Grip frame change...Blackhawk...

[mike Sr.]

I have a Ruger Blackhawk, 4-5/8" stainless, 44 mag. It seems to have the same grip frame as a 357 Blackhawk.

Will a grip frame from a 7.5" super blackhawk fit?

 

[EDK]

I have a Ruger Blackhawk, 4-5/8" stainless, 44 mag. It seems to have the same grip frame as a 357 Blackhawk.

Will a grip frame from a 7.5" super blackhawk fit?

Yes. A better choice would be a HUNTER grip frame...same size, but similar profile to what you have. "All of the virtues of the DRAGOON, but none of its faults." I've done multiple VAQUEROS to DRAGOON or HUNTER grip frames and prefer the HUNTER.

If you get custom grips, look at the gunfighter model at EAGLE GRIPS or pvtshcultz.

 

[mike Sr.]

Edk..I will talk w/you 2morrow...I am ugly right now but when I wake up I won't be ugly....

 

[mic214]

I have a 5-1/2" stainless SBH and I am interested in swapping out the grip frame with one from a stainless .44 magnum Bisley Vaquero. Will this work and it is a "Do it yourself" type of job or should I have a gunsmith do it?

 

[EDK]

I have a 5-1/2" stainless SBH and I am interested in swapping out the grip frame with one from a stainless .44 magnum Bisley Vaquero. Will this work and it is a "Do it yourself" type of job or should I have a gunsmith do it?

It will work...and you can do it yourself IF you can detail strip the gun by following the instructions in the owners manual. BUT the trigger pull MIGHT NOT be very good AND the grip frame fit also MIGHT NOT be very good...on the other hand, I've swapped out used DRAGOONS onto several Original Size VAQUEROS and got very good to excellent fits; likewise with trigger and hammer swaps. Factory new parts didn't work nearly as well in half the cases. To quote my late father, "even a blind hog finds an acorn once in awhile."

For what it is worth, I'd buy another set of stainless BISLEY parts and have TWO BISLEYS. Stainless would not require refinishing, so I'd have it professionally done...and a trigger job to boot. (Jim Stroh of ALPHA PRECISION did a number of guns for me.) I used the DRAGOON grip frame for almost forty years, but got my first BISLEY about ten years ago...half of my shooters are BISLEYS now. The HUNTER grip frame is also d*** good and you wouldn't have to swap out the hammer and trigger in that case. (The two 44s I shot today are VAQUEROS with a HUNTER grip frame and a BISLEY.)

 

[jack1248]

The Super frame will definitely fit but may require a little fitting. I actually prefer the DRAGOON style over the HUNTER. I even put a DRAGOON grip frame on my HUNTER. Not everyone thinks the HUNTER is superior, different strokes .....

 

[BlackEagle]

The Super frame will definitely fit but may require a little fitting. I actually prefer the DRAGOON style over the HUNTER. I even put a DRAGOON grip frame on my HUNTER. Not everyone thinks the HUNTER is superior, different strokes .....

+1

 

[REP1954]

jack1248 wrote:
The Super frame will definitely fit but may require a little fitting. I actually prefer the DRAGOON style over the HUNTER. I even put a DRAGOON grip frame on my HUNTER. Not everyone thinks the HUNTER is superior, different strokes .....

It's always been my understanding that the Hunter and the Dragoon grip frames were the same except for the shape of the trigger guard at the back. In fact I believe they take the same grip panels. Do you mean you prefer the looks of the Dragoon?

 

[flatgate]

Yup, I have the Hunter grip frame on a stainless .45 cal. New Model Blackhawk.

Ruger should market this combo! Some of us like the round barrel instead of the Hunter's design......

JMHO,

flatgate

 

[jack1248]

They are indeed identical except for the square corner on the back of the trigger guard on the Dragoon. I do like the looks of the Dragoon better but I really like the square guard better when shooting one handed. I use my middle finger to push out and up on the trigger guard, this brings the hammer back toward my thumb making it easier for me to cock. Elmer Keith really liked the Dragoon guard and If I remember correctly recommended it to Bill Ruger for the SBH. He even wanted to call the gun the Dragoon instead of the SBH. I don't know his reasons for liking this style trigger guard though.

 

[flatgate]

Elmer Keith really liked the Dragoon guard and If I remember correctly recommended it to Bill Ruger for the SBH. He even wanted to call the gun the Dragoon instead of the SBH. I don't know his reasons for liking this style trigger guard though.

I'll add a bit of info.....

Elmer AND famous New York State Shooter and Arms Dealer, Herb Glass, liked the Colt 3rd Model Dragoon grip frames. (They are somewhat larger than anything that Ruger mass produced.) Both Gentlemen did indeed recommend the Colt grip frame as a much needed improvement on Ruger's new .44 magnum Blackhawk with its' Colt SAA sized grip frame. (At least Colt used steel instead of lightweight aluminum!)

So, Ruger made up his version of a Dragoon grip frame. Approximately 300 grip frames were cast and randomly installed on the early production runs of the new Super Blackhawk. Testing by Ruger and others determined that the Ruger Dragoon grip frame was just a bit "too much" and another iteration was developed, one that ended up being about 3/16" shorter and that design is still in production. So, the early Super Blackhawk "Long" grip frames became the highly collectible Long Frame Supers that we Collectors actively seek!


flatgate