Super Blackhawk with 4 5/8" Barrel?

mmattockx

mmattockx

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I keep looking at these and thinking I need one in .44 Mag. I have shot a couple rimfire SA revolvers, but nothing heavier in a SA style. Can those with the 4 5/8" barrels chime in on how they balance and shoot? How's recoil with the short barrel? How is the trigger? I have small hands so keep that in mind relating to the grip size/feel.

For comparison purposes I have a 5.5" Redhawk in .44 Mag and reload for everything, so ammo supply/variety is not a problem. Will be shooting mostly milder loads but I always like to run a few cylinders of full power loads through every time at the range just for S&G.

Any experiences/advice/help appreciated.


Thanks,
Mark
 
Hey Mark

I had a Super BlackHawk Hunter when they first came out in 1993 or so, really liked it but it was muzzle heavy. It was great for shooting off the sandbags at 100M or with light target loads at the indoor range, fit & finish was excellent. I sold it about 2 years ago since I wasn't using it much & kind of regretted it ever since; there's something about a SA that I can't explain bit I love them.

I was without a SA for about a year & came across a SBH with the 4 5/8" barrel that was MagnaPorted, had to have it! Balance is better than the Hunter & recoil is about the same . Fit & finish is not as good as the 1993 version but I like it just the same.

If you have the opportunity to get one you won't be disappointed; 44 mag is soo versatile from a bunny fart load to shear off the ejector housing screw under recoil the SBH will digest it all.

LongJohn
 
I think it is a nicely balanced gun, and definitely my favourite length for an SBH. I found it painful to shoot more than a box of factory magnums though, so I would think it would be great if you are generally planning on sticking to the lighter end of the spectrum.
 
Thanks for the replies, gentlemen. I like what I am hearing on the balance and recoil side of things. I wondered about the balance because my 5.5" Redhawk balances better than the 4.2" versions and I wanted to know how the SBH rated on that scale. Sounds like the 4 5/8" barrel is a sweet spot on the SBH.

Any others are welcome to chime in whenever they like.


Mark
 
mmattockx said:
Thanks for the replies, gentlemen. I like what I am hearing on the balance and recoil side of things. I wondered about the balance because my 5.5" Redhawk balances better than the 4.2" versions and I wanted to know how the SBH rated on that scale. Sounds like the 4 5/8" barrel is a sweet spot on the SBH.

Any others are welcome to chime in whenever they like.


Mark
Click to expand...

Yes the 5.5 is a nice length for the Redhawk. I find even the 7.5" Redhawk balances well.

I believe the 4 5/8" and 5.5" SBHs have smaller grip frames than the 7.5".
 
Not trying to side-track a fine thread but my all-time favourite revolver is a minty Ruger Old Model Blackhawk 41 Mag., 4 5/8 " 4-digit serial no.
Both cast and jacketed loads are very accurate.
 
The 4 and whatever in length where the ejector rod is flush certainly looks the best...handles/holsters nice. Would be my choice if I had the option to carry and or shoot/hunt with damn thing in the field.....lemme dream a bit OK..! lol

For outright shooting pleasure/practical accuracy/recoil control and general range shooting I find the 5.5 the sweet spot in the heavier calibers. A bit more muzzle heavy steadies the aim shooting off hand, calms the muzzle flip a bit better....and a lil more meat to absorb recoil.

I've trimmed several Rugers down from the longer lengths...7.5 to 10 experimenting/customizing. Always felt 5.25~6in was the sweet spot. Making sure you have a steel vs alloy ejector housing improves the pistol balance too regardless of barrel length. So does a banded front sight which adds a bit of meat right at the muzzle.

If you rarely to never shoot full house or sillier loads....the balance and look can trump things. Shooting heavy loads and or longer range target/plinking is definitely more fun and will see better practical accuracy with the lil bit longer sight radius/mass/balance. That extra inch or so makes a significant difference....just like the ladies always say....Somebody would've beat to that anyway right..LOL


MY 2c worth after spending a fair bit of time/effort/$$ dallying with Ruger SA barrel lengths.
 
You say you have small hands. I own that exact revolver and I find the grips bulky compare to my Vaqueros and my wife's New Vaqueros. I like the SBH but will probably try some slimmer grips on down the road. I don't have small hands.
 
For the big recoil of the SBH the bigger grips actually aid in spreading out the recoil into more of your hand and not letting it move around as much. And that can help with avoiding having the gun jump back enough to ding the back of your middle finger with the trigger guard.

This effect with the "dragoon" style guard on the SBH is commonly reported around the web and even has its own name of "dragoon bite".

I was getting this with my own SBH with full power loads. I was considering going to the funky looking fill in grips to move my fingers down. But those grips are fugly to the max to my eyes. So instead I tried some new wood grips which are the same as the stock grips but fatter around the "neck" area. At the same time I narrowed the flare towards the heel. Perhaps it's the flare that folks with small hands find to be a bad fit? Even with my large hands I found the amount of flare is excessive. Anyway, the new "fat neck" grips fixed the case of "dragoon bite" I had and at the same time made my hands hurt less from shooting full power loads. In fact it made full power loads quite shootable. I still would not want to beat myself up with a full box at a time. But I can easily go through two or three cylinders worth instead of a few rounds and then walk away rubbing my hand to ease the bit of an ache.

I can't help you with the short barrel idea. I like using mine for a bit of serious accuracy shooting and want to try pushing out to 100 and even 200 yard shooting with it. So for me the longer sight baseline length is a big plus. And I find that the added length and weight aids in soaking up some of the recoil.
 
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