Author Topic: 45 Blackhawk (Read 1551 times)

unspellable · « **on:** January 05, 2004, 08:05:24 AM »

Having heard for years about heavy handloads in the Blackhawk chambered for the 45 Colt cartridge I broke down and bought one. However this revolver is not as large and heavy as I had always thought it must be. Seems like a hot 45 Colt load might recoil a bit. Will a Super Blackhawk grip frame fit? The idea being to increase the grip size and add a little weight.

BlkHawk73 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 05, 2004, 01:07:22 PM »

The SBH gripframes will fit but to better handle/control the recoil from heavier loads, I'd suggest the Bisley style gripframe. This style allows the gun to roll back in your hand a bit better than the SBH or BH styles. The Bisley ones, like those of the SBH , are steel and a bit heavier than those on the blued BHs. Head to RugerForum.com for better assistance and any detialed questions you may have. there's a great bunch there with a vast amount of knowledge that may assist you.
Oh, by the way...great gun you got there. Have 2 Rugers in 45LC myself.

jbr · « **Reply #2 on:** January 06, 2004, 01:49:27 AM »

You might want to go ahead and try your 'hot loads' in your .45 before you spend money changing out the grip. .45 Colt is not known to be a kicker like the .44mag is. If you change to the Bisley you also have to change the hammer out. Might be cheaper to sell the Blackhawk and buy a Bislely versus doing the change out. You will probably find that the Blackhawk handles the bigger loads just fine. Cowboy loads for plinking are an absolute blast!

unspellable · « **Reply #3 on:** January 06, 2004, 02:49:07 AM »

I have an old road test magazine in which they complained about the Blackhawk in 41 Mag having too much recoil and not enough grip. A hot 45 Colt load should offer as much recoil as a 41 mag. But I guess the smart thing is to shoot a few heavy loads first and find out how much the recoil will bother me. I shoot the 445 Supermag in a Dan Wesson so I am not a total stranger to recoil.

Doc Contender · « **Reply #4 on:** January 07, 2004, 01:44:04 PM »

I load my colt 45 with 310 cast bullets. Using H110 to push them 1200+.
out of a new model blackhawk 5 1/2 inch barrel. My wife shoots it without a fuss.

Graybeard · « **Reply #5 on:** January 07, 2004, 04:37:46 PM »

I've been saying this for years and it still applies. Generally speaking there are two groups of folks. Group one since I'm in this one :-D is comprised of those who prefer the way a double action revolver delivers recoil. Group two prefers the way a single action delivers recoil. However those who claim to be in group two but say the Bisley is better than the standard really belong in group one but won't admit it to themselves. :eek:

Now which group you fit into will determine whether you think a hot loaded .45 Colt in a Ruger BH is a heavy/hard kicker or not. To me it is absolutely vicious. Using the Bisley which I consider vastly superior to the standard BH/SBH grip somewhere around 1200 fps with a 300 grain bullet crosses the threshold and causes me great pain. I have a hard time holding on to it and it often brings blood. Over that blood is a sure thing.

With a double action like the Taurus RB I can shoot 325-330 grains at about 1600 fps comfortably and in large numbers.

The FA83 is often touted as the ultimate single action and I reckon I kinda agree. BUT loads that are mild to me in the RB454 bright blood from me in the FA83.

Ya really need to figure out which group you are in and that is what is gonna determine if the BH in .45 Colt with hot loads is a bad kicker or not.

GB

DennisE · « **Reply #6 on:** January 08, 2004, 03:07:03 AM »

If you need to make a change go with the Bisley grip. To avoid the blood letting put a good shooting glove on. The amazing thing about Graybeard's big bore DA type shooters is that they almost all shoot their guns SA anyway! LOL Dennis

Graybeard · « **Reply #7 on:** January 08, 2004, 05:57:18 AM »

Yup yer right on that Dennis. I hardly ever fire double action. But I sure do like the way the DA guns recoil vs. the way SA guns do. With the really heavy loads I bleed even with a glove. I use an extremely light hold on my guns and ain't gonna change the way I shoot just to shoot a SA. Hate that rolling up in my hand.

GB

DennisE · « **Reply #8 on:** January 08, 2004, 09:57:24 AM »

Graybeard: Hi! I agree that with heavy loads the 'roll up' on regular SA grips can be obscenely punishing. Conventional wisdom (as if you could go to a convention somewhere and find wisdom) says that the traditional SA grip roll up while with Bisley grips the recoil is experience more as a direct shove back in to the palm of the hand (as in a DA revolver). This has also been my experience. As a consequence the padded 'glove' makes a lot more sense with the Bisley grip whereas using the glove with a traditional SA grip can partially inhibit the roll and give you the worst of both worlds. Dennis

daddywpb · « **Reply #9 on:** January 09, 2004, 12:35:44 AM »

I don't like the rolling in my hand from a Blackhawk either. I had a 45 LC Blackhawk and a 44 Mag SB, and sold them both because every time I shot them, my hand would be bloody. The Bisley solved the problem for me.

