HELP PICKING A STAINLESS BLACKHAWK 357

Thinking about getting a 4 5/8 stainless blackhawk 357 , Question Is the New model Blackhawks built as tuff as the older models ? Plan on doing a lot of shooting with 357's

You know... Ruger proofs all their 357 Blackhawks with 44 magnum loads...

I kid, but really, the NMBH is IMHO the toughest 357 magnum revolver out there. A person would be hard-pressed to wear out a BH... New or Old. Heck, you might even wear out your reloading press before a BH!

Do you have a line on an OM in stainless? This may be a moot point if not.

They never made an OM in stainless. The OM's were done by 1973. It was later that the stainless NM's came around.
As far as strength, all of the Ruger Blackhawks are strong enough to outlast any of us as long as folks use loads that are made for that gun.
Can a Ruger be blown up? Absolutely. I own a 44 mag frame & cylinder I bought just to use as a teaching aid. Stupid people, doing stupid things with reloads, OR, a careless absentminded moment in reloading has caused more than one Ruger to separate in places it wasn't meant to.
The Blackhawk line is stout enough to handle good ammo for a longer time than we'll live to be.

the "new" models in 357 magnum are well built, and can handle what you ask for, as Ty said ,no can tell what some (my quote) 'idiot' may do with reloads, and over the years, I have handled, worked on MORE guns that were 'blown up' using .38 SPECIAL with 148 gr.wadcuuters, and too little Bullseye !!!! this was back in the 70's and 80's..........44 mags came in 'second' 8)

JES14352 said:

Thinking about getting a 4 5/8 stainless blackhawk 357 , Question Is the New model Blackhawks built as tuff as the older models ? Plan on doing a lot of shooting with 357's

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You won't find a better, or stronger, 357 than a 4 5/8 stainless Blackhawk.

Gun owners look at this subject from the wrong direction. You should buy a gun and try to wear it out.
Buy it and hope you can fire enough rounds through it to break it. I bet you can't!

contender said:

[...] The Blackhawk line is stout enough to handle good ammo for a longer time than we'll live to be.

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Along with the other members Contender gave you the relevant answer. That said, Ruger quit making mid-size .357s with the introduction of New Models and presumably the larger diameter New Model cylinders would contain more pressure than old models. However, all bets are off if you choose one of the reintroduced mid-frames.

Rather than speculating on ultimate strength or service life I suggest matching a Blackhawk's weight to your use. In Blackhawk .357s I have an older stainless New Model and an old model. The old model's smaller frame and aluminum grip frame makes the larger all steel New Model feel like a boat anchor. Heavy pistols have their uses on the target range and for absorbing larger magnums' recoil but they don't feel as "lively" or comfortable on your belt. Handle the different weight .357s before choosing.

jbntx said:

JES14352 said:

Thinking about getting a 4 5/8 stainless blackhawk 357 , Question Is the New model Blackhawks built as tuff as the older models ? Plan on doing a lot of shooting with 357's

Click to expand...

You won't find a better, or stronger, 357 than a 4 5/8 stainless Blackhawk.

Gun owners look at this subject from the wrong direction. You should buy a gun and try to wear it out.
Buy it and hope you can fire enough rounds through it to break it. I bet you can't!

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I often wondered if mine were even broken in!

Yes--I believe the new model stainless Blackhawk is the strongest 357 available. Being it is a new model the frame is the same as the 44 mag super Blackhawk. It is in the same strength class as the 357 redhawk--I doubt you could ever blow it up! Great revolver, and being stainless it is a little heavier due to the steel grip frame vs an aluminum grip frame which is on the blued model. A true workhorse revolver.

Ron

I believe .357 Blackhawks are on .44 frames. Compare the top strap of a GP 100 to a blackhawk. The GP is a beefy revolver but next to the Blackhawk it look it looks like a lightweight.

trapperon said:

Yes--I believe the new model stainless Blackhawk is the strongest 357 available. Being it is a new model the frame is the same as the 44 mag super Blackhawk. It is in the same strength class as the 357 redhawk--I doubt you could ever blow it up! Great revolver, and being stainless it is a little heavier due to the steel grip frame vs an aluminum grip frame which is on the blued model. A true workhorse revolver.

Ron

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Is it really stronger than the GP100? I know DA / SA is sort of apples and oranges, but I've heard the GP touted as "the toughest."

JES14352 said:

Thinking about getting a 4 5/8 stainless blackhawk 357 , Question Is the New model Blackhawks built as tuff as the older models ? Plan on doing a lot of shooting with 357's

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"Built as tuff as the older models?"......indeed they are.
That said though, there's more to being "tuff" than just the ability to handle heavy loads...meaning that any gun can/will exhibit wear after extended use. In that respect, one is about as good as the other when both are given equal care.
You may have noted that I said "about as good"....that is because there's parts in a NM that can break and/or give problems that are not present in an OM.

I guess we pays our money and take our choices.

DGW

JES14352 said:

Thinking about getting a 4 5/8 stainless blackhawk 357 , Question Is the New model Blackhawks built as tuff as the older models ?

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Yes, and they can be repaired easily if anything does go wrong or wears out.

drastic_quench said:

Is it really stronger than the GP100? I know DA / SA is sort of apples and oranges, but I've heard the GP touted as "the toughest."

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Yup, it's tougher. The GP is plenty tough, and I'd readily accept that it's the toughest service revolver, but it's obviously not the "toughest revolver" on the planet. Think about it for a second - the GP is a midframe revolver, it's not hard for something like an L-frame, or Redhawk to be tougher. Single actions tend to be stronger than similarly sized DA's, so when you look up the scaled up Blackhawks - a frame that can handle 44mag - it's pretty clear that even a beefy 357mag DA like the GP100 is great, but just not on the same level.

Now of course, do you really NEED to try to turn a 357mag revolver into a grenade launcher? Well, that's what owning Ruger's is all about!!!