Ruger Blackhawk .44 Spl.

[soonerfan85]

For sale locally is a Ruger New Blackhawk in .44 special in stainless steel with papers and orig box. If I understand correctly, these were made in limited numbers a couple of years ago. The guy is asking $400 which seems like a reasonable price as it looks like these sold for around $500 new. Problem is I just bought three new guns in the past 2 months and don't really need a gun in .44 special. If this was a .357 mag. I'd have already bought it. But I like guns that are different and having the Blackhawk would be fun to shoot on Saturday mornings with the local cowboy gun crew.

I have several handguns, everything from a Model 3 S&W pocket pistol to a new Remington 1911 that I rotate shooting about every other weeekend. I don't necessarily care if the gun doesn't appreciate in value, but don't want to buy something that's going to loose value either. Money is not an issue but space in my gun safe is. That's why I've begun passing on long guns and looking more at pistols. By all accounts the Balckhawk is a good shooting gun and should last a lifetime. Would this be a solid addition to the stable?

Anyone own one of these pistols? What do you think, should I pull the trigger on the Blackhawk or give it a pass?

 

[CraigC]

If you have to ask and would rather have a .357 then one of the best Rugers in one of the finest chamberings to ever be produced, then you should pass on it.

 

[soonerfan85]

I guess my comment about if it were a .357 could lead to some confusion. I just don't know much about the .44 special, but have been keeping my eyes open for a reasonably priced .357. Lack of knowledge about the .44 special is the only thing keeping me from jumping all over this one. I don't reload and don't have a place to do it if I was inclined to, so I'm stuck with factory loads which I've read are pretty underpowered in this caliber. So that's my delima.

I suppose the question should be, if you own a revolver in .44 special and could only shoot factory loads would you still own the gun?

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

If you don't reload, don't buy it. The .44 Special will break your wallet and is not at its best until reloaded. Beyond that, it is a great gun, great round, and I enjoy the HECK out of a Ruger .44 Special. I have two, a fix sighted Sheriff's Model and the New Model Blackhawk.

 

[CraigC]

The .44Spl really requires handloading both to realize its potential and for economic reasons.

PS, my first handloading setup was mounted on a closet wall with only about 2ft of space taken up.

 

[soonerfan85]

Thanks guys. That's kind of what I was afraid the answer would be.

 

[Jaymo]

You can buy hot ammo for it from Buffalo Bore, for hunting/defense.
You can get good ammo for it from Georgia Arms, also.
I shot mine with some 180 grain PMC hollow points and they did NOT feel like weak loads.
Speer 200 grain Gold Dot HP ammo is very good, as is the Georgia Arms equivalent.


You don't have to break the bank to enjoy a .44 special.
Every shooter should also be a reloader.

The price is very good, since a brand new, Blackhawk .44 Special costs $500.00-for the blued model (like mine).

The ONLY thing I don't like about mine, is the factory grip. I like a thicker grip, but that's just me. YMMV, and all that rot.

If I hadn't just paid to join a new hunting club, and ordered a Garmin handheld GPS, I'd be all over it.

 

[BCRider]

Unless your income is well up into the upper side of 5 figures anyone that shoots any handgun cartridge that begins with a 4 or more should be reloading their own ammo. As mentioned it's the best way to get the most out of the gun and it also ends up being MUCH cheaper than buying factory ammo.

Now once we accept that we want to reload our own ammo for a .44 it's truly rather pointless to buy a gun which is limited to .44Spl. Why not get the .44Mag version and simply load down the cartridges to .44Spl pressure and velocity? It's the same thing as shooting a .44Spl gun but you can do it using more easily obtained .44Mag brass. And if you should get the urge to shorten your wrists and wake the dead now and then the option of sending a few full bore .44Mags downrange is always open.

Or there's also the option of jumping onto a .45Colt version.

 

[Eb1]

Man, the .44 Special is way more fun for me to shoot. Pushing a .430 lead semi-wadcutter at 900 fps is awesome.

