New Model Old Model Blackhawk

[Sharps40]

Time for a try sight.....a sight about the right height (say .530 to .570 for short barreled 357 blackhawks) for function testing and the base of the sight carved undersized (less than .375) so that final fitting of the right sight can be done later.

357 barrels on these are meaty. I've shown the use of the dovetailing jig and saw/files many times. Many is the complaint fielded that the jig cuts a dovetail that's too small. Its supposed to. It allows for exact fitting of the final sight in the dovetail. And the right sight is fitted so that it enters the dovetail about 1/3 to 1/2 way then gets real snug.....a final push is needed to seat it so it won't shoot loose. (Final fitting of the dovetail is done to the undersides of the barrel dovetail cuts, jig removed, with a safe sided triangular file....safe side down, only doing the under cut to make the dovetail that last 5 to 10 thousands larger for a snug fit. You shouldn't have to cut the sight, cut the dovetail. Besides, the saw leaves rounded edges in the undercut caming the sight up....the safe side file gets the last little bit in the corners making them the right angle so the sight sits as low in the dovetail as possible.) No safe sided triangular file = ye'll be unhappy with the fit and probably tempted to booger up the sight to fit a slightly undersized and rounded edged dovetail.

Finally, a dovetail allows use of ramps (via a gib lock for a screw) or beads and blades and with beads and blades will allow for front sight windage adjustments. But, I never ran across a Blackhawk that shot off center even with the factory sight.....at least not after getting grips that allowed the centerline of the barrel to extend in the same plane as the centerline of the forearm bone.

Also, the barrel, at its final length is treated to a round over to remove the sharp edge where it was shortened. A simple tool from brownells, spun slow in a hand drill makes short work and the round over is ended so that its edge just meets the face of the ERH.

So, off to the range soon to verify sight height and then back to the bench to play with ramps, blades and beads till I make up my mind.

Oh yeah, the ramp don't cover the entire 50th marking and with it stickin out the tail, looks a lil funny......besides, I'm coming to like that marking and may well leave it so, it could be I need to show it all and not just the last letter!

 

[Sharps40]

The tall Marbles sights are squares......I like the front edge rounded so a lick on the belt sander and a few more swipes with the safe sided triangular file in the dovetail for the slightly larger new sight and it presses snugly home. The undersized and weirdly carved try sight goes back in the spares box for the next project.

Unlike the long ramp that doesn't quite cover the 50th markings, a bead sight in the dovetail leaves this marking unmolested. I like this look better than the ramp. I think this is the way it'll stay.

Getting pretty good at getting em straight up and down too. (Had a few crooked ones over the years!)

 

[Sharps40]

The stainless steel Bisley hammer to go with the stainless steel Bisley trigger.

First the hammer has its butt area reduced and contoured to match the original hammer and therefore fit the grip frame. Then given a high polish and the exposed sides jeweled on the drill press. Once installed and checked for pull weight, after a bit of takeup there is a clean 3 lb 7 oz release with no grit.

Here is how it looks installed on this shooters iron.

And here, the second step of the hammer nose is releved with several hundred strokes of a medium stone. Files won't cut these hammers. This eliminates transfer bar pinch and subsequent breakage of the transfer bar. I continue stoning and fitting and checking for an even strike on the transfer bar until ..... When the hammer has fallen, I push it into the frame....releasing the trigger the trigger snaps forward under trigger spring power (no matter how hard I push on the hammer) allowing the transfer bar to drop down with ever so slight a drag. The final fitting will be in polish of the second step and the transfer bar eliminating that last tiny bit of drag. At that point the depth of the second step is such that the transfer fully and completely impinges the firing pin but it not caught and squashed by the hammer. No click in the trigger return, the frame and transfer bar bear the blow equally and no broken transfer bar down the road.

 

[Sharps40]

30 minutes here, 1 hour there. It adds up and its done sooner than ya think. Or longer!

A few minutes work with an dremil and cut off wheel to rough in a wider slot in the ERH so that the button can cam out of the way. Allows dismounting the cylinder with out having to remove the ERH each time for cleaning. Less wear and tear on the retention stud and pinch nut. Works good. Just some final straightening and polishing to do. Not visible and best of all, free instead of $60 for a cam cut ejector housing from Cimarron.

 

[Sharps40]

A little draw file and some bootstrap and the Ruger Banner is gone. Front end is almost done!

 

[Sharps40]

The bulk of the hard work is done. A bit of finish work to do on the newly filed in scallops back of the recoil shield. Probably will chamfer the forward edge of the 38/357 cylinder, final smoothing of the ejector rod housing and then it'll be time to, I think, rust brown the barrel and frame and rust blue all the attaching parts.

With a good clean out, the new trigger assembly breaks at 3 lbs after the obligatory take up. But take up and break is smooth and the factory trigger return spring is one of the smaller diameter black ones, essentially, a factory reduced power spring so both legs are hooked up in the grip frame.

