Versatile and fun revolver

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brentn

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Been thinking about purchasing a revolver, something with a large frame that can use multiple forms of ammunition.
I always wanted a s&w 500 but the ammunition is expensive and although its a huge caliber/recoil revolver (I like that sort of thing) its just not very practical.

Been thinking something in .357 magnum as it will also shoot 38 special. Also to satisfy my larger caliber desire the .460
It will take 454 casull and 45 long colt rounds. Long colt is inexpensive and with the weight of the revolver would make shooting quite a bit of fun (accurate). Then when I want to, I can load up some .454 or even .460 and go to town with it when the need calls without having to buy a new revolver.

What do you guys think?
recommendations?
 
I am a single-action fool, and a fool in several other matters also.:D I would recommend a Ruger Blackhawk in .357 Magnum. At one time Ruger also offered a 9mm cylinder for this gun, but I am not sure if it is still available. Ruger does make a Blackhawk in .45 (Long) Colt with a .45 acp cylinder at the present. Plus, you might wish to consider a Super Blackhawk chambered for the .44 Magnum and use .44 Specials in it. I hope this helps.


Timthinker
 
You might want to take a look for a .45 colt DA revolver and have it moon clipped so you can also shoot .45 ACP from it. I like the N-frame sized revolvers and don't need to shoot anything hotter than a hot loaded .45 colt.
 
Ruger Security Six
4" barrel
Get a stainless one ($300ish) so you can buff or polish or remove billboard or beadblast or....................to your hearts content.
 
.45LC is inexpensive? Well, I suppose everybody has his own definition of what is "expensive", but for me (because I don't yet reload) it is pretty spendy.

If you are looking for something that you can inexpensively shoot a lot, .38/.357 is the way to go. But you seem to be looking for a nonspecific enough gun and purpose that I will just repeat the usual answer, "go try out a whole bunch and see which fits your hand and speaks best to you."
 
If you want to use your .38 or .357 for small game heres something I've tried with some success.
I had a thick steel plate with a 23/64ths hole already drilled in it so one day I got the idea of driving some .375 balls for my .36 Navy through the hole with a rawhide mallet. This resulted in a slug with a round nosed a flatened rounded edge base and short bearing surface, pure lead of course.

I loaded these slugs just below the case mouth over a one grain charge of bullseye and a small magnum primer. I then lubed the case mouth with Door Ease silcone grease.

From a .38 Airweight the load made almost no noise and had the striking power of a wrist rocket slingshot, pretty accurate too.Good enough for pests or small game at close ranges.
For a longer barrel I'd use a bit more powder just to be sure the bullet didn't get stuck in the bore. You could step the charge up though various levels corresponding to the .32 S&W and such.
Size OOO Buckshot would also work but would have less of a bearing surface.
 
45LC is inexpensive compared to the other two calibers I mentioned for that revolver :D

Barrel HAS to be 4.1" or longer or else I can't buy it :(
Its strictly a gun for the range, and the collection, we are not allowed to use handguns for hunting.

I always thought about getting a pietta SAA in 45LC or .357, the price is about 1/4 that of the .460 I wanted :D

The 44 special, what is the cost comparable to?

also, doesn't 9mm work in a .357 cylinder, you just need a moon clip? or is it a slightly different diameter..

thanks for your advice guys.
 
brentn said:
also, doesn't 9mm work in a .357 cylinder, you just need a moon clip? or is it a slightly different diameter..
Click to expand...

9mm is .355", and the barrel of my Ruger Blackhawk Convertible .357 Magnum/9mm is .357"/.358" (or supposed to be; I haven't measured it). Thus, using 9mm, the gun isn't all that accurate (it holds a nice shotgun pattern at 25 yards).

9mm's casings are slightly conical in shape, going from 9.93 mm (0.391 in) at the base to 9.65 mm (0.380 in) at the neck, while .357 Magnum/.38 Special are straight-walled, staying at 9.6 mm (.379 in) from the base to the neck. 9mm casings won't fit in a .357 Magnum/.38 Special chamber.

