Old Model Super Blackhawk Barrel Length Question

[Anonymous]

Did Ruger ever make an OM Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum with a 6.5-inch barrel?

The reason I ask is because I have one...Dragoon frame, non-fluted cylinder, and a serial number (288XX) that indicates it was made '67 or '68. And it has a 6.5-inch barrel. I owned Super Blackhawks that I bought in the mid-seventies, and they had 7.5-inch barrels. I look in Ruger parts catalogs, and they only offer barrels in 7.5- and 10-inch lengths.

This gun does not appear to have been reblued, there is no cylinder rotation ring on it, although there is what appears to be some holster wear on the left side at the muzzle. I'm sure it's been fired, because when I bought it, it did have some crud in the barrel and in the chambers...but once I'd cleaned the barrel, it looked almost flawless to my eyes.

So do I have a Super Blackhawk that someone has cut one inch off the barrel or what? And if Ruger did offer this model with a 6.5-inch barrel in '67-'68, when did they switch to 7.5-inch barrels?

 

[Ruger1441]

A Ruger employee cut about 600 barrels to 6.5 inches in error. Bill Ruger never was one to waste anything so they shipped the guns out as Supers with 6.5 inch barrles.
Known serial number range is 24300 to 27614.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for such a quick reply. It doesn't look as if mine falls in that "known serial number range", though, does it?

I actually just noticed this whole barrel length thing earlier today when I had the Super Blackhawk side by side with a recently purchased OM Blackhawk in .45 Colt with a 7.5-inch barrel.

What this boils down to for me is whether or not someone sold me an altered OM Super Blackhawk and I was just too excited at having found one in such good shape and too stupid to notice the barrel length.

 

[Danjet500]

Here's a link to some info.

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=146854

 

[Ruger1441]

When you collect Rugers remember "Never say never" You can check with Ruger to see what barrel lenght the gun was shipped with. 8)

 

[SATCOM]

"known serial number range" is just that, what serial numbers known/recorded/reported. Chet knows about these guns. However he does not know about the approximately 510 possible ones.

Chet,

That is what your records are indicating, correct?

BIGDAWG,

Get a letter from Ruger.

SATCOM

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. If anyone knows anything else, feel free to post.

SATCOM: Yeah, I'm going to get a letter from Ruger. I have two other old models that I want documentation for, so I guess I'll add this Super Blackhawk to that little list.

 

[contender]

It's highly possible it's one of the "mistakes" that wasn't scrapped! Just because it falls outside the known serial number range,, doesn't mean it isn't correct.
Get the letter & be specific in your request about barrel length.

 

[flatgate]

Pitchers, this thread needs pitchers....

This one "Letters".

flatgate

 

[Anonymous]

I agree, this thread does need some photos.

Another interesting thing about my .44 is that the front sight does not go quite out to the end the barrel, it isn't flush with the end like others. It lacks about 1/16 of an inch. Now that may just be me nitpicking (something I'm known for), but it's noticeable when comparing it to other Super Blackhawks and Blackhawks.

But I mailed the letter off to Ruger today, so we'll see what they say...and yes, I was specific about asking about barrel length.

EDIT: PHOTO ADDED

This is the gun we're talking about. The photo does not do justice to the Ruger bluing.

 

[flatgate]

Ah, yes, the old "second look" postulate. I agree, the front sight installation looks "fishy". So does the finish on the side of the hammer. (The story goes that a worker thought he was making 6-1/2" .41 Magnum barrels when someone in the Factory hollered "Oh-oh!" ) A decision was made to just go ahead and assemble the guns....... :roll:

One other thought crosses my mind. I wonder if the gun was shipped as a S-47 (7-1/2") barrel and a previous owner decided to have the barrel cut and the gun refinished. I'd inspect closely for signs of refinishing.

JMHO,

flatgate

 

[chet15]

I agree. The front sight doesn't look correct (compare the blade height in Flatgates photo, especially at the rear of the blade). In fact, the blade reminds me of a NM .45 Colt Blackhawk blade.
The front sight base is also noticeably rearward of the front of the barrel. Might be just from how the gun is oiled, but it also looks like there's a different polish on the barrel area below the front sight base. A different "sheen" like that is a classic telltale sign of "reblue". But without looking at the gun in hand, hard to tell on the bluing. As far as that gun leaving the factory though as factory original 6-1/2"....I'd bet against it.
Chet15

 

[Anonymous]

I agree, the front sight installation looks "fishy". So does the finish on the side of the hammer.

One other thought crosses my mind. I wonder if the gun was shipped as a S-47 (7-1/2") barrel and a previous owner decided to have the barrel cut and the gun refinished. I'd inspect closely for signs of refinishing.

JMHO,

flatgate

"Fishy"...that's a good word. The way the finish looks on the hammer is my fault. This is one of the worst photos I've ever made. Those are specular highlights and little reflections from the lighting on the hammer that makes it look like that...entirely my fault cause I was in a hurry. The lighting's just way off for the photo. If the gun's been reblued, I can't find any signs of it...no weird polish marks and no reduction in sharpness of the numbers and stuff on the gun. So I don't know. As I said, I sent the form to Ruger for a Letter of Authenticity on it (and two other guns), so we'll see what they say.

My thinking on it is...if you're going to alter a true classic, why cut off only one inch? To me, that's just stupid. What difference does an inch make (as far as guns go, anyway)? I'm thinking if I find out for sure it's been cut, I may have it shortened to 4-5/8" and have a bit of custom work done on it.

I'm beginning to obsess over the thing. Now I'm thinking I'm seeing a bit rounder crown on the end of the barrel than others. I should just put it back in its case and stop looking at it until I hear from Ruger. But I'll try to add some detail shots of the end of the barrel later, and people who know more about this stuff than I do can look at it. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

 

[Anonymous]

Here are a couple of comparison photos of barrel crowning and front sights. Comparison between OM .45 and the OM Super Blackhawk that's been the subject of this thread. It looks to me as if the crowning on the .44's barrel is more rounded than it should be. The more I look at this .44, the more "wrong" it looks to me.

 

[street]

My thinking on it is...if you're going to alter a true classic, why cut off only one inch? To me, that's just stupid. What difference does an inch make (as far as guns go, anyway)? I'm thinking if I find out for sure it's been cut, I may have it shortened to 4-5/8" and have a bit of custom work done on it.

I agree if someone wanted a gun to carry then I would cut it off to 4 5/8 in. But I suspect that wasn't the reason. The reason someone would cut 1 inch off is because a 6 1/2 in. Old Model Super Blackhawk sells for a lot more then a 7 1/2 in. Old Model Super Blackhawk. RENE list an Old Model Super Blackhawk large size serial numbers with a 7 1/2 in bl. at $560. While a 6 1/2 in. bl. Super Blackhawk sell for $1225. That's $665 for cutting off 1 in. of the barrel. Now if you cut it off at 4 5/8 in. then you would have a hard time getting the $560 out of it.

 

[98Redline]

My money is the same as street's. Someone cut off 1" from the barrel on a 7 1/2" SBH.

Front sight is in the wrong position
FSB appears much more rounded than the originals (likely caused by excessive sanding to remove the old bluing)
Flow of the solder around the FSB looks excessive compared to what I have seen on all Rugers
Barrel crown is not a Ruger profile like your 45 BH.