.357 Single Action Advice

[Pat Riot]

I have owned a few Ruger Vaqueros but only one Blackhawk. I sold the Blackhawk and regretted it the moment that I did.

My vote is for the Blackhawk.

As has already been mentioned:
Adjustable sights
Better sight picture
Proven sturdy platform
Great warranty and customer service
Transfer bar safety - load 6 safely

 

[Armored farmer]

I like the Blackhawk, but mine is the old heavy model.
I would also like the ,357/9mm

 

[Armybrat]

 

[red rick]

IMO silver and white doesn't work .

 

[WVGunman]

I owned a .357 Mag Ruger Blackhawk with a 6-7" barrel. I eventually sold it, for three reasons:
- With that length of barrel, it was annoyingly long and heavy;
- The ejector rod was just a liiiitttle too short to pop 357 Mag cases clear of the cylinder. .38 Special cases would go, but I always had to pull the 357s out the last 1/8 inch by hand, one at a time. This got annoying.
- The lockwork on the Ruger design is such that rotating the cylinder does not give a nice "click" and line each cylinder up automatically with the ejector rod housing. This didn't SEEM like a big deal at first. But I later got a Heritage Rough Rider .22, which copies the original Colt action that does line up the chambers. Big difference in emptying the gun, even accounting for the smaller caliber.

The Blackhawk is undeniably well-made and sturdy, but it just didn't feel very user-friendly to me. YMMV

 

[bannockburn]

red rick

IMO silver and white doesn't work

Looks just fine to me!

 

[Fiv3r]

I've got a Great Western II in .357 that I bought to scratch the SAA itch. I really like it. Balanced, accurate, and affordable.

I doubt i ever wear it out.

I do need to find one of the standard cylinder pins without the safety notch that the imports are required to have, though.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

I do need to find one of the standard cylinder pins without the safety notch that the imports are required to have, though.

Try calling VTI Gun Parts

http://www.vtigunparts.com/store/


They stock parts for Uberti revolvers. The standard cylinder pin for a Colt or an Uberti is 1/4" in diameter. See if they have a pin that will fit your Great Western.

 

[Tallball]

The regular Blackhawks with adjustable sights have much bigger sights that are way easier to see than the tiny fixed sights of the more authentic SA revolvers.

I got my New Model Blackhawk 357 for $299 used. It has a 6.5" barrel and is a very good shooter.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

The regular Blackhawks with adjustable sights have much bigger sights that are way easier to see than the tiny fixed sights of the more authentic SA revolvers.

I always get a kick out of it when shooters talk about the 'tiny' sights on a Colt or clone.

Most of the clones today come with the old 'V' type rear sights that are the same as were on 1st Generation Colts.

On the left in this photo is a 2nd Gen Colt, with the 'square' rear sight of that generation. On the right is an Uberti Cattleman, with the earlier 'V' type rear sight. I find that 2nd Gen Colt rear sight very easy to pick up.






Here is the rear sight on a 1st Gen Bisley Colt. Yes, it is small, but if I can see it with my miserable eyesight, anybody should be able to.

 

[35 Whelen]

I've got a Great Western II in .357 that I bought to scratch the SAA itch. I really like it. Balanced, accurate, and affordable.

I doubt i ever wear it out.

I do need to find one of the standard cylinder pins without the safety notch that the imports are required to have, though.

FYI Ruger New Vaquero base pins fit the Uberti's perfectly, and might very well fit yours too. They're much harder than the original pins and won't peen under recoil like the originals.

35W

 

[Crunchy Frog]

- The lockwork on the Ruger design is such that rotating the cylinder does not give a nice "click" and line each cylinder up automatically with the ejector rod housing. This didn't SEEM like a big deal at first. But I later got a Heritage Rough Rider .22, which copies the original Colt action that does line up the chambers. Big difference in emptying the gun, even accounting for the smaller caliber.

The Blackhawk is undeniably well-made and sturdy, but it just didn't feel very user-friendly to me. YMMV

I don’t like that feature, either. Happily Ruger fixed it with the New Vaquero and its “cousin”, the “Flattop” Blackhawk.

 

[Hondo 60]

The Blackhawk has a larger frame than a Uberti.
I have small hands, so that was a deal breaker.
I currently have 2 Ubertis. A 5.5" and a 3.75" with a birdshead grip. Both are very accurate. The
5.5" even has a 45acp cylinder.

I feel that the quality of both brands is outstanding. It just depends on how it fits in your hand.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

I owned a .357 Mag Ruger Blackhawk with a 6-7" barrel. I eventually sold it, for three reasons:
- With that length of barrel, it was annoyingly long and heavy;
- The ejector rod was just a liiiitttle too short to pop 357 Mag cases clear of the cylinder. .38 Special cases would go, but I always had to pull the 357s out the last 1/8 inch by hand, one at a time. This got annoying.
- The lockwork on the Ruger design is such that rotating the cylinder does not give a nice "click" and line each cylinder up automatically with the ejector rod housing. This didn't SEEM like a big deal at first. But I later got a Heritage Rough Rider .22, which copies the original Colt action that does line up the chambers. Big difference in emptying the gun, even accounting for the smaller caliber.

