAS NOT designed to be a carry safety for the pistol.

[Alan in Vermont]

Drop a NM ruger on the hammer on the first notch and you get a booger hammer notch.

I'm trying to figure out where one finds that "first notch" on a NM hammer. Unless you think of the otch which engages when the hammer is fully cocked as the "first" notch, which it is in a sort of roundabout way.

[44man]

As said, it is a safety issue. The OM is strong. You will not believe the first factory loads. Not much I have ever loaded as fierce. :veryconfu
Buy the old one and don't change it unless Ruger will still do it free. They send back the old parts so you still have value. It is just easier to keep the chamber under the hammer empty.
I miss my flat top most of all.

[Dale53]

I have an early SBH (OM) that I treasure. It is accurate (I did a trigger job on it) up to 100 yards (with iron sights, when I could see, I could keep most on a playing card off the bench at 100 yards with heavy hunting loads).

Having said that, I believe the latest NM Flattops to be among the best products Ruger has offered. I bought a new FT .44 Magnum 50th Anniversary and after test firing it, presented it to my son-in-law. It would shoot well under 1" at 25 yards, has an all steel grip frame and is just flat a BEAUTIFUL handgun (AND "Pretty is as pretty does").

I have a blued Lipsey Special 5½" and a SS 4 5/8" TALO .44 Special and they are superb. Again, I rank them amongst the best that Ruger has produced.

Since these three revolvers have the reverse pawl, they handle as well as the OM but allow the safe carry of six rounds. That is a plus in my opinion.

Further, those 50th Anniversary models were sold for a very reasonable price. Definitely, a win-win!

Dale53

[Char-Gar]

When the Lipsey 45 Flatop (45 Colt and 45 ACP) came out last year, I jumped on it.

Without a doubt it is the finest Ruger new Ruger I have seen in 30 years or more. Fit, finish and internal specs are spot on. The barrel is unbelievably smooth and does not pick up lead at all.

I had thought the glory days of Ruger were over, but they can still produce first rate products when they take a mind to and places like Lipsey hold their feet to the fire.

[EDK]

IF you are not going to shoot it a lot, get the Old Model; DO NOT have it converted because EVERYONE agrees the resulting trigger is an abomination! You preserve a classic in its original form and it will appreciate a small amount.

IF you are going to shoot it, get the New Model.

Ed....who shoots the h*** out his Original Size VAQUEROS on a daily basis.

:redneck: :cbpour: :guntootsmiley:

[Ed K]

I only more recently became interested in the OMs having used exclusively the NMs when I got started in shooting about twenty years ago and never really understood the appeal until more recently. This year I bought one OM SBH that I really like although it is nothing special: a little worn, shoots nice, nice trigger, early 70's production (I'm no collector).

Yesterday I was in a shop and picked one up with a 5-digit serial number that was pretty clean. Yes, it had a nice sound as I pulled back the trigger and let-off was superb. The salesman trusted me enough to help out someone else and I gave it the detailed inspection. Curiously as I examined it for endshake I could not push the cylinder fully forward to eliminate the gap at the gas ring/frame junction. I pulled the cylinder and saw the cylinder was only bearing on the frame from about 1-3 o'clock about the base pin and the bluing around the vast majority of the frame was perfect except in that one spot. As I looked across the frame on a plane perpendicular to the bore axis I could readily see the window of the cylinder frame was not square.

Probably shoots fine but it isn't right. I guess I just came to realize that as good as these old models are in general, They are not "holy grail" guns and are subject to the "being made on a Friday/Monday" just as most other products are...

[bob208]

ruger used to send the old parts back a few years ago they stopped that.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

OM = Colt clone.

NM = keep us out of litigation.

I only own OM, I like the size and heft and feel. I have Colts as well, and Italy clones.

Opinion: the new ones are like gluing a gripframe on a brick.
Opinion: buy the OM.


Rich
Sua Sponte

[44man]

ruger used to send the old parts back a few years ago they stopped that.
Sad! But Ruger has made more collector guns then any other gun maker.

[Rockchucker]

When the Lipsey 45 Flatop (45 Colt and 45 ACP) came out last year, I jumped on it.

Without a doubt it is the finest Ruger new Ruger I have seen in 30 years or more. Fit, finish and internal specs are spot on. The barrel is unbelievably smooth and does not pick up lead at all.

I had thought the glory days of Ruger were over, but they can still produce first rate products when they take a mind to and places like Lipsey hold their feet to the fire.

I love mine also, One of the best Rugers I've ever owned.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I have a NM in .45 Colt and an OM in .44 Magnum. The .44 Mag SBH OM is disappointing in accuracy while my NM is one of the most accurate revolvers I own.

Buy both, shoot both. Sell the one than does not please you.

[Uncle Grinch]

I have an early SBH (OM) that I treasure. It is accurate (I did a trigger job on it) up to 100 yards (with iron sights, when I could see, I could keep most on a playing card off the bench at 100 yards with heavy hunting loads).

Having said that, I believe the latest NM Flattops to be among the best products Ruger has offered. I bought a new FT .44 Magnum 50th Anniversary and after test firing it, presented it to my son-in-law. It would shoot well under 1" at 25 yards, has an all steel grip frame and is just flat a BEAUTIFUL handgun (AND "Pretty is as pretty does").

I have a blued Lipsey Special 5½" and a SS 4 5/8" TALO .44 Special and they are superb. Again, I rank them amongst the best that Ruger has produced.

Since these three revolvers have the reverse pawl, they handle as well as the OM but allow the safe carry of six rounds. That is a plus in my opinion.

Further, those 50th Anniversary models were sold for a very reasonable price. Definitely, a win-win!

Dale53


I agree, I bought a NM stainless flattop .44 Special with the 4 5/8" (I believe that's correct) barrel and it is the nicest Ruger I own. I have a NM 357, 41 Mag and .45 Colt. I gave my Single Six to my son when he graduated from college. He had learned to shoot with it and always claimed it anyhow.

[tek4260]

I have both but my preference is the OM. Particularly the OM Super. It has a warmth to it that no New Model can match. With that said, there is no dust on a NM either, especially the 50th Anv revolvers and the Flat Tops.

Do not get the OM converted. If you can't safely operate an OM, then you have no business around any firearm, much less touching or firing one.

[Jeff H]

Having several of both, I can say they both have thier place. The OM is a classic and the NM is the standard for strength and an excellent vehicle to have customized.

When I finished my reply, I found that I had typed several paragraphs to say what 2 dogs said. Well stated, 2 dogs.

I would, however, grab the OM first because they are getting harder to find.

There will be NMs tomorrow and the next day and you really should treat yourself to the pleasure of personally experiencing both - even if it's a few years before you pick up a NM to compare the OM to.

[keyhole]

If you can't safely operate an OM, then you have no business around any firearm, much less touching or firing one.[/QUOTE]
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I certainly agree with this statement.
Have 4 OM- .30 carbine, .357, .41, and Flattop .44. They just feel right to me.