Graybeard · « **Reply #10 on:** January 09, 2004, 05:24:45 AM »

For me the Bisley is only a partial solution. Roll up is lessened but not stopped. It merely allows me a bit more recoil until I get the hammer in the back of my right hand. That level in a Bisley is about 1200 fps for my Lyman 452651 bullets weighting in at 318 grains. That is the beginning of too much for me. Same bullet at 1600 fps is comfortable in the RB. With lighter bullets of 250-260 grains I can move that up a bit to 1350-1400 fps. Some where in that range the hammer and my hand make painful contact.

So what I've decided to do is shoot 260-280 grain bullets in the 1000-1100 fps range from it and not try to turn the Bisley .45 Colt into a magnum. I do after all have a .454 Casull and .480 Ruger RB so don't really need to try to make the Bisley into a .454 Casull. At this power range it is comfortable to shoot and nicely accurate. Using it in that nitch I'm happy with it.

GB

Bullseye · « **Reply #11 on:** January 09, 2004, 05:31:46 PM »

Only Bisley I have ever owned was a 41 Mag. It was also the only gun I ever wore a glove to shoot. It might not roll, but man it hurt my hand worse than any thing else I ever shot (and I shoot some big pistols). Sold it even though I said I never would because they had quit making 41's by then. Oh well, it brought a good price, seems there were a lot of people that collected the Bisley's and needed the 41. I have shot a big caliber Blackhawk once and it seemed more comfortable, but everytime I look at one to buy that grip just seems so small.

Holiday · « **Reply #12 on:** January 13, 2004, 11:48:37 AM »

Before you spend a heap of money and change the grip frame, you might want to try adifferant set of stocks, or grips. Houge make a finger groove set that alters the shape slightly and may give you a better grip on the pistol. Uncle Mikes makes one that fills in the area behind the trigger guard and makes the gun feel more like a double action. Both of these solutions are under twenty bucks. I personally likes the Uncle Mikes on a .44 Mag Super Black Hawk I once had. This pistol had the smaller grip frame with the round trigger guard and was a little much. So I tried the two types of grips and found that I really liked the Uncle Mikes.

deerhunter · « **Reply #13 on:** January 27, 2004, 03:09:03 AM »

I loaded some hot loads in my Blackhawn .45 Colt, and it hurt like hell. But they grouped 2 inches off hand at 25 yards and I could hit softball sized rocks in the backstop everytime. So I put on a set of Pachmyer Presentation grips and it recoils like a Double action revolver now. Much more comfortable.

And the lightweight is MUCH more desireable, you put it in a holster and you can almost forget you are wearing it.

ironfoot · « **Reply #14 on:** February 07, 2004, 05:27:30 PM »

What Graybeard says about single action vs double action makes a lot of sense to me. I never thought about it that way before. Hogue makes a rubber grip for the Ruger single actions. It isn't too expensive. I think I bought one on sale a couple years ago for about $20.00. It is a little clunky for my small hands, but does a good job of absorbing recoil. It makes the grip more like a double action grip.

Dooly · « **Reply #15 on:** April 12, 2004, 07:38:22 PM »

Dunno about the grip frame, but I have a .45 Convertible, 4 7/8 in that I bought new in 1976. I slicked it up and did trigger[maybe two lb]. Also replaced the grips with some of those awful looking rubber jobbers from Michaels. Although ugly they make the grip a lot larger and thus easier to hold onto. I have no problem with this set up.

mikej · « **Reply #16 on:** April 14, 2004, 10:59:30 AM »

I have a Super Blackhawk with a 4 5/8" barrel. With max loads and factory stocks it is a vicious kicker, knocking a bruise on my finger where it rests behind the trigger guard. I bought the aforementioned rubber stocks from Pachmayr, and it made the recoil tolerable, but not pleasant. I decided to try something else, so I got a Bisley in .45 Colt with a 7 1/2" barrel, and then sent it to Hamilton Bowen for shortening to a 5 1/2" barrel and tuning. What a difference! With factory stocks and hefty loads of WW296 under 300 gr. LFP's it is a pussycat compared to the SBH. The Bisley grip is the best one in a Single Action revolver in my opinion. If you're going to change, go with the Bisley. Brownells has a kit that has the Bisley grip frame and trigger/hammer for converting the Blackhawk to the Bisley.