10 1/2 Ruger 357 Maximum

[Kevin]

First of all, Contender is a huge enabler about guns, and he's sneaky about it too. At one point he handed me a gun and says here, shoot this. When I asked him what it was, his reply was, don't look at the gun, just shoot it.

But, shooting with him, I really loved his 357 Maxi. They are big revolvers, but balance very well, and the weight absorbs the recoil nicely. In one of the links below, there is some talk of modifying the grip frame to a Bisley grip; I think I'd like that.

So I got this one, it was for sale here in the classifieds. I bought it from forum member CMH, who, by the way, was very pleasant to deal with.

The gun looks to be shot very little if at all really. It came with a very good to new condition box and some manuals inside. I'm told the grips are Elk Stag from Patrick Grashorn. I have a few sets of his grips and they do indeed look like his work.

In poking around this forum and other forums looking for information about this caliber, I did come across some very interesting history. The development of the caliber, some talk about it starting out as a Wildcat caliber and then why Ruger decided to stop production. Some people think it might turn into the next Hawkeye revolver, in terms of rarity and collect-ability.

Here are some links to threads about the development of the 357 Maximum. David Bradshaw who posts here had a very big lead in developing this Ruger revolver. I've read all of them, and I've gotta say, it's incredible to be able to know some of you and talk with others, knowing what you've done for the shooting sports.

David Bradshaw Photos: http://rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=221187

194 Grain Bradshaw-Martin SWC-GC: http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=267666&start=45

Article in the American Handgunner about the Bradshaw Martin SWC: https://americanhandgunner.com/think-tank/the-bradshaw-martin-swc/

Article in the Los Angeles Silhouette Club by Glen Fryxell: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell357Max.htm

Thread on the Single Actions Proboard: http://singleactions.proboards.com/thread/11986/ruger-357-maximum

There is a lot more information out there. This is some of the more interesting articles I could find.

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Congratulations on scratching your itch! :wink:
Contender should be ashamed of himself,,

Enjoy
Terry

 

[Chief 101]

Now you did it! I've been agonizing over whether to shoot or sell my Max revolver. I bought it decades ago, I also made ammo at the time just never shot it. It' going into service. Thanks alot!

 

[contender]

Gee Kevin,, aren't all Ruger fans SUPPOSED to be enablers?

Seriously,, the Maxi is a under appreciated caliber & firearm in the Ruger. Sadly,,, thanks to folks using hot powders,, & light bullets,, that resulted in a little top strap flame cutting,, which caused a few folks to complain to Ruger,, resulted in getting Bill to stop production AND scrap about 5000 guns.
Bill Ruger,, like many folks had a temper,, that if it flared at the wrong moment,, over something that was a bit controversial, could blow up & do things that really could have been avoided,, or otherwise addressed. And we lost the opportunity to have a longer main frame gun available for many other things due to that temper & attitude. Bill,, IN MY OPINION,, got too upset over all of it.
But,, many of us,, (myself included) can do the same thing.

And,, as you've found out,, David Bradshaw is a WEALTH of serious knowledge about these guns & what they can do & what they were designed for. Also,, member "Coogs" is as knowledgeable as anyone about these fine guns. With about 11,000 of them out there,, they won't be as scarce as the Hawkeye,, but they do command a premium when up for sale.

And those of us who have "shooters" and actually do shoot them,, well, we know what we have & we smile when we enlighten someone else. Welcome to the club Kevin!

 

[Hondo44]

Good post contender, I've often felt the same way about the Max.

In fact just as little a thing as a flash shield to protect the top strap above the bar/cyl gap (like S&W's) and folks could have had their way with the Max without complaint or a headache for Bill.

 

[Kevin]

I hadn’t considered the fact, if Ruger had kept the longer framed Maximum, there could have been other calibers as well, hmmm. I came across a lot of people commenting how these 357 Maxi’s make great conversion guns into bigger calibers. I won’t be doing that!

But what also intrigues me is, I could shoot my light 148 grain 38 wadcutters in this gun. I think there might be too much space between the 38 case and the barrel however, so I probably won’t try that either.

Chief 101: I hope you do shoot yours. I debated for a brief second about shooting this one. But I feel any monetary value lost from shooting will be gained back in personal pleasure from shooting it. Besides, it will always be worth something. And the thread where David Bradshaw tells about the loading of the Maxi is well worth reading.

