Ruger New Model Super Blackhawk in 44 Magnum
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sequins
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hseII, which ammo is too hot for a Super Blackhawk? I thought a Super Blackhawk was the toughest production .44 magnum. Is there a superior production offering?
EDIT: After checking, it looks like either a Super Redhawk in .44 or a Taurus Raging Bull in .44 Magnum are the only other da/sa guns besides S&W on the market. For Single Action I got the only viable option besides S&W. I want to purchase my revolvers NIB so that limits me tremendously it seems.
EDIT: After checking, it looks like either a Super Redhawk in .44 or a Taurus Raging Bull in .44 Magnum are the only other da/sa guns besides S&W on the market. For Single Action I got the only viable option besides S&W. I want to purchase my revolvers NIB so that limits me tremendously it seems.
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BCRider
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The SBH is every bit as capable as the SR for eating "Ruger Only" loads. I'm pretty sure it's just that hse prefers the grip feel of the SR over the "plowshare" grip style of the SBH.
Having shot regular full power Magnums from my own SBH I really don't feel any need to run with any sort of "Ruger Only" loads with an increased power level. It's already as much of a good thing as I can tolerate. I've loaded up some which are a little below the starting loads for .44Mag and tried those. Power level is still higher than .44Spl. Sort of a .44Spl +P if there was such a thing. They are very pleasant to shoot but maybe a touch too mild. The next batch I try I'm going to bump it up to the starting loads for 2400 and 4227 for .44Mag and see how a few each of those works out. I'm thinking that this will be my personal "sweet spot" that allows me to shoot more than two cylinders a day from the gun.
It's not like the lighter loads lack power either. I think it was rcmodel that pointed out that my 240gn LRNFP cast bullets moving at around 1000 to 1050 fps would still pass end to end long ways through a horse if needs be. So I'm pretty confident that they won't bounce off my paper targets....
Having shot regular full power Magnums from my own SBH I really don't feel any need to run with any sort of "Ruger Only" loads with an increased power level. It's already as much of a good thing as I can tolerate. I've loaded up some which are a little below the starting loads for .44Mag and tried those. Power level is still higher than .44Spl. Sort of a .44Spl +P if there was such a thing. They are very pleasant to shoot but maybe a touch too mild. The next batch I try I'm going to bump it up to the starting loads for 2400 and 4227 for .44Mag and see how a few each of those works out. I'm thinking that this will be my personal "sweet spot" that allows me to shoot more than two cylinders a day from the gun.
It's not like the lighter loads lack power either. I think it was rcmodel that pointed out that my 240gn LRNFP cast bullets moving at around 1000 to 1050 fps would still pass end to end long ways through a horse if needs be. So I'm pretty confident that they won't bounce off my paper targets....
Bottom Left and Top Right loads did it: and yes, the BB have SBH on it, but those +p are too much for a SBH.
The SBH is every bit as capable as the SR for eating "Ruger Only" loads. I'm pretty sure it's just that hse prefers the grip feel of the SR over the "plowshare" grip style of the SBH.
Having shot regular full power Magnums from my own SBH I really don't feel any need to run with any sort of "Ruger Only" loads with an increased power level. It's already as much of a good thing as I can tolerate. I've loaded up some which are a little below the starting loads for .44Mag and tried those. Power level is still higher than .44Spl. Sort of a .44Spl +P if there was such a thing. They are very pleasant to shoot but maybe a touch too mild. The next batch I try I'm going to bump it up to the starting loads for 2400 and 4227 for .44Mag and see how a few each of those works out. I'm thinking that this will be my personal "sweet spot" that allows me to shoot more than two cylinders a day from the gun.
It's not like the lighter loads lack power either. I think it was rcmodel that pointed out that my 240gn LRNFP cast bullets moving at around 1000 to 1050 fps would still pass end to end long ways through a horse if needs be. So I'm pretty confident that they won't bounce off my paper targets....
Actually,
I prefer the SBH grip over the RH/SRH with the side grips only: think old style single action skinny grips: the one where the back strap is exposed.
My first revolver was a Black Hawk in .45 Colt.
My second was a BFH in .454.
The last 2 .44s I had were SBH.
I've got a bunch of once fired .454 brass and no .454 anymore because a .44 is sufficient, and normally, you get 1 more round.
But when the cylinder hesitates, or won't rotate to the next chamber after firing the "Only x guns" loads, it's time to do something else.
I traded into this because of my SBH experiences.
arspeukinen
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There is no available in-spec ammo too hot for SBH.
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Well shoot hseII, I'm really excited to try the hot BB loads but now I'm nervous. I can lean on Ruger for warranty work if it breaks non catastrophically, and Davidson has the lifetime warranty beyond even that, but obviously if I get a catastrophic failure shooting sports and the gun itself might be the least of my worries.
I reckon I'll shoot them anyways but maybe only a couple. I wasn't planning to shoot exclusively full house loads but I enjoy a fierce, impressive cartridge.
