Ruger new model flattop black hawk

[Butzbach]

There is allot of mythology floating around about the 44 Special round, due to the hype of some gunwriters. I have owned at least a half dozen or more 44 Specials over the years and have not found them to be anything special. The accuracy potential of any handgun is based on the revolver mechanics and not the caliber. For life in Texas, I favor the 357 Magnum, as my all around do all handgun caliber. If nostalgia is on tap, I will go with a 45 Colt revolver.

Au contraire mon ami. I am 100% .357 these days. But back in the day I loaded my 4” Model 29 Smith to .44 Special specs (240 gr Keith SWC with gas check over 8 grs of Unique if memory serves) and they were very accurate. I’d go to check my off hand 100 yd target and have the guys with their mini 14s cursing �� me.

[Thumbcocker]

I have had much better luck getting .44s, magnum and special, to shoot well than other cartridges. The .45 Colt hates me.

The .38 special and .32 long have also been well mannered cartridges for me.

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[DougGuy]

I have had much better luck getting .44s, magnum and special, to shoot well than other cartridges. The .45 Colt hates me.

The .38 special and .32 long have also been well mannered cartridges for me.

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Just out of curiosity, I wonder how those 50yd groups would respond to the throats honed. I bet they would shrink enough to raise an eyebrow or two... JS...

[BBMF1]

G'day from Downunder

G'day All , I have a Lipseys stainless Ruger 45 colt / 45 acp Flat top Blackhawk with a 4 & 5/8" barrel , it has had a trigger job and wears Sambar stag grips and it gets regular use for western action matches .

Regards Paul

[riddleofsteel]

Here is a 45 Colt Redhawk that Doug setup for me. 20 yards off hand group.

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[44MAG#1]

Here is a 45 Colt Redhawk that Doug setup for me. 20 yards off hand group.

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Is this target how well you shoot very consistently or is it a rare occurrence?
That does make a difference. If you can shoot like that nearly all the time you are one absolutely great handgun shooter.

[Thumbcocker]

Just out of curiosity, I wonder how those 50yd groups would respond to the throats honed. I bet they would shrink enough to raise an eyebrow or two... JS...

I shoot a LOT of targets that I don't take pictures of. If these targets were normal I would not need to take bragging pics of them ; ).

There are two different 4 5/8 Bisleys in the pics. One was factory and the 2 tone was "Bisleyfied by me. Once I decided they were keepers I took them to Bill Oglesby for trigger work and a going over. He set both to minimal cylinder gap, checked cylinder throats, and set trigger pull to 3 pounds. I was having a VERY good day with the 50 yard target, hence the pic. If I could shoot good every day I would have sponsors and free ammo by the pallet.

With all that said those 2 flattops are in the never gonna be sold pile.

Mr. Oglesby also did a Bisley hunter model .44 magnum for me that has filled the freezer several times.

Hope this clarifies things.

[44MAG#1]

Reality is a terrible thing at times.

[riddleofsteel]

I am a pretty good shot with a handgun. Most groups are not that good. I had just gotten the pistol worked over and was taking my time to see what it was capible of. Also a perfect storm of great pefectly sized bullets and great powder.

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[DougGuy]

I shoot a LOT of targets that I don't take pictures of. If these targets were normal I would not need to take bragging pics of them ; ).


Hope this clarifies things.

Yes and with all respect to Mr. Oglesby, point I was making was that I bet there is room for improvement there that you didn't know was there...

[Rodfac]

To answer the OP's question: those of us who grew into our teens in the mid-60's inhereted some of the old scribes love for the .44 Special..guys like Keith, Skelton, Jordan and a half dozen others. And yep...the cartridge is that good...hell, it's fantastic.

In my case, I couldn't afford to have my .357 M28 Smith re-barreled and bored out for the .44 rounds so, I got by, over the years by fantasizing about Ruger running a batch through the factory. That dream came true 40+ years later and was all that I'd hoped for. Truly elegant revolvers...powerful, SA's that can be mastered by the average Joe, given time and the inclination.

I have three of the Rugers now, as well as Colt SAA, and Smith M24 and all are accurate beyond my capabilities. Easy to load for...in fact I can't remember any load with Lyman's 429421, 429215gc, or 429244gc that wouldn't drop a cylinderful into 2" or less at 25 measured yards. It's just that kind of a cartridge. Velocities up to 1200 fps are easy and more than enough for any deer in the lower 48. And that smaller case when compared to the Magnum, doesn't leave you with niggling concerns about the powder charge getting lost and mis-igniting.

So here's one of my Ruger Flat Top Specials with a 4-5/8" bbl., new, back in '07. The load that day was one of Skelton's favorites: (7.5 gr of Unique with Lyman's 429421). Shot from 25 yds using Keith's old 'Long Range' position, (knees raised with the gun between them, extended with a solid back rest)...this was back when I'd reached the ripe old age of '60. Tough to see the stocks in the pic, but I'd made up a pair of rosewood replacing the Ruger Cheese Graters. Best Regards, Rod

[Dale53]

Rodfac;
It is good to "see" you. again! I have to smile when your post above shows how much we still are on the same page! MY Flattop .44 Special in 5 1/2" blue and 4 5/8" SS are both TREASURED performers. I only had a trigger job done on both of mine, otherwise, no other changes mechanically needed to be done. They both meet my personal standards of under an inch at 25 yards off a rest. Plus, the .44 Special performs well in the field up to and including large whitetail deer. They are just flat practical in the field AND on the range.

