A little help with this one.
- Thread starter Weddy2022
- Start date
Fewer 45s made than OM 44 flattops!
Even fewer factory convertibles.
I'd spring for the Ruger $10 Letter.
YES …. Few made in a short ( 4 year? ) run.
Run the s/n on Rugers web site for approx year made.
Oh, and it’s either in the wrong (New Model) box or Ruger used that box near the end of production. Others here smarter than me will know more on that I’m sure.
Even fewer factory convertibles.
I'd spring for the Ruger $10 Letter.
YES …. Few made in a short ( 4 year? ) run.
Run the s/n on Rugers web site for approx year made.
Oh, and it’s either in the wrong (New Model) box or Ruger used that box near the end of production. Others here smarter than me will know more on that I’m sure.
Like Hittman I will defer to the experts, but I think that is a"protected" sight not a flat top. Is there a prefix on the serial number? "XX-" yyyy That would more align with the box age. Sadly it would also reduce value, but minimally.
I think all the 45 OMs were protected site models
Further, I suspect that 4 5/8 barrel length and convertible factor maybe makes this the least produced model
I’m wondering if Ruger slapped a sticker on the end of that NM box before shipping and somewhere over the years it’s been lost
Further, I suspect that 4 5/8 barrel length and convertible factor maybe makes this the least produced model
I’m wondering if Ruger slapped a sticker on the end of that NM box before shipping and somewhere over the years it’s been lost
I would suspect that the gun has been converted by the position of the trigger.
Thanks for all the info.
I tried to run the serial number on the Ruger Webpage but it wouldn't come up but according to thinckley (thanks), it's a 1971. 45-07XXX.
nrobe50 - There is no safety transfer bar if that's the conversation you're speaking of. Was there another conversation you're thinking of?
I would like to find out about the box if anyone knows.
I got a really good price on it from a local gun shop. He didn't do the research on it.
Thanks again for the help!!
I tried to run the serial number on the Ruger Webpage but it wouldn't come up but according to thinckley (thanks), it's a 1971. 45-07XXX.
nrobe50 - There is no safety transfer bar if that's the conversation you're speaking of. Was there another conversation you're thinking of?
I would like to find out about the box if anyone knows.
I got a really good price on it from a local gun shop. He didn't do the research on it.
Thanks again for the help!!
Attachments
1. The box is wrong since it has a New Model sticker, all of those boxes were printed as either RST4 (short) or BN36 (long).
2. The gun is not converted. https://www.rugerforum.com/threads/how-to-tell-an-old-model-single-action-is-converted.287715/
3. Nobody said they made .45 flattops, hittman said they made fewer OM .45 Blackhawks than .44 flattop Blackhawks.
4. Ruger's own serial number chart is wrong since they actually started making the .45 in 1970 (but not at SN 1).
2. The gun is not converted. https://www.rugerforum.com/threads/how-to-tell-an-old-model-single-action-is-converted.287715/
3. Nobody said they made .45 flattops, hittman said they made fewer OM .45 Blackhawks than .44 flattop Blackhawks.
4. Ruger's own serial number chart is wrong since they actually started making the .45 in 1970 (but not at SN 1).
@Weddy2022, we posted at the same time. Just saw your latest pic. The back of the base pin looks wrong. I would suspect someone took a NM pin (or conversion kit pin) and removed the transfer bar spring/plunger and ended up with that hollow pin. Why would they do that? Maybe it had been converted and they un-converted it but didn't have the original base pin.
This just happened to come up on a different forum specifically about the cost/benefit of the transfer bar conversion:
"45 Colt OM Blackhawks didn't go into production until 1971 and production ended in 1973, so there were fewer 45 Colt OMs made than any other Blackhawks or Single-Sixes. Further, OM BH convertibles (45 Colt & 45 ACP) were very scarce with 4 5/8" model being the rarest."
The person who posted that actually has an unfired 4 5/8 convertible with the brass frame, with box and all paperwork. 100% condition valued at over $2500.
"45 Colt OM Blackhawks didn't go into production until 1971 and production ended in 1973, so there were fewer 45 Colt OMs made than any other Blackhawks or Single-Sixes. Further, OM BH convertibles (45 Colt & 45 ACP) were very scarce with 4 5/8" model being the rarest."
The person who posted that actually has an unfired 4 5/8 convertible with the brass frame, with box and all paperwork. 100% condition valued at over $2500.
My bad, misinterpreted the previous response.
I’d guess that must be value placed by the seller. :ROFLMAO:
Seems $700 - $800 too high to me. Even if it has Ruger’s letter to back it up.
contender
Ruger Guru
Well, most of the info that the OP was seeking has been covered. Wrong box,, and wrong base pin. But a very desirable gun to own.
As to value,, the RENE Price Guide lists a 4-5/8" convertible w/o a box & all correct at $1050.00. hittman is a bit low in his pricing.
