Been wanting to try a single action revolver for awhile, and have been casually keeping an eye out locally for one. Love my double action revolvers but was just not sure about the single action. Wanted a caliber that I already reload for, prefer stainless and adjustable sights on a recreational/range shooter. Everything I came across was chambered in 45 or 44 mag, or was blued.

Acquired a Ruger new model blackhawk, .357, 6.5 barrel, stainless, pachmayr presentation grips today for a fair price. Figured it would be a good opportunity to get my feet wet with the single action.

I downloaded the manual and read through it, seems pretty straight forward. Looks like this one was made in 1979. Apparently they came with either a 6.5 or 4. something barrel.

I have not been to the range with it yet, but my first impression is this is one serious hunk of steel. Feels like it weighs more than my 6" 686 even. The front sight seems a bit difficult for me to pick up but it may be fine once I get outside at the range. Looks like the black has worn off the serrations a bit. This should not be a problem to fix if needed.

I don't see myself doing the cowboy action thing so this will be just a target/range gun. Anybody else use the single actions as recreational shooters?

I use single actions, such as Ruger Bearcat and Single Six, to tweak the interest of youth shooters.

The kids have seen lots of guns on TV, but most of them have never handled a 'real cowboy gun'. It tends to increase their desire to participate.

__________________
Incoming fire has right of way

Sure. I must have 10 or so. Nothing wrong with them. They just have had the double wammy of "experts" first telling us they are obsolete to first double action revolvers, and now double action revolvers are suppose to be obsolete to autos. Single actions are reliable and strong. They are a little slower to reload and can be a little heavier to pack. I can live with all that and like it!

Let us know how you like it's accuracy. Say at 100 yards or more......that is where most single actions start to shine.

__________________
Non gratum anus rodentum

Most my firearms are for recreation. They give me peace of mind & great enjoyment. The 357 Ruger is a great tool, love mine. I also have two Smith & Wessons.

__________________
Joshua 1:9

I seem to have about half a safe full of them, ranging from a Bearcat to a Uberti Walker. Reading Keith's "Sixguns" at an early age will do that to you.

Inasmuch as I'm not doing 'overseas contingency operations' or on a SWAT team, a good SA is adequate for what most of us do. Maybe even ideal for what most of us do.

The first handgun I ever owned was an OM Blackhawk in .357 Magnum with a 4 5/8 inch barrel. They are double tough and will hold any .357 Magnum round that you can put in it. You made a good choice.

__________________
Vaya con Dios

The cylinder on the new model is said to be 'free spinning', which it does of course, but how did they operate previously?

With the old model you had to put the hammer at the half cock position in order to move the cylinder, the new model of course allows the cylinder to move when you open the loading latch.

__________________
Vaya con Dios

A Ruger 41 mag was my first ever gun.

I agree with Bobelk, too, about SA guns, they're great for taking someone out to the range for a first shoot.

I carry the 41 as a woods gun, use the 22/22mag Ruger to teach first-timers the basics of gun handling, and have the Ruger 357/9mm convertible for all the other times I want to shoot SA. [Being able to run three calibers through one gun is a major plus for me.]

Now, you just have to finish the experience...go out and get a Western rig holster for it!

Len

__________________
Qui me amat, amet et canem meum

I actually started out with single action revolvers, my first being an 1851 Navy clone from CVA followed by an 1858 Remington .44 and a San Marco Walker Colt! Of course I moved on to the more "modern" pistols as I got older but always missed the single actions of my youth.
That Blackhawk of yours IS a true workhorse and a lot of people around here have one! Dale

__________________
"Long live the S&W 3rd. Gen.!"

I have a 7 1/2" Super Blackhawk in .45 Colt I inherited from my Grampa. I really like it but don't shoot it as well as my double action S&Ws.
About a year and a half ago I bought a Hawes Western Marshall revolver, .357 Magnum 6" barrel from an employee of mine. He had 50 bucks in it and gave him $100 for it. I really like it, looks a lot like a Colt and shoots really well. Probably not safe to carry with 6 rounds in cylinder, but I don't carry it, so I don't mind. These are fun revolvers and I want more of them. I really want an original .357 Magnum Flattop Blackhawk with 4 5/8" barrel and the new Flattop in .44 Special. And of course someday I want an original Colt SAA, but I don't want to refinance the house, so that's gonna wait.
Jim

I've owned a lot of single-actions over the years. Most of them have been Rugers. A couple of Blackhawks, a Super-Blackhawk, and old Army. I had a Mitchell Arms 45 for years, but never fired it.

These days all my Single-Actions are 22's. Ruger Single-Sixs, a Bearcat, and one Colt New Frontier. There's just something about a "Cowboy gun."