Anyone else wanna weigh in? Will I be okay shooting a box of 50 buffalo bore max strength .44? It's legendary load to me personally, I've heard it's really something! That load and other insane .44 power factor loads are part of my love of .44 but the buffalo bore load especially. Comparing the ME on their hottest load to the ME from my 9mm defensive rounds and it's like 3x as much was totally eye opening. I know ME isn't the best measure but there is something visceral about such a huge statistical disparity.
I reckon I'll shoot them anyways but maybe only a couple. I wasn't planning to shoot exclusively full house loads but I enjoy a fierce, impressive cartridge.
Anyone else wanna weigh in? Will I be okay shooting a box of 50 buffalo bore max strength .44? It's legendary load to me personally, I've heard it's really something! That load and other insane .44 power factor loads are part of my love of .44 but the buffalo bore load especially. Comparing the ME on their hottest load to the ME from my 9mm defensive rounds and it's like 3x as much was totally eye opening. I know ME isn't the best measure but there is something visceral about such a huge statistical disparity.
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Very true. However the deceptive part is SAAMI does not list 44 Remington Magnum +P or +P+.
Everything up to the +p loads, go with it.
Don't shoot the +p loads.
Garrett's has a 310 grain Sledgehammer that isn't a slouch. Garrett's are on par with BB, if not a touché above regarding accuracy. They do cost a bit more though.
300 or >, or Get Out.
The reason I have so much store bought 44 is I swapped from .454 to .44 a couple years ago, and was trying to find a starting point. [emoji3]
Get out there and Shoot That Thang!!
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sequins
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Will a Super Redhawk handle the hottest loads? Which .44 Magnum platform will offer me the performance I crave? I want to put potentially thousands of buffalo bore loads down some sort of barrel while I'm still young and strong, which barrel can handle them?
I'm not going to shoot them through the SBH I've decided because I trust this forum and if a single member has reservations then so do I. Thank you for the warning hseII and I appreciate your keeping me safe. However I do intend to shoot these Buffalo Bore loads and I will buy a pistol with which to do so. Which one shall it be?
And this is not to disparage my SBH by the way but I just won't put anything that isn't SAAMI rated through it because Safety is my first priority no matter what. I want a gun that not a single person is concerned with firing to be the one I use to fire my insane loads through.
I'm not going to shoot them through the SBH I've decided because I trust this forum and if a single member has reservations then so do I. Thank you for the warning hseII and I appreciate your keeping me safe. However I do intend to shoot these Buffalo Bore loads and I will buy a pistol with which to do so. Which one shall it be?
And this is not to disparage my SBH by the way but I just won't put anything that isn't SAAMI rated through it because Safety is my first priority no matter what. I want a gun that not a single person is concerned with firing to be the one I use to fire my insane loads through.
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44 mag
as for the 44 mag. it is a great weapon and I love my new model Bisley super black hawk yes I do shoot 44 specials and so do my children. I also like the 45 long colt but don't get it for show get used to a revolver first then you can go big or go home one of my former coworkers sold me his .500 smith after going back to the 9mm because of the recoil and I happily found the next fool who had to have the biggest gun he could get and I never even fired it.
I currently have .45 long colt, .44 mag., .44-40,and .22 revolvers and a .40 auto-loader but have had .45 acp and .357 revolvers as well. So if I were you I would get a .357 so you can shoot the 9mm out of it as well as your auto-loaders then move up later.
P.S. I don't mind cleaning mine so I do shoot cast lead and yes I have cast my own and do reload when I have time Winchester primers and Alliant green-dot powder at factory specs work good for just about everything
as for the 44 mag. it is a great weapon and I love my new model Bisley super black hawk yes I do shoot 44 specials and so do my children. I also like the 45 long colt but don't get it for show get used to a revolver first then you can go big or go home one of my former coworkers sold me his .500 smith after going back to the 9mm because of the recoil and I happily found the next fool who had to have the biggest gun he could get and I never even fired it.
I currently have .45 long colt, .44 mag., .44-40,and .22 revolvers and a .40 auto-loader but have had .45 acp and .357 revolvers as well. So if I were you I would get a .357 so you can shoot the 9mm out of it as well as your auto-loaders then move up later.
P.S. I don't mind cleaning mine so I do shoot cast lead and yes I have cast my own and do reload when I have time Winchester primers and Alliant green-dot powder at factory specs work good for just about everything
I like the Uberti as well as the Ruger in SAO but they are harder to find in .44 than in other Calibers. The only DA revolver I have ever had that I really liked was the old Smith and Wesson model 37 other than that I will always be a SAO fan
I like SBH very much as well; actually I prefer it as far as big bore revolvers go, but I like 'em Hot!
Enjoy your guns, shoot them as much as you want and don't for even a moment be concerned about wearing it; from the first shot it is wearing. Enjoy guns and shooting and like a lot of us you look back over the decades and the tens of thousands of rounds, then look down at the guns that they said would last several lifetimes and some are still like new and others you did wear out, but boy was it fun wearing it out. Then you can share your experience with a young lad asking the same questions. Life is good you are young enjoy it.
