Blackhawk part 2

[Pocketrocket]

I had posted this one up a while ago, but found out a little more and now have questions for you Ruger guys. A few months after I bought this gun, a 1957 Blackhawk .44 Mag #2835, my LGS called me and said they had the box for my gun. I went down to pick it up, and found it wasn't the original box. But it was full of the pre-converion parts and this invoice. Looks like the gun was overhauled as well as converted? See parts pic. No evidence of any charges, it was shipped to an individual not far from me.
Are the Micro sights original?

 

[TJm15.38]

You definitely have a converted revolver. Good news is you can now load with six rounds and carry safely. Bad news is the revolver is no longer original. I have a 1966-vintage Ruger Old Model Single six. At some time in the past, I requested information and details on conversion. Ruger sent me a letter and shipment box saying the conversion would be performed free of charge at the factory. On further consideration, I chose to keep the gun in it's original configuration. I'm confident that Ruger still performs conversions free of charge. I don't know about the micro sights, but yours look exactly like the ones I have on a 2019 Ruger Flat Top Blackhawk .44 Special.

 

[alwslate]

Looks like you have the original three screw action parts. If it was my gun I would convert it back to the original three screw action.

 

[Muley Gil]

The Micro rear sight is correct for that vintage Ruger. Congrats on having the original parts as well.

 

[2152hq]

The invoice states ruger Replaced the action screws, the grip frame screws,
the ejector housing screw and adj(usted) the barrel.

Nice touch to replace all of the screws with new ones. I don't now what adjustment to the bbl would be. Perhaps it wasn't installed orig to 12 o'clock.

With all the original 3-screw action parts, I'd re-convert back to original action.
But that's the owners choice. Many like like the Safety the conversion offers.
Keep the conversion parts which ever choice you make, with the revolver.
The orig 3 screw parts along with the box and paperwork will greatly increase the value of the revolver if you ever decide to sell it.

The Micro Sight is original as Muley points out.
These were mfg of steel. The later sights were not Micro mfgr and were aluminum with a steel sight blade.

 

[jeffrefrig]

I'm kinda thinking leave the gun as is and keep the parts as mentioned for if you sell that beauty. 1957 was a very good year, depending on how you look at it, so if you ever DO put that up for sale please don't forget about me! Seriously, if it shoots good I'd leave it alone. I would imagine there would be a legal team lined up if that gun did anything bad accidentally if it was put back to original. Sturm, Ruger & Co. did their part.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

I couldn’t convert it back to original fast enough if it was mine. I traded for a converted old model Super Blackhawk only because the old parts were included. The gun felt weird and rattled with the new parts. It was back to original real quick.

 

[David Sinko]

I'm shocked that they returned the original parts. Did they ever do that as a matter of policy or did they just forget to consult their lawyer that day?

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Original Micro Sights were made in Deming, NM.
A while back I met the ex-Editor of the Deming Newspaper.
It backed up across the alley from Micro Sights.
He got friendly with the Micro Boss, had coffee, lunch, etc.
That’s how he met Skeeter who a Friend of the Micro Owner.
He said that Skeeter would park his pickup in the alley and go into Micro’s backdoor.
Had an early 357 Blackhawk , Micro Sights and Purple Loading Gate.
High on my What The Hell Was I Thinking List!
Also had an early 44, but the pain comes from the 357.

 

[ussmanlovede36]

I'm shocked that they returned the original parts. Did they ever do that as a matter of policy or did they just forget to consult their lawyer that day?

As far as I know Ruger has always returned the original parts.

 

[alwslate]

I'm shocked that they returned the original parts. Did they ever do that as a matter of policy or did they just forget to consult their lawyer that day?

Just from what I've read Ruger used to return the original parts after the conversion but stopped doing so because so many owners were reconverting their guns.

 

[2152hq]

Seems like it was an off and on situation as far as returning the orig 3-screw action parts.

They did orignally, then for a time did not. Then again began returning them.
Around and around it goes.

