[1moa@500]

i have recently purchased a 50th annivesary blackhawk in 44 mag. i took it to the range today and much to my surprise the did not allow lead bullets. i had hand loaded 200 rds of light loads so I could get used to the new gun. i did have one box of factory 220grn federal in my bag so I decided to go ahead and shoot anyway. Big Mistake:cuss: the grips in the gun are checkered hard plastic and after 6rounds I called it quits. The recoil was not bad but my hand felt like A cheese grater had textured my palm. I know I need new grips but being new to single actions I wanted some advise. I plan to use this gun for hunting and plinking and want to avoid rubber grips.

[bakert]

1moa, I've wondered about the checkered grips on those .44s. I use a lightweight fingerless driving glove when shooting my .44 Super at the range even with the slick grips on it. Don't know it they would work for you. Regular shooting gloves are just too thick and bulky for me but my son uses one all the time. I've also read that some posters here use a golf glove. Hope you find what works best for you. Some of the more macho types might not agree but to me, hurting takes the fun out of shooting.

[Majic]

A single action is supposed to roll up in your hand. Why would they put checkered stocks on one (especially a big bore magnum) is beyond me. I would just get some regular factory stocks or custom stocks (smooth of course).

[1moa@500]

I must find a set of smooth grips and have looked far and wide.I will probable get factory grips from ruger. i did however take a brass punch and use the flat stock to smooth over the offending area. worked well at the range today but I still want larger grips. i also found a range in orange county that allows lead bullets, my handloads are much lighter than factory loads so I suppose that helped as well. thanks guys

[D.A.C.]

Regular ruger blackhawk grips won't fit the Anniversary models. They have an old style XR3 gripframe which is similar to a Colt SAA (smaller than the XR3red, and made of steel). I haven't seen any XR3 grips for sale for a while. You'll probably have to go custom to get what you want.