Choosing a Blackhawk?

[Jmay]

I'm going to buy a New Model Blackhawk I have decided that. The problem is what caliber 45 Colt or 44 mag. I know the 45 can be loaded up to get maximum penetration with hard cast bullets but how long with the pistol hold together doing that? I want this gun to have a long happy life I don't want to beat it up doing something it can't handle! Would I be better (safer) off just getting the 44 mag if I want magnum power? I do hand load so ammo selection is not a problem.

[Sigmar]

I have owned several .44 in both Blackhawk and Redhawk. Imho sturdiest gun ever built for reloaders. I'm partial to the .44

[Hobie]

As you know there is the Blackhawk and the Flattop. If you aren't talking about the Flattop why would you think that adhering to recommended loads for the Blackhawk (the larger frame, the same frame on which the .44 Mag is built) would result in accelerated wear? I'm interested as to what info you received and from where you got it that makes you ask this question. Of course you might be confused as to the various models, this is easy to do and even those well aware of the various differences will mis-state them now and again. The new model flattops can NOT be loaded to the same level as the larger framed Blackhawk.

[Mac in Mo]

Read this;


http://www.customsixguns.com/writings/d ... e_myth.htm


I have both guns, but I take my 45 almost every time. The 45 is also available with the 45 ACP cylinder.

Kevin

[Blaine]

I personally prefer .44mag. There are many more, and affordable, factory loads in addition to many more options for reloading them.
One Blackhawk that I wish I had is the .45/.45acp convertible. I've been tempted to buy one for just the acp cylinder.

[O.S.O.K.]

The honest truth is that there's little difference in terminal ballistics between a hot loaded 45 Colt and 44 Mag from the Blackhawk. So pick the one that suits you. They will both last longer than you Talking standard blackhawks.

The small frame 45's can take some uploading too but not to 44 Mag performance. That's what the standard BH's are for.

[stretch]

Hmmmm... I'd personally go for the 44 Mag, I think.

Lotsa loads, and 44 Special loads in a big, heavy revolver are
very pleasant to shoot.

I decided on 41 Mag for mine.

-Stretch

[Jmay]

Hobie the to revolvers I'm looking at are the Bisley's Ruger RB 45w or RB 44w both have 7.5 " barrel lengths.

[Sigmar]

Do like my SRH 454 which also fires the 45LC. But need to do something about the grips as my middle finger knuckle rests against the trigger guard. A bit jarring with the 454 loads.

[RIHMFIRE]

Blackhawk Hunter in 44 mag

[Chuck 100 yd]

With the exception of a few (very few) thousandths of an inch in bore and chamber diameter those are the same gun. They will shoot duplicate loads (power wise) and both will last longer than any of us will be around to see.
I currently own 11 Ruger revolvers in .45 Colt and 7 in .44 Mag. I like both calibers and find they both do everything I want from them, go bang and smack things really hard.

That said. when I shoot really heavy loads (300 gr.+ @ 1300 fps) in either caliber I prefer to do in in my Redhawk`s rather than in the Black hawk/ Super Blackhawk`s due to their ability to handle the recoil better in my hands.

Either will do you right. Have fun!!

[piller]

I have a Blackhawk in .45 Colt with the .45ACP conversion cylinder, and I have a Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum. I like them both, but for pure versatility if you are not going to shoot the heaviest loads all the time, I prefer the .45 using .45 ACP. It is more accurate than I am, hits hard enough for most things, and with the 4 5/8" barrel, it carries easily. I can safely load the .45 Colt up to levels that will do just fine on anything I am likely to hunt. There is nothing wrong with the .44 either. I have both, like both, and am just partial to the shorter barrel and the .45 ACP capability. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with either one.

[shooter]

I have two .45 Colt Blackhawks, and one .44 mag Blackhawk. The only reason the .44 is still around is because it was given to me by my dad. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the .44, and there are even some advantages such as being able to shoot .44 special, a wider variety of factory loadings, etc. I just fell in love with the .45 and never looked back. While the two are very similar as far as ballistics and performance, the .45 does it all at a much lower pressure. The gun should hold up fine no matter which you choose, but if you are concerned about accelerated wear and tear, go with the .45. You can also go slightly heavier with the bullets in a .45 Colt, especially if you roll your own.

[Pete44ru]

Hobie the to revolvers I'm looking at are the Bisley's Ruger RB 45w or RB 44w both have 7.5 " barrel lengths.

Those are both full-sized framed BlackHawks, using the old Super BlackHawk frame size - IMHO you shouldn't be able to beat them up, break them, or wear them out either, with any loads short of insanity.



.

[Hobie]

Hobie the to revolvers I'm looking at are the Bisley's Ruger RB 45w or RB 44w both have 7.5 " barrel lengths.

It is personal preference. If you reload you might like the .45 better, I do, but the .44 is an excellent cartridge and it performs well.

[O.S.O.K.]

Blackhawk Hunter in 44 mag

Since he's looking at 7.5" tubes, absolutely, yes. I have a 44 Mag hunter and it's just great - I like it sans sights as it hangs on target so nice and the extra weight absorbs the recoil so that you can make a quicker follow-up shot. Yep, that's the one for a long tube.

