1968 Engraved Fixed Sight Blackhawk

[cadvan]

I am helping a friend go through a family collection of firearms. I ran across this 1968 Ruger Blackhawk. It is a 3 screw model, but is not a flat top, as it has fixed sights. It also has gold enlaid engravings as you can see. I cannot find any info on a non flattop model of the old Blackhawk. What do you guys know about it?
I uploaded pics to http://imgur.com/a/7j8Bq

 

[Terry T]

Highly customized. Possibly someone's gun smithing project. Not a factory product. It is what it is. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" really applies here.
Terry T

 

[Prescut]

I just looked at a couple of engraved S&W on GB. They were not in gold.

One was 2500 and the other 3000. They have not sold yet.

The one Ruger has some gold and is really nice. 4500

The one you show has lots of bling. It would make a good Texas BBQ show piece.

You are not trying to sell a Ruger.
You're trying to find a rare buyer. Put this up on the high end auction sites. Go to the Ruger collectors meet.
You must be patient and wait to sell something like this at the price you want.

 

[pete44ru]

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Welcome to the forum, cadvan !

Your friend appears to have a very nicely-embellished Old Model .357 BH, sometime after it left the Ruger factory.

I like it ! !

 

[cadvan]

I'm glad to see it is liked, though I am surprised at that possible high price. Do you think the top of the frame was milled down then to the fixed sight that it is? The owner had a lot of guns customized, but usually the shape of the frame was left alone, so that seems like a drastic change.

 

[SATCOM]

YUP, top strap milled to remove rear sight and ears. Then cut to provide a truly non adjustable rear sight. Like a Colt?

YUP, you will need to find the right person in order to sell it.

What are grips made of? What do the back of grips look like? Also, what does the small folded over label on bottom of grip frame say?

SATCOM

 

[Ale-8(1)]

JMHO

Very interesting piece, nicely done. This is one of those things you either like or not, and explaining the differences between those two emotions is pretty subjective.

Somewhat unusual engraving pattern(s) but executed well and consistent over the whole gun. In this case, the "gold fill" works well with the deep bluing. The grips complement the overall design without being overdone.

I'd love to fondle it (wearing white gloves, of course) just to get the "feel" of the package. With some difficulty, I'd try to avoid working the action.

The price? Well, if it seriously appeals to you the only limit is the relationship between your wallet and your "gotta have it" factor. Not for me, but I still kinda like it. For what it is, I see it as being flashy without being gaudy . . . if that makes sense.

JMHO

 

[cadvan]

Ya, I do believe it was modified to look like a SAA, which there are a lot of in the collection. I do not have the box or any paperwork to go with the gun, so I do not know what the grips are made of. I can get pictures of the back of the grips over the weekend, as I don't have access to the guns during the week. The label just has some numbers and letter on it (I can get the specifics this weekend) but I believe it is just an FFL's marking label or something similar.

I agree with, and like, that it is flashy but not too gaudy. Definitely a piece of eye candy.