[sendec]

I recently inherited a .357 Blackhawk and a Single Six and determined from checking serial numbers with Ruger that they were never sent in for the safety update retrofit or whatever it was called. I am not really a single action guy and will probably shoot the Blackhawk very little. Are there any pros and cons to having the update done, other than the safety issue? Will it detract from the collectability of the gun, if any exists?

They have extreme sentimental value more than anything and am more concerned about altering them from the condition my uncle had them in than being able to carry 6 rounds in them. I will probably have the Single Six done regardless because I want my daughter to be able to use it freely.

[Brian Williams]

Extreme Sentiment precludes lawyers any day. keep them the way they were made and use the training and brains that God gave us to teach the young'un,the four safety rules and Load 1, skip 1, load the rest and she will be fine. I have an unadulterated Single Six and my kids know what to do.

[VictorLouis]

They have extreme sentimental value more than anything and am more concerned about altering them from the condition my uncle had them in than being able to carry 6 rounds in them. I will probably have the Single Six done regardless You said it best, yourself. Do as Perfessr suggested, or keep your eyes open for a used New Model Single-Six, which are seem from time to time.;)

[Majic]

If you do have it modified, be sure to keep track of the original parts. Many people have lost track of theirs and the bottom falls out the value if it's not in the original ccondition. Even then it still will have lost it's top dollar value.
New models are too easy to find to just provide your daughter with a shooter. Teaching her the old single action method of loading will serve her well in the future if she runs across a SAA or clone.

[sendec]

Thanks for the input, I think I'll be leaving them alone
.
These are my first single actions. Are all of them supposed to be carried with an empty chamber under the hammer, or just the older Rugers? I guess I have'nt watched enough Westerns.

I thought it was interesting when I was researching their serial numbers on the Ruger website. The instruction manuals for the "old" guns were 9 pages long, while for the "new" model it ran closer to 40. I am guessing that the only thing that has really changed over that time period was the number of lawyers and product liability suits.

[Majic]

The new models with the transfer bar system can be safely carried with all 6 chambers loaded.

[James Bondrock]

"Old Model" Ruger single actions, like Colts, should always be carried with an empty chamber under the hammer. Look closely at yours through the gap between the rear of the cylinder and the frame's recoil shield with the hammer down and you will see the firing pin protruding through the frame. It will rest on the primer of the cartridge, if it were loaded. The balance of these guns is such that if you drop it from a height of more than about three or four feet, the gun will land butt first and strike the hammer. The first notch you pull the hammer back to, which positions the hammer about 1/8 of an inch from the frame, is called a safety notch, but this can still shear off under an impact and discharge the gun.

My experience with one gun (an "Old Model" Super Blackhawk that already had the conversion, which is why I got it for less money), which may or may not be typical, is that the trigger pull becomes very heavy.

A converted "Old Model" -- unless the original replaced parts are retained, and Ruger will return them to you -- will lose about $200 or so in resale value compared to an "unaldulterated" one.

Were those guns mine, I would use and enjoy them as is.