5.5" Blackhawk upgrades and acces.

[j20owner]

So, my dad just picked us up a 5.5" blackhawk in .45 Colt. We've only put 24 rounds through it. .45 Colt is expensive to buy, and we're still acquiring the items needed to load for it.

I've heard about different base pins and other 'upgrades' for the Blackhawks, but was wondering what you guys recommend to improve function, reliability, and accuracy.

Also, I'd like to get a 'western' style holster for wearing it on the weekends when I'm at the farm. I've perused the available items from El Paso Saddlery, and don't really see anything I like. Are there any other options out there that any of you could recommend? Also, short of full-on custom work. Would like to keep it under $100 for a holster, if possible.

[Bret4207]

If it's used, see how it shoots before you do any "upgrading". It may chew the center out of the target as is. If it's new then plan on putting a few hundred rounds through it before you figure out how it shoots. IOW- if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Holsters? Check out www.simplyrugged.com Might not be "western" enough for you, but they appeal to me.

[Dutch4122]

Speaking of holsters, check this out:

http://www.mernickleholsters.com/fc/fc2.html

Hope this helps,

[Bret4207]

This one suits me- http://www.mernickleholsters.com/fc/fc10.html That's a farm and woods holster.

[sneared]

If you shoot stout loads and heavy bullets, you'll probably want to get the base pin replaced with a tighter one or one that locks with a screw. Otherwise the pin can jump out every few shots and jam the cylinder. Belt Mountain makes some nice ones, but I prefer the Bowen. The Bowen is pretty difficult to install. I'd recommend you have a gunsmith do it.

For a relatively inexpensive holster, I really like the Bianchi 1L Lawman. Its about as nice as some of the customs jobs (without the frills). Midway has them for about $86. You don't have to wait 3+ months to get it from a custom maker.

[freedom475]

This is my favorite western style holster for the Black Hawk. It is a Bianchi Lawman.

I think it is about in your price range.....I have been meaning to cut mine apart and use it as a pattern to make a few more...I might be persuaded to do that if you would like one made.

About your base pin....You should have no trouble if it's one of the old ones. Take it out and if it has a Halfmoon notch milled into it you should be fine. If it is a new one it will have a groove lathe turned all the way around it.. This will cause you problems eventually. Make sure if you change it out that you replace the latch as well. A base pin that pops out is not from a worn base pin but from a worn latch.

[shooting on a shoestring]

.45 Colt expensive to shoot-- Yep. Even reloading, takes lots of lead, quite a bit of powder. However you get lots of bang for your buck.

I'm fairly handy with tools, so I take all my Blackhawks apart and shape up the trigger. I use a whet rock with a guide block and grind off much of the step in the hammer where the trigger sear engages the hammer. This takes out virtually all the creep from the trigger. I also like to lighten the trigger by dropping one of the legs of the trigger return spring off its peg, under the grips (also called a poor-boy trigger job).

I shot my 7.5" .45 Colt BH until the base pin started jumping out under recoil, then I bought a Belt Mountain base pin with a set screw. That really tightened up the cylinder play and eliminated the jumping problem. I liked it so much when I got my second BH in .357, I ordered a Belt Mountain base pin for it the same day I bought the gun.

One other thing. Mine had an aluminum grip frame that broke while shooting 300 grain boolits about 1250 fps. I replaced it with brass grip frame that is stronger, heavier, feels better and looks great. Check the grip frame screws often, they can back out.

Hope you get your reloading stuff going. .45 Colt is a fun thumper.

[Potsy]

Not too long ago, Ruger had Galco holsters on their website stamped with the Ruger emblem. I've got one for my 5.5" Bisley and like it. It can be carried cross draw or strong side, and it has a button down strap and a tension screw.
I didn't see them at Ruger's site but Galco still has them without the logo.
You'll have fun with the .45 Colt. All my .40 Glock totin' buddies are still amazed how it can make large holes all the way through thick hard objects with a minimum of fuss and bother.
If you decide to spend a bunch of money on it, look at a baughman ramp front sight with a Bowen target rear, makes sight picture a whole new ball game from the factory sights.

[j20owner]

.....I have been meaning to cut mine apart and use it as a pattern to make a few more...I might be persuaded to do that if you would like one made.

