Ruger Blackhawk: Difference between revisions

|production_date= 1955–Present1955–present

The '''Ruger Blackhawk''' is a 6six-shot, [[Trigger (firearms)|single-action]] [[revolver]] manufactured by [[Sturm, Ruger & Co.]]. It is produced in a variety of finishes, calibers, and barrel lengths.

In the early 1950s, [[Western (genre)|Westerns]] were popular in movies and television. [[Colt's Manufacturing Company|Colt]] had discontinued the iconic [[Colt Single Action Army|Single Action Army]] prior to [[World War II]], and few single-action revolvers were available to meet market demand for cowboy-style revolvers. In 1953, the new firm of Sturm, Ruger & Company introduced the [[Ruger Single-Six|Single-Six]], a [[.22 Long Rifle|.22 LR]] [[Rimfire ammunition|rimfire]] single-action revolver. The Single-Six proved to be a popular seller, leading Ruger to develop and market a [[centerfire]] revolver similar to the Single Action Army: the Ruger Blackhawk.<ref name="Taffin1">{{cite book|last=Taffin|first=John|authorlink=John Taffin|title=Single Action Sixguns|publisher=Krause Publications|date=2005|pages=336|isbn=978-0-87349-953-8}}</ref><ref name="Taffin2">{{cite book| last=Taffin|first=John|authorlink=John Taffin|title=Big Bore Sixguns|publisher=Krause Publications|date=1997|pages=336|isbn=978-0-87341-502-6}}</ref>

Ruger introduced the Blackhawk in 1955. Chambered for the [[.357 Magnum]], the Blackhawk was a simple and strong design, and it sold well. In 1956, as [[Smith & Wesson]] was introducing the new [[.44 Magnum]], Ruger quickly developed a variant of the Blackhawk in the new cartridge. Ruger achieved wide popularity with this firearm. inThe a hotly anticipated new cartridge, whichBlackhawk was both cheaper and more readily available than the [[Smith & Wesson Model 29]] revolver. According to popular legend, Ruger was able to field a .44 Magnum revolver at nearly the same time as Smith & Wesson due to a Ruger employee finding expended .44 Magnum cartridge cases at a scrapyard and deducing that Smith & Wesson was about to launch a new cartridge.<ref>Sturm Ruger booklet "Fifty Years of .44 Magnums"</ref><ref>[http://www.sixguns.com Sixguns.com]</ref>

The early models of the Blackhawk still operated the same way as the Colt, in that the hammer was half-cocked to load and unload and that the firearm was not safe to carry with all six chambers loaded due to the hammer resting upon the sixth chamber.<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://search.proquest.com/docview/398344120|title = Wild West Legacy: Ruger Gun Often Fires If Dropped, but Firm Sees No Need for Recall|last = Larson|first = Erik|date = 24 June 1993|work = The Wall Street Journal|access-dateid = 16 October 2015{{ProQuest|via = Proquest|subscription = yes398344120}}}}</ref> In 1973, in order to eliminate accidents occurring from the hammer jarring against a round loaded in the sixth chamber, Ruger introduced the New Model Blackhawk. The New Model Blackhawk did not require the hammer to be half-cocked for loading and unloading, and it employed a [[Safety (firearms)#Transfer bar|transfer bar]] mechanism which prevented the cartridge under the hammer from being fired without the trigger being pulled. The New Blackhawk was seen as limiting firearms accidents and legal liability. Ruger then began offering a retrofit program, offering free transfer bar conversions to earlier variants of the Blackhawk.

It is worth noting that the Super Blackhawk is capable of operating with much higher pressure handloads than factory produced ammunition in .44 Magnum. Factory produced loads, such as Federal Champion 240 gr JSP loads are right around 800&nbsp;ft-lbs muzzle energy. Loads in excess of 1200&nbsp;ft-lbs muzzle energy are commonly produced by handloaders for this caliber and the Super Blackhawk can, in fact, handle more powerful loads than any .44 Magnum lever action rifle and substantially more powerful rounds than any double action .44 Magnum revolver. Buffalo Bore makes a heavy load that is in excess of 1500&nbsp;ft-lbs muzzle energy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=54|title=Heavy .44 Magnum +P+ Pistol & Handgun Ammunition|website=Buffalo Bore Ammunition {{!}} Strictly Big Bore - Strictly Business|access-date=2017-10-15}}</ref>

