So I haven't really weighed in on the original question this thread posited but should probably in an effort to clarify my thoughts on the Ruger Blackhawk.
Many people will find the SA design of the BH easier with full magnum loads, but as others have stated within the thread the BH suffers the knuckles of many by way of it's trigger guard. For this reason many that are purchased are used briefly and then sold off, sometimes as noted by others with as few as six rounds fired. The effect can be mitigated in some if not most cases by swapping out the standard stocks for rubbers or customs of one's own choosing, of course.
As has been gleefully pointed out by some members, the fit and finish of a BH or most Rugers in general will in no way compete with guns costing well into the four figures - and it should be kept in mind by all involved, as a general rule, Ruger handguns aren't meant to play in that arena, either - most would agree this is by design, I know I certainly do.
Where the BH excels - as most (if not all) of the steel-frame Ruger revolver designs do - is from the intense strength of the frame and action itself. To date there are loads listed in various reloading manuals and the like that state certain loads are 'Ruger Only' 'Ruger & Long Guns Only' and the like. In a nutshell, hunting handloads that will rattle a 629-3, for example, apart to a loose action in short order, will usually be withstood by a Ruger BH (or Redhawk) much longer with the firearm staying in good operational spec.
Ruger Blackhawks seem to hit the market at a lower price point for a variety of reasons, which can be influenced by location, the seller (often it's someone's first ill-advised foray into the .44), regional hunting laws, and the like. In a sense they are a 'gateway' gun to a very special/significant/famous caliber for many that a fair number of those individuals end up not loving. So when it is sold, lacking the cache of the 29, the related pedigree of the 629, or what might be termed the relative 'beauty' of the traditional SAA, the value ends up dropping further. Also to be noted as others have pointed out, Ruger, like Taurus, always tends to suffer a deeper % loss off of original pricing when resold as compared to Colt, S&W, etc.
Within a handful of constraints the Ruger Blackhawk and its kin are absolutely excellent firearms for ACTUAL USE, IF you find that the grip design and trigger guard work for you. These guns harken back to the philosophy that a firearm is a tool, meant to be used, used hard at times, and functionality takes precedent over pretty 95% of the time in the Rugers I've had in my two decades plus of collecting.
Now that's about as glowing as I can get for the good old BH, which, while I like, I'm actually somewhat ambivalent about and simply think of as a damn fine tool for what it was made for.
Cheers all.