Bama Drifter
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Excellent choice and great shooting, Sequins. BCRider and Sixguns covered most of what I would say... I'll add that a GP-100 was the first arms purchase when I turned 21. It was later traded out towards a Colt Peacemaker, but gave peace of mind while driving through Birmingham and Atlanta. My Ruger SBH is identical to yours, but blued and produced in '76 a couple years before I was born. I think I still paid less than $300 for it used and needed to send it in to Ruger to be "tightened up". The folks at Ruger will take care of their product forever!
A couple books you'd enjoy: Gun Digest Book of the .44 by John Taffin, and Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to Handgun Marksmanship by Peter Lessler. Mr. Taffin is the heir to the Elmer Keith throne when it comes to revolver knowledge. I have no financial stake in any of above publications, but have greatly benefited from them! Also check out John Bianchi's Frontier Gunleather for a sweet gunbelt. My fantastic wife got me the best rig money can buy for my Colt to ride in
A couple books you'd enjoy: Gun Digest Book of the .44 by John Taffin, and Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to Handgun Marksmanship by Peter Lessler. Mr. Taffin is the heir to the Elmer Keith throne when it comes to revolver knowledge. I have no financial stake in any of above publications, but have greatly benefited from them! Also check out John Bianchi's Frontier Gunleather for a sweet gunbelt. My fantastic wife got me the best rig money can buy for my Colt to ride in
Excellent choice and great shooting, Sequins. BCRider and Sixguns covered most of what I would say... I'll add that a GP-100 was the first arms purchase when I turned 21. It was later traded out towards a Colt Peacemaker, but gave peace of mind while driving through Birmingham and Atlanta. My Ruger SBH is identical to yours, but blued and produced in '76 a couple years before I was born. I think I still paid less than $300 for it used and needed to send it in to Ruger to be "tightened up". The folks at Ruger will take care of their product forever!
A couple books you'd enjoy: Gun Digest Book of the .44 by John Taffin, and Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to Handgun Marksmanship by Peter Lessler. Mr. Taffin is the heir to the Elmer Keith throne when it comes to revolver knowledge. I have no financial stake in any of above publications, but have greatly benefited from them! Also check out John Bianchi's Frontier Gunleather for a sweet gunbelt. My fantastic wife got me the best rig money can buy for my Colt to ride in
I grew up on JT, which tells you I'm a youngan.
His revolver articles are on up there with some of the best.
BCRider
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If you're looking to stretch the .44Mag gun past what Buffalo Bore offers then I'd suggest that you need a Super Redhawk in .454 Casull and damn the torpedoes! ! ! !
I'd almost suggest the big S&W X frame guns but while the ammo is impressive the mass of the guns that shoot those options tends to tone down the recoil. By far the harshest and most powerful recoil I've felt from any handgun was the Ruger SR in .454Casull shooting some full pop loads.
It may be that you find the "lowly" .44Mag somewhat wanting if you're after the most massive wrist wrecking loads you can find and the lightest gun to shoot them from.
hmmmmm.... there's that silly little derringer that someone makes that take .45-70. You may want to look into those....
I'd almost suggest the big S&W X frame guns but while the ammo is impressive the mass of the guns that shoot those options tends to tone down the recoil. By far the harshest and most powerful recoil I've felt from any handgun was the Ruger SR in .454Casull shooting some full pop loads.
It may be that you find the "lowly" .44Mag somewhat wanting if you're after the most massive wrist wrecking loads you can find and the lightest gun to shoot them from.
hmmmmm.... there's that silly little derringer that someone makes that take .45-70. You may want to look into those....
you can run the buffalo bore loads down the barrel of your super Blackhawk all day long. "ruger only" loads are for the 45 long colt Blackhawk pistol. all 44 mag loads are made within saami specs and can be fired in any 44 magnum handgun.
that doesn't mean that heavy loads won't shake apart some revolvers. the ruger Blackhawk and redhawk won't shake apart.
just make sure your base pin doesn't pull out on your Blackhawk. this can happen with heavy loads and can tie up the gun. if it does happen, push it back in.
I run 300 grain bullets at over 1200 fps in my super Blackhawk with no problems.
luck,
murf
that doesn't mean that heavy loads won't shake apart some revolvers. the ruger Blackhawk and redhawk won't shake apart.
just make sure your base pin doesn't pull out on your Blackhawk. this can happen with heavy loads and can tie up the gun. if it does happen, push it back in.
I run 300 grain bullets at over 1200 fps in my super Blackhawk with no problems.
luck,
murf
Bama Drifter
Member
For all this buffalo bore and +p talk, allow me to suggest a .44 Mag "light target load" for the OP if he gets into reloading: 240gr LRNFP or LSWC over 8gr Unique in starline brass (or whatever's in your once fired bucket). This load is fun to shoot 75 to 100 rounds at a time and isn't awfully dirty. Enjoying the banter
It might be for yours, but this load locked my SBH up: thus the recommendation not to shoot this load in his.
YMMV
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