" new" new Blackhawks vs used new blackhawk

TennJed · March 31, 2011, 09:53 PM

I have noticed that prices of new Blackhawks SS 357s can be found just above $500 ( buds has them $513 and 2 lgs have the for $510) while all the used stainless ones are about $450.....why are the prices so close? Have the new ones gone down but used have not caught up? I have seen these prices both locally and on gunsamerica and gunsinternational

honestly I am looking for a used one made before 2004 to fit some grips I already have but it is hard for me to justify buying used for 450 when I can get new for 510..... Please give me a good reason to buy used

Jim March · March 31, 2011, 11:18 PM

I'll give you a good reason to buy new - or at least one with the "warning label billboard" UNDER the barrel instead of alongside.

An underbarrel warning marks the gun as getting an engineering change on how the cylinders were made. On the large-frame guns, underbarrel warnings mean the cylinder had all six chambers done with the same bit/reamer set, in sequence. Before that they were bored all-six-at-once which led to variances between chambers.

Now let's add some complexities

.

What I said above applies to the large-frame guns, with one exception: the 2006 "50th Anniversary 44Mag Flattop Blackhawk" is a large-frame, side-barrel-warning gun that was the first large frame to get the improved cylinder.

Second complexity: all of the mid-frame guns have the improved cylinder, going back through 2004. This includes the New Vaquero, the Montado, the Bisley New Vaquero, the 50th Anniversary 357Mag Flattop Blackhawk (which mechanically is a NewVaq357 with adjustable sights) and the new 44Spl Blackhawks (which are the 50th 357 guns reamed out to 44Spl). Again: side-barrel, underbarrel, doesn't matter, they all have the improvements.

The improved cylinder is highly desirable and improves accuracy out-of-the-box. When I was shopping in 2005 the 50th 357 Blackhawk was rare and expensive, so I went with the NewVaq357 and never looked back. I would have scored the 357/9mm convertible on the large frame but it still had the old cylinder process so I gave it a skip.

Now...what kind of grips exactly do you have? Because they're probably for an XR3-RED grip frame and if so Blackhawks with XR3-REDs are still very much in production on the large-frame Blackhawk series, including the 45LC/45ACP convertibles and the 357/9mm convertibles. They may look like they all have the same grips...that's because Mr. Lett who was doing all their wood grips went out of biz. They mostly use those horrible black "cheesegrater" grips but there's still a size difference. The 44spls and the NewVaqs are using the smaller XR3 grip frames but the large-frame Blackhawks and the 4.68" and 5.5" Supers are using the XR3-REDs.

March 31, 2011, 09:53 PM	#1
TennJed Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2010 Posts: 1,536	" new" new Blackhawks vs used new blackhawk I have noticed that prices of new Blackhawks SS 357s can be found just above $500 ( buds has them $513 and 2 lgs have the for $510) while all the used stainless ones are about $450.....why are the prices so close? Have the new ones gone down but used have not caught up? I have seen these prices both locally and on gunsamerica and gunsinternational honestly I am looking for a used one made before 2004 to fit some grips I already have but it is hard for me to justify buying used for 450 when I can get new for 510..... Please give me a good reason to buy used

March 31, 2011, 11:18 PM	#2
Jim March Senior Member Join Date: February 14, 1999 Location: Pittsburg, CA, USA Posts: 7,417	I'll give you a good reason to buy new - or at least one with the "warning label billboard" UNDER the barrel instead of alongside. An underbarrel warning marks the gun as getting an engineering change on how the cylinders were made. On the large-frame guns, underbarrel warnings mean the cylinder had all six chambers done with the same bit/reamer set, in sequence. Before that they were bored all-six-at-once which led to variances between chambers. Now let's add some complexities . What I said above applies to the large-frame guns, with one exception: the 2006 "50th Anniversary 44Mag Flattop Blackhawk" is a large-frame, side-barrel-warning gun that was the first large frame to get the improved cylinder. Second complexity: all of the mid-frame guns have the improved cylinder, going back through 2004. This includes the New Vaquero, the Montado, the Bisley New Vaquero, the 50th Anniversary 357Mag Flattop Blackhawk (which mechanically is a NewVaq357 with adjustable sights) and the new 44Spl Blackhawks (which are the 50th 357 guns reamed out to 44Spl). Again: side-barrel, underbarrel, doesn't matter, they all have the improvements. The improved cylinder is highly desirable and improves accuracy out-of-the-box. When I was shopping in 2005 the 50th 357 Blackhawk was rare and expensive, so I went with the NewVaq357 and never looked back. I would have scored the 357/9mm convertible on the large frame but it still had the old cylinder process so I gave it a skip. Now...what kind of grips exactly do you have? Because they're probably for an XR3-RED grip frame and if so Blackhawks with XR3-REDs are still very much in production on the large-frame Blackhawk series, including the 45LC/45ACP convertibles and the 357/9mm convertibles. They may look like they all have the same grips...that's because Mr. Lett who was doing all their wood grips went out of biz. They mostly use those horrible black "cheesegrater" grips but there's still a size difference. The 44spls and the NewVaqs are using the smaller XR3 grip frames but the large-frame Blackhawks and the 4.68" and 5.5" Supers are using the XR3-REDs. __________________ Jim March