Short Blackhawks

[Walt]

Some short Blackhawks. Elmer Keith observed that sight acquisition for aging eyes was a bit easier with a short sight radius.

.357 mag BH
.41 mag BH
.44 mag SBH
.45 Colt BH
.45 Colt New Vaquero

All have SBH hammers and 2 1/2 lb triggers. All have 4 5/8" barrels and are shot more with moderate pleasure loads than full house boomers.

[JBowen]

Very nice! Having them all set up alike makes a lot sense.

JBowen

[Ray]

I have several n.m. and vaquero 4-5/8" and even a few shorter with shortened ejectors or no ejector at all. A pen-clipped tiny screwdriver proves useful for those but a knife blade point prying under the rim will suffice.

[Sixgun]

Very nice Walt……and nice choices in brand……

I hear it many times about the favoritism with short barrels. Other than CCW I think I may have less than the fingers on one hand handguns with shorter than 5” barrels, an early 357 FT Ruger and ?..?……I can’t hit nothing with a short barrel, but my criteria for “hitting nothing” is a beer can at 50 meters……..6.5-7.5” works the best for me for all around shooting but the 10” Ruger Maximum and a 10” Smith 29 shoots like a rifle with routine hits on the 300 meter pig……off the bench…….especially the Maximum with 180 jacketed….

Must be something with the way different peoples eyes are….

[OldWin]

When it comes to Blackhawks, I've only ever really liked the 4 5/8 version. I've also only liked the earlier examples. The one exception was a short NM I had in 45 Colt years ago. It got away, sadly.
Now all I have is an old Flat top .357 I got from my buddy Six, and an early SB. I'd love to shorten that SB, and keep threatening to send it to Bowen.

[2ndovc]

Aside from the criticisms above, I don't have any problem hitting what I'm aiming at with any of these. Even the Taylor's conversion is surprisingly accurate and the Bisley convertible with the .45 Colt cyl. produces very nice groups. The SBH with heavy loads is a bruiser, but those are reserved for defensive duty and woodland creatures. Two and four legged.



jb

[lonesome dave]

holding tight to my magnaport predator 44mag...

[Griff]

Except for one 2nd Gen Colt SAA (7-½"), 3 Patersons (9'), 8 1851's (7-½"), my other revolvers consist of 5 Colt SAA (3 of them are clones) @ 4-¾" and a S&W mdl 65 @ 4". And I'm really considering cutting down 4 of the 1851s to ~4". Even my top breaks (pocket revolvers) are less than 4".

[samsi]

Some nice shooters on display. I find that my eyes get along best with the sights on a 4-5" barrel these days as well. A local shop has a used stainless 4 5/8 SBH I was eyeballing just the other day.

[Old Savage]

Don’t have a 44 in 4 5/8” or 3/4” but have them in all the other calibers. I like all between that and 7 1/2”. Doesn’t make much difference shooting. I shoot whatever I have, don’t require it to be any certain way.

[Tycer]

I’ve only had the one SA, the Blackhawk Buckeye and it’s 6 1/2”. I like it okay. Every K-frame Smith I’ve liked were 4” so I think those 4 5/8” are really appealing.

[abar20manfan]

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[Scott Tschirhart]

I have to admit that I prefer the 4 5/8 inch Rugers. But I never thought about seeing the sights better.

[Pat C]

Would love to have a short old model blackhawk in 38-40
Nice looking sixguns!

[Ysabel Kid]

VERY nice collection!

[Scott Tschirhart]

Would love to have a short old model blackhawk in 38-40
Nice looking sixguns!

I’m sure it could be done. I have a .41 Magnum that Bowen made out of a three screw .357. Handy little shooter.

[JimT]

The older I have gotten the more I like the short guns. Always had one or two but most of mine were 6" to 8" barrels. Lately they have been 4 3/4" or 4 5/8" barrels.

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[veeman]

I've always preferred the 5.5", but my "Super 41" is a joy to shoot. My only shorty.

[OldWin]

I've always preferred the 5.5", but my "Super 41" is a joy to shoot. My only shorty.

That is freakin beautiful! Bra-vo sir!

[Walt]

Very nice, OldWin!

You likely put the SBH grip frame on it to increase the weight, put on a SBH hammer and I'm guessing a steel ejector rod housing. I have been thinking of fitting my short .41 with a Bisley grip frame for the same reason. I have to agree it's a bit snappy with full power loads. Great gun....thanks!

It looks like you rounded the left edge of the grip frame to main frame area a little to protect the web of your thumb. I've done that on several of my heavier kickers too.

[GunnyMack]

That's why I put a brass frame on my 4⁵/⁸ 41- added weight.

[bcraig]

I had a Stainless 44 Magnum Ruger Blackhawk(with a 4-5/8 barrel (like so many,wish I still had it)that I Round butted after seeing a round butted gun in John Taffins great book 'Sixguns".
I used a Dremel and a file (man o man is that Ruger Stainless tough )then reworked the grips and refinished the the grips with TRU oil
I also fire lapped the barrel using Veral Smiths method removing the constriction where the barrel screw's into the frame.
And which taper' the inside of the barrel with the tighest fit to the bullet at the end of the barrel where the bullet exits when fired.
Pushed a couple of Lapping slug' from Veral into the bore then sent them back to Veral and he made me a 260 grain WFN single cavity bullet mold.
Opened up the cylinder throats using a piece of cold rolled steel with a slot cut in the end to slide varying grit emory paper into the slot and wrap around the cold rolled steel and turned by a drill, until I could barely push the bullets through the cylinder.
I would drop wheel weights from a hot mold into a a trash basket filled with water with a towel at the bottom.

With the water dropped wheel weight's and 20 grains of 296 it would shoot into 3 shots into 2 inches at 50 yards with me resting over my truck hood with regularity.

With the barrel polished the barrel when shot a lot would just start pushing a finger of lead up to an inch or so in length and I would just break the piece of lead off and continued !

Wish I had never sold it but I did.

To say I like the short barrels best is an understatement !!