Ruger Blackhawk in 44 special

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303 hunter

303 hunter

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I recently bought a Ruger Blackhawk in 44 special: a special run for Lipsey's, a large Ruger distributor. It is a steel framed gun; very heavy for caliber. I have not found any load info for this particular gun. does anyone have any experience with this gun/ caliber?
 
It is not 'very heavy for caliber'.
In fact it is a much smaller gun then the older .44 Mag frame Blackhawk .357.

It is in fact about the same frame size & strength as a Colt SAA.

It should be good for loads rated for 23,000 PSI or so.

But you can't go wrong with a cast lead 240 Keith SWC over 7.5 grains Unique powder.

It's work for nearly 100 years now, and is "the" 44 Spl load made famous by Skeeter Skelton many years ago.

It will kill anything that crawls, walks, snorts, or snarls in the USA without kicking your fillings loose or blowing your eardrums out.

rc
 
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Brian Pearce has written extensively about them in Handloader magazine. Safe for the 1200fps Keith load.
 
welcome to thr, 303.

the lipsey's 44spl is a very fine gun. mine is the 5.5" version. it is heavy for blackhawks because of the steel grip frame, but not heavy for that caliber. mine weighs 42 ozs. empty. i don't have any other 44spl revolvers, but my model 29 (n-frame s&w) with 6"bbl weighs 44ozs., my model 28 (n-frame s&w) with 6"bbl weighs 42ozs.

you can purchase back issues of handgun magazine from wolfe publishing for around $5 each. that issue, no. 260, is from june 2009. another source of info is the article by ross seyfried at gunsamerica.com. click "authors" on the homepage. his problem with a barrel restriction is worth reading, as my barrel also had that restriction.

these two sources of info should take care of most of your needs. good luck, it's a fine and accurate weapon.

also, ruger's customer service is excellent. if you have a mechanical problem that needs their attention, make sure you ask for a shipping label before you send the gun back. they won't give you one unless you ask.

murf
 
The original factory loads for the 44 Special were rather wimpy, so it's common practice to load it hotter than the factory loads given a suitable revolver. I've given up the Elmer Keith type loads though, since I have a 44 Magnum lying around. Now days I run a 240 grain cast bullet at 1000 fps from a 6.5 inch barrel as my upper limit. Same bullet at the same velocity from a 6.5 inch barrel is my lower limit for the 44 Mag.
 
They beg for some wood grips.
DSC05437.jpg
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How much do the .44 special blackhawks cost? I want one badly.
 
Mine likes 15 gr of 2400 with a 250 gr cast bullet & WLP primer. Not a heavy load but mine clocks at about 1000fps.
 
This is one of my favorite 44spl and my first cowboy gun. It is very accurate and fun to shoot. I loaded up some 240gr lswc with just under 7 grs of unique.
 
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Can anyone explain why you would want one of these over a .44 mag Blackhawk? Is this a smaller frame?
 
Well, I wanted a cowboy gun and I happened to reload for 44Spl and not 45LC. Also, I'm not a hunter or hiker , so I don't need 44mag power. I have a S&W model 29 for that, that hurts with mag loads...
 
It is a smaller platform than the 44 mag and to me the 44 spl will do anything I need and more.
 
Brian Pearce has written extensively about them in Handloader magazine. Safe for the 1200fps Keith load.
Click to expand...

I'd tentatively agree with that.

Keith developed that load in the old Colts. The mid-framed Blackhawk is doubtless quite a bit stronger overall than the revolvers that Keith used for his heavy .44 Special development.

But...

I'd also use the caveat to err on the side of caution when working up to it...and in how much the gun is used with those levels of pressure and recoil slam-bang. On an occasional, as-needed basis...the Blackhawk will do fine. For long range sessions on a regular basis...expect some accelerated wear and tear on the gun. If that's your bag, get a Super Blackhawk and have at it.

Understand also that downloading it 10% will give up little in the performance and add much to the serviceable life of the gun. More velocity is mainly useful for flattening trajectory and extending the range a bit, but adds little to the killing power at common handgun hunting distances. Keith liked to take the long shots. At 50 yards, the deer will drop just as quickly to a 250 grain bullet at 1100 fps as with the same bullet a hundred fps faster.
 