 

[Chief 101]

Kev, I'll shoot it. I tore it down last night and did a trigger and a clean and lube. I bought it new along with a 7.5" version which I shot. Previous to the Max I shot 44Mag in 7.5 in IHSMA from '77 to about '82. My dad won a 10.5" boxed 44 Mag at one of the IHSMA International matches(which I confiscated and shot). When my eyes went south they all went down the road (mid 90's) except for the long barreled Max. There is a turn line on it since I had to dry fire it so it is not pristine. Cataract surgery has me yearning to shoot offhand at long ranges again and all I have is the Max. There you have it, if the weather is agreeable I will be shooting it this week. I made nice grips for it years ago...
This is a great thread, hope I didn't hijak it...

 

[don44]

[quote
This is a great thread, hope I didn't hijak it...[/quote]

You've done just fine!

 

[sixshot]

Chief101, you're making a wise choice & you'll wonder why you waited so long to break it out & shoot it. You're going to love that gun once you get it dialed in. Keep your fingers crossed, maybe you'll see some brand new one's.

Dick

 

[magnum711]

Keep your fingers crossed, maybe you'll see some brand new one's.

Dick

Dick, do you have some secret squirrel info to share? I'd like a maxi, again. LOL

 

[Chief 101]

Thanks y'all...I don't wonder why, when the eyes don't work we make bad choices...namely selling some great revolvers....fortunately I saved one of them good'ns

 

[Kevin]

Chief, let us know how it shoots! It might be a couple weeks before I can get mine out to the range.

 

[sixshot]

No, I just keep saying it's too good of a caliber to not have it reborn. Handgun hunting is very popular & guys want a flat shooting, low recoiling gun that will take game cleanly out to 200 yds if need be. The 357 maximum, in the right hands, scoped will do that, we need to keep begging Lipsey's, they are the best hope we have.

A 10.5" barrel, bisley grip frame, drilled & tapped from the factory, or set up for Ruger rings, short 11 degree forcing cone & we would have one dandy hunting six gun capable of doing amazing things at distance. This would be in stainless of course.

Dick

 

[contender]

Dick is preaching,, (or maybe begging) again!
He,, along with many of us do wish & hope for a "new" Maxi to make an appearance. of course,, I'm right beside him during all of it!

 

[Johnnu2]

If Lipsey's does ever get us a new Max., I hope 'someone' will give us a heads-up ))
p.s. put me down for a SS Bisley with a 6+ inch tube.
J

 

[Kevin]

Kind of like the “Hunter” models available? A Bisley grip frame would be nice, stainless with micarta grips. Oh baby! The nice thing about the caliber is, it wouldn’t need to be a 5 shot cylinder.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I put a 2X Leupold scope on my 10" version, and with 180gr bullets and reasonable powder charges it's more capable than I am. Enjoy your toy!

:mrgreen:

 

[Chief 101]

Kev, I like the grips on your gun, in fact I've had Grasshorn grips on a SBH in the past, sold them earlier this year. These I made a couple of decades ago, they fit me well so I keep moving them...they will stay on this one now.

 

[Kevin]

Chief:
I like those grips. They actually look comfortable there with the radius where it meets the frame. What type of wood is it? Sort of looks like Maple?

 

[Chief 101]

Thanks, It is Maple, from an old Red Maple tree that rotted and fell on a farm next to me. I cut it up and made numerous furniture items(rocking chair, nitestands, Ruger single action grips, a couple of stools and more. Most of it was fiddleback and solid enough...I still have a couple of chunks left, time to use it up...

 

[mohavesam]

I often wonder why Ruger didn't build a stainless version of the SRM?
Likewise, IHC on the frame stops 100% of any "flame cutting" potential. I feel like Ruger abandoned the 357 Max and hunters n target shooters across the nation, far too early.

Think of the 414 Supermag, or even the 445 Supermag in a Ruger SA in treestands. Venison!
The SRM guns are true collectibles.

 

[Coogs]

Mo, they actually made 6, SS maxi's. 3 have been destroyed the other three are in private hands.........Jack

 

[contender]

I was wondering when Coogs would show up!

I knew about the SS ones,, but figured he'd finally wake up!

