Ruger Blackhawk in 44 special

[CraigC]

It's very difficult to tell from pictures. You really need them in the hand to appreciate the difference. I don't have one of the new flat-top .44Spl's but I do have an Old Model that was converted to .44Spl by Jim Stroh. Due to its light aluminum XR3 grip frame, the difference is almost astronomical. The little .44Spl weighs 37oz versus 43-45oz for a Super the same length. Folks will say that 6-8oz doesn't amount to much but that's a difference of 16-22% hanging in your hand. It's a truly wonderful combination that will do 99% of what the shooter/hunter/outdoorsman needs doing.

They're comparable in size to the Colt SAA. This one a USFA replica .38Spl.

 

[salvo]

Like others here I really like the .44 Specials! I have .44 Mags also and of course they also shoot .44 Special so I can see why alot of people do not see the reason for the mid sized frame guns. I just enjoy the feel of them and the history, Skeeter is one of my favorite gun wrighters of past.
To get an idea of size, comparing the cylinders of a SBH and the .44 Special cylinder gives more of an appreciation of size.

My three Flat Tops

 

[BCRider]

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 ran into that with the stock grips as well. For my hands the wrap around the neck had my fingers running into my palm too much. I "fixed it" by making my own grips which are more rounded and fatter around the neck area of the frame. That fixed the issue nicely. But I'm not sure where to get such grips.

If you've got some grips which don't fit they may not be for your particular frame. By now you must be realizing that the Super Blackhawk and regular Blackhawk don't use the same grip frame. And then there's the Bisley variant. So the grips you have may well be for one of those other styles of frame. Depending on how you ended up with them there may have been some misunderstanding or wrongful assumptions on what they fit compared to what you have for the frame on your gun.

Finally if you don't reload already you'll want to get into doing so PRONTO! As you're likely finding the big bore ammo costs a lot. And on top of that I understand that .44Spl often costs more than .44Mag. And that stuff off the store shelves is already bad enough. Not to mention that when you reload your own you can tailor the loads to suit your own needs to a far greater degree.

 

[Beauhooligan]

I seriously considered buying one of the Lipsey's NM Flat-tops in .44 Special, but when it comes down to it, I have Ruger revolvers that will do anything it could accomplish.



Down the center: pair of 7 1/2" Blue/Color Case Vaqueros in .44 Magnum with stag grips, pair of 5 1/2" SS Bisley Vaqueros in .44 Magnum with standard grips, pair of 3 3/4" Blue/Color Case Bird's Head Vaquero in .45 Colt with black laminated bakelite grips , pair of 5 1/2" SS Vaqueros in in .45 Colt with Ruger faux ivory grips, pair of 7 1/2" Blue/Color Case Vaqueros in .44-40 with stag grips. I bought these pistols in pairs as they are intended for shooting CAS, and have lever action rifles to shoot with them in .44 Magnum, .45 Colt and .44-40. At the bottom is my 7 1/2" SS Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum with black synthetic Pachmayer grips; I have taken mule deer and California black bear with this pistol.

On the right side there is a 50th Anniversary Flat Top Blackhawk in .44 Magnum with 7 1/2" tube at top and a "three screw" 4 5/8" Blackhawk in .357 Magnum with ivory grips and spare 9mm cylinder.

On the left side there is a 50th Anniversary Flat Top Blackhawk in .357 Magnum with a 4 5/8" tube at top, and a 5 1/2" SS NM Bisley Blackhawk in .45 Colt with .45 ACP cylinder.

The adjustable sight 5 1/2" SS NM Bisley Blackhawk in .45 Colt is the pistol that would come closest to a Blackhawk in .44 Special for all around use. With Starline brass I can load it up to .44 Magnum level performance, or down to mild target loads.

 

[sig220mw]

I also got one of the first batch that came out in 2009. What turned me on to the 44 special was shooting the specials in a ruger 44 mag bisley that I had back in the early 90s. Off a sand bag rest they were just scary accurate. Of course that was a magnum revolver with a 7-1/2 barrel shooting relatively mild factory ammo. This got me interested so I started reading everything I could about the cartridge. I soon became a fan and started looking for a 44 special. By this time I had sold the 44 mag and replaced it with a 45 colt. I was still interested in the special though but there weren't many around. I got a charter bulldog and shot it a little but just wasn't satisfied. I wanted more than a snub nose. I got on the wagon along with many others and wote letters to editors in gun mags about the lack of choice in 44 specials available. The one I got really shoots well and I will never get rid of it unless it is to get another one of the same caliber. But I would rather keep it and have 2 instead. I have used unique and imr 4227 for my loads and both do just fine. The unique is what I use for the tamer loads and the imr 4227 for the more "robust" loads.

You are gonna love that 44 once you really start using it.

Yes a 44 mag will shoot the special cartridge also but when you walk around in the woods all day with the big mag on your hip and then switch to the special you see or feel the difference. You are not under gunned with it by any means.