Durability of the Old model Ruger Blackhawk....

[sousana]

As good as semi's are, nothing beats a revolver

 

[Outpost75]

If Commander Jean Luke Piccard of the Star Ship Enterprise were to beam me down to my own virgin planet, rich with game and I was limited to one gun and all the ammo I could carry, it would be a .357 Blackhawk.

 

[Alpo]

Ought to. When it came out, I said it was just a Blackhawk with fixed sights.

This is another "smaller gun question". He says it's a New Vaquero. The New Vaquero is not built on the Super Blackhawk 44 magnum frame. It is built on the Single Action Army size frame.

If you shoot 45 Colt - and I'm not talking about "cowboy loads", I mean standard 255 grain bullets at 900 ft per second - through it it'll last forever. If you feed it "Ruger-only 45 Colts" you'll probably break it.

 

[AJ]

This is another "smaller gun question". He says it's a New Vaquero. The New Vaquero is not built on the Super Blackhawk 44 magnum frame. It is built on the Single Action Army size frame.

If you shoot 45 Colt - and I'm not talking about "cowboy loads", I mean standard 255 grain bullets at 900 ft per second - through it it'll last forever. If you feed it "Ruger-only 45 Colts" you'll probably break it.

Since I am only punching paper with it, I tend to stay on the lighter side of thing. My days of souped up hot loads are long past. Hands with arthritis and after being pounded with many thousands of rounds of .45 ACP in M1911's, do not like hot loads.

 

[rug357]

I have a Ruger New model 50th Anniversary Flattop in 357 which is the smaller size model. It's all steel so it's heavy but it's great for hunting purpose. I have been shooting heavy 180 gr SWC-GC @ 1,220 fps out of that revolver for past 15+ years and nothing ever broke. It take a licking and keeps on ticking.

 

[Hondo44]

This is another "smaller gun question". He says it's a New Vaquero. The New Vaquero is not built on the Super Blackhawk 44 magnum frame. It is built on the Single Action Army size frame.

If you shoot 45 Colt - and I'm not talking about "cowboy loads", I mean standard 255 grain bullets at 900 ft per second - through it it'll last forever. If you feed it "Ruger-only 45 Colts" you'll probably break it.

True, the Ruger only 45 loads are not recommended for the mid size frame. However it's larger than the Colt and allows a cylinder diameter .060" larger in diameter than a Colt cylinder. Even so, a lot of 45 Ruger only loads could result in cumulative stress. And the weak point is the chamber wall over the cylinder stop notch.

If you want to shoot hot 45 loads in a mid size Ruger, get a 5 shot cylinder for it. That places the cylinder stop notch between the chambers which will eliminate the weak point of the 6 shot cylinder of the mid size frame Rugers.

 

[Hondo44]

This is another "smaller gun question". He says it's a New Vaquero. The New Vaquero is not built on the Super Blackhawk 44 magnum frame. It is built on the Single Action Army size frame.

If you shoot 45 Colt - and I'm not talking about "cowboy loads", I mean standard 255 grain bullets at 900 ft per second - through it it'll last forever. If you feed it "Ruger-only 45 Colts" you'll probably break it.

The New Vaquero 41 and 44 mags are built on the larger Blackhawk/ Super Blackhawk frame. So for a 6 shot NV that stands up to 45 Ruger only loads the solution has been to use one of those NV mags rebarelled and rechambered to 45, or even 454.