When I worked in a gunshop in the early 90's, every 3 screw Ruger taken in on trade was sent back for conversion before the gun was put out for re-sale. Just the gunshops CYA policy.
At that time, I don't recall the orig parts being returned by the factory.
....Maybe the guy in Shipping was grabbing the baggie of parts as they came back! They've always been a valuable little package.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

Original Micro Sights were made in Deming, NM.
A while back I met the ex-Editor of the Deming Newspaper.
It backed up across the alley from Micro Sights.
He got friendly with the Micro Boss, had coffee, lunch, etc.
That’s how he met Skeeter who a Friend of the Micro Owner.
He said that Skeeter would park his pickup in the alley and go into Micro’s backdoor.
Had an early 357 Blackhawk , Micro Sights and Purple Loading Gate.
High on my What The Hell Was I Thinking List!
Also had an early 44, but the pain comes from the 357.

I used to live in Silver City, NM, 50 miles up hwy 180 from Deming. There was a guy named Carl there at MMC sights that was a good revolver mechanic. He worked on a no dash 4" 629 I had at the time that had a few issues. One day Iwas in there and Carl said, "I've got something here might interest you." He showed me a very early production Blachawk in the then-new .357 Maximum that Ruger had sent to Skeeter for testing and write-up. Skeeter was to pick it up there at MMC. This would have been early 80s, I don't recall offhand what year the .357 Maximum came out.

 

[K Frame Keith]

IMHO, you have the original parts. Keep the “updated” parts installed. It is safer, but you can return it to original configuration whenever you like. Win, win.

 

[Muley Gil]

Original Micro Sights were made in Deming, NM.
A while back I met the ex-Editor of the Deming Newspaper.
It backed up across the alley from Micro Sights.
He got friendly with the Micro Boss, had coffee, lunch, etc.
That’s how he met Skeeter who a Friend of the Micro Owner.
He said that Skeeter would park his pickup in the alley and go into Micro’s backdoor.
Had an early 357 Blackhawk , Micro Sights and Purple Loading Gate.
High on my What The Hell Was I Thinking List!
Also had an early 44, but the pain comes from the 357.

MMC was the Miniature Machine Company, originally of Deming NM. Micro Sights, as I understand it, came to be after WW II and was founded by former King Gun Sight employees.

 

[2152hq]

MMC made a small adjustable (elevation & windage) rear sight for handguns. It was popular to mount them on 1911, HP's, and even Walther PPk pistols.
Skeeter was big proponent of them.

The company is still in business, at least on the web. They still offer the small sights but they don't look anything like the ones I remember from the 70's and 80's.
They show a Texas address now as well.

MMC also made ( and still offers) the Power Checkering handpiece that attached to the Foredom flexible shaft power unit.
I have an MMC checkering unit i bought in the 70's when I was doing more checkering than engraving. A real time saver. Still use it.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

MMC was the Miniature Machine Company, originally of Deming NM. Micro Sights, as I understand it, came to be after WW II and was founded by former King Gun Sight employees.

I also thought those were two different companies. MMC is the one I have visited. ,

 

[Capt. F.]

Original Micro Sights were made in Deming, NM.
A while back I met the ex-Editor of the Deming Newspaper.
It backed up across the alley from Micro Sights.
He got friendly with the Micro Boss, had coffee, lunch, etc.
That’s how he met Skeeter who a Friend of the Micro Owner.
He said that Skeeter would park his pickup in the alley and go into Micro’s backdoor.
Had an early 357 Blackhawk , Micro Sights and Purple Loading Gate.
High on my What The Hell Was I Thinking List!
Also had an early 44, but the pain comes from the 357.

I also felt your pain from having to sell my 4 5/8” .357 flattop when I went off to play solder in 1968 and later my .44 flattop years ago when dollars got tight.
My wife solved the .357 pain about three years ago, buying one from a collector who was liquidating his collection.
I solved the .44 pain a year later when I got a call from the same collector.
When I unwrapped and handled the .357 three years ago, it was like I was 18 again and tromping the woods here in Maine with the sixgun on my hip.
The .44 is going deer hunting this year and if I’m lucky enough to get drawn for a moose permit…………!