The large-frame Ruger SAs with the under-barrel warning label made from roughly 2007 forward are better guns than the previous large-frames. Ruger took the revised cylinder manufacturing process pioneered on the mid-frames 2004 forward and applied it to the large frames. The under-barrel warning (on large frames) is your best evidence that it has the upgrade.
Basically, the new cylinder process means each chamber is bored with the same bit/reamer set in sequence, instead of six bits/reamers going at once. So we no longer see variances between chambers or throats, and the bores we do get are better than previous because it's easier to check a single bit/reamer set
. Average out-of-the-box accuracy is up, chamber specs are tighter, it's all good.
There's an exception to every rule
. The first large-frame to get the new treatment was the 50th Anniversary 44Mag Flattop Blackhawk of 2006, the one not marked "super". It has a side-barrel warning label but the new process - as far as I'm aware, the only such combination in a large-frame. This gun has a 6.5" barrel, all-blue, the factory grips are too small but...that's fixable for fairly cheap with oversize wood panels. CDNN is blowing these out the door at around $400, an absolutely killer deal if you want a 44Maggie SA.
One more thing: early mid-frame guns like the NewVaq and the 50th Anniversary 357 all had the revised cylinder process even when the barrel warning is side-mounted. Under-mounted as a clue to quality only applies to the large frames.