 

[mohavesam]

Heard about the four to six stainless frames also - but it proves my point that Ruger never marketed to fix the issue (which was a handloader problem in its entirety) , they essentially just gave up.
Of course, Magnum Research provides the long frame BFR, a hand built SA for which PTC used to supply the frames. Never fferred by Ruger as production guns.
Now back to the story...

 

[contender]

mohavesam,, you obviously didn't understand Bill Ruger. He lost one lawsuit,, over the NM vs. the OM. We got the billboard warning because of that. Bill got upset over the liberal judge who ruled against him. When fear mongers & Ruger haters started screaming the evils of top strap cutting,,, Bill got "upset" (and for the many folks I've spoken with,, Bill did have a temper,) and scrapped the entire program.

 

[Kevin]

Did chucking the whole idea cost a lot of money? Or did it simply mean changing a few machines back around to the way they were before? I.E. building the frames longer to accommodate the maximum cartridge length.

And why would they have only made half a dozen stainless examples? It seems odd to only make a few. But I guess they weren't making a million guns a year back then. I suppose it took longer to make those six stainless guns than it would today.

The interesting thing, I think, about these maximums are the barrels. In one of those links to the threads above, I believe it's David Bradshaw who says the barrels were a special order from another company. And I don't want to use the term "bull barrel" but they are definitely larger in diameter than a regular Blackhawk. It gives the gun a nice profile. And better balance.

I did take mine shooting yesterday.

---continued---

 

[Kevin]

---continued---

I only loaded 25 rounds to test the primers and powder etc. 180 grain bullets, 4227 powder and the CCI BR4 primers. All in all, I'm very happy. It shot a little to the right, but grouped wonderfully. I could not be happier.

I also love the fact the Maximum started out as a more or less wildcat cartridge.

It is an inherently accurate revolver.

I know, I'm not shooting at a very long distance. However, my gun range just installed a new 50 yard range for AR's and the like. Next time I can use that range to fully test the inherent accuracy. (ode to the thread in the lounge.)

 

[contender]

Kevin,, there were around 16,000 357 Maxi's built,, but Bill got upset & physically scrapped about 5000 of those guns. So,, the actual numbers are around 11,000 gun that left the factory as true Maxi's. As for what it cost,, Bill was also looking at how a single lawsuit could cost him a lot more. Add in his temper,, and we lost a good caliber, gun & frame design.

Looks like you are on your way to the sweet spot with your Maxi!

 

[David Bradshaw]

The Ruger Blackhawk .357 Maximum is a developed cartridge, from the start intended for SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute) standardization. No wildcat genealogy. Top erosion was proven a non-issue in our testing, as it self-arrested, this observation made by Bill Ruger, Jr., while the issue was is question----before the world knew the gun existed.

I was aware of just one stainless prototype----which I shot extensively----which was made about the time the first two stainless Super Blackhawks were made. Coogs informed me of three other stainless Maximums. Coogs can clarify. There were seven SRM prototypes----blued, long frame Blackhawk .357 Maximums, five with 10-1/2” bbl., two with 7-1/2” bbl. Ruger called the silhouette model “Bull barrel.” Beside adding weight to steady and dampen over long strings of fire, the bull barrel keeps the extractor rod straight through the chamber when pushed through a straight ejector housing.

The stainless Maximum I shot is pictured with 100 yard target in a DB photo essay piece in Singleactions and Rugerforum.com. I believe serial #600-14,111, but I’ll have to check. This indicates that any other stainless Maximum would have been serial numbered within production numbers.

Ordnance quality stainless resists gas cutting better than 4140. Stainless heats up slower and cools down slower than carbon steel. Ruger pours stainless somewhat hotter than 4140. Both types are heat treated and through hardened. Bill Ruger and Bill Ruger, Jr., would not think of trying to case harden (surface harden) 4140 for decorative, or any other, purpose.

Bill Ruger was not afraid of being sued. Bill Ruger proudly stated, “We are self-insured. We are immune to the impulse of an insurance company to cave in. We will fight every lawsuit.” It infuriated Bill Ruger that----he named Remington----had caved.

The .357 Maximum is a high performance cartridge, which everyone knew before they had an opportunity to shot it. Bill Ruger felt stabbed in the back by people he trusted to appreciate the performance of the round and the revolver.
David Bradshaw

 

[Kevin]

Mr. Bradshaw: Thank you for the added information.