Ruger guys, two questions please.

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lastditch

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I like Vaqueros and Blackhawks. Own several of each and shoot them with much pleasure. I'm feeling adventurous and need a couple of questions answered before letting my imagination run wild.

(1) Can I have the cylinder on a stock Vaquero chambered in .45LC professionally cut down to accept the .45acp cartridge ? Gun is NIB if that makes a difference.
(2) I have seen photos of some Rugers that started life chambered in in .357 and converted to .44 Special, which is a favorite caliber of mine. Can you recomend someone who specializes in these conversions?

Many thanks in advance.
Lastditch
 
You will need a new cylinder fitted for 45 ACP. There are conversion guns from the factory. I have 9/357 and 45acp/45LC. I enjoy them both.

As far as conversions. I have no personal experience but have heard good things about Clements customs. They offer a Jeff Quinn special that is popular.
 
(1) Can I have the cylinder on a stock Vaquero chambered in .45LC professionally cut down to accept the .45acp cartridge ? Gun is NIB if that makes a difference.
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Howdy

No. 45ACP head spaces on the case mouth. Drop them into a 45 Colt chamber and they will fall all the way down inside the chambers. There is no rim to hold them in position. What you can do is have a gunsmith shave about .030 off the rear of a 45 Colt cylinder and shoot 45 Auto Rims out of it. The extra .030 is for the thicker rims of the 45 AR cartridge. But doing so would pretty well ruing the gun for shooting 45 Colt anymore. That's why Ruger sells convertible revolvers, with 45ACP cylinder.
 
Ruger now offers the Blackhawk in .44 Special. Best of all, it's on the midsize New Vaquero sized frame and a classic Flattop. As a result there's no need to pay the big dollars to convert a .357.

I have one of the Lipsey Bisley Blackhawk .44 Special revolvers but the standard Blackhawks are nice, too, especially in stainless.

I grew up reading Skeeter Skelton's columns and articles so the .44 Special is, well, special.

Lastditch, ever considered bringing your "hardware" to a cowboy action shooting match?
 
I suppose you could have the rear of the cylinder faced off to allow use of .45 Auto Rim.
Trouble is, ammo is harder to find than .45 ACP.
 
As a result there's no need to pay the big dollars to convert a .357.
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There is if you want a traditional half cock action, crisp 2lb trigger and a sixgun that actually weighs less than a Super Blackhawk.
 
Cuz, I was going to correct you and point out that the .44 Spl BH is made on the medium frame.
Then I remembered that it has a steel grip frame and weighs as much as the big frame BH, if not more. I think it weighs more than my .45 convertible BH.
 
They are on the mid-frame but my 5½" Bisley .44Spl weighs an ounce less than a comparable Super Blackhawk. I love them but Ruger hid some depleted uranium in there somewhere. I still have plans for more custom Old Model .44Spl's. I just like the result better.

Your .45 convertible is probably the lightest centerfire single action Ruger makes.
 
One thing about even the idea of trimming the cylinder to run auto rim rounds. It's a helluva jump from the mouth of the case to the throat of the cylinder if this is done. I'm pretty sure that the bullet would be flying clear of any guidance at all for a significant distance. I can't imagine much good coming from such a situation.

Optimally you'd get a cylinder from a Convertible. But I'm pretty sure this means sending the gun back to Ruger for fitting. Last I read they don't sell their cylinders by themselves.

But I also understand that it's Ruger's policy to convert any of the older 3 screw models over to a transfer bar system. I'm not sure what that does to the trigger pull. But obviously since they are replacing the innards your trigger WILL be quite different when it comes back.

If I had a nice 3 screw that I wanted kept intact I think I'd scrounge around for a convertible cylinder in .45ACP or perhaps in some smaller caliber and pay a local smith to fit and time it to my gun. And in the case of a sub caliber to bore and chamber it to the .45ACP. That way I'd get a convertible without any modifications to the 3 screw setup.
 
Yeah, I'm starting to think they made the medium frames from tungsten steel. They're something like 43 ounces.
But, they do balance nicely.
 
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