Blackhawk 357 maximum

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Both of these guns are used, been shot, I'd guess a box or 2 each.
I believe these were sent back to Ruger by the customer & then destroyed.
The BNM10 box has a UPS label from November 1983 going to Sturm Ruger.
Both boxes have "received" labels on the end (one fell off) when they arrived,
an invoice or service number, and acknowledgement of talking with JH and a name
of who it was from.
I paid the $10 and got a letter on the the BNM10. Normal stuff here. I called Linda in records
and told here I had reason to believe this gun had been returned to the factory at some point.
She said she had no more information on the gun.
Did Ruger write them a check? Credit them toward a different gun?
Fun stuff........
More pics.
JaydaWg
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The "scrapped" Maximums are a whole story in itself. Well over 5000 have been scrapped and probably somewhere in the 50 to 100 range of those scrapped guns were used as "test " guns. They sampled they entire serial number range of 600-00000 to 600-16314 Many of the test guns were tested by David Bradshaw , after he tuned some of them, and Bill Jr. Actual factory employees probably tested a very small percentage of them based upon the test guns I have and other information I have acquired. Parameters of the test guns were written on the boxes, some had them engraved on the guns themselves with electric pencil. The pencil/pen writing on the boxes are David Bradshaw's , the black magic marker is from Bill Jr. The parameters tested included, but not limited to, barrel/cylinder gap, forcing cone degree and depth and barrel twist rate.

By the way, the WJH initials are for Walter J Howe, head of special projects for Ruger. Bill Sr, actually fired Walter, for 2 weeks, for reimbursing customers full MSRP for some returned Maximums. Supposedly some customers were sent Supers. I know this probably happened, but so far have no written records.
 
...oh they ( the factory) indeed kept them if you had returned it for any type of service, we had told customers in the shop NOT to, as we had one of the first guys actually got New Model Super in exchange and he accepted this, never saw or heard anyone else and they listened, did not return them, either shot them, as the "cutting" did stop, as the underside spot annealed itself from firing, or they sold them off and almost always got MORE than what initially paid for them...the 'maximum' did work quite well in a NO.1 that our gunsmith had rechambered, never should have sold that one either, but oh well, had little kids and mouths to feed....... :unsure: :cool:
we did odd things in the shop back then, like a 22 'K' Hornet in a Hawkeye or the 3 Dan Wessons we built in ..256 Winchester, now those I would love to find today!!!:oops::(

OH , and thank you Jack 'Coogs" for the update, fill-in,,,and we will never get the "rest of the story"........:rolleyes:
 
I find it interesting that over the last several months, I havre seen more of the frame cut and destroyed .357 Maximums than I have in the last 10 years.
I'm familiar with the knowledge that Coogs has shared.
But in the last few months I've seen physically or in pictures a total of 6 of them.
 
thats because you are paying attention and can relate to seeing anything like that , we used to get cut up frames tc from the local PDs we did work for and for many years I and our late friend Don W., the "old goat", who supplied the wood , we made up pen holders, and paper weights for peoples "desk" tops, I never kept any ,used them ALL, and alas never could find any pictures of our "finished " products,,,you may recall may years agao back in the 80s there was the guy at Monroeville had a tray full of maximum cylinders he was selling,should have bought a few of them anyway, but never did...too long to fit in ANY other Rugers we had or worked on....same went for the guy who used to get the scrap wood grips out of the trash at S&W he dug out 'countless' numbers of them ,took them home cleaned them up matched them up and refinished those that did not match, was selling them for years ,this was before ebay too......I got in the box business that way back in the late 60s and 70s got them from gun shops and gun shows out of the trash, LONG before it was a "good seller" on ebay,,yes , I was the "King of cardboard" back in the day long before it was 'fashionable/collectible'..........used to set up at OGCA in Columbus , had one of my tables FULL , piled high with gun boxes.........
same with GOOD, useable gun parts like the OP has shown above,.....$39 for a baggie full of "parts".........:cool::rolleyes:;)
 
I can't post a pick, but I think I have about 40+ "scrapped" Maxi's.15 to 20 were tested, of those only 3 were tested by actual factory employees and are documented as such. As mentioned before top strap cutting is really a non issue as it abates after about a 1000 rounds or so due to reheating and carbon buildup. Forcing cone erosion was the killer and the guns that David and Bill Jr. tested are documented as having 5*, 8* and 11* forcing cones with various depths and barrels with different twist rates. I also believe that barrel/cylinder gap was noted.

Jay, the one with the label I would definitely say was a customer return......the other I wouldn't be so sure. Some "scrapped" guns come back on the website as no record found, others have a ship date. Most of the ones I have shipped in 2003. Chad and I are in agreement that though scrapped, Ruger had to Maintain a paper trail for the BATF and they were shipped from one plant to the other to be scrapped. The lowest scrapped number I have is 600-00092 the highest is in the 15,900's
 
Every time I see a cut Maximum I can't help but think "Just look at all those salvageable parts . . . grip frames, grips, triggers, hammers, bolts, pawls, sights, springs, screws, cylinders, base pins, etc. They should have bagged up all of those from each gun and sold 'em as Maximum Memorabilia packages!" 😁 ;) :ROFLMAO:
 
Yeah the parts would be nice to have as well.
Maxi cylinders to be used for customs, instead of folks cutting up a whole one.
Or even the frames, which a gunsmith who has the license to manufacture and the ability to weld up the frame to make a custom gun.
Oh the possibilities,,,,!
 
I've not heard of a new Findley book per se, except from a friend who said, "I see Findley has more books wrote up, so I guess I will fill his pockets soon.".

But yes to 6 made and 3 scrapped. So only 3 remaining. One is 10 ", this one is 7.5", and the third could be either length. Or both simultaneously, as in Schrödinger's Cat, until it surfaces.
 
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