Old Model Super Blackhawk with Brass Frame

[Shootist1952]

I'm new to this forum so please excuse any ignorance I may show while posing questions. I have a old model ruger super Blackhawk that was shipped in Sept. of 1972. I bought the gun new from a local gun dealer and when I purchased it, it had a brass frame. I checked with Ruger and I was told that it is an S47. Is it possible they shipped it with the brass frame but the records don't show it? Thanks for any help!

 

[contender]

Welcome to the Forum!
Short answer,,, yes, it's possible.
You'd have to get the $10 factory letter to verify things. But,,, if you post the serial number here, we can check the known records list we have.
If you go to sell it,,, it will need the factory verification to sell as a factory shipped one.

 

[Shootist1952]

The serial number is 80-51367. I sent Ruger an email and they replied that it was only an S47. The red and black box list it as a S47. When I bought it back in 1972, the brass frame was already on it and the gun dealer never said anything about the brass frame being installed after he received it. Thanks for any help, based on what I've been reading, I thought I had something a little special.

 

[JCW64]

80-51367 is on the factory shipped brass frame Super Blackhawk list in Dougan's 2008 Ruger collecting book.

 

[Shootist1952]

80-51367 is on the factory shipped brass frame Super Blackhawk list in Dougan's 2008 Ruger collecting book.

Thx JCW64

 

[contender]

The Dougan book is where we'd look to help verify originality. Now, spend the $10 & get the letter, and if for any reason it doesn't come back as a S47B,, a polite call would be in order.
It used to be that there were a lot of the factory brassies were not properly recorded.

 

[Shootist1952]

Thx Contender

 

[street]

The story goes that the reason that some of the Super Blackhawks were not listed as being shipped with a brass grip frame is that the brass frame and the Super grip frame cost the same. There would be no difference in the price between the two. The reason the other Blackhawk were listed was because they would know to charge extra because the brass frame cost more then the XR3-RED Alum frame did. Don't know if there is any truth in this but it seems reasonable.

 

[Shootist1952]

Just got my letter from Ruger that says my super Blackhawk did not ship with the brass frame. JCW64 says that the 2008 Dougan book states that it is in fact one that was shipped with the brass frame. Does anyone have any suggestion on what my next step should be? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[street]

From the beginning it was known that a lot of these factory brass grip frame Supers would not letter. Most collectors accept what Dougan has in his book as being shipped from the factory with a brass grip frame. As I wrote earlier that the brass grip frame and the Super steel grip frame cost the same so some of the Supers didn't get assigned the S47B catalog number because there were no difference in the price of the gun. After all Bill Ruger could care less about the collectors all he cared about was getting his price for his Supers and he got the same price for the Brass frame as he did for the Steel frame. So to him a S47 and a S47B meant the same to him, so if the invoice listed a S47 for a S47B he could care less.

When you go to sell this gun just list it as being included in Dougans book.

 

[Shootist1952]

Thanks for the reply Hunter!

 

[Jason280_2]

Interesting, makes me want to check mine at home!

 

[Ruger1441]

Dougans book is more reliable than the factory. If his book says it was shipped with a brass frame I would consider the matter closed. If I remember correctly after the book was published the factory was using it to help verify the guns shipped as S47B's

 

[k22fan]

I have two questions and neither should be taken as implying that I'm disputing the originality of shootist1952's S47B.

What were Dougan's sources when he created his list? How certain is it that all Ruger brass Dragoon frame castings have the same cast in identifying numbers and letters? While I'd have to get out my Brassy and remove its grips I'm sure some of you have the mark fresh in your memory. I ask because I have a ROA Brassy that is on Dougan's list but it has that mark stamped in rather than being cast along with the grip frame. I have not asked Ruger about my ROA. Maybe I should but I bought it to enjoy, not to resell.

 

[steelshooterco]

Usually by looking at the fit of the brass grip-frame to the frame, you can tell if they were match polished as a set, or if they brass grip-frame was installed later.

The factory match polished sets blend perfectly with one another, with no gaps or miss match. Those installed later typically have some level of miss match.

Not 100% perfect, but has worked on all those I've seen and had hoped to buy, upon observation were not factory, and back in the good old days a call to Ruger confirmed this before plunking down the cash to purchase.

 

[Shootist1952]

If I knew how to take pictures and post on this site, it may possibly answer some of these comments.

 

[Ruger1441]

If you take the brass frame off you will be able to see if the frame of the gun is blued underneath where the brass frame fits. Guns with steel frames were blued with the frame attached to the grip frame so the gun was not fully blued at that point. Guns with brass frames were blued without the grip frame attached to that area is fully blued.

 

[NewportNewsMike]

If I knew how to take pictures and post on this site, it may possibly answer some of these comments.

Posting pictures is rather straight forward, once you get your (free) account set up at Photobucket.com or some other photo hosting Website.

You upload your pictures to your Photobucket album.

Then, when you are creating your message here to the Forum, next to your picture in Photobucket will be a list of "Links to Share this photo." Simply click on the tab labeled IMG and it will copy all the URL info onto your clipboard. Then paste that in your message and, bingo, you have pictures linked to your message.

You also need to "uncheck" the "Disable BBCode" box located right below the text input box on the Ruger Forum, or instead of getting the actual picture, you get its address.

If you delete the pictures in Photobucket, they will disappear from your forum message also.

Sounds a lot harder than it really is!

 

[street]

I have two questions and neither should be taken as implying that I'm disputing the originality of shootist1952's S47B.

What were Dougan's sources when he created his list? How certain is it that all Ruger brass Dragoon frame castings have the same cast in identifying numbers and letters? While I'd have to get out my Brassy and remove its grips I'm sure some of you have the mark fresh in your memory. I ask because I have a ROA Brassy that is on Dougan's list but it has that mark stamped in rather than being cast along with the grip frame. I have not asked Ruger about my ROA. Maybe I should but I bought it to enjoy, not to resell.

The story that I got about Dougans source was that the list showing the shipping date and the catalog number that the factory used to make up the information for their letters didn't show the right catalog number for some of the Supers. What Dougan used was the invoices to the distributer, which happen to show the brass frames for some reason. Don't know if this is a true story but sounds like it is. At least it gives a good reason on where Dougan got his information.

As for the brass frame being stamped or cast raised in the frame. All that I have seen or know about have the MR-3DB casted and is raised up from the frame. Even though yours was shipped from the factory as a brass frame, it looks as if someone changed out the factory brass for an after market frame.