Ruger Blackhawk .30 Carbine Barrel Length: UPDATE

$300 plus a new barrel, cylinder, and fitting. Sounds experience.

 

Amazing find.

Good luck with quick draw, Wyatt.

Seen 2 - 7 1/2" .30 Carbine at gun show, today. Wasn't real interested, since I have one.

A 4.6" .357 with a really nice holster and belt, had my interest for a few minutes. $700 was a little more than I was willing to pay.

Found a Single Six 6 1/2". Wasn't overly interested, but when he accepted my $300 offer, I HAD to bring it home to my other 2. Not near as sweet as your deal, but I take what I can find.

A blue 3-screw, blade rear sight (bottom)
Now a blue New Model (top)
and a stainless New Model

 

$300 for a large frame Old Model is cheap. Linebore rechamber the cylinder to minimum spec .45Colt with proper throats and a new barrel. Good, cheap custom for less than the cost of a nice OM .45.

 

I received a reply from Ruger.

.30 Carbine Blackhawk serial number 3xxx is a BKH-31, .30 Carbine, blue, 7 1/2" barrel, model number 00501, manufactured and shipped in June 1968.

Ruger Customer Service

 

Ye ole barrel swap. That's OK, for $300 especially!

 

@dredd You bought someone else's madness- and that's kinda cool. Gonna leave it as is?

 

Yes.
The current plan is to run it as is.
I have a few different mfr's ammo and hand loads to try out.
If turns out to be a shooter, I'll have to leave it alone.

That being said.... I have a serious question.

What kind of consistent grouping would a person consider necessary to put a gun like this in the field.
Say.... 100/yrds or less. The preferred target would be pigs.

I have not ever played with a scoped revolver / pistol.
I also am not a pistol hunter by habit.
I have taken a couple of pigs with a 10MM, but that was flushing them out of close cover while heading to a stand.
I was not sitting and waiting for them.

Edit: I guess I need to provide an example.
Is 3MOA or better a reasonable expectation if all of the planets line up.
I expect better out of a rifle, but this is a new platform for me.

I'm open to any advise.

Thanks.

 

I'd consider the 30 carbine round very iffy for pigs.

To a large extent, accuracy would depend on the barrel. Does it have a brand name on it?

Frankly I think you would do better to sell it and get a .44 mag with a red dot. Assuming you want to hunt pigs that is. My guess would be your gun was purpose built to knock over steel rams at 100 yards.

 

I doubt it. With an aftermarket barrel, let alone a scope, that revolver would be against the rules for use in any sanctioned IHMSA silhouette match in the "Production Revolver" class, and there's a heck of a lot better handguns for use in the IHMSA "Unlimited" class. Besides, the "steel rams" are at 200 meters - not 100 yards.
Nevertheless, I agree with everything else you said, and I've never even seen a wild pig.

 

I would expect 3-4" at 100yds. I also wouldn't hunt anything bigger than coyotes with the .30Carbine.

 

There's a reason the former owner put a longer barrel on it. 30 Carbine ammo is loaded for optimum performance from an 18 inch carbine barrel. When fired from a pistol barrel less than half that length, there is an enormous flash and the sound is unbelievable. I first heard (and saw) one fired at the range. It was all the way at the other end of the table, but the flash was dazzling and the sound made me jump. It was a "Holy #$%#, what was that?!" kind of thing, even though I was 25 feet away wearing plugs and muffs. Putting a 12" barrel on it was a good idea.

 

It's the birthplace of H110. Powders are chosen for pressure range and capacity, not barrel length.

 

3 MOA or less.

You very well may see 1 MOA. Or 6 lol. Its a toss up. FWIW, ive seen pistols hold under 1 MOA but they were not revolvers. Contenders and bolt actions yes, but not wheel guns.

30 carbine is fine for anything thin skinned up to about 200 lbs. It was designed as a tool of war afterall...

Regardless, i like it. Neat piece and a fantastic price. And with that info from Ruger, you dont have to feel bad if you go down to a shorter barrel.

 

Two totally different purposes.

 

Not really. A 200 pound thin skinned animal is a 200 pound thin skinned animal, whether it walks on 2 or 4 legs.

Its not like i said 30 carbine is a 400 yard deer slaying machine...

 

In war the purpose is entirely different than hunting. When I hunt, I expect to anchor my game with one shot and not need a finishing shot.

War, not so much.

Kevin

 

Sizes of the intended target has nothing to do with it.

Strawhat nailed it. When hunting, you want your quarry dead as quickly as possible and with smallbores, you're hunting with expanding bullets.

Weapons of war, especially those carried by artillery and support personnel, which the carbine was intended, have a completely different mission. The goal is to take the enemy out of the fight and a wounded soldier is actually preferable to a dead one. Completely different set of circumstances. Also note that the main battle rifle was not a .30 carbine.

 

Point accepted.

I certainly didnt mean that i want to make animals suffer.

 

The "steel rams" ARE (were?) at 100 yards in the NRA Hunter Pistol silhouette game. And that pistol probably would have worked well in that game (though someone more knowledgeable of the rules of that game may correct me on eligibility). Hunting-wise, there are several .308 110 gr. HP pills that will work (and by that I mean fit the cylinder). I personally haven't shot anything but jackrabbits with my .30 Carbines (I have a Ruger BH and Marlin M62 Levermatic), but it sure turns them inside out with those exposed lead HPs . If it shoots within 4 MOA I'd be happy with it for anything I'd be willing to shoot at 100 yrds.

 

As mentioned the hunter pistol is 100 meter, any sights, with a 12" barrel length limit. Don't know if 30 carbine qualifies for handgun ammo though.

The gun was modified for some reason. Just a wild guess on my part.