Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt accuracy

SuperCub

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I've been working up loads for a Ruger BH in 45 Colt using a sad bag rest at 25yds. What kind of accuracy would be good or even very good at this range?

This is the first handgun I've loaded for and haven't shot them much over the yrs, thus the question.
 
Over the bags, it could shoot under 2 inch, my Blackhawk Flattop 45LC/45ACP at 17 yards unsupported is an easy 3 inch with the 45 ACP, about the same with the 45 LC... JP.

Press on pictures...

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3 " @ 25m is doable , with the 45C , you've got so many bullets to play with 185/255 , it's a great cal , you've picked a real sweet heart to start your new addiction .

have fun & don't be in a hurry .
 
The pistol is capable of much better accuracy than prodyced there.
Not bashin ya, but that pistol with decent ammo is capable of pretty much ragged hole full cylinder groups from a rest at 25 yds
Most big bore blackhawks are.
Btw it will love cast bullets at moderate to decent speed.....
 
Thanks ..... Shot this yesterday. Thought it was pretty good with older eyes and crude sights.

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:)Looks pretty decent. What loads were you using? Basically just wondering if they were on the 'warm' side or lighter target loads. Oh, any chance of a photo of your BH? I have a couple but at the moment, I don't have any photos of target results. I'll have to make efforts to rectify that once the weather changes and the fire hazard decreases so we can get to our local range. Also,:redface: too many other 'toys' recently acquired so I haven't paid much attention to the handguns lately. The two in 45LC I have are:
1/ An old model Vaquero, 5 1/2"



And dressed up with a John Wayne holster.



2/ A Ruger Blackhawk convertable, 4 5/8"



With Bianchi style Lawman holster.

 
The pistol is capable of much better accuracy than prodyced there.
Not bashin ya, but that pistol with decent ammo is capable of pretty much ragged hole full cylinder groups from a rest at 25 yds
Most big bore blackhawks are.
Btw it will love cast bullets at moderate to decent speed.....
Good to know .... Just didn't know what to expect. This will be a good starting point.
 
My old model Vaquero is a .44 magnum, rather than a .45, but I see no reason why the .45 Blackhawk shouldn't shoot equally well. When I'm on my game, all of my holes touch at 10 yards, although tend to string vertically, but the recoil of my 325 gr loads is a bit wicked. My chamber throats are uniform in diameter, as I expect are your .45s, and the Ruger is an improvement over the original Colt SAA due to its more gentle forcing cone angle, than the abrupt one in the old Colt. If you purchase or make your own cast bullets, size them to match the diameter of the chamber throat, not the bore, they will swage down through the forcing cone to the dimension of a tight bore, or obturate to the diameter of a slightly oversized one.
 
My old model Vaquero is a .44 magnum, rather than a .45, but I see no reason why the .45 Blackhawk shouldn't shoot equally well. When I'm on my game, all of my holes touch at 10 yards, although tend to string vertically, but the recoil of my 325 gr loads is a bit wicked. My chamber throats are uniform in diameter, as I expect are your .45s, and the Ruger is an improvement over the original Colt SAA due to its more gentle forcing cone angle, than the abrupt one in the old Colt. If you purchase or make your own cast bullets, size them to match the diameter of the chamber throat, not the bore, they will swage down through the forcing cone to the dimension of a tight bore, or obturate to the diameter of a slightly oversized one.

There's basically two cast bullets I use in my 44 Mags, one of which is a 325gr Keith style SW. The one I use more often though is one that's the same style but weighs 250gr.

 
The group you showed on the 3" orange dot is pretty good. What i found with my older convertible is... shoots better in the 900 to 1000 fps range,than with the 750 fps cowboy loads.Very accurate in 45 acp with 200gr bullets...seems its the speed, not the bullet weight. On a Newer one in 45 colt I had to ream the cylinders to .452 to get it accurate,they were only .450,while the barrel was .452...but that was one of the 2013 production and so far the only one i've come across with that problem.

CG
 
The group you showed on the 3" orange dot is pretty good. What i found with my older convertible is... shoots better in the 900 to 1000 fps range,than with the 750 fps cowboy loads.Very accurate in 45 acp with 200gr bullets...seems its the speed, not the bullet weight. On a Newer one in 45 colt I had to ream the cylinders to .452 to get it accurate,they were only .450,while the barrel was .452...but that was one of the 2013 production and so far the only one i've come across with that problem.

CG
Ruger 45 Colt throats can be all over the place
I had to ream out 3 of my 4 Ruger 45 Colts. They had throats that were .449-.450. They shoot much better now with .452 bullets. The 4th gun, an older Blackhawk, has throats that are .456, and in that one, I use cast bullets sized .454 and get good accuracy.
 
You fellas are miles ahead of me in the accuracy department.

I have a Ruger Old Army with an extra Kirst Converter Cylinder for 45 LC. SS, adjustable sights, 7.5inch pipe.

Accuracy is rather dismal right now unfortuneatly. :(

Chances are that your old army is supposed to be loaded with .457 or .458 Bullets, like most of them were...try a 45 colt cartridge with .452 (standard) or even .454 Bullet...makes it a pretty loose fit. I know you can shoot ( Clobbers B8 target threat),but in this case i suspect a 8" circle at 25 yds is as good as it gets.
CG
 
Chances are that your old army is supposed to be loaded with .457 or .458 Bullets, like most of them were...try a 45 colt cartridge with .452 (standard) or even .454 Bullet...makes it a pretty loose fit. I know you can shoot ( Clobbers B8 target threat),but in this case i suspect a 8" circle at 25 yds is as good as it gets.
CG

My one shooting experiment was with 45 LC Remington Target ammo, 255 grain bullet. Not really sure of that bullet diameter.
 
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