Most shooters will get more utility out of the old 950fps Skeeter load anyway. The Keith load should really only be reserved for hunting and most folks don't like heavy loads with the XR3 grip frame. Though I find them to be fine up to the Keith load, with proper grips. ;)
 
Can anyone explain why you would want one of these over a .44 mag Blackhawk? Is this a smaller frame?
Click to expand...

In addition to being a smaller pistol, a .44 Special gun supposedly shoots a little tighter than a .44 magnum, but who knows if that's really true. (Probably a lot of the people on this forum, actually. Guys?)
 
Most shooters will get more utility out of the old 950fps Skeeter load anyway.
Click to expand...

Without a doubt. Keith's load was purely a long-range hunting load, while Skelton's was more general purpose, go anywhere/do anything...within reasonable ranges. I like to download it to 7 grains in my Cimarrons. It's easy on the guns...shoots to point of aim at 25 yards with a 240 grain cast SWC...wicked accurate, and it hits hard.

The one thing I wish they'd change with the .44 Special Blackhawks is to go to an aluminum frame. It'd shave a half-pound off the gun and make it more portable.
 
I guess I just see this as a "handloader-only" range fun gun. It isn't really meant to be a defensive weapon, and if you want to hunt with it you are probably better off with a magnum. That being said, I wouldn't begrudge anybody spending their money on what they want :D
 
Yes, one must handload to realize the .44Spl's potential. Not the best choice for those who buy their guns according to availability of ammo at Walmart. Any handgunner worth his salt is a handloader anyway. There are plenty of folks who don't "get it" and that's fine, we like it better that way.
 
CraigC said:
Yes, one must handload to realize the .44Spl's potential. Not the best choice for those who buy their guns according to availability of ammo at Walmart. Any handgunner worth his salt is a handloader anyway. There are plenty of folks who don't "get it" and that's fine, we like it better that way.
Click to expand...
^^^ What Craig said...I love hand loading and shooting :))
 
Yes, one must handload to realize the .44Spl's potential. Not the best choice for those who buy their guns according to availability of ammo at Walmart. Any handgunner worth his salt is a handloader anyway. There are plenty of folks who don't "get it" and that's fine, we like it better that way.
Click to expand...

As a handloader myself, I get that angle. But is there something else I'm missing that would guide somehow who loads .44 Special (which also likely means they can/do load .44 Mag) to get this gun over a Super Blackhawk in .44 Mag? Does anybody have any comparison pictures to show the size differential?
 
I have a Ruger 50th Anniversary .44 mag, a .44 Special New Blackhawk, and a Ruger .44 Special Sheriff's model. For comparison, the .44 Spec Blackhawk is slightly smaller in the cylinder over the 50th .44 Mag, and both are WAY smaller and lighter than the Super Blackhawk, old Model Vaqueros, etc. Ruger DOES have too many frame sizes, etc, to keep track of. I like the .44 Special for that little less bulk and weight, and the fact that it can almost be loaded to the heavy load level used in the stronger, larger Ruger framed .45 Colts. I don't, however, load my Specials THAT hot; I have that lighter weight 50th .44 Mag for that. For a packing gun, either the 4 5/8" barreled .44 Special, or that smaller, lighter-yet Sheriff's Model is a GREAT gun, and one that I am planning on packing soon concealed, whenever Sparks gets their holster to me. The differences are slight, but DO affect the balance, handling, and carry-ability of the gun. And, of course, we .44 Special followers are nostalgic, and niche-type guys, that like having something just a little different, and don't mind loading for it.
DSC06438.jpg
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44 special blackhawk

thank's for the info guys. one more problem- I can't find a set of grips to fit my big hands. I have 2 sets of Blackhawk grips that won't fit this gun.
 
I have a few 44 mag Rugers also but I enjoy shooting these 44 Specials a bit more I use the Skeeter load in these two.

New model 44 Special
DSC01991.jpg

Old model 44 Special
DSC01954.jpg

Mike
 
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