These facts make the Ruger Super Blackhawk one of the top choices for handgun hunting. It is capable of reliably taking down deer, elk, caribou, moose, lion, grizzly or brown bear and even cape buffalo.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.shootingtimes.com/handguns/handgun_reviews_handguns_for_dangerous_game_021511/|title=Handguns for Dangerous Game|date=2011-02-15|work=Shooting Times|access-date=2017-10-15|language=en-US}}</ref> It is commonly used to deliver a coup de grace shot to mortally wounded large game, having the ability to dispatch even an elephant with a conscientiously placed pointclose blankrange shot to the head. The wide availability of .44 Magnum cases and bullets make the .44 Magnum chambering far more practical than .454 Casull or .480 Ruger, while allowing for similar ballistics in custom loadings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=44+Magnum&Weight=All&type=Handgun|title=44 Magnum Load Data - Handloads.Com|website=www.handloads.com|access-date=2017-10-15|archive-date=16 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016065957/http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=44+Magnum&Weight=All&type=Handgun|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum is one of the most accurate big bore pistols for target shooting, typically returning 5 shot groups that are one ragged hole from a rest at 25 yards. Work is commonly performed on the action of these revolvers to give a light, crisp trigger pull, thereby contributing to accuracy.<ref>{{Citation|last=DIYautotech|title=Ruger Single Action Trigger Job Ruger Single Six, Single Ten, Blackhawk, Vaqeuro|date=2012-11-22|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMCMa90gU5A |accessdatearchive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/GMCMa90gU5A |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|access-date=2017-10-15}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[File:APG custom blackhawk 2003.jpg|thumb|200px|The Blackhawk is a popular base gun for custom work. This one is a cooperative effort by members of the American Pistolsmith's Guild.]]

*'''New Model Blackhawk:''' Produced in [[blued steel]] in [[.30 Carbine]], [[.357 Magnum]], [[.41 Remington Magnum]], [[.44 Special]], and [[.45 Colt]]; produced in [[stainless steel|stainless]] in [[.327 Federal Magnum]] with an 8-round cylinder, [[.357 Magnum]], and [[.45 Colt]]. Multiple barrel lengths were offered in many of these configurations.

*'''New Model Blackhawk Convertible:''' The cylinder of a Blackhawk is easily removed, and can be replaced with a cylinder for a different cartridge of the same diameter. Ruger has offered "convertible" cylinder revolvers in [[.45 ACPColt]]/[[.45 ColtACP]], [[.38-40]]/[[10mm Auto]], and [[.357 Magnum]]/[[9×19mm Parabellum]]. Other than being sold with multiple cylinders, these firearms are identical to the Blackhawk.

*'''[[Ruger Vaquero|Vaquero]] and New Vaquero:''' With the popularity of [[Cowboy Action Shooting]] came demand for a single-action revolver that was more traditional in appearance. As the standard Ruger Blackhawk departs from the Single Action Army looks due to its adjustable sights, Ruger offered a fixed-sight equivalent to cater to buyers wanting a more traditional appearance. In all other ways, the Vaquero was identical to the Blackhawk, though offered in slightly fewer variants. The original Vaquero was offered in [[.357 Magnum]], [[.44 Magnum]], and [[.45 Colt]]. After some time, Ruger went with a smaller frame to more closely resemble the actual size of the Colt SAA, changed the name to the New Vaquero, and dropped the powerful .44 Magnum from the lineup. While keeping the smaller size, Ruger later went back to the simple Vaquero name.

*{{anchor|Bisley}}'''[[Ruger Bisley|Bisley]]:''' The Bisley grip is a type of angled grip developed by Colt for target shooting at the end of the 19th Centurycentury. Ruger's "Bisley" offerings incorporated a Bisley-style grip, hammer spur, and trigger. [[File:Talo Super Blackhawk.jpg|thumb|A limited edition of 1,000 Unitsunits from TALO Distributions featuring Turnbull Restorations Case Hardened frame.]] The Bisley features a down-turned grip inspired by the old #5 single-action army grip made up for [[Elmer Keith]] by gunsmith Harold Croft in 1929, although it is larger in size. This was in turn inspired by the classic 1894 Colt Bisley revolver, so named after the famous English shooting range at [[Bisley, Surrey|Bisley]] which was the site of many notable shooting matches in the late 19th century and is still in regular use. The Ruger Bisley has become a popular platform for conversion to even larger calibers by custom gunsmiths such as Gary Reeder, [[John Linebaugh]], and Hamilton Bowen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gunblast.com/500Linebaugh.htm|title=The .500 Linebaugh|last=Quinn|first=Jeff|date=23 August 2004|work=Gunblast|access-date=2009-09-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sixguns.com/tests/Tt500.htm|title=Taffin test: The .500 Linebaugh|last=Taffin|first=John|work=Sixguns.com|access-date=2009-09-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_181_30/ai_n26806097/|title=The sixguns of John Linebaugh: the man who wrote the book on big!|last=Taffin|first=John|date=May–June 2006|work=[[American Handgunner]]|access-date=2009-09-08}}</ref>

*[[.44 Magnum]] (Super Blackhawk only)

[[Category:Revolvers.30 Carbine firearms]]