For a first one? It's hard to beat a Ruger Single-Six. I like the old three screw "Old Models." Nothing wrong with the New Models, I just like the looks of the older ones better. These two were both made in 1958. They usually cost less than a NIB one also.

__________________
John 3:16 .

Just 10 days back I also acquired my first single action revolver -- a Colt Peacemaker Buntline with dual .22 LR and .22 WMR cylinders. The magnum cylinder looks as though it has never been installed on the gun; the LR cylinder had some smudging on the front face, but otherwise looks unfired.

I took it to the range the day after I got it and fired a couple of boxes of ammo. It's accurate enough, which is to say the gun did its part to keep my limitations from producing really bad target groups. Boy, loading and emptying is sure a different process!

Fun, though. And a pretty gun, with the case-color frame. Here's a pic.

__________________
David Wilson

I have been using them as recreational shooters for right at 40 years.

If you were to look real close, you might find a 4.5 inch Vaquero .45 Colt on my night stand some nights, and I have been known to stuff a .45 Vaquero with a 3" barrel in my waist-band before going in a convenience store for a midnight snack, or to pay for gas. I feel very well armed with six rounds of 255 grain bullets at 900 fps. I know for a fact that load will hole a 160 lb Georgia Whitetail through and through, dropping him in his tracks.

__________________
Georgia On My Mind

Hey Wayne02
Congrats with your first single action revolver.They are such a joy to shoot,and really lets you take a step back in time when things was a bit more slow.I shoot SASS-Cowboy in the 45LC,and just love it.The clubs are very friendly and you feel a kind of kinship with your fellow posse.
The other good thing is the revolvers are heavy-look's like GUNS,feel's like you are holding something of value.
Like one comment on here:evokes an interest to learne more,from the young shooters.It's also very easy to verify if the hammer is on an empty chamber.We never load more than 5 during the competitions.And the feel of a true blackpowder load(250 gr) when you pull the trigger---deep rumble and the the kick.
Enjoy your new revolver.
Thank you,
Henry

I cut my eye teeth on a ruger single six. Here is a ruger and a colt both from the late 50s.

I've owned 4 or 5 over the last 30 years. Nothing ever really stuck with me until I bought the last one. A 5 1/2" Ruger Blackhawk in 44 special, produced in limited quantities for Lipseys. Barring starvation I will keep it to cross the river with. This is a single action that should have been built by Ruger from the begining.

Sir, I've owned half a dozen Ruger single-actions, mostly .44s and .45s, plus an old model Single-Six Convertible. Also had a couple cap-and-ball replicas. All neat guns.

A stainless .357/9mm convertible Blackhawk would be a very solid choice for an "end of the world/just one gun" type of pistol. Hell for tough, good sights, and the ability to run three different types of ammo in the same gun--maybe four if it would accept .38 Super (not all .357s will). If you wanted to really cover your bases, you could even get additional cylinders made up for .357 Sig, .380, and 9mm Makarov. Seven cartridges in one gun!



Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

__________________
Wishin' don't make it so.

I also started out with single actions. My first handgun, at age 16, was a replica .44 percussion revolver, followed by a cheapo single action .22 LR. My first centerfire handgun was an OM Ruger .45 Colt. Then a couple of 1911s showed up.

I didn't get a double action revolver until I pinned on a badge. It was a 1917 Smith.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Congratulations on your acquisition. That model is very durable, easy in recoil, safe for 6 rounds and usually affordable. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I have enjoyed my 4 5/8" version. I found some fake ivories with a checkered surface [rounded the diamonds with fine sandpaper to ease chewing effect] and gave it a slight polish to 'glamorize' it.

May you have many years of fun!

Regards,

Dyson

SA's. Simple, strong, reliable. Whats not to like?

I love shooting single action. Still have my first, think I'll take it out this week.

I really love Ruger Bisley's. My all time fav was an early Bisley Vaquero 5 1/2" blued in 45LC. I tried to make the gun into a Redstone Rocket before I got tired of my hands hurting. 360 grain Cast Performance bullets at max velocity. I'm more reasonable now. I was a very impressionable old man by the writings of Seyfried and Taffin. I traded the gun to get a Smith 27 3 1/2". I'm on the lookout for another in 45 or 44mag. I had the same gun in 44mag in polished stainless. Boy, that gun was a looker, but the sunlight reflecting off the barrel and sights made it hard to shoot. Traded it for something.

I had another Bisley Blackhawk I believe, 7 1/2" with adj. sights. I shot a 2" group at 50yds. Just about my best group ever. Great guns.

__________________
beaver

I really like my 5 1/2" Ruger Vaquero. It's .357m so I normally shoot .38 but it'll handle just about anything you want to feed it. I shoot it as well,if not better, than anything else I own. Lot of fun.

__________________
SWCA #1917