 

[Sharps40]

Time to knock the old square nose back a bit. About 10 minutes work and a good buffing to remove the file marks and soften where the undercut roles over the top of the strap. Simple 10 minute job with a rattail file and some buffing work.

Pretty much all in now but the cylinder chamfer, final tweaks and getting ready for rust brown (I hope) frame and barrel and rust blackening of all the other parts.

 

[Hondo44]

Have you considered Ruger's 'V' notch rear site blade only to go with the front bead? Just the blade will fit the Micro sight.

 

[Sharps40]

I like it. Never got my hands on one or seven though! Would work well with an XS Big Bead or the present fine bead Marbles.

 

[Sharps40]

Ah I see, redhawk and gp100. Will have to check heights, perhaps one is in my future.

 

[Sharps40]

We'll see how this goes. Two tone, black and plumb brown. Barrel and action are browning quickly in the damp box with Laurel Mountain Forge Barrel Brown. The spare 9mm cylinder and some of the small parts are being rust blued at the same time. Couple days and it should be finished and ready for range and carry.

 

[Sharps40]

Brown is coming along well. Been a long long time since I browned a gun barrel. Carding this (no boiling) with scalding water and a rough terry rag. I have one spot on the top strap that won't rust. Scrubbed it back with 0000 steel wool and trying again to get the rust started there. But over the rest of the frame and barrel a fine coat of rust is developing and its going to be a deep brown when done. I've rusted its twice this evening. For the overnighter, not in the 90% humidity damp box.....I carded and recoated with Laurel Mountain Forge brown and hung it out in the cooler and less humid garage. I'll see how it looks in the morning.

 

[Sharps40]

Coming right along. An overnight sit in the garage and hitting the topstrap with both of Laurel Mountain Forge and Pilkingtons has the bare spot rusting fine. A few more cycles today and tomorrow and I think it'll be time to warm up the metal and dunk it in either Motor oil or wax.

 

[Sharps40]

After the fourth rust and carding with terry and scalding water a hot water rinse and rubdown with baking soda. (Laurel Mountain Forge is more aggressive than Pilkington's. Squeeze some of both on the wooden table top and the acids in the Laurel sizzle on the wood......stings yer fingers while using it too....Pilkington's does neither.)

Once dried, off to the oven to warm up for the final oiling....any old motor oil will do. Clean motor oil though, not dirty.

In the oil and then dripping off the excess while the metal cools from about 150 F back to room temperature.

 

[Sharps40]

Probably time to call it done. If I brown another, I'll probably try 5 or 6 cycles and carding with steel wool (a deviation from the instructions) but this finish suits me. Deep plumb brown. Fairly even. It should age nicely. Not as smooth or fine grained as a rust blue but it goes with the spotted brown Amboyna Burl grip panels. Based on my experience with muzzleloaders, probably not as durable as rust blue but its sure to age nicely and retouch is a snap.....let it rust. As a two tone, I like it lots better than black and stainless. And, I sure won't have to worry about rust!

Time to name it too. I decided to call this 9mm/38 Special/357 Magnum "Rusty".

But for now.....for those that can't accept that rust browning and bluing, done correctly is not injurious to the bore, I submit a single cleaning patch.....all that was needed to prep the bore after pouring oil on the heated steel.

 

[Sharps40]

A tour of the completed Convertible. In this case, the conversion involving no lathe shortening of the cylinder body and front bushing of an OM Blackhawk 9mm Cylinder to the 50th frame. Easy Peasy.

 

[Sharps40]

 

[Sharps40]

Heaven help me if I lay it down in the leaves and pine needles while hunting this fall, I'll never find it!

 

[ncrobb]

That is a fine looking shooter!

 

[Sharps40]

About 13 days after the baking soda scrub to neutralize much of the rusting agent and its first warm soak in motor oil.....followed by 3 scrubbings with a mix of Hoppes 9 and Rig (50/50 mix) I am ready to finish the plumb brown finish.

Its a coarser finish. And the Laurel Mountain is trapped, at least a little bit always is, down in the finish. Light after rust often continues. It'll stop soon enough and is nothing to worry about as long as you keep after it till its done. I think its about done now. No additional after rust since the last greasing about 3 days back.

A dry terry is enough to wipe most of the excess oil and grease off the surface. A 50/50 mix of good old bees wax and vasoline is the final sealer. Here I have liberally coated the browned metal and will be warming the frame and barrel gently to melt this top coat. An additional rub down will be with a patch or two liberally impregnated with this, my favorite muzzleloader lube (good to 1800 fps or so, patch or bullet), bullet lube for pistol and slow rifle (1300 fps and the right temper/diameter and NO LEADING) and browned metal sealer.....After it cools, it'll be carefully buffed with a clean terry and then reassembled. And, that should be it, except for the dings and scratches of use, for a long while.