PDA

View Full Version : Maven's New Toy & Range Results



Maven
04-12-2006, 07:17 PM
Ever since I learned of a friend's late brother's Ruger Super Blackhawk for sale, I've had a desire to own one. That deal fell through, but I purchased a brand new one wi. a 10.5" bbl. (Patridge front sight on what Ruger says is a bull bbl.) in SS no less for a damned good price via Froogle & Gunbrokers.com. I've been smoothing the bbl. wi. j-word bullets (Hornady 240gr. & 180gr. XTP's) in order to slick it up for CB's. Today, I put 100 rnds. of the 180gr. XTP's through it, seated over 7.5gr. Unique and Fed. LP primers and let me tell you, I was impressed! This puppy can easily put 5 shots into 1" with open sights from a rest @ 25 yds. Btw, I used the Federal primers for no other reason than they are immediately distinguishable from my small pistol primers (Winchester) and large rifle primers (Federal & Winchester) by their packaging. I also fired one alox lubed Lee 240gr. SWC TL CB out of a cold, clean bbl. and liked where it hit. After I fire the next 100 XTP's and thoroughly clean the bbl. & cyl. throats, I see what it will do with CB's: Ly. & RCBS Keith designs, the latter with a square-cut lube groove; the previously mentioned Lee TL SWC; and a Lyman #429360 (a Keith-like design, but with a smaller front driving band). I'll chronograph these and adjust my powder charge accordingly. One last thought: Unique burns quite a bit cleaner in the .44mag. than it does in the .357mag. and that's a good thing!

Buckshot
04-16-2006, 07:32 AM
................Sounds like you gotchersef a nice pistol there. Years ago one of our local drivers was telling me about how he'd been out in the desert shooting and walked into a convienience store with it straped on his hip, and what a stir it caused. Yeah, okay. Like forgetting you had a steamer trunk stuck in your ear. That 10.5" barrel probably reached his knee :-)

Don't see many of those around. Least I don't. Gotcher stuff BTW.

.................Buckshot

Bucks Owin
04-16-2006, 07:22 PM
Congrats on your Ruger "carbine" :-D

Be careful though, they can become habit forming....

Dennis
who LOVES his 10" .44 Flattop :Fire:

PS:
Don't be alarmed if the bore in your Blackhawk looks like a freshly plowed field under magnification. They may need a little extra effort to clean, but as you've noticed, they're plenty accurate! I use a little JB Bore paste quite regularly in mine when cleaning....

Maven
04-16-2006, 09:27 PM
Buckshot & Dennis, I must confess that I like Ruger products and have had no problems at all with accuracy, barrel quality or cleaning, even with supposedly filthy powders such as IMR 7383 (rifle). My 4 5/8" bbl'ed. Blackhawk (.357mag.) is almost as accurate as the 10 1/2" .44mag., but the ramp front sight isn't as easy to use as the Patridge. My new "toy" is almost ready for CB's, meaning I need to run another 100 jacketed bullets through it to smooth the bore a bit more before I remove the Cu fouling and change its diet. I'm a happy Ruger customer and would heartily recommend their stuff if asked.

Bucks Owin
04-16-2006, 10:00 PM
Buckshot & Dennis, I must confess that I like Ruger products and have had no problems at all with accuracy, barrel quality or cleaning, even with supposedly filthy powders such as IMR 7383 (rifle). My 4 5/8" bbl'ed. Blackhawk (.357mag.) is almost as accurate as the 10 1/2" .44mag., but the ramp front sight isn't as easy to use as the Patridge. My new "toy" is almost ready for CB's, meaning I need to run another 100 jacketed bullets through it to smooth the bore a bit more before I remove the Cu fouling and change its diet. I'm a happy Ruger customer and would heartily recommend their stuff if asked.

I'd hate to even imagine how many jacketed bullets have been down the bore of my 46 yr old Flattop, but it's been enough to put a significant "primer crater" around it's firing pin. Even so, when I got it at Christmas last year and started cleaning it up, I found the rifling so "sawtoothed" that I was flabbergasted! Ruger bores can be pretty rough to say the least! Happily, the accuracy is usually first rate in spite of the "less than target grade" barrels....

If you expect to "smooth out" the bore of that Blackhawk by shooting some jacketed bullets through it, you better have a truckload of 'em!

Again, congrats on your's, it's a fine firearm IMO!

Dennis

BTW, I LOVE my Rugers, don't get me wrong....