Ruger Blackhawk 30 Carbine opinions.

ACTUALLY, it is too loud, too heavy, too klunky for it's cartridge, and is semi-worthless for just about any reason I 'd ever want a good sixgun. It does make a good instrument to shoot up all your excess cases of 30CARB ammo and not spreading the brass all over the back 40. IT IS much better than no SA sixgun atall.
And so it goes...

 

I rarely shoot mine, because I have so many other guns to shoot. When I do it is pleasent to shoot as long as you have your hearing protection on. It's accurate and fun. Now that you reminded me that I have it I think I'll trade it off for another BP revolver.

 

With Mil spec .30 Carbine ammo it is VERY loud and makes a huge flash - to the point that everyone else at the range will stop whatever they're doing and go "HUH!?!. And with a 110 gr. bullet it will make a fine poodle shooter. It has almost no recoil. .30 Carbine would be my absolute last choice for a handgun cartridge. I think the only reason Ruger introduced this model was a belief that .30 Carbine ammo was very cheap and very plentiful.

 

I've got one. Yeah, they are LOUD!
Fun to shoot except for the ear blasting noise, never have come up with a load that moderates it.
ear muffs with that sucker is a must.

 

Yes, they are loud.

 

What???

 

don't suppose you wanna sell it, do you?

 

I -really- like mine. By far one of the, if not the most accurate handgun I've ever shot.

Chamber tolerance is really tight, so I've had issues trying to shoot straight lead reloads with it.

When I grab it, my M1 Carbine, AMD AutoMag III and my Marlin 62 I can take a revolver, semi-auto rifle, semi-auto pistol, and lever action rifle to the range and shoot nothing by 30 Cal carbine all day long

 

Reloader Magazine had a write up about these not too long ago. The author reported issues with rounds not firing, due to too much crimp. The hammer impact was driving the cartridges forward into the cylinder instead of setting off the primers. Anybody else experience this with factory or reloads?

 

It headspaces on its mouth, so you need to crimp it like a semi auto round and not a revolver cartridge. Taper crimp, not roll. Didn't read the article, but I'd hope a writer for Reloader wouldn't be clueless though.

The new Single 7 in 327 Federal can do what a 30 carbine does in a more efficient case. It is loud too but is factory loaded for handguns, whereas the 30 carbine will be assuming a longer barreled rifle.

 

It would be a lot more fun if the cartridges didn't stick in the chambers so you have to pound them out. (long skinny taper, like a drill press arbor) It's still fun, and extremely accurate. Has anyone mentioned loud yet?

 

Years ago I knew a guy that had one in grizzly country, he thought it was the shiznits because it was a RIFLE! cartridge, but didn't realize it was actually inferior to a 357 magnum with comparable bullet weights, and was left behind in the dust by 357 loads with heavier bullets in actual killing power.

 

It's about the opposite of what I think of for single actions. My love affair is with the big caliber single actions shooting heavy bullets, but the .30 Carbine is neither. However, I was reading a thread today of a guy using his to take squirrel. To me it would shine as a relatively inexpensive way to have a flat shooting sixgun and I've heard the 30 Carbine Blackhawks are nicely accurate. To me they come off as more of a small game sixgun.

If I were interesting in the concept, I would probably instead try and snag one of the 327 Federal Mag Single Sixes fixing to come out from Lipseys, similar if not better ballistics.

 

Correct, sorry I thought this was assumed and didn't need spelled out. The article was written by Venturino, I'm fairly confident that he's aware of the different crimps and their correct uses. I'm not aware of a source to purchase a 30 Carbine roll crimp, are you?

 

No, but when it comes to crimping I think you can have a lot of leeway in what die you use. Would a 30-30, 308, 32-20, or other die work? I'd hope he'd be using a 30 Carbine die set, so may he just excessively crimped it. Like I said I didn't read the article and perhaps using the "normal" amount of crimp he was having bullets pull under recoil so he cranked it down harder only to find it no longer head spaced correctly. I'd then look at the expanding die and reduce its diameter so that not so much crimp is needed.

Another reason to stick with rimmed cartridges in revolvers. Took me about 20 years to learn that...

 

You couldn't crimp the .30 Carb with a .30-30 or .308 die. It would hit the shell holder before it got anywhere near the case's mouth. Don't know about the .32-20, to lazy to look up how long it is. Lee makes a Factory Crimp Die for the .30 Carbine. It's perfect.

I guess most semi-autos don't have this problem because the spring loaded extractor helps to hold the case in place. Single Actions don't have extractors.

To the OP's original question. I think the .357 Mag fills the small caliber nitch much better than the .30 Carbine. It's greater than, equal to, and less than the .30 Carb -- all depending on how it's loaded. Surplus .30 Carb use to be cheap and plentiful, but it's not anymore. There's nothing the .30 Carb does that the .357 Mag can't do as good or better.

 

Ks5shooter: I have had a New Model Blackhawlk in 30 Carbine for several years. And shoot it quite often. It is loud, I use both ear plugs and muffs, when I shoot mine. I don`t think you would want to shoot one of these at a indoor range. However mine and all the ones I have been around are very accurate with very little recoil. They make great small game and plinking pistol. I shoot a M1 Carbine also and I use the same reload for both Rifle and Pistol. I really enjoy my 30 Carbine Blackhawk. Give one a try, You might be suprised on how much fun one of these can be.
ken

 

Fun to shoot, my kids like it. Accurate, no serious recoil. A bit of a blast but not anything to get worked up over.

I don't know that I'd buy one instead of some other chambering these days, as there is no cheap .30 Carbine ammo lying around, but if you wanted a varmint revolver, it sure will do the trick.

 

Ks5shooter: Old Military 30 cal Carbine Ammo , always shot just fine in mine. I sure wish I could still go out to the Ammo Dump and pick up 3 or 4 Ham cans like we use to. The old Military Issue Ammo was just great for doing some serious plinkin, or going to an old fashioned trash dump and thin out the (( RAT`S )).
ken

 

I think the cartridge is better suited for a carbine but I do have a story about a Blackhawk 30 and a USGI carbine. Back about 1973 I had occasion to meet a guy who had both. We took them out in the desert and set up some cans at about 100 yards. He said we were going to have a contest and I got to choose my weapon. Of course I chose the carbine because I had been in the military and had training with those sights. He picked off those cans about 2 to my 1 with the Blackhawk. I think the carbine probably needed a new barrel but still... I now shoot a carbine on a regular basis and I know for sure I could turn that around today but that is an example of a very good shooter with a very accurate revolver. They still make them so somebody knows something.

End of story.

 

you betcha