Need advice on Ruger .45 Colt

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Lars

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I'm picking up a Ruger Blackhawk Bisley Stainless 5.5" this week. I'm pretty excited as this was a non cataloged item. It also has the 45acp cylinder. I will have this as my only pistol for awhile and so it will have to do double duty for HD and camping/hiking protection. I'm thinking some hollow points in 45acp for HD. What is a good field ammo http://www.buffalobore.com/ or https://dakotaammo.net/shop/product_info.php?cPath=23_81&products_id=144. Eventually I'll start reloading. I'd also like to know what would be a good holster for carrying out in the woods? Something comfortable that you could get in and out of a rig with. Last thing is that I heard there is room for improvement in the rear sight? What are options there and what are some of the most common goodies for the Blackhawks? Thanks.

Lars
 
Any JHP from 185 grains on up should suffice.

Some people like paddle style holsters for SAs. El Paso Saddlery, perhaps.

The stock rear sight should be ok, especially in stainless steel. You will find that POI will vary substantially between the range of ACP loads and .45 Colts. I made some feeler gauges to make elevation changes once I determined what the various loads wanted.

I like the Convertible .45 I have very much. The only changes I made to it were to get the cylinder throats reamed to a uniform .4525 and trigger work.

If it isn't broke, don't fix it.
 
Speer has a fairly rare load, hard as hell to find but worth it if you do.

It's a 45LC defensive Gold Dot JHP (human defense that is, not so much critter-oriented) of 250gr and probably about 950-1,000fps in that gun. It has a giant gaping hollowpoint cavity, basically a scaled-up version of the 135gr 38spl load.

It might just be one of the best goblin stoppers ever shoved into a shell, at least this side of 12ga slugs.

Most other defensive 45LCs from 200gr on up work well, including Winchester's Silvertip 225gr and the 200gr Cor-Bon and Speer.

The 45ACP cylinder holds merit too. From a 5.5" barrel you'll get good velocity - run any of the name-brand 230gr JHPs for best results. The 165/185/200gr loads would be better for short barrels of 4" or less. The Gold Dot 230 is particularly interesting.
 
As one of my house defence guns mine is loaded witth the Win Supreme 230 gr SXT right now. I prefer the 230 JHPs but just about any good .45ACP rd should work just fine for unwanted guests. As far as field loads in the .45 Colt I use my own reloads so others may have better ideas on that but I would think the Speer 250 Gold Dot should be very good or maybe the old Win 250 RN or even the lighter weight 225 gr Silvertip or the Fed 225 gr LSWC. If you happen to need a heavier load for some reason, there's the much more powerful but pricey Buffalo Bore or Grizzly offerings.
 
Jim,

The excellent Speer #4484 250gr .45 Colt Gold Dot is designed for low speed opening ~800+ fps, like the 200gr GDHP #4429 in .44 Special. Their charge reccomendations for SAAMI spec .45 Colt max at 14 kpsi only achieve a range of 840-874 fps maximum. For higher velocities, one must go to the Thompson Contender/Ruger only +P levels - and I don't think they'd pack that commercially. Their older thicker-walled 200gr GDHP in .45 Colt does hit 1,100 fps both in their CCI Blazer loads and the similar, but Starline brass cased, Georgia Arms round intended for .45 Colt SAAMI spec'd revolvers.

I load my #4484's to 814 fps from my 4" 625MG and 823 fps from my 4.6" Vaquero. The bullet is pricey, but proven to open well at the 800+ fps range. Additionally, I don't feel my 255gr LSWC's at 800 fps should be ignored as stoppers.

Stainz
 
Stainz: somewhere I saw test data for that Speer 250 (factory loading, rather than just projectiles somebody loaded) from a 4" tube at 850fps. As this guy has a 5.5" tube AND knowing Rugers tend to "spit fast", I'd guesstimate he'll pull somewhere over 900 with them.