I also carry a M720 .44 Special with few loads. A 200 grain Gold Dot, 200 grain XTP and 225 grain LSWC.

I'd take a .44 Special over a .357 in a single action. Something about a big bore revolver that really gets the blood flowing.

 

[lobo9er]

Would you buy a black hawk in 38 special? Same thing. The toughest revolver out there and then limit yourself to 44 spl. unless its a collectors thing, I dont see it. Why BUY a 44 spl to shoot hot 44 spl. If I wanted to toy around loading a 44 might as well go with the 44 MAG. why choose to limit yourself.

 

[Eb1]

Personally I own a Ruger SBH in .44 Mag Stainless with a 5.5" barrel, but I'd buy a .44 SPC SBH because they are fun to shoot, accurate, low recoil, and powerful. Cheap to shoot with a 225 or 240 grain LSWC and Unique.

To each their own.

 

[One_Jackal]

I would pass on the gun. It's nothing you seem to need. I am having problems keeping ammo for my guns. If it's not a .22, 9mm, 38 or 357 - I don't have more than 25 shells for the gun.

 

[Eb1]

One_Jackal, that sounds like you need to get to loading.

 

[soonerfan85]

My brother has a Ruger Redhawk in 44 mag and I must confess I don't really enjoy shooting that gun. After 4 shots my ears are ringing even with good ear protection.

Anyone care to give me a ballpark guess on how much it'd cost to get into reloading? If I jump in I'd want to jump in the deep end so I can reload not only the .44 spl, but .32 spl (1883 S&W pocket pistol that I've never shot), 40S&W, 45 ACP, 30-06 and .223 as well.

Thanks for all the information. If the gun is still available tomorrow I'm at least going to call and talk to the guy about it. If I can get it for anything under $400 I'll need to make room in my safe for her.

 

[CraigC]

Unless your income is well up into the upper side of 5 figures anyone that shoots any handgun cartridge that begins with a 4 or more should be reloading their own ammo.

I agree wholeheartedly. There is no way for most folks to be able to shoot enough to become proficient without handloading.

...for a .44 it's truly rather pointless to buy a gun which is limited to .44Spl.

Couldn't disagree more! The wonderful thing about the .44Spl is that it fits neatly into smaller, more svelte packages. That being mid-frame Rugers like the one in question, custom Old Model conversions, Colt SAA's, New Frontiers and replicas. Even N-frames have a slender tapered barrel. In these guns, the .44Spl can be loaded anywhere from mousefart level to the 1200fps Keith load. So my question would be, why would you want a larger, heavier .44Mag when a .44Spl will do everything you need it to?

A lovely 37oz .44Spl will take care of a lot that needs doing.


There are no issues procuring brass, whatsoever.

Meanwhile, this .44Mag is 8oz heavier, which doesn't sound like much but it's a big difference in the hand. Why would I carry this, which is capable of launching 355's at 1200fps, when all I need is a 240gr@950fps???

Would you buy a black hawk in 38 special? Same thing.

No, it's not the same thing. The .44Spl's are built on a smaller, lighter, better balanced platform. Like this USFA Rodeo II in .38Spl. It actually is the same as a Colt SAA .357Mag. I give up nothing to the .357 because I don't care for the .357 at all. I can load the .38 right on up to 1200fps if necessary. It's perfectly happy with loads in the 800-1000fps range.

 

[rikman]

I really like my 44Spl Blackhawk in blue....great gun & cartridge....but I reload

 

[murf]

sadly, the 44spl is not "catching on" with the shooting public. unless this gun is special, in some way, i'd pass. you will be able to find another one, later on, if you get the urge.

don't get me wrong, i have one and love to shoot it and will continue to shoot it. it's just not that popular.

murf

 

[Walkalong]

a Ruger New Blackhawk in .44 special in stainless steel with papers and orig box......................... The guy is asking $400

I would now own it, had I seen a deal like that. I already load for .44 Spl.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

If you buy it, you are saving $100-$150 over a new one. When they first came out, I paid $500 plus tax.

