New Blackhawk

[m.i.sanders]

I just picked up a new SS Blackhawk in .45LC. I've been wanting one for a while for hunting and just general plinking. As all my guns have been blued, I don't have a clue on how to keep up a stainless finish. Any suggestions?

 

[capbuster]

So far I have treated my stainless handguns the same as my blued ones. For years I was partial to blued handguns but now have grown quite fond of my stainless models.

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

Stainless gets significant black residue from shooting. The same residue isn't as visible on blued guns.

The residue doesn't bother me but it can be removed with Flitz (if they still make it). I traded a stainless smith once and had it looking like new.

Stainless will rust, however. So it should be wiped down with a silicone cloth whenever you handle it. Just like blued.

Other than that, you clean it, etc., just like normal.

 

[Jim March]

One bit of good news: even deep scratches on a stainless gun can be "polished out", by hand if necessary, without expensive professional refinishing needed.

You can also do various mods to the gun without a complete refinish needed. Examples include barrel chops, re-contour the frame so it's a true ejectorless "storekeeper model", lighten the frame, fit a new grip frame, solder on a new front sight base, etc.

Hence long term, stainless is less expensive to maintain, esp. if you're the sort liable to "tweak it".

 

[Stainz]

Very good, Jim March... just one more caveat...

The very best additional reason to buy a Ruger revolver in SS is that you can fairly easily remove that Ruger 'Bible' from the left-hand side of the barrel. I use a concave rubber form from my Porter Cable 'Profile Sander', but nearly anything can be called into service - even an old fashioned felt chalkboard eraser. Just start with strips of 240grit Si/C W/D paper and some WD-40 and rub back and forth along the writing on the barrel. Watch a boring movie - or the election returns - but make sure your ammo is elsewhere!

When the writing is pretty much gone, switch to successively higher grits to smooth & polish the finish - I go 320, 400, 600, 1,000+ - and then use Flitz Metal Polish. It - and an assortment of papers needed - are available from Ace Hardware stores, etc. They will order the $4.99 bottle of Flitz, if they are out - ~3 days, usually. It is great for ridding the cylinder chamber's exits of their rings, too. BTW, if you want the satin sheen SS finish of the SBH/BH's, a grey ScotchBrite (UF) pad can 'blend' the gloss barrel to the rest of the finish. Of course, the 'high gloss' SS of the Vaquero's is easy to match with Flitz...

Enjoy your new .45 Colt BH... but be forewarned: That round is addictive!

Stainz

 

[m.i.sanders]

Thanks for the info ya'll. I took it out for the first time yesterday and dang if that thing's not just fun to shoot It took a few shots to figure where to aim, but once I got it figured out, it was right on the money. The only trouble I had was running out of ammo to quick.

 

[camaroman]

I recently bought a new SBH SS 7 1/2" 44 GOTTA LOVE EM!!
Jim- how would you make it a true ejectorless "store keeper" model?? anyone have pics of modified black hawks?

 

[Jim March]

I recently bought a new SBH SS 7 1/2" 44 GOTTA LOVE EM!!
Jim- how would you make it a true ejectorless "store keeper" model?? anyone have pics of modified black hawks?

Well on the primary frame's front right edge, you've got a sort of "bubble" that the rear end of the ejector rod housing fits into and the ejector rod goes through. It's a shape carved into the frame.

It's not difficult to grind that away leaving each side of the frame in that area identical and the frame unable to support an ejector rod. You then chop the barrel shorter to whatever length you want inward of the forward ejector mount screwhole. End result: a gun that looks like it never had and never could have an ejector housing.

Some 19th Century Colts and clones were sold in that configuration, or modified that way, usually with barrels in the 3" range, sometimes shorter.