The Blackhawk Convertible I have (and all of Ruger's Convertible guns) comes with 2 cylinders--one for the rimmed .357 Magnum/.38 Special cartridges (which headspace on the rims) and one for the 9mm cartridges (which headspace on the case mouth).

---

If you're looking for ammo versatility, something chambered in .460 and modified to take moon clips would give you .45ACP, .45LC, .454 Casull, and .460 (and .45GAP, I suppose) -- http://www.wildwestguns.com/Pistolsmithing/Wolverine/wolverine.html

That'd be expensive, though...
 
Kle, your story confirms the poor accuracy accounts I have heard about when the 9mm cylinder is used in a .357 Blackhawk. The 9mm cylinder is interesting because it allows a person to shoot different cartridges in the .357, but it does not seem that practical from what I have discovered. It does testify to the creativity of Ruger though.


Timthinker
 
The 9mm cylinder is interesting because it allows a person to shoot different cartridges in the .357, but it does not seem that practical from what I have discovered. It does testify to the creativity of Ruger though.
Click to expand...

The other thing you can do with the 9mm cylinder is to have it converted to a .357GNR or .357 Bain & Davis, which are necked-down .41magnum & .44magnum wildcat cartridges, respectively. Practical only if you re-load, I guess, and have a need for a smokin' hot round.
 
Well I wanted it because I liked the idea of a big, cheap round (compared with .22LR) out of a revolver (even "cheap" .38SPL around here is, like, $15/50, while 9mm is about $7/50--no, I don't reload yet). Plus, it's the 4 5/8" barrel, so I get even more of the musket-ball effect. I'm certain it could hit a man-sized target at 25 yards, but not all that accurately--like maybe hit a silhouette in the arm or something. At short distances (<= 10 yards), though, it makes for a fun plinker, accurate enough for soda cans I suppose (I've never shot anything other than paper, but it's held groups small enough to spank a soda can).

If I had to do it all over again, I'd take the money I paid for the blue .357/9mm Blackhawk Convertible and put it towards a stainless .357 Blackhawk. Then I'd get a revolver specifically for 9mm (like my Taurus 905), but unfortunately there don't seem to be any 9mm revolvers with longer target barrels out there for a reasonable price.
 
Any good revolver of 4" or more barrel length should be good out to 25+ yards. At 25, you may not be able to dot "i"'s, but you should be able to do a pretty decent job - for sure, keep it in the outer circle of a standard 25 yard target (think paper plate).

An adjustable sight SA (aka the Blackhawk as opposed to the Vaquero) is just as accurate & reliable as a DA revolver. It's a cylinder held in place by a STATIONARY pin (instead of a swing-out crane) so if aligned and timed properly to start with, it shouldn't go out of alignment at all. The hammer is cocked by the thumb, so there is no DA "shimmy" when trying to move the cylinder with the trigger finger's force.

I do OK with my Gp100 6" at 25 when shooting SA. DA is another story...but I'm practicing!

While the 9mm may not be the best choice out of the Blackhawk, as you said, it IS cheap(er). So you can't dot i's and cross t's. You get range time, get used to trigger & sight picture, and have fun. Then switch over to the .38/357 cylinder and do your more accurate stuff. It's still cheaper than that .500 at over $1/pop.

If ammo cost is a factor, go opposite field: get a sweet shooting .22, either SA revolver or auto. I always take 2 pistols to the range - a centerfire and my .22 Browning Buckmark. The .22 gives me great practice (and a confidence boost while I shoot out the bullseye) and gives me something to do while the .357 cools off.

Yeah, it's not "macho," but if you shoot it well, I guarantee you'll have people stopping by to see you shoot. Had an 86-year old complement my shooting today. This gent is an old-school Army pistol team shooter, so I take his complements highly (nevermind what he thought of my 1911 technique!).

Q
 
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