I have This Old Blackhawk...

So I have this old 357 Mag Blackhawk and need some school'n (bought it used and I personally haven't shot it much, mostly with cast bullets). Looking at the pic what's going on in my Ruger's bbl.? Is the forcing cone/bbl. fried from too much shooting max /factory jacketed loads? Does it have the potential to split with continued use? I don't really know as I haven't seen this before and don't know the history of the gun. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

The Preacher
(Sorry, can't figure out how to reduce the size)

I wouldn't worry about it. It may have been shot with high-velocity loads in the past; have heard this type of erosion is typical of max loads with ball powders. In the grand scheme of things, worst-case scenario, the cost of eventually having to replace the barrel on a 357 Blackhawk would be minimal.

To me it looks like it is a bit proud of the rear face of the barrel in some places. Is it possible that this is lead buildup? A good stiff brush or some Chore Boy might help tell if it is a buildup or not.
Rich

Not lead. I''ve used Chore Boy as well as a Lewis Lead remover thinking the same thing. I'll give it another go, but to me it seems like "cutting"...

The Preacher

Then it is likely throat erosion like you suspected from ball powder and hot jacketed loads. I would shoot it before setting the barrel back or replacing it. I may still shoot if treated right from here on.

Shoot it first. You may be trying to fix a "problem" that doesn't exist.

If you feel it isn't right,, after shooting,, THEN explore your options.

Contact our own members; 2dogs,, or DougGuy to discuss the forcing cone & possible recutting it or cleaning it up if that is your options after shooting.

Thanks folks. It shoots fine. My concern was if I was looking at something that needed corrected now before I ran into bigger problems. I think I'll just shoot it and forget it...

The Preacher

I'd bet that a cleanup ream of the forcing cone would straighten that right out, as contender mentions.

I'm think'n about it; but shipping would kill me....

The Preacher

Good picture. I have a .41 Mag OM that looks just like that. I though maybe cutting the forcing cone might be useful or fun. I bought a 11 degree reamer and the gauge. Dropped the gauge in and it is already goes the full depth of the gauge. I am sorta worried about it. But it has not changed visibly in several years shooting including a 100 or so rounds of Lil-gun. Got no idea what to do next. Maybe just buy a new .41 mag? (any body want to buy a unused reamer and gauge?)

Keep on shooting it. No worries.

Yeah no worries. I've seen many magnum revolvers and owned a few that look like that. It will not lead to cracking. If accuracy falls off the worst case would be to have the barrel set back and barrel to cyl gap reset, which any local smith can do if you have one locally.

You do not need a new barrel. A used barrel with less wear on it can be found on ebay or gunbroker but it would still likely need fitting/setback so might as well just use the original barrel and save the cost of another barrel.

And if it shoots well, I agree with members above, it doesn't need anything.

Preacher.... you do not state whether this is a pre-1973 Ruger Blachawk .357 Mag, or New Model with transfer bar lockwork. Looking at the forcing cone, my guess, is a New Model. The forcing cane may be concentric to bore, but it was cut rough (scoring rings) and deep. It's had plenty of rounds, or fewer rounds at maximum pressure of with very hot powder.

There is BARREL FACE erosion, which spills into FORCING CONE erosion.Although both forms of erosion differ, both are commonly called forcing cone erosion. There appears an arc of cavitation at 7-to-8 o'clock, which makes me wonder whether .357's were loaded with Hodgdon.

If the revolver SPITS particulate at BARREL/CYLINDER GAP, I would have the barrel set back probably 2-threads. Time the barrel to hand tighten 10 or 12-degrees Before Top Dead Center (BTDC). The barrel will then be faced to remove erosion, with gap set .001-.002" more than ENDSHAKE. The forcing cone should be cleaned up @ 11-degrees on a the. Do not attempt forcing cone work with hand reamer.

Before commenting any above work, target @ absolute minimum 25 yards. 50 yards is better. My standard is 100 yards. Some Blackhawks don't sandbag much better than 5-to-7 inches @ 100 yards; although such groups would never have made it in silhouette, I might not condemn the barrel for that. If the revolver doesn't group with known ammunition, I'd scout for a replacement barrel. If the Blackhawk is an "old model," Ruger may decline to touch it.

Depending on your needs, you may be perfectly happy with the way it is. Erosion carried far enough leads to spitting. Excess cylinder gap degrades velocity, not accuracy. Erosion must be terrible to degrade accuracy. Erosion inside the cone is heat and eventually affects accuracy.
David Bradshaw

It's a Flattop 357 made around '59. No spit'n... Shoots good. I'm just gonn'a forget about it and shoot her. I thank you all for your time and information.

The Preacher

I like the looks of a gun that's been well used and is doing just fine. That let's you know you got something that can take it and come back for more. Thanks for the detailed photos, very interesting.

Not having access to a lathe nor the desire to re-seat a barrel, I have reamed several of my Blackhawks' forcing cones to eleven degrees with a hand reamer. Careful following of the procedure resulted in reduced group sizes and essentially complete elimination of barrel leading. JMHO :mrgreen:

Stay away from 125 grn jacketed bullets over top end loads of ball powder and you should be ok for a long while. The trick to hand cutting with a forcing cone cutter is use two or three more bushings than the kit provides, go slow, use good cutting oil, and follow instructions. The main problem is the gage is already sitting at max. If it is shooting ok, I would leave it alone.