The people that scoff at the .44 Special being "Special" just don't understand the historical reasons for that opinion. Back in Keith's day, and many years thereafter, the .45 Colt revolvers were the problem, not the caliber. Bad barrel and cylinder dimensions from manufacturer's, plus in the handguns of the day, the .44's had a useful amount of extra strength in the revolvers. Heavy handloads at decent levels had a much larger margin of safety due to cylinder dimensions, etc. So, as the limits were explored (and sometimes exceeded) what Keith and others were able to show us with the .44 Special was a REALLY useful amount of power that could be safely used with ACCURACY (due to much better dimensions in the revolvers of the times). When better revolvers became available and allowed other calibers, such as the .45 Colt to perform well, that did NOT obsolete the .44 Special (as so many claim) but merely added another cartridge with great possibilities. I have explored the limits with a couple of Ruger .45 Colts and Convertibles, but, still, everyone of them required reaming the cylinder throats as well as a trigger job. After that, they DO become very useful and can NOW challenge the .44 Special but that does NOT negate the .44 Special and the fellows like Keith and Skeeter that helped educate us in the early days! So THERE!



FWIW
Dale53

[waco]

Not a 44 but a 45 convertible. Lipsey’s 3 3/4”
Super fun and accurate gun.

[Thumbcocker]

Rodfac;
It is good to "see" you. again! I have to smile when your post above shows how much we still are on the same page! MY Flattop .44 Special in 5 1/2" blue and 4 5/8" SS are both TREASURED performers. I only had a trigger job done on both of mine, otherwise, no other changes mechanically needed to be done. They both meet my personal standards of under an inch at 25 yards off a rest. Plus, the .44 Special performs well in the field up to and including large whitetail deer. They are just flat practical in the field AND on the range.

The people that scoff at the .44 Special being "Special" just don't understand the historical reasons for that opinion. Back in Keith's day, and many years thereafter, the .45 Colt revolvers were the problem, not the caliber. Bad barrel and cylinder dimensions from manufacturer's, plus in the handguns of the day, the .44's had a useful amount of extra strength in the revolvers. Heavy handloads at decent levels had a much larger margin of safety due to cylinder dimensions, etc. So, as the limits were explored (and sometimes exceeded) what Keith and others were able to show us with the .44 Special was a REALLY useful amount of power that could be safely used with ACCURACY (due to much better dimensions in the revolvers of the times). When better revolvers became available and allowed other calibers, such as the .45 Colt to perform well, that did NOT obsolete the .44 Special (as so many claim) but merely added another cartridge with great possibilities. I have explored the limits with a couple of Ruger .45 Colts and Convertibles, but, still, everyone of them required reaming the cylinder throats as well as a trigger job. After that, they DO become very useful and can NOW challenge the .44 Special but that does NOT negate the .44 Special and the fellows like Keith and Skeeter that helped educate us in the early days! So THERE!

FWIW
Dale53

Amen

[JoeJames]

Put me in the Amen corner also. I did not discover the 44 Special unti 7 or 8 years ago when I read an article by Frank James (no relation) about the Lipsey Ruger BH’s in 44 Special. His shooting results quite turned my head. I ordered one through my local gun shop. Already had the dies, the owner threw in a box of .429” 240 grain swc’s, traded some 44 Mag brass for 44 Special, and I had some loaded before I got the Lipsey in. Been passionate about it ever since. With my tailored loads it is very accurate and very pleasant to shoot .

It is my favorite revolver; matter of fact I sold my 6” S&W Model 629 shortly afterwards. No bears or Mastadons here in the Arkansas; so why keep it?

[Rodfac]

Dale, good to hear from you old friend...and add me to the "amen" list regarding your concise explanation for the .44 Special's popularity.

Keith made the old round famous, and for many of us, established the effectiveness of a 240 gr LSWC @ 1200 fps as good enough for most of what we hunt or defend against, down here in the lower 48 (and does it superbly, without heroic levels of increased recoil). The add'l steel in those .44 cylinders lead him away from the .45 Colt giving all of us the margin of safety demanded for superior performance. Best regards, Dale...good to hear from you again. Rod

[Dale53]

Rodfac;
Thank you for the kind words, my friend! After this pandemic cools down, perhaps we can break bread together again!

All the best to you and yours,
Dale53

[firebyprolong]

So I sent Ruger an email this week and found out that the standard grip 44 special flat tops have been discontinued but the bisley is still in production a lipseys dealer exclusive.
And I quote Ruger,
“ The model 5232 has been discontinued although model 5236 is a Lipsey Distributor Exclusive model. and is in current production.”

So looks like I’m buying a bisley when the dust settles this summer.

[bigboredad]

I had a FT Blackhawk 44 Special. I liked it but like the Smith M69 more. I frequently shoot 44 Special cases in it, 44 Mag cases loaded with 44 Special loads with the bullet seated deep and 44 Russian cases in it.
It does what I want and I occasionally carry it. I carried it to Church Sunday.
But that FT is a fine firearm. Notice I didn't say weapon, a term I despise.

I too despise that term. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard.
For those that don't know what a chalkboard is ask your parents

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[Ed K]

For what it's worth the 45 Colt flat-tops are just as good. What the 44 special FT reveals in being a great example of a somewhat rare chambering executed in a well-made revolver, the 45 Colt FT demonstrates in a slightly different way: while not an uncommon round, you will not find as well-executed in any other Ruger specimen. History has provided first oversized throats and then undersized throats. Almost all have oversized chambers while the FT 45 chambers are near SAAMI minimum. Add to that tight cylinder gaps and generally excellent overall build quality and you likely have in your hand the best 45 Colt Ruger has ever produced.

I believe a good part of the 44 special mystique comes from being fired from a properly dimensioned revolver. Up until the FT that could not be easily found in a Ruger in 45 Colt.