You're right, they're designed to work as low as 800fps, but I would want to push them a little past that, at least at the muzzle. Gold Dots tend to have an "expansion window" (the speeds at which they work well) in excess of 200fps...so the load should be good up through at least 1,000fps.

This relatively broad "window" is why they sell the same 135gr projectile in both 38+P and (admittedly mild) 357 flavors.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I think that I'll look for some of the Speer Ammo when I pick up the pistol. I saw a Bowen rear sight that would work with a XO big dot front sight. What do you think of that set up?

Lars
 
You need to reload that .45 colt, more effective ammo and a LOT cheaper. :D

I just mark elevation marks on my revolver elevation screws for sight settings with my pet light and heavy load in each gun. That way, just turn the elevation screw to the proper mark and shoot. With my .45, I shoot a 255 grain Lee cast flat point to 900 fps and a 300 grain Hornady XTP JHP to 1200 fps and the elevation difference for the two loads is 6 clicks and it is easily repeatable. I don't have the ACP cylinder, but don't need it since I handload.
 
Both the Bowen rears and XO fronts are excellent sights.

But: ask Bowen how wide his rear sight window is, and then find out how wide the XO fronts are. You may need to select small dot to get something a tad narrower than the Bowen rear window width.

You want the front either exactly the same outside width as the rear sight inner window dimension, or the front a bit narrower. You have a 5.5" barrel...that *should* mean you can run them equal and still see a bit of daylight each side of the front sight blade...but a smidge smaller on the front would probably be better.

You would need to do this "width analysis" with any rear sight except the "Express" V-groove types. The advice in previous paragraphs is for the more traditional square-notch rear sight, I had forgotten momentarily that Bowen has an Express (shallow V) pattern rear.

If you run an Express rear, it's all good except that you can't use the Elmer Keith trick of raising the front sight in the rear square for longer range shooting. Your only choices for longer range are to reset the rear sight elevation a known number of "clicks" (hard to do quickly!) or just aim a bit higher. Say you're shooting an elk at 150yds...you aim closer to the top of his shoulder, knowing what your bullet drop is from previous range work with that load and gun. I'll work on something big, no so well on something small. Elmer Keith on the other hand would have raised the front sight blade in the sight a known amount and put the front sight right on target. This works regardless of size of target (within reason of course).

Express pattern sights in general tend to be very fast to get a picture but not as "precise" as more traditional sights.
 
Don't neglect DoubleTap ammo. They make great high-power loads for the .45LC for much less than Buffalo Bore. I also like the CCI Blazer round for household defense, but you can certainly get a lot more by going with the heavier loads. Georgia Arms makes a 250 grain 'Deerstopper' that has a nice amount of power without abusing my hands. It is pretty accurate at 50 yards, as well. It is a bit much for household work, in my opinion.
 
Good Choice

I'm not a Bisley enthusiast, but you can't go wrong with the dual cylinder Blackhawk. My everything gun for many years was a Ruger SBH in .44 Mag. I was living in a rough place, but I never felt undergunned with an SA revolver.

I agree with the others. Use a good 230gr JHP .45 ACP load for HD. Field loads are a bit tougher to select. The standard .45 Colt 250gr lead round nose has plenty of penetration to handle most critters you are likely to meet out in the wilds. However, you really need a wide flat point to get the best results for hunting. Buffalo Bore ammo has a good rep, so I would start there to see how it shoots in your gun. You may have to try several different brands/loads to find out what works in your individual gun. I'd say any hard flat point bullet from 250-300gr at about 1,000fps should handle anything you will need it to handle, and still be pretty comfortable to shoot.

For leather, you might look at a Mernickle PS6SA:
http://www.mernickleholsters.com

You might also look at: http://www.sixgunner.com
You will find a large collection like of minded folks who can offer plenty of good advice and support for your new addiction. I say "addiction" because one SA revolver is NEVER enough. BTW - There is no 12-step program for this :D
 
My 45LC New Model BackHawk with the 7.5" :) barrel is the smothest revolvers I've had the pleasure with. You'll have plenty of fun!
Good Luck.
 
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