[Sixgun]

A hard cast 250 gr. bullet at 1200 fps will easily kill anything in NA. Both the Ruger 45 and 44 will do that easily about 50,000 times each.

[Jmay]

I do roll my on so that's not an issue. I want take down power with plenty of penetration! It will be fed heavy hardcast hand loads. I want it to be able to defend me against XL pigs and large predators if need be. I don't really want to go 454 beacuase I like the look of the Bisley Blackhawks. I kinda leaning toward 45 for some reason maybe just nostalgic feeling about it, but I have never reloaded 45 I have seen all the light load data for the Replica SA realy not impressive. What are you 45 guys loading for your Ruger BH and what kinda of numbers are you getting? What is a safe pressure for the BK? Sorry for all the ??? Just trying to make an educated purchase.

[Old Savage]

"A hard cast 250 gr. bullet at 1200 fps will easily kill anything in NA. Both the Ruger 45 and 44 will do that easily about 50,000 times each."

I think this is sort of a myth, unless a 300 gr at 1750 fps somehow loses effectiveness against a mad 140 lb deer.

Who here has shot the big stuff in NA with a 45 pistol???

[ollogger]

I load my 45s with heavy loads of H 110 or LILGUN, 255 or 300 gr lead sized to 452, for me they shoot better than light loads of unique, although lately ive tried a mid range load of
Blue Dot & that seems to be working out well, ive had a bunch of 44s in the past
but wound up likeing the 45s better, cant really say why for sure


ollogger

[Sixgun]

I think this is sort of a myth, unless a 300 gr at 1750 fps somehow loses effectiveness against a mad 140 lb deer.

Who here has shot the big stuff in NA with a 45 pistol???

Ha! No big stuff but plenty of deer and a few car fenders, TV's, alarm clocks, etc.

[shooter]

I do roll my on so that's not an issue. I want take down power with plenty of penetration! It will be fed heavy hardcast hand loads. I want it to be able to defend me against XL pigs and large predators if need be. I don't really want to go 454 beacuase I like the look of the Bisley Blackhawks. I kinda leaning toward 45 for some reason maybe just nostalgic feeling about it, but I have never reloaded 45 I have seen all the light load data for the Replica SA realy not impressive. What are you 45 guys loading for your Ruger BH and what kinda of numbers are you getting? What is a safe pressure for the BK? Sorry for all the ??? Just trying to make an educated purchase.

If I want to go hot and heavy I load my .45's with H110 or Win 296. However 90% of my loads are made with 10 grains of Unique. The recoil is not much, and if I remember correctly it chronos right at 1,000 fps or a little more. That's enough for a pig or deer around here.

[AJMD429]

I like them both, but for pure versatility if you are not going to shoot the heaviest loads all the time, I prefer the .45 using .45 ACP.

Same here.

I initially chose the 44 Mag because I had a 44 Mag levergun (Marlin), and until recently I couldn't find or afford a 45 Colt Marlin. However finding a 45 Colt barrel and having an older 44 Mag 1894 changed the latter situation, and now I have a Marlin 1894 in 45 Colt, AND a 45 Colt Ruger Bisley with the 45 ACP cylinder. They are two of my 'favorites' now, just because of what they shoot. I shoot lots of 'plinking' 45 ACP loads from that gun, and keep the stout 45 Colt loads for 'serious' use.

You won't find either of your choices to be regrettable, but if you've not got BOTH cartridges in a levergun already, think on which one you do have, or would like to have, and take that into consideration. Unless you strongly favor or already have the 44 Mag in a levergun, the addition of that 45 ACP cylinder might be a really fun thing.

The 45 Colt could top off a really nice TRIO:

• Levergun in 45 Colt
  1911 Pistol in 45 ACP
  Ruger Blackhawk in BOTH. . .

P.S. glad you saw the light and got the Bisley. . . They're the best...!

[OldWin]

While I don't think you can go "wrong" with either chambering, I think 44 gives you the most options. With the hotter loads, brass life may be better with 44 also. I owned a Blackhawk in 45 and really liked it but never could really get into hotter loads. It just "felt right" at the standard load levels.
I've also never really used light loads with the 44, choosing to keep a 240gr. bullet at about 1200fps from a 6in. revolver. I carry this cartridge a lot in both revolver and a 16 or 20 inch carbine. I think it is very capable at moderate range and is somewhat underated nowadays.
There are many options for both cartridges for the handloader but if you need to grab off the shelf the 44 seems to offer more options; at least around here.

[C. Cash]

This is a pic of my sons mature boar last Oct. Due to feeding issues we used 44 Special brass....265 gr. Ranch Dog with a very moderate charge of 2400. The bullet was so slow I followed it right into the hog. Recoil was almost nothing. This is the off/exit side of the hog, which was shot angling towards us at about 30 yards, right on the shoulder. Complete penetration and a quick death. Very impressive to this hunting novice and relieved we didn't have to go after him.

I love the 44's(43s)......as of others have said you can't go wrong with either.

[Pete44ru]

.


Good job - there's no such thing as "dead x 2" ......................

.