Super Blackhawk question/Finished the Trigger Guard

hunter64

hunter64

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I have the usual super blackhawk and I was wondering if it was possible to order a rounded grip frame instead of the squared off back version that I have. If I can't get a frame or it is to expensive, is it possible to round it off by cutting and then rewelding/silver soldering it back once the new shape is figured out. I love the look of the 1873 style revolver but I love the fact that it is a 44 mag and it is accurate as all get out and it is the only thing to me that looks way out of place. I have never seen a blackhawk in .44 mag with round trigger guard otherwise I would buy it in a second so I was wondering about changing mine to what I want. Thanks for any input.
 
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Custom work by a smithy. Cut the grip frame, reshape it and weld it. Try changing grips first. The grip is designed to allow the revolver to roll back in your hand under recoil. You may find a rounded grip will increase the felt recoil.
Ruger does make a 4 5/8" and 5.5" SB in .44 mag with a round trigger guard. Talk to your local gun shop about ordering one. Shouldn't be a problem if their distributor has one. You can either use your SB as a trade in(not really a good idea financially though) or sell it and use the proceeds towards the new one.
 
Do you mean like the new models like this?

RugerNewModelSBH.jpg


Or do you mean an older model like this one of mine?

Ruger.jpg


I like the rounded trigger guard on the new models, but will likely buy another old one with a longer barrel and have it cut down again - if its cheap enough, otherwise may as well just buy a new shorty - maybe a stainless one this time.

I agree with you on liking the .44 mag. I load for it and the revolvers are accurate, at least the two I have.
 
Sunray: I just like the look of the rounded trigger guard, I have oversize wooden grips that position your third finger so there is no way it can get hit and it rolls in your hands.

Wild: I love the look of the top one and that is what I want but I already have the usual 7.5" SBH so I thought what about shortening it and doing the trigger guard. Money is kind of tight so buying a new one is kind of out of the question right now. I have 3 44 mag revolvers and all of them shoot very accurately and I like the fact that I can run mild and if I want I can run wild. The .45LC is a great round also but you can't run wild with it.
What barrel length is the bottom one that you had cut and who did the work and how much? I can always do the trigger guard myself if I really want to.
 
There are after market Colt contour grip frames for Blackhawks in Brownells catalog. Ruger Bisley frames and bird's head frames are also available. Depending on manufacturer and style you have a choice of brass, steel or stainless. Power custom makes the Colt style grip frame specifically for the SBH, and it will come in the white steel ($198.95 USD), or in stainless ($239.00 USD). The grip frames are made oversize so they can be fitted by a pistol smith. You would also have to order a new set of grips to match the colt frame.
 
Well finally got sometime to start my little project. I cut the frame on the 90 deg. angle with a dremel tool and removed a little bit off of the straight part at the bottom of the trigger guard. Went with a number 1 welding tip for the Oxy/Acet. and heated it up and started to bend it little by little until I had the curve that I wanted. As I went sometimes I would have to take a bit off of the straight end to accommodate the curve. When I got it to where it was good, I took it to my brother and he used his MIG welder and it took him about 5 minutes to weld it up for me. Then I filed and polished to smooth it out and to give it the right contour. I re blued it and she looks just fine to me, thought I would show some pictures. It has been re blued it is just the lighting and my great camera skills that are the problem. Is it perfect, hardly, could a gunsmith do better, absolutely, it would have been cheaper to buy a new frame from Ruger instead with the quotes I got from local smiths. Kind of like a prison term, $200.00 and up to 2 months wait. Now to cut the barrel down and crown and solder the front sight on again.
sbh001.jpg

sbh004.jpg
 
It wasn't as hard as I though it would be. I always hated the dragoon look and to this day I have never seen a blackhawk in .44mag at any of our gun shops in Edmonton, they have always been .357mag. I could have bought a new model but why go to the expense when all I wanted was a curved trigger guard. It took me about 1/2 Hour to do the cutting and shaping of the guard and 10 minutes drive to my brothers and 5 minutes there and 10 back. I then spent about an hour on getting the filing and polishing to where I wanted it. So in total it was a little bit under 3 hours of work that I enjoyed and it looks much better.
 
you did a good job, looks better for sure!

i too am a ruger single action fan, & like you, i'm not fond of that ugly square guard grip frame....

thanks for sharing your work with us....:)

here's a couple of mine....
Picture464.jpg


ruffbird.
 
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Nice job on the trigger guard. I replaced the original white metal grip frame on my 5.5" .45 colt blackhawk with a brass grip frame - what a difference. It sure looks sharp and the balance has been majorly improved due to the extra weight in the frame.

I don't want to get into an arguement here, but your statement that you can't "run wild" with .45 colt isn't quite true. I have no problem getting 1450 fps with a 300 gr bullet out of the 5.5" barrel - which is far far from mild!
 
Ckid: Your not talking about a normal SAA .45LC revolver , you are talking about a Blackhawk that is twice as strong as a normal SAA. I would love a SBH or SRH in .454 Casuall but I don't have the money right now and that baby would cook the living daylights out of any 44 mag. I have seen the brass grip frame and it is gorgeous, he had a set of fake ivory grips on there and I was coveting mightily.
 
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