I've posted some pics of this one before, when it was still a work in progress. What am I saying? It will always be a work in progress! I am never completely satisfied with a gun and will always look for more ways to customize it. Anyhoo, this one's coming along and looks more or less finished now.
I started with a plain ol' blued New Model Blackhawk .45 convertible. As you can see, it now has several stainless parts: grip frame, Super hammer, ejector housing, base pin, and cylinder (unfluted, with the Bisley engraving removed). Most of these pieces fit right in…
- The hammer required no special work. Timing is just right, with the bolt locking into a cylinder notch immediately before the hammer engages the sear. It also gives a trigger pull about like what the gun had from the factory. That is to say, not an outstanding trigger, but not bad.
- The cylinder OAL was just .004" longer than the one that came with the gun. That allowed me to fit it perfectly in the frame, so there is zero end shake. I also managed to reduce the b/c gap to .006", a bit less than the .008" left by the factory cylinder. (All these figures apply to the original .45 Colt cylinder. I have the ACP one for it, but haven't measured it.) The bore alignment is spot-on as well.
- The grip frame is not a perfect match, but it's close enough for my taste. The area above the trigger guard is just a few thou' narrower than the cylinder frame where it mates. It's almost too thin of a difference to see, but you can feel it with a thumbnail. The largest mismatch is at the ears next to the hammer. If the stainless part were too high, I'd file it down, but it's too low, and I'm not going to file on the blued frame. Like I said, close enough for me.
About the only other change I've made (so far!) is modification to the hand, so the cylinder spins freely when the loading gate is opened. I feel this is the second to best possible set-up, next to a properly indexing cylinder, like the New Vaqueros have.
I've tackled the entire gun with some Flitz polish, because the bluing job that came on it left a little bit to be desired. It shined up nicely in just a few minutes.
So, what's next? I'm thinking about making or buying some pretty grip panels. There's nothing wrong with the ones it wears now, but I always like to have some that are a little fancier. I think it would also look good with a Bowen rear sight, just because. Other than that, I'm going to call this one "done."
I don't know how much weight the gun gained through these upgrades, but I'm sure it's several ounces. That's okay, it was never going to be a Perfect Packin' Pistol anyway.
This set up includes parts from at least five different guns. Thanks go to the forum members who provided the stuff I needed: medicdave, Toroflow, and a few others whose names I've forgotten. I'm into the whole thing about $700 now, including the base gun. I also have quite a few hours' "work" in it, but it's not really work for me, because this is what I enjoy doing for a hobby. The fun thing about Ruger single actions is that even an amateur like me can handle minor customizations. No special training or tools are needed—just some patience, care, and general understanding of how stuff works.
I really should find better lighting if I'm going to be taking gun pictures.
I love the lines of a 5.5" Blackhawk.
This is a simple shuck holster from Doc Barranti, which I feel is the perfect way to carry a single action Ruger.
I started with a plain ol' blued New Model Blackhawk .45 convertible. As you can see, it now has several stainless parts: grip frame, Super hammer, ejector housing, base pin, and cylinder (unfluted, with the Bisley engraving removed). Most of these pieces fit right in…
- The hammer required no special work. Timing is just right, with the bolt locking into a cylinder notch immediately before the hammer engages the sear. It also gives a trigger pull about like what the gun had from the factory. That is to say, not an outstanding trigger, but not bad.
- The cylinder OAL was just .004" longer than the one that came with the gun. That allowed me to fit it perfectly in the frame, so there is zero end shake. I also managed to reduce the b/c gap to .006", a bit less than the .008" left by the factory cylinder. (All these figures apply to the original .45 Colt cylinder. I have the ACP one for it, but haven't measured it.) The bore alignment is spot-on as well.
- The grip frame is not a perfect match, but it's close enough for my taste. The area above the trigger guard is just a few thou' narrower than the cylinder frame where it mates. It's almost too thin of a difference to see, but you can feel it with a thumbnail. The largest mismatch is at the ears next to the hammer. If the stainless part were too high, I'd file it down, but it's too low, and I'm not going to file on the blued frame. Like I said, close enough for me.
About the only other change I've made (so far!) is modification to the hand, so the cylinder spins freely when the loading gate is opened. I feel this is the second to best possible set-up, next to a properly indexing cylinder, like the New Vaqueros have.
I've tackled the entire gun with some Flitz polish, because the bluing job that came on it left a little bit to be desired. It shined up nicely in just a few minutes.
So, what's next? I'm thinking about making or buying some pretty grip panels. There's nothing wrong with the ones it wears now, but I always like to have some that are a little fancier. I think it would also look good with a Bowen rear sight, just because. Other than that, I'm going to call this one "done."
I don't know how much weight the gun gained through these upgrades, but I'm sure it's several ounces. That's okay, it was never going to be a Perfect Packin' Pistol anyway.
This set up includes parts from at least five different guns. Thanks go to the forum members who provided the stuff I needed: medicdave, Toroflow, and a few others whose names I've forgotten. I'm into the whole thing about $700 now, including the base gun. I also have quite a few hours' "work" in it, but it's not really work for me, because this is what I enjoy doing for a hobby. The fun thing about Ruger single actions is that even an amateur like me can handle minor customizations. No special training or tools are needed—just some patience, care, and general understanding of how stuff works.
I really should find better lighting if I'm going to be taking gun pictures.
I love the lines of a 5.5" Blackhawk.
This is a simple shuck holster from Doc Barranti, which I feel is the perfect way to carry a single action Ruger.