The Blackhawk is undeniably well-made and sturdy, but it just didn't feel very user-friendly to me. YMMV

Howdy Again

Yes, the tendency for the cylinder to rotate slightly too far on a Blackhawk can be annoying. This happens because there is no half cock loading position for a Blackhawk, or for the 'original model' Vaquero either. Rotate the cylinder a teeny bit too far and the hand pops into the next cylinder ratchet tooth, preventing the cylinder from backing up for a chamber to be loaded or unloaded. One solution is to add a Power Custom Half Cock kit. I added the half cock hammer to three of my 'original model' Vaqueros, so now there is a half cock position for my hammer which allows the chambers to line up perfectly with the loading gate. Here is a photo of one of my Vaqueros with the hammer at half cock. This works very well, but the parts are pricey. I did it to my Vaqueros because they were my main match pistols in CAS for a few years. I never bothered with my old 45 Colt/45 ACP Blackhawk because I don't shoot it much any more.

Here is a photo of one of my 'original model' Vaqueros with the hammer at half cock and a chamber lined up perfectly for loading and unloading.






Regarding popping long empties out of the chambers, the problem is because the front end of the cylinder pin is relatively long. That prevents the ejector rod from moving back far enough to completely clear an empty from the chamber. I'm pretty sure Ruger did this on purpose. You cannot completely remove the cylinder pin from a Ruger without also removing the ejector rod housing. This prevents cylinder pins from accidentally jumping forward during recoil and getting lost in the grass. With a Colt, it is possible for the pin to jump completely out and get lost in the grass because the front of the cylinder pin is not as long. The solution is to give the ejector a smart stroke so the empties build up enough momentum to jump all the way out of the chambers. Or, replacement cylinder pins are available that are not as long in front, allowing the ejector to move further back.

By the way, when the New Vaquero came out, the front of the cylinder pin was shortened, so it is possible to lose it in the grass too.

And the problem of chambers not lining up properly went away with the New Vaquero too, because there is a spring plunger in the frame that indexes the chambers nicely to the loading gate.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

I totally enjoy shooting my Black Hawk 9mm/357. CONVERTIBLE. So easy to shoot 9mm considering II always have bountiful stock. on hand. However much more fun to shoot 357 which this gun shoots so very mild.

 

[doubleh]

I have a 4 5/8" barreled SS Blackhawk in 357. I love shooting this gun, carrying it, not so much. The weight makes 357 loads easy to shoot and mild 38 specials in it are about like my single six in recoil. A very pleasant all around shooting pistol. Te weight that makes it this way detracts from it in the packin' around department. 35 or so years ago I wouldn't have paid any attention to the weight.

 

[mdrisc85]

Thanks to all who have weighed in here. I'm hoping to get over to one of the gunshops here in the Las Vegas area who i remember stocking several different varieties of single actions (Sadly most in the area are stocking just the usual suspects) to check out how they feel, and hopefully a few different barrel lengths. I appreciate all of your advice.

 

[shafter]

The Ruger Blackhawk is a beast, no doubt about that. If I was looking for something to shoot really heavy loads to use in the back country or for hunting then that would be my choice. The more traditional models that are based off the Colt Single Action Army are more sleek, and seem to balance just a bit better. The Ruger Vaquero is very nice as are Ubertis.

 

[Venom007]

Thanks to all who have weighed in here. I'm hoping to get over to one of the gunshops here in the Las Vegas area who i remember stocking several different varieties of single actions (Sadly most in the area are stocking just the usual suspects) to check out how they feel, and hopefully a few different barrel lengths. I appreciate all of your advice.

Then come down to Clark County range and do some shootin'.

 

[Armybrat]

IMO silver and white doesn't work .

Ok, how about with its original Talo grip panels?

 

[red rick]

I like that . I like contrast of black and silver and white and black . I think it makes the gun stand out more .

 

[Jeb Stuart]

The Single Action is such a wonderful unique gun. It almost seems un-American to not have one. You can spend so much time just viewing these Beautiful guns and all the Grips. And, I have to say, my 357/9mm, just might be the gun I would choose if SHTF and I had to pick one firearm. Such solid built firearms.
I enjoy changing out the Grips. Almost like getting a new gun. Here is the same gun I posted above with a custom BearPaw Madrone Burl grip. This grip has a little rise in the upper end.

From Bearpaw "grips are wider (thicker) than standard grips at the top by 1/10" on each side but slightly less than factory thickness at the bottom. I have modified the profile by adding material towards the top, to make the revolver easier to hang on to when firing heavy loads. The bottoms are flat cut with a chamfered edge. My grips are finished with no fewer than a dozen coats of Tru-Oil gun stock finish to give them a very nice shine. The standard grip screw is stainless steel with brass escutcheons"

 

[Hertzer]

For knocking about and maybe a bit of pistol hunting the Ruger is the way to go but for just plain range fun or cowboy action I like my Ubertti with a birdshead grip.

 

[The Evangelist Cowboy]

My first one:

Old Ruger2

• dickydalton
• Oct 1, 2017

You shot that thing to hell and back looks like! Awesome gun.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

You shot that thing to hell and back looks like! Awesome gun.

Lol, I doubt it is even getting broken in.