About your base pin....You should have no trouble if it's one of the old ones. Take it out and if it has a Halfmoon notch milled into it you should be fine. If it is a new one it will have a groove lathe turned all the way around it.. This will cause you problems eventually. Make sure if you change it out that you replace the latch as well. A base pin that pops out is not from a worn base pin but from a worn latch.

Well, if you were to cut yours apart to make some new ones, what would that cost me? It's a good looking holster, and I guess the open trigger guard isn't that big a deal with the strap over the hammer.

As for the base pin, I'm guessing it's the new style as the gun is brand spanking new. I'll have to look at it again when I get back to the farm. I know that I couldn't get it out of the frame without removing the ejector and housing, which is something I wasn't going to do just for grins.

I was thinking there were some Wolff springs you could put in for a lighter trigger feel and was just wondering. I am going to shoot it more and 'break it in' before I do any modding on it. I got to get casting and get some boolits made for it. I also need to pick up some more Starline cases. I have the powder and primers. I also have the dies and shellholder, so I'm almost ready to go!!

[Lloyd Smale]

Things i like to do to every ruger i buy are first have an action job done on it. Most are about unshootable from the factory. I fit belt mountain base pins to all of my single action rugers. If you have more money to spend think about sights. Being that its a 45 id have the throats checked as there probably two tight for good cast bullet shooting. A bowen rear target sight is a good upgrade and a post front sight is another but that will intail sending the gun off as it will need to be soldered on and reblued. When i get them mechanicaly where i want with these upgrades then i worry about cosmetic things like grips. Nothing will give more bang for the buck in the looks department then grips.

[targetshootr]

Getting the throats right would help accuracy the most and then give it a good trigger. To lighten it, I pull up the end of the spring where it lays on the trigger to take some of the strength out of it. An extra power hammer spring may help accuracy too with a quicker fall time.

[j20owner]

I checked the chamber throats with calipers using the inside measuring part, and they all measured .452'ish'. It's kind of hard to get a good measurement since I don't have the fancy plug gauges.

[MtGun44]

If you are measuring about .452 on the throats, that is great.

Take Brett's advice and shoot it a while. Many are great shooters out of
the box. Mine had very tight throats but still was decent with several loads,
best with jacketed.

Bill

[hpdrifter]

about the base pin. I found that all that was wrong is that it wasn't cut deep enough in the groove. If you'll chuck it up in a drill motor and take a round needle file to deepen it some, the cross latch will go into place and it will never shoot loose again.

As it is the cross latch only catches on one edge, inviting heavy loads to displace it. Don't believe me....look where the cross latch rides with the pin in place, then take the basepin out and see where the latch goes to. It goes considerable further into the frame.

[nicholst55]

I concur - shoot your gun before you do anything else to it.

Go to the Cylindersmith's website (www.cylindersmith.com). He has some 'How-To' pages there for slicking Ruger SA revolvers up a bit - how to bend the trigger spring to lighten the pull, and a few other things.

Proper fitting of the factory base pin and latch can reduce the problem of the base pin jumping out, and is sometimes a viable alternative to a Belt Mountain or Bowen base pin.

An easy way to 'slug' your chamber throats is to see if a .451" jacketed bullet will fall through. Next, try a .452" cast boolit; ideally one will slip through with only minimal pressure. I understand that Ruger has begun to get this dimension right on recent guns, so maybe you lucked out. Now if the throats are round, you're in business!

Ruger 'gang-reams' all six throats at once, and they frequently vary in size, and are oblong. The Cylindersmith is the place to send them if they're undersize or inconsistent in size.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I have two Blackhawk 45 conbvertibles and two 44 mags which have seen some heavy loads without base pin problems. I have two new model vaqueros in 45 and one of those had base pin problems. I fiddled a bit with the spring and made sure it was correct and haven't had any trouble for the past few hundred rounds. Play with it for awhile, it may be a complete dog (very unlikely) but f the cost of ammo is a problem, you will no tbe in a position to upgrade it.

Good luck with it, there is no better sound than 45s being dropped into the chamber. No need to line em up, just throw them in, they slide in easily with a satisfying 'ker schluunk!'

[44minimum]

You might want to try a poor boy trigger job on it, very simple procedure and free. All-you do is take the grips off and unhook one side of the spring, at least that is how I remember it. Look on the gun blast.com website, that is where I saw it.