A correct base pin can be had for under $20 usually. A good box,, about $150-$175.
And as noted,, fewer of those than of the OM .44 FT's.
You have a NICE one weddy2022!!!!
As to value,, the RENE Price Guide lists a 4-5/8" convertible w/o a box & all correct at $1050.00. hittman is a bit low in his pricing.
A correct base pin can be had for under $20 usually. A good box,, about $150-$175.
And as noted,, fewer of those than of the OM .44 FT's.
You have a NICE one weddy2022!!!!
GasGuzzler
Hawkeye
I would pay $1K for that for sure. It's more desirable to me than a .44 anyway because I like .45 Colt and .45 AUTO. Don't know if I would search for a box but I would sell the NM box and buy an OM pin.
It's very nice indeed.
It's very nice indeed.
The .45 Blackhawk started shipping in 1970. I have several Dec, 1970 .45 Blackhawks. They are uncommon because the first ones were not ready to ship until December so there was only the first month's production that shipped that year. And since Ruger usually skipped the first few hundred serial numbers when they introduced a new model, the 1970 guns are numbered 45-00xxx. The skipped numbers were made later to satisfy the Subscription program, but subscription guns generally sat around the factory for some time awaiting payment from the subscriber, so the revenue-producing higher numbers were built as a higher priority. So it is likely correct that 45-00001 was made in 1971, but higher number 3-digit guns were made in 1970. Some information on them can be found here:
https://www.rugerforum.com/threads/1966-om-41mag-blackhawk.316337/page-2#post-3228512
And the .45 was meant to be a convertible from the start but Ruger was having some trouble with the ACP cylinders. They shipped the single cylinder guns rather than delay the introduction of the new caliber. And because the single cylinder guns were priced lower than the convertibles, they sold fairly well and so Ruger kept offering them after the ACP bugs were worked out. The convertibles did end up making up a significant percentage of production, just not at first. When I was building my .45 collection, I needed a black eagle grip medallion example of a single cylinder gun (BKH44) and everything I was finding confirmed as a convertible (whether the ACP cylinder was still present or not). I finally found a nice boxed BKH44, but it took a while.
And there are no official brass frame .45 convertibles. Some probably went out with the brass frame, but none can be confirmed since Ruger never acknowledged the model with its own catalog number. The ones you run across generally letter as convertibles, but not brassies. And of course, they would have been easy to fake back in the day since the brass frame was sold as a user-installable accessory for $20. But it is more likely that since Ruger didn't have an official "BKH44XB", any that were built were logged as simply BKH44X (and the single cylinder brassie is BKH44B).
Hondo44
Hawkeye
If the trigger has a bump on the back surface where the return spring plunger contacts the trigger, it’s a transfer bar retrofit trigger. It looks like there is a bump in your photo but the photo is not clear enough to see for sure. Because of that and the retrofit cyl pin, I believe your gun was retrofitted but has been partially changed back by removing the transfer bar, installing an original old model hammer and modifying the retrofit cyl pin.
Thanks but I'm not seeing a bump at the plunger, just the plunger. Here is a picture to be sure.
Thanks
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My only comment is: nice score! That was the gun I was looking for when I got my NM convertible. I might be a bit jealous
When I first said it was clearly not converted, I made that assessment by looking at the trigger in the pic and seeing what I thought was an obvious old model trigger consistent with the ones used in the early 1970s.
Conversion kit triggers can be retrofitted to work with the old model action by grinding off the transfer bar linkage.
But this one doesn't have the conversion kit triggers profile. It is a legit OM trigger. The same cannot be said about the base pin.
Finally, yes, nice gun weddy2022! Enjoy it, fix a few things if you want, but basically it looks like a fully functional old model.
Conversion kit triggers can be retrofitted to work with the old model action by grinding off the transfer bar linkage.
But this one doesn't have the conversion kit triggers profile. It is a legit OM trigger. The same cannot be said about the base pin.
Finally, yes, nice gun weddy2022! Enjoy it, fix a few things if you want, but basically it looks like a fully functional old model.
Check for what you need here: https://cfnparts.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=414
I have had good luck with these guys.
Shoot me your address in a PM and I will send you one..I have plenty of spare parts. Consider it a Welcome to The Forum Gift.
:)
Weddy, if you would like to confirm whether or not your gun was "converted" and then retro-fitted back to "original" lockwork; simply remove the entire grip frame and look at the bottom of the gun (not the grip frame). If it was converted to the transfer bar safety system, you will see an "R" stamped into the frame as is shown in this picture of my gun that had been "converted".
Hope this helps clear that question up.... (and yes, that incorrect cyl pin makes me suspicious....
J.
GasGuzzler
Hawkeye
My first Old Model Singe Six had a Colt base pin when I got it and I had no fear it was ever converted. It also had New Model grips. I was able to get all the correct parts here.
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