D'oh!, why'd I go back to the gun store tonight....

[maxpress]

good decision. hanging on to a gun that you cant find the right ammo for is like having a 442 big block and a gallon of gas.

besides once you start reloading 45 colt there isnt much the stouter loads wont stop in its tracks.

 

[mattsbox99]

Any reason you weren't reloading for .357/.38 SPL? I reload .38s for about $.07 per round, .357s are about $.15 per round.

I have a couple GPs and several Blackhawks and they are all great guns. You'll be back to the GP side soon!

 

[JWhitmore44]

Nice looking gun with some nice grips. I'll take a single over a double any day.

 

[MacTech]

the reason I wasn't reloading for .357?

1; I had no Small Pistol primers, and my gunshop has been out of them for months
2; no dies and shell plates for my Lee Pro 1000 press
3; basically, I had no components or hardware for loading .357, if I could have found some SPP, I would have picked up a Lee Loader to hold me over until I could get the correct hardware for the Pro 1000

I'm assuming (dangerous, I know) that the 45LC uses the same shell platform holder thingy as my .45ACP, and all I'd need is a set of dies for .45LC, it'd be less expensive for me to add .45LC to my reloading press than to rebuild the press for .357

As far as the .357 goes, the recoil in my Taurus 669 never really bothered me, what I disliked was the shockwave/muzzleblast/pressure wave and noise from the .357 cartridges, my pistol range has a semi-enclosed shooting hut, so it's kinda' like shooting a .357 indoors, the pressure/blast wave rebounds off the walls and floor of the hut, .45ACP is far more pleasant to shoot in the shooting hut, a big, hearty *BOOM*, and no painful pressure wave

 

[maxpress]

No...its 2 different shell holders

 

[KWYJIBO]

I think you made a good choice, MacTech. Many here will tell you to never trade or sell a gun to get another one, "You should just buy both." I understand where you are coming from--sometimes it is truly an either-or choice because you cannot afford both (at least not for a long time).

Some will warn that you are going to regret getting rid of your GP. That may be. But then again, if you'd kept it, you may regret not getting the Blackhawk when you had the chance.

I think this is the better gun for your intended purposes. The GP is versatile but rather utilitarian. The Blackhawk is much sexier. I would also recommend sticking with 45 ACP and 45 Colt for all future gun purchases (unless you like your life to get more complicated). That's what I would choose if I had it to do over.

Congratulations on a nice looking Ruger, and I hope you enjoy it for decades to come.

 

[WARD]

I like that idea of buying a gun to fit the ammo you have on hand.... Over the years I have on occasion purchased the ammo and played with that long enough to talk myself into the purchase of the gun.....

Sometimes only the empty brass would suffice!

Ward

 

[bigflash1]

There is just no way in the world, that you could pry my fingers off my GP100! This is a baby to shoot with mild 38's for the wife and daughter. Hot 357's are very manageable for when I'm feeling like I need to compensate for something... I can throw it in the truck and travel with it. And if I need to, a big shirt will cover it in a pinch for CCW!

Would be cheaper to finish buying the reloading parts you need and start reloading the 38's/357's. If your gun shop can't get the primers, they are available by mail order these days. Just get together with a few friends to make the hazmat fee worthwhile.
It won't take long to save enough money reloading to get the 45!

John

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

I'd say you made a nice upgrade. Congratulations! Grips are sweet looking and appear to come from the same piece of wood (ie they match).

 

[MacTech]

The more I play with my BH, the happier I am with it, I know I made the right decision

that said, there are a couple mods I'd like to make to it to make it more personalized…

1: swap in a Bisley hammer, I have no problems with the BH hammer, I just like the looks of the Bisley hammer
2; swap in a Bisley grip frame, to get a slightly longer grip, so my pinky finger has a more secure home

I know I could swap in some Hogue tamer grips, they appear to have a pinky shelf that the wood grips don't, but I think they look out of place on a western styled single action

 

[Ale-8(1)]

In order for the Bisley hammer to fit properly, you need to do the Bisley grip frame at the same time, so you might as well plan on doing it all at once.

Heck, might as well go all the way and get the Bisley trigger, as well.

 

[MacTech]

As long as the "Pinky finger under the base of the grip" grip won't cause any problems/injuries (don't wanna break my pinky finger due to recoil), I don't think I'll need to change grips/gripframes

I just loaded up a few .45ACP rounds for my trip to the range this coming Sunday, 5.1 grains of W231 under a Better Bullets 200Gr LSWC bullet, dropped them into the cylinder and gave it a spin, the rounds dropped in flawlessly, and dropped out just as easily when I upended the gun and opened the loading gate, I only had to lightly tap one round with the ejector rod to drop it out

Looks like this gun likes my reloads, at least as far as the physical fit dimensions, I'll pick up a box of WWB sometime before the range trip just to compare the performance of factory loads and my target reloads

 

[Ale-8(1)]

OK, but you're going to discover that the Bisley hammer doesn't work well with the "standard" grip frame.

JMHO

 

[Stump Buster]

Just throwing this out there...

