Blackhawk Convertible - did I make a mistake?

harbl_the_cat

harbl_the_cat

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Impulse buy.

Having my baby in 5 months, have a small amount of money squirreled away and my philosophy is to have at least 2 guns of my "staple" calibers (.22, 9mm, .45 ACP, 12 gauge, .223, 7.62x39) - better do it soon before the wife go's on poggie and it's really obvious if I make a $600 purchase.

Went into WSS and asked if they had either a S&W 625 or a Ruger Blackhawk Convertible in .45 LC. Much to my surprise - they had the Blackhawk.

On impulse I bought it (the interchangable .45 ACP/.45LC I hear is pretty decent - and I have a lot of .45 ACP).

Waiting on the CFC I'm musing to myself if I made a mistake or not. Any thoughts?
 
Please give us a range report after you shoot both .45ACP and .45LC cylinders.

The ACP is usually sized .451 and the LC is sized .454 so I am curious how accurate she will shoot in both calibers.

But a big single action in .45 caliber is the way to go, IMO. Good choice.
 
I have an American Liberty 1976 model Ruger Blackhawk Convertible .45.
Very nice gun, probably shoots better than I can at least with a handgun:cool:
Yes seperate interchangable cylinders, ACP headspaces in the chamber which is ok for shooting cheap? ammo but a bit more of a pain reloading. I much prefer the LC, it's in the gun most of the time. Only bit of trouble I ever had was the locking pin backin out & the cylinder would lock up with heavier handloads. I hear you can buy new improved pins but it's never been that huge of an issue.
 
i had one, back when they were 529, which was about 2 years ago- yes, it does use a seperate cylinder for 45acp- the one i had was a 5.5 inch, and even with 45 colt loads, it was consistantly 8 inches low at 10 yards, thanks to that statue of liberty front sight - i compared it to my old army and the redhawk, both of which are 45s, and it was CONSIDERABLY TALLER- even in the LOWEST setting on the rear finally, i i DUG OUT A FILE and shaved some meat off that front sight- and it wasn't just my handloads, I USED FACTORY AMMO as well- i finallu got rid of it as i have a couple of 45 1911s and the redhawks- i couldn't stand how SLOW they were to reload as well as the inaccuracy- i also found, once you get a cylinder installed, you tend to STICK WITH THAT CYLINDER-whichever one it is- in my case, it was the 45 colt( notice i didn't say long) and the acp stayed in its home= i'll NOT go down that road again, thank you very much
 
easyrider604 said:
Please give us a range report after you shoot both .45ACP and .45LC cylinders.

The ACP is usually sized .451 and the LC is sized .454 so I am curious how accurate she will shoot in both calibers.

But a big single action in .45 caliber is the way to go, IMO. Good choice.
Click to expand...

ruger uses 452 bore for both- as well as the old army- which is a blackhawk "converted " for black powder- i know, i've slugged the barrel on the old army- i got mine in 74- along with one of those italianbullet moulds in 44, and it wouldn't shoot- then i slugged the barrel, and it's 452, not 44
 
I read lot about Rugers, as I'm a big fan of their revolvers. I don't hear a lot of bad things about the convertibles specifically, most are very pleased with them. 45acp and 45colt, use the same bore diameter, so the only possible issue with the ACP is the rimless case. If your casings are too short, there could be headspace issues, as they head space on the lip of the case, they might be too deep in the cylinder to get a good firing pin strike. But that's only if you have 25 year old 400 time fired brass that has shrunk from resizing/firing over and over again. If you bought a brand new one, I recommend however, taking it all the way down to it's tiny bits and giving it a really good once over, there's been reports on the new ones of poor finishing, filings inside the working parts and other Quality control issues.

Myself, I've got the 357/9mm convertible on my list of future acquisitions. Ideally an older pre-lock model. I don't like the added complexity of the lock, it also uses a shorter main spring, and I've heard, but not experienced, it makes for a poorer trigger feel.
 
curtmg said:
I read lot about Rugers, as I'm a big fan of their revolvers. I don't hear a lot of bad things about the convertibles specifically, most are very pleased with them. 45acp and 45colt, use the same bore diameter, so the only possible issue with the ACP is the rimless case. If your casings are too short, there could be headspace issues, as they head space on the lip of the case, they might be too deep in the cylinder to get a good firing pin strike. But that's only if you have 25 year old 400 time fired brass that has shrunk from resizing/firing over and over again. If you bought a brand new one, I recommend however, taking it all the way down to it's tiny bits and giving it a really good once over, there's been reports on the new ones of poor finishing, filings inside the working parts and other Quality control issues.

Myself, I've got the 357/9mm convertible on my list of future acquisitions. Ideally an older pre-lock model. I don't like the added complexity of the lock, it also uses a shorter main spring, and I've heard, but not experienced, it makes for a poorer trigger feel.
Click to expand...

can't happen- read my post- you CHANGE CYLINDERS to use 45acp - the shoulder is somewhat shallower in that cylinder to allow the use of 45 acp cartridges
 
easyrider604 said:
Please give us a range report after you shoot both .45ACP and .45LC cylinders.

The ACP is usually sized .451 and the LC is sized .454 so I am curious how accurate she will shoot in both calibers.

But a big single action in .45 caliber is the way to go, IMO. Good choice.
Click to expand...

.45 Colt has been .451 nominal since colt restarted production after WWII...
 
harbl_the_cat said:
Impulse buy.

Having my baby in 5 months, have a small amount of money squirreled away and my philosophy is to have at least 2 guns of my "staple" calibers (.22, 9mm, .45 ACP, 12 gauge, .223, 7.62x39) - better do it soon before the wife go's on poggie and it's really obvious if I make a $600 purchase.

Went into WSS and asked if they had either a S&W 625 or a Ruger Blackhawk Convertible in .45 LC. Much to my surprise - they had the Blackhawk.

On impulse I bought it (the interchangable .45 ACP/.45LC I hear is pretty decent - and I have a lot of .45 ACP).

Waiting on the CFC I'm musing to myself if I made a mistake or not. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

You scored,
Use 1911 mags as speed loaders....
 
We are getting a little off topic here The OP wanted to know if he made a mistake. I have had second thoughts after a purchase of a new toy (gun) but it goes away pretty much after the first time I pull the trigger lol, think of it this way this will be your last (for awhile )purchase once the baby comes enjoy it & your new child All the best to you & your wife


R:d:
 
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