High polish, bright blue on a Super Blackhawk

[Teddydogno1]

I have a late Old Model SBH that I bought several years ago. I've often wondered if it has been refinished, because it shows a higher level of polish and brighter blue than is typical of the many other Blackhawks that I handled. It is from 1973, maybe one of the last Old Models at 80-599xx.

Did some (or all of this vintage) SBH's come from Ruger with a high-polish bright blue? A long time back I worked at a gunshop and one of the crusty old guys had a OM SBH that he said he bought new and it had a finish much like my revolver.

I would love to post pictures, but my good camera has a dead battery and we can't seem to find its charger.

Rob

 

[Enigma]

Old model Supers sported a finish such as you describe direct from the factory. Too bad Ruger dropped that on the new models.

 

[street]

Up to somewhere around serial number 3500 Ruger Super Blackhawks had the same dull polish as the Single-Sixes and .357 Blackhawks. About that time there was a fire at the factory that was making the Mahogany Cases for the Super Blackhawk. Ruger then started putting the Supers in the White Boxes and they started giving them a High Polish finish so they wouldn't have to reduce the price because they stopped using the Mahogany cases. The earliest known is serial number 1769, probably a later shipping date then other guns around that serial number. You could still see a few Supers in the Mahogany cases after serial number 3500 but most will be a high polish finish. Most guns after serial number 3500 were in the White Boxes up to somewhere around 10,000. The Red and Black boxes started somewhere around serial number 10,000, but as with most thing that Ruger did there was no exact point where the White Box quit and the Red and Black boxes started. Ruger then kept the High Polish finish on the Super Blackhawks through the end of the Old Models.

 

[k22fan]

FWIW, about 1974 I bought a used new model SBH with a steel ejector rod and factory finish as good as a Python. I believed it to be a very early NM SBH. I paid a pawn shop that was mainly a large gun shop $150 for it in excellent condition. Originally it was to hold me over until I came to the top of the waiting list for an 8 3/8" S&W 29-2. The S&W never did group as tight as the SBH.

To match S&W's sales, William Ruger should have hired Clint Eastwood to play a forest ranger hunting down Big Foot to save attractive lady campers from a fate worse than death. He'd have been armed with a SBH of course. :wink:

 

[Teddydogno1]

Great information, folks. Thank you!

Rob