Another option for the hammer is to have a gunsmith file the thumbpad of a Super Blackhawk hammer flush with the sides for a lower profile look and feel. That way you can keep the gripframe you have installed on the gun.


All the best,

Stump

 

[UmpquaCharlie]

I envy you...I drive thousands of miles or fly just to visit the kittery Trading Post. (LL Who?). Of course the former has nothing to do with your question but.... buy your 45 put it on lay-a-way .
Charlie SW Oregon

 

[MacTech]

I envy you...I drive thousands of miles or fly just to visit the kittery Trading Post. (LL Who?). Of course the former has nothing to do with your question but.... buy your 45 put it on lay-a-way .
Charlie SW Oregon

Charlie, be prepared to hate me… I live about five minutes away from KTP, I go there so often that I consider it a non-issue, to me, KTP is always and has always been there… (except for the 4 years I lived in Vermont, had a major case of withdrawl there…)

 

[UmpquaCharlie]

MacTech,
I grew up in Winnsiquam, NH and always hit Rileys, TC and KTP whenever I go east and then to Dover for my LOBSTA.

 

[MacTech]

I just got back from the range, running some of my .45ACP reloads through my BH (5.1Gr Win231 under a Better Bullets 200Gr LSWC), and I can sum up my experiences quite succinctly....

I *LOVE* this gun!

This was the first time I had shot a big-bore single action revolver, I was expecting a whippy, strong recoil, much more of a handfull than my Kimber Custom II, after all, all that recoil energy from the cartridge isn't going into working the slide and loading the next round, that energy has to go *somewhere*.....

I loaded up six cartridges, took my place on the line, lined up my sights and..... *BLAM!*, the gun fired the cartridge, and smoothly *rolled* backwards and slightly up, it had the *push* of the 1911, but it also had a smooth controllable roll, no upwards snap, no whippy, torquey recoil, just a nice, natural, smooth push back with a slight upwards roll

It was also noticeably quieter than my 1911, I'm sure that the 2.5 extra inches of barrel has something to do with that (7.5" NMBH, 5" Kimber Custom II), it still had the throaty *BOOM* I love, but there was a noticeable lack of pressure/shockwave, if I could sum up the whole experience in one word, it would be *smooth*

I then fired off the next five cartridges, and made another pleasing discovery, without even trying too hard, the gun grouped incredibly well, four rounds through one ragged hole (20 feet) and two fliers, not bad for my first cylinder of cartridges

I then fired off the remainder of my reloads (about 30 rounds for this gun), and on a whim, I took the last six rounds I was going to put in the BH into my Kimber 1911, just to see how much of a difference there was....

Oh man, what a difference, the Kimber had a much more insistent, *sharper* push backwards, it actually had more felt recoil than the BH, even though it used the recoil energy to cycle the slide, and should, in theory, have *less* recoil, *amazing!*

I then used some of my lighter-loaded rounds from my original reloading session when I first got my press, 4.5Gr W231 under a 230Gr LRN, and moved out to the 25 foot line, the groups opened up a bit, but it was still quite accurate, especially for a new-to-me gun

I LOVE the whole experience of shooting single-action revolvers, and can definitely see more of them in my future

While I was shooting, one of my fellow shooters was shooting his passel of S&W .22 revolvers (a couple 6" barrels, a couple snubbies, and a Ruger Single Six), he asked what I was shooting, I let him look over the BH, he was intrigued with the fact that it shot .45ACP, so I let him try a couple cylinders full, he was as amazed as I was, how smooth, controllable and tame it was

He then let me try his six shot S&W 617, Oh man!, I fell in love with that beauty, the trigger was ball-bearing slick in both SA and DA, and I shot the *tightest* groups I have *EVER* shot in .22 with that gorgeous piece of shooting art, dime-sized groups, it pointed perfectly, balanced perfectly, and these dime-sized groups were shot in DA mode to boot!

I think I know what my next .22 revolver is going to be, if I can find a good used one, if I can find a 10 shot, i'll be trading in the Ruger Mark II bull towards it

So, to sum up, I *LOVE* big-bore singe actions, and I've fallen in love with my next .22 revolver

I'm starting to cool off on semiautos now, I'm not going to get rid of my Kimber Custom II, but I don't see adding any more semiautos to the collection, at least not in the near future

I think it's clear I'm a revolver guy at heart, it's good to be home

 

[powder smoke]

MacTech,
I grew up in Winnsiquam, NH and always hit Rileys, TC and KTP whenever I go east and then to Dover for my LOBSTA.

charlies, I spent so much time at Riley's, Dick gave me a key,LOL Riley's is by far one of the best gun shops around that area. I grew up in Goffstown NH just a 20 min. ride and your there. Great selection of ammo guns reloading thay have it all at a fair price.

Oh ya use to be some pretty good salmon fishing in Winnisquam. Small world ps

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Ah, memories! I spent 7 years in Manchester, right down the road from Riley's.

Goffstown had, of all things, one of the better Mexican restaurants I've been to outside of the southwest. Pablos in Manchester (why, near Riley's, of all things) was good, too.

-- Sam