30 carbine blackhawk sights?

[rockrat]

My blackhawk shoots about 3ft high at 100yds using carbine ammo (1940 stuff!!) and even reloads with a 115cast and 4.5 unique still shoots about 3ft high, all with the rear sight as far down as it will go.

Anyone else have this problem with theirs?

New front sight time or someone else have a solution? Thought about replacing the rear sight, but don't think I can get it low enough to make up for the 3 ft. problem

[Der Gebirgsjager]

With that big a difference (3 ft.) it sounds more like a barrel problem.

[contender1]

Here are a few possible ways to maybe help.

Get a replacement rear blade. File it down across the top,, and deepen the notch. If you screw it up, it's a cheap part.

Try bit of epoxy added to the top of the front sight. File it to fit your point of aim/impact.

Either fix is not permanent, and won't affect the value of the gun.

[RJM52]

It isn't just the .30 Carbine...before the late 1960s most Ruger BHs had too short a front sight blade. I've had several OMs in .30 Carbine, .41 Magnum and .357 all do the same.

Had both a OM and NM .30 Carbine with the same front sight and neither could be zeroed. Sold the NM and had a gunsmith make a Patridge front sight of the correct height. Here it is with a FA .327...whose front sight system everyone should be using...

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/full/71561.jpg



Having a new front sight blade made up is about the only thing one can do...

Bob

[frkelly74]

Well I am impressed you are shooting your BH at 100 yds. Mine has always shot high at 25 yds and I have held low to compensate. I have considered filing away on the rear sight but have not done it yet for fear of messing it up. I did have it scoped for while but found it awkward. My front site is one piece and sweated on , I wish it was a slotted base and a pinned in blade but it is not. How much does the rear sight have to be filed to get the POI down where it belongs?

[rockrat]

Thanks for the epoxy idea. Will try that first. Might end up trying to silver solder a piece of steel or brass on the front sight. Maybe I can get to where I can get those pesky clay pigeons laying on our 100yd berm.

[1hole]

About that .30 Carbine BH ... I fired one. Once. Because massive sharp ear pain isn't my cup of fun.

I can hit clay birds off bags at 100 fairly consistently - and without pain - with my beloved old 44 magnum S&W and my .357 BH. But I'll never try that loud mouth carbine thing again; that HURT!

[rockrat]

It is a wee bit loud and has a nice fireball. Kind of like my xp100 in 223


I had some 110gr vmax loaded for it in shortened 32-20 cases. Guess I should have shot it at our running bear gong. Probably would have been about right on target. Its at 350 yds.

[smkummer]

Can I ask? I have a friend coming with his 30 carbine Blackhawk. I have Lyman’s 311410 plain base 130 grain bullet. So what size to size? .309 or 311? I will water drop harden the bullets. Any load suggestions for fun plinking? Thanks.

[Ickisrulz]

Can I ask? I have a friend coming with his 30 carbine Blackhawk. I have Lyman’s 311410 plain base 130 grain bullet. So what size to size? .309 or 311? I will water drop harden the bullets. Any load suggestions for fun plinking? Thanks.

I size my bullets to 0.311 for the Blackhawk 30 Carbine. I use Lyman 311008 and am pleased with its performance. I do not load real hot combinations...so I have never had a problem with how load this revolver can be.

When I used my stock sights I had no problem dialing it in. After a while I put a Burris Fastfire on it for something a little different. This is a fun gun to shoot.

[contender1]

"About that .30 Carbine BH ... I fired one. Once. Because massive sharp ear pain isn't my cup of fun."

Gee,, you do know about ear plugs,, ear muffs, etc don't ya?
(I got my first set of ear plugs at the tender age of 14 on the advice of an elderly gentleman,, who was into firearms.)

[rockrat]

My gun has cylinder throats at .308" so I usually size to .309, but not over .310"

[lar45]

Fermin Garza, aka 2dogs, makes some very nice front sights. Some are a 1 piece that you could solder in place. He also makes a variety of blades to fit the Ruger front sight base.
You could get a front sight base and solder it in place, then be able to change out different profiles.
Another option would be to file a piece of steel to sit on top of the front sight and solder it in place. Then file it down to the height needed. I did this on my stainless 45 Blackhawk and it worked great. Later I ordered a taller blade from Brownells and installed it.

[lar45]

https://singleactions.proboards.com/thread/22743/custom-steel-front-sight-closed
271400

[Wally]

Mine also shoots high....I took a strip of aluminum that I epoxied onto the front sight blade building it up by 2mm.

[cas]

Years back on mine I ended up removing metal from the bottom of the sight, then tapping it down to get it to sit slightly lower. I don't recall if it cured the problem 100%, but I used to like to shoot it at 100 and 200 yards, so it may not have hurt me as much.

As for throats, crazy as it sounds, mine were in the .304-305" range which is nuts. I opened them up the hard way. I've often thought Ruger kept those small as a headspace aid. After that it would keep all rounds on a paper plate at 200 yards without much trouble. (open sights)

[contender1]

I have some of Fermin's sights & they are excellent. But, as noted, the gun is blued,, and as such,, the factory front sight is soldered on,, so if removed, heat is required etc.

I always advocate the cheapest, and least reversible methods when modifying a gun.

The replaceable rear blade is by far the easiest thing to try first. Ruger will likely send you a rear blade for free.

The epoxying of a piece to the top of the existing front blade is reversible as well.

Next,, another method you could try, w/o removing the current front sight, is a milling of the upright portion of the current blade, (after you measure for height,) cutting a groove in the current (now milled) base, to accept a taller insert, like the stainless guns from Ruger. A gunsmith should be able to do this. Then, add one of Fermin's blades,, and you will be set.

[RJM52]

I don't believe there is a rear sight blade low enough to cure the problem and neither can you file it low enough.

One of the smiths I use simply milled off the front sight blade, morticed a slot on the sight base and then made a blade to fit. The base was then drilled and the sight blade pinned in place.

Another way I have seen done is mill off the sight blade and cut a dovetail the same size that is used on the rifle bases. One can then use a variety of front sight blades. XS has a nice serrated ramp that has a white line running up the center...

Fermin's sights are excellent. I was lucky enough to have dinner with him when I was in Texas this last March...very nice guy...

Bob

[smkummer]

I size my bullets to 0.311 for the Blackhawk 30 Carbine. I use Lyman 311008 and am pleased with its performance. I do not load real hot combinations...so I have never had a problem with how load this revolver can be.

When I used my stock sights I had no problem dialing it in. After a while I put a Burris Fastfire on it for something a little different. This is a fun gun to shoot.
I didn’t have any 130 grain cast but I did have some 311008 cast at .310 diameter( wish it cast fatter for my 32-20 colt revolvers though). It worked wonderful out of the 30 carbine Blackhawk with 5.5 grains unique and and advertised velocity of about 950 FPS. Very pleasing to shoot and accurate.