Gun Show Find Flat Top

contender said:

valvalle,, you also mentioned you have a pair of Blackhawks. One, a .357 with the protected ears & not a Flattop, bought in 1965. That's just about (2) years after the transition from FT's to the "protected ears" type.
Next,, you mentioned a .45Colt/.45 acp Convertible,, saying it's a Flattop. The Old Model, 3-screw .45's were only made for (3) years until the New Models, (safety transfer bar system,) were introduced. From 1970 until 1973. There were only (6) variations of the OM 45's during that timeframe.
All Flattop factory made Rugers were done by 1963,, so if your 45 is a Flattop,, it was not produced by the factory like that.
All of the OM 3-screw 45's had the protected ears around the rear sight.

It's been done occasionally,, where a gunsmith mills off the "ears" and makes a custom Flattop.

So, again, politely,, you may want to look into getting a few of the good books published about Rugers to truly get the correct information.

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Thanks for reading my post, but I am not too sure what you mean about getting the correct information. My 1965 .357 Blackhawk IS a 3 screw gun, which is clearly visible from the pic as you can see the three screws. I had Ruger upgrade it about 8-9 years ago with the transfer bar system, so now it will not go off just dropping it or by hitting the hammer. My 45 convertible is definitely a flatttop. I believe it was a Lipsey modified Ruger gun that was the only SS I could find back then that was a convertible. If you want to see the current offerings by Lipsey for this gun, go to https://lipseysguns.com/category/revolvers/page/2/.

Since this is just a flattop, I cannot shoot the most powerful .45LC loads in this gun. But still, I can shoot the Buffalo Bore 1,219 ft. lbs. rounds (3C) that are VERY powerful none the less. I have to hold my gun with two hands to shoot these rounds. I cannot imagine what the BB 1,344 ft, lbs. rounds (3K) feel like when shooting those!

As a comparison for those that are not familiar with the actual power ratings of ammo, the .357 Mag rounds max out at 900 ft. lbs.(made by PPU/Prvi), and the typical heavy .357 Mag rounds are between 650-750 ft. lbs. For further comparisons, the 9mm typical round delivers between 300-350 ft. lbs, and the max of any 9mm round has power wise is 480 ft. lbs. (again, Buffalo Bore 24G). The max .45 ACP round goes up to a power level of 694 ft. lbs., by both Buffalo Bore and Underwood. Of course, most .45 semi auto pistols cannot shoot these very high powered .45 ACP rounds, but my .45 Ruger Blackwhawk revolver can! Revolvers are typically much more powerful than pistols.

vlavalle said:

I am also a big Ruger enthusiast, and I own two Ruger Blackhawks. My first I bought in 1965 new, and still own it. I have attached a couple of pics of my .357 Mag and its holster (I used o quick draw) here! But I would like to ask you what caliber yours is. My .357 Mag Blackhawk is not a Flattop, as the upper frame bar is raised towards the rear. However, my second Ruger is a 45LC/54ACP convertible flattop, and it looks just like yours, with the upper frame bar going straight (Flat) across the top. Is yours a .22?

These are called 3 Screw Rugers, and without having the update made, it will 'fire' when dropped or hit, just like in the Old West days, and they kept an empty chamber to prevent damage from this. I had mine updated for 'free' (it cost me $100 for shipping!) by Ruger 8 years or so ago, so now it is safe fully loaded. I do not have a holster for my 45 Ruger Blackhawk.

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The confusion over your .45 convertible flattop began in your above post when you neglected to mention it was a New Model Flattop Blackhawk and in stainless, and when you posted "These are 3 screw Rugers..." it added to the confusion. Your photo has cleared it up. Welcome as a new member and as you post more, it will become clearer that more specific information is required for members to understand which models you're referring to.

Also your .45 is known as a Distributor Exclusive model, a configuration that Ruger doesn't produce as a standard model, but will produce them on a special run basis only. A distributor orders a certain minimum quantity of a model that Ruger will produce just for them, then stop making it. Yours is not limited to not shoot "Ruger only loads" because it's built on the mid-size frame, not because it's a flattop. Ruger did make New Model flattops on the large frame in 41 and 44 Mag. If they had produced them in 45 Cal they would shoot "Ruger Only loads" safely.

Another thing to recognize as Contender mentioned, the best Ruger information and better understanding about what Ruger did in the past will be found here in this forum because it's in 'real time' and continually updated. Since with older guns new information is always coming to light, it must be taken into account when referencing written sources, especially those not written by Ruger enthusiasts/collectors 'in the know'. You have two nice Rugers and we hope you like it here.

Hondo44 is correct. You failed to mention your 45 convertible FT was a NM,, as your post (as well as this thread,) is about Flattop Blackhawks.

And yes,, the 1965 .357 is an Old Model, and the stuff about it wasn't the issue.

Your follow up post, with the pics helped a lot too.

Confusion is cleared up.

And you have a nice pair of Rugers there.

Johnnu2 said:

You can't beat an old Ruger flattop (in any condition). Yours is beautiful; it'll fit your hand like you were born with it in hand. GREAT FIND... (even if it weren't a 'collectible'. Here's mine:



J.

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Nice looking classic flat top!

Everyone should have at lest one.

What a beautiful piece of engineering !