 

[CraigC]

sadly, the 44spl is not "catching on" with the shooting public.

Really? Shooters have been asking Ruger to produce a factory mid-frame .44Spl since 1955. They have finally responded with no less than 8 or 9 variations. There are more .44Spl's in production right now than at any other time in history with models from Ruger, Colt, S&W, Charter Arms, Uberti, USFA and Freedom Arms. Not catching on? Hogwash!

There are just still plenty of folks who don't "get it".

 

[bikemutt]

After taking a keen liking to a 396 Mountain Lite Ti .44 spc and adopting it as my EDC, I ran across this Lew Horton 624 and by golly she jumped in my Jeep

I'll agree the ammo is not inexpensive and I don't reload, I usually get my range time in with .38 spc anyway, then reserve some "quality time" at the end for a few rounds of .44 spc. As mentioned already the Speer Gold Dot 200 gr is pretty nice to shoot, even in that 18 oz 396.

 

[BCRider]

OK, I would temper my argument against "bothering" with .44Spl only in terms of it's application to smaller and more compact guns. Craig makes some very valid points on that account.

But when looking at a regular full size Blackhawk I'm sticking by my idea that if you're buying a full size gun it's simply more sensible to get it in the "full size" chambering.

Soonerfan85, you can get all you need to reload on a casual but comfortable basis for around $150. This would include a bench mounted turret style non progressive press, hand priming tool or press priming tool. a digital scale suitable for weighing in grains for measuring the powder charges and a set of dies. To go with this you would want a loading block which holds 50 cases at a time per batch along with some powder measures.

If you're at all handy you can save a few bucks and add to your self resourcefullness by making your own casing blocks and powder measures. A nice reloading block to hold 50 cases can be made from a clear piece of 2x6 in a short time. And powder measures are easily made from spent handgun casings with soldered on copper wire or copper coated welding rod handles. They are then sized down to a variety of volumes simply with a file and deburring. Number them and you soon have a complete set.

I prefer one of the multi position presses that holds the dies either in a rotating head or in an interchangable plate which breach locks into position. Lyman makes a 6 position head press of the first type and Lee makes a couple of the second type. These will cost a little more than the single position styles but I really like them as you do not need to reset the dies each time with the multi position style or replaceable plate style options. If by some chance you should get one that has an auto indexing feature I'd suggest you disable it for the time being. It's not too hard to suddenly get into trouble with such a beast. I find that when loading in a single operation batch style of this sort I can concentrate better if the operations are split into one step to all 50 then the next step to all 50 and on to the next until done. It also makes it a no brainer to check the powder level in all 50 at a time.

 

[Crunchy Frog]

My last acquisition was a Ruger .44 Special Blackhawk in the Bisley configuration. It is built on the midsize frame (same as the New Vaquero) and is just the right size to my way of thinking.

I handload but since this was my first .44 I did not have dies or a shellplate in that chambering. I was about to walk out of the store with a gun and not the first piece of ammo. I wandered over to the shelf and found a 50 round box of factory cowboy ammo. The price was over forty bucks. I put it back on the shelf where it belongs. Let the rich people buy it.

I gathered up some components and started churning out loads for the .44 Special. It's a lot of fun to shoot.

Whenever I hear people ask whether they can afford to start handloading I always think, "how could I afford NOT to"?

Buy a reloading manual, Lee Classic Turret press, a set of dies, a powder measure and a scale. You can buy that new for less than $250. If you are a shooter you will quickly recoup your equipment expenses. Plus you can make ammo that is not even available in factory loads.

 

[Walkalong]

I ran across this Lew Horton 624

Sweet!

 

[CraigC]

But when looking at a regular full size Blackhawk I'm sticking by my idea that if you're buying a full size gun it's simply more sensible to get it in the "full size" chambering.

I agree but there are no factory full-size .44Spl's. All of Ruger's .44Spl's, Blackhawks and New Vaqueros, have been built on the mid-sized frame.