It happens so fast. I am enjoying the Ruger Blackhawk.

[Recycled bullet]

These pictures show a sequence of events that happen extremely quickly. I took two Ruger Blackhawks 357 Magnum to the range. In the photos is the shorter, a three screw unconverted 4 and 5/8.



Between the two revolvers spaced out over two nights approximately 90 minutes each I fired over 600 rounds of my handloads.

These are the Mp Hammer and the MP 358-429 bullets both are deeply hollow pointed, both have the same powder charge, 14 grains of h110. Both bullets are plain based powder coated, and both bullets weigh the same, exactly 155 grains.


The trigger breaks nice and easily followed by a tremendous fireball a most obnoxiously allowed muzzle blast and the forces rolls in my hand following the curve of the grips in my palm.

On the way down I can catch the Hammer with my thumb and get ready for the next shot.

I am beginning to greatly enjoy the Ruger Blackhawk.

[DMK]

There is an element of fun in shooting old gun tech with techniques long forgotten by probably most shooters on the planet. (A lot like driving a manual transmission. )

I love shooting my Vaquero. The only thing I dislike is unloading and reloading it. But that's also part of the experience.

[44 AMP]

There is, for me, a certain level of enjoyment to skillfully operating a manual mechanism. SA revolvers are great and Ruger is absolutely the best at a still reasonable price.

Sold off my Vaquero collection last year, but held on to my Blackhawks. I prefer the longer barrels a 6.5" .357, and 7.5" .44 (Super) and .45 Colt.

Slow fire, off hand, one hand at long range is such fun! Ringing the gong at 200yds with a Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt seems to amaze people, but its not as hard as it looks, for me, anyway. Of course I've had a bit of practice,

here's a challenge, a training exercise, if you will. GUN EMPTY (check and recheck and then check again) Balance a dime on the flat top of the front sight. Raise the gun to eye level cock it and (dry)fire. When you can do that without the dime moving until the hammer hits the frame, you may take the pebble from my hand, grasshopper...you're there!

After that, its just a matter of learning the correct hold for your sight picture at a given distance.

[BarryLee]

Yes, I really enjoy shooting and the rhythm you get into. However, I also made one of my worst mistakes as my rhythm got a little too fast and I shot through the roof of an indoor range. I didn't feel quite as bad when I looked up and the roof was full of bullet holes. Anyway, embarrassed and little wiser after that day.

[smee78]

Oops, at least no one was hurt and the lesson was learned.

I do enjoy shooting my Ruger wheel guns, next time out I will bring one along. There is just something I enjoy about plinking outside with one.

[BarryLee]

I might also add it was my very first handgun. I mean if you're getting a handgun, "go big or go home". Right? My firearms knowledge has grown a lot since then, but more importantly my focus on safety has also.

[Bob Wright]

Have I ever mentioned that I, too, like the Single Action revolver?



Bob Wright

[Ricklin]

OP, kinda funny, at least to me. I was admiring all the holes in the ceiling, and honestly wondering...
Good on ya for owning up, we all have our embarrassing moments, the only thing hurt is your pride when it discharges in a safe direction, that's a testament to your skills and a good thing.

[4V50 Gary]

They are a hoot to shoot. Older guns remain fun (as are muzzle loaders).

On Wed I got one 45 Auto Rim bullet which I fired in the Double Action mode from a S&W M1917. 1/2 " from my target at 12 yds.

[stinkeypete]

I like that photo Bob posted, showing heavy recoil when shooting with one hand.

Notice the angle of his arm and upper body- smoothing the impulse of the shot over the time to lift his arm, rotate the gun in his grip, and rock his upper body back.

When the hips are lined up properly, the arm will drop right back down to on-target, so the shooter only needs to adjust vertical sighting. That's called a "natural stance" and you learn it by drawing the gun to target with closed eyes. Then open eyes. Adjust the hips to the aim is only off in the up and down direction. Once that postition is learned, one handed shooting soaks up the big boomers and is fast on target for the second shot.

For me, two handed shooting of big bore handguns is punishing and knocks my footing off between shots.

[Bob Wright]

Stinkeypete said:
"For me, two handed shooting of big bore handguns is punishing and knocks my footing off between shots."

Hmmmm................never noticed that:

[HiBC]

My typical grip on my SBH 44 is two handed .I clamp down hard enough the gun does not "roll" even with full power loads.
My elbows are relaxed enough to let my forearms bounce to absorb recoil.

When I do this, strong hand is right hand , Left thumb cocks the hammer during recoