[AK103K]

I just picked up a nice SS Ruger New Model Blackhawk this past week. Its a 357 with a spare 9mm cylinder. Gun shoots well, with both calibers.

What's annoying me is, the cylinder will allow you to go past the window when loading/unloading, but go just a tad to far, and it wont allow you to back up enough to dump a missed case. You have to go around again and try and catch it as it goes buy.

The other problem with this is, with the 9mm cylinder in the gun, I had a couple of cases that wouldnt seat fully, yet just enough to pass that anti back up lock, and now you have to take the cylinder out of the gun to get the round out. You cant go back, and you cant go ahead.

I seem to remember there was some sort of a correction to this, but there seems to be different versions of the Rugers and different fixes.

Anyone know if theres a simple solution to this?

While I like the gun, this is just ****ing me off, and just giving me another reason to hate Ruger. :

 

[charliemeyer007]

You can't fix the cylinder, but perhaps you can modify the gate/hand arrangement to allow the cylinder to spin freely while the gate is open.

 

[Jack Swilling]

If you send it out to a good SASS gunsmith and have it tuned, you can add the free spin pawl to the package
You will then love the gun
All my Rugers get tuned, but I have never added the free spin pawl for around $65
They are sweet once they get tuned
You can buy one and DIY
https://www.brownells.com/handgun-p...-parts/ruger-sa-free-spin-pawl--prod9862.aspx

 

[AK103K]

I dont know what Ruger was thinking there when they designed that, but its screwed up.

Seems like if they were going to improve them with a tune up, they would fix that cylinder issue while they were at it though.

I cant imagine trusting them to anything but range toy status with that going on. It could/would be dangerous, especially if you got a round that didnt want to chamber fully.

Add another revolver stoppage/lock up issue to the list.


I dont know if Rugers chambers are normally "tight", and my 44's didnt ever seem to be, but with both the 357 and 9mm cylinders, the cases seem to want to, not so much "stick" on ejection, but they dont want to drop free either. I usually still have to pull them out by hand, even with a quick snap of the ejector rod. Which is annoying.

I don't have an issue with extraction/ejection with the same ammo in my S&W's and a number of different autos.

The 9mm rounds not wanting to chamber is a bit of a puzzle too, Those same rounds dropped right into the chambers in a couple of different 9mm autos I tried them in afterward.

Ill play with it and see how it goes. Around here, I wont have any trouble trading it off if I get sick of it.

I dont see the point in dumping a lot more money into it as it is just a toy. I thought if there were a fairly cheap and simple, "drop in" solution, Id try that, but it sounds like thats not the case.

 

[ManyFeathers]

The old 3 screw flat top cylinders stopped right where they needed to be, something changed when they went to the transfer bar safety. I hold it with my left hand and roll the cylinder with my left index finger and eject with my right hand, I don't have any issues with the cylinder stop probably from many years of practice, I do remember it was kind of a pain after my 3 screw but I'm used to it now and can easily work around it

I've got a 7.5" tube and the ejector rod ejects my 44 mags out completely, maybe its because yours has a shorter barrel??

As far as your 9mm cylinder, (I'm sure you've checked cleanliness) may just need to be polished a bit....that's if I'm reading your problem correctly

Mine spins freely and cleanly, maybe I have the free spin pawl and don't know it or after all these years, it's just broke in good (82 model), although I've never had it worked on. I can spin my cylinder easily and it makes many full rotations before stopping. I use oil on the front of the cylinder and on the pin but I do dab a bit of grease on the pawl and the stops at the back of the cylinder

The cylinder on my old 3 screw didn't spin near as freely as this one, in fact it wouldn't make one full rotation

Aside from the 9mm cylinder issue, I think you'll come to like the gun very well. They are built like a tank and will shoot any hot reload you can stuff in them.....just don't go too far over :

 

[Offrink]

I have a SS super Blackhawk in 44 mag and the cylinder was tight. I took a pencil with 0000 steel wool with mother’s mag polish and chocked it in an electric drill and polished the sticky spots to make the bullets slide in and out easily after the round was shot. Spent a few hours going slow and checking often and now it is butter smooth.

 

[Jack Swilling]

I shoot cast bullets and send the cylinders out to be honed and uniformed for diameter
As indicated above you can do the same as a DIY
Not so much a problem with jacketed bullets

 

[AK103K]

The old 3 screw flat top cylinders stopped right where they needed to be, something changed when they went to the transfer bar safety. I hold it with my left hand and roll the cylinder with my left index finger and eject with my right hand, I don't have any issues with the cylinder stop probably from many years of practice, I do remember it was kind of a pain after my 3 screw but I'm used to it now and can easily work around it

I've got a 7.5" tube and the ejector rod ejects my 44 mags out completely, maybe its because yours has a shorter barrel??

As far as your 9mm cylinder, (I'm sure you've checked cleanliness) may just need to be polished a bit....that's if I'm reading your problem correctly

Mine spins freely and cleanly, maybe I have the free spin pawl and don't know it or after all these years, it's just broke in good (82 model), although I've never had it worked on. I can spin my cylinder easily and it makes many full rotations before stopping. I use oil on the front of the cylinder and on the pin but I do dab a bit of grease on the pawl and the stops at the back of the cylinder

The cylinder on my old 3 screw didn't spin near as freely as this one, in fact it wouldn't make one full rotation

Aside from the 9mm cylinder issue, I think you'll come to like the gun very well. They are built like a tank and will shoot any hot reload you can stuff in them.....just don't go too far over :

It seems there are a couple of different eras and variations. I had a couple of Blackhawks back in the 80's, and dont remember this being a problem, but, its been a long time ago.

Ive been dumping the empties like you, gun in the left hand, trying to punch them out with the right.

The ejector rod will get the 357's clear, if you rap it smartly. If you hesitate in the least, or do it slowly, the cases usually hang and have to be pulled out. The 9mm's arent as much of an issue there and usually punch right out.

My 3" 44 SBH does it as well, but the cases usually drop into the port (and often, right out of the gun), and drop down enough to stop the cylinder from turning past the point of no return, so its really not as noticeable. The 357's and 9mm need the ejector rod to even move.

The 9mm cylinder appears to have never been used, and was still in the original wrap. It was clean. The gun was a little dirty when I got it, but it really doesnt appear to have been shot much. The drag line on the cylinder is a lot heavier now just in the week since Ive had it and been shooting it.

I may give Offrink's thing a try. As Id said, Im not planning on putting any more money into it.

 

[Hick Industries]

I just picked up a nice SS Ruger New Model Blackhawk this past week. Its a 357 with a spare 9mm cylinder. Gun shoots well, with both calibers.

What's annoying me is, the cylinder will allow you to go past the window when loading/unloading, but go just a tad to far, and it wont allow you to back up enough to dump a missed case. You have to go around again and try and catch it as it goes buy.

The other problem with this is, with the 9mm cylinder in the gun, I had a couple of cases that wouldnt seat fully, yet just enough to pass that anti back up lock, and now you have to take the cylinder out of the gun to get the round out. You cant go back, and you cant go ahead.

I seem to remember there was some sort of a correction to this, but there seems to be different versions of the Rugers and different fixes.

Anyone know if theres a simple solution to this?

While I like the gun, this is just ****ing me off, and just giving me another reason to hate Ruger. :

I think you just want another reason to hate Ruger.

I found it absolutely amaizing that about half the gunsmithing student, studying cowboy action pistols in the mid 1990s, shared your hatred of Ruger. Amaizing because without Bill Ruger, cowboy action would not exist.

So if you just dont like SA revolvers, or just dont like Ruger, please admit that its all on you.

 

[AK103K]

I think you just want another reason to hate Ruger.

I found it absolutely amaizing that about half the gunsmithing student, studying cowboy action pistols in the mid 1990s, shared your hatred of Ruger. Amaizing because without Bill Ruger, cowboy action would not exist.

So if you just dont like SA revolvers, or just dont like Ruger, please admit that its all on you.

Hey, if Ruger wouldnt do stupid **** like this, I wouldnt have to bitch about it. :thumb:

Since youre a gunsmith, maybe you can explain the advantage to them doing what they did there. I certainly dont see any positives to it, and if others have figured out a way to alleviate the problem, why would Ruger continue to do it?

SA revolvers arent my favorites, but they are still fun and they tend to slow you down in a world more geared to speed.

I have a couple, both of which are Rugers. There still here too.

Personally, I dont see them as anything but toys, and really not something I would consider for use as a serious gun. Just makes no sense to me to chose one for that purpose. Better choices available to fit that bill.

As far as Bill Ruger goes, screw him. For someone in the gun business, he was a bit elitist, and not really all that friendly to gun owners. Unless of course, you agreed with his politics and limit yourself to his line of low cap, slow shooters.

 

[Hick Industries]

I do not claim to be all that great at this, but you must have the pawl engaged if you want to reload while riding horseback.

The trick here is open the load gate, hold the cylinder against the pawl with your llittle finger, then push the extractor rod with your index finger. The pawl does not hold the cylinder exactly in the right place, so you must roll it slightly. Then reload that cylinder with a loaded round held in your left hand.

The second trick is to shoot two, load two, thats why the load gate is spaced where it is. After you fire your second round the spent case for your first shot is positioned under the load gate.

 

[Offrink]

If the debate was if I wanted a pistol for a life or death shootout a sbh in 44 mag is not my choice. If I wanted to have a simple reliable heavy hitting pistol then this is high on my list. If you want just high capacity quick shooting then yeah a single action isn’t for you.

 

[Nomad 2nd]

I have one (blued, 7 1/2) often have one around because one will come along for $200-$250.... Too cheap not to.

But then someone will give me a trade where I do better by $100 or more and it goes down the road.


Don't dislike single actions at all, but just can't get warmed up to these (4 5/8's I would probably keep.)

 

[ManyFeathers]

Sounds like maybe the gun just needs to be broke in good. If I'm reading you correctly

A little fluffing and buffing in the right places will speed that process up a bunch

I use a dremel and cloth wheels with rubbing compound when I need to smooth out some guns. Generally it's on feed ramps for autos. I also do this on some chambers for others. I've done feed ramps and slides on numerous Colts and other 1911 clones. The clones I understand but the Colts should have been done at the factory IMO

Ruger has never been known for having a smooth final product, that's why they are cheaper in some cases than the S&W and Colts, lately I've noticed even those aren't quite like they used to be from the 60's, 70's and early 80's. Quality gets sacrificed with lower prices

I have a friend that has a GP100 that just isn't as smooth as my S&W 686 but his was a lot less expensive so there is that

My 44 SBH is butter smooth, I got lucky!

I think you either have some good trading material or if you invest a little labor into it, you'll have a good shooter.

 

[Area Man]

. . . Don't dislike single actions at all, but just can't get warmed up to [7 1/2] . . .(4 5/8's I would probably keep.)

I gotta agree. Anything longer than a 5.5 inch barrel just looks wrong. I don't need a Buntline Special.

 

[Optimist]

...until the extra hundred feet a second gets really desirable....
That's grizzly country though, not so much a matter for folks in town.

 

[Area Man]

...until the extra hundred feet a second gets really desirable....
That's grizzly country though, not so much a matter for folks in town.

um . . . yeah . . .

https://ruger.com/products/superRedhawkAlaskan/models.html

 

[Optimist]

Area Man, the single cartridge revolver I own of the single action persuasion is a 7 1/2" Hammerli Virginian. And its .45 Colt cartridge is an excellent performer on wild boar out of that length barrel. I have used my brother's 4 5/8" revolver a time or two, and don't get full penetration at similar ranges. That almost three inches of tube gives me a considerable boost in thump.

AK103, if you decide to get rid of the revolver, drop me a PM.

 

[ManyFeathers]

I will say though when shooting magnums out of a single action, barrel length does matter especially when your shooting 300, 310 or 320gr bullets

They don't bite the web of your hand near as hard and blast isn't near as bad

A friend of mine has the 44 mag SBH with the 10.5" barrel and it is one sweet shooter

I like to use large helpings of slow burning powder in my magnums and the velocity gained in the longer barrels makes them thumpers out in the field especially with the heavy weight hard cast bullets

Shooting some of my reloads out of short barrels can cause forest fires (j/k) :

 

[Nomad 2nd]

...until the extra hundred feet a second gets really desirable....
That's grizzly country though, not so much a matter for folks in town.

Then I would choose my David Clements custom S&W mountain gun in .44 mag.

My SS 4 5/8 Ruger vaquero in 45 LC/ACP that I'm going to have him customize before he retires.

Or my S&W 1006 10mm

(Haven't found the right deal on a 10mms Glock yet)

Rather than a longbarreled single action .357.

I am a long way from town, but if i were in Grizzly country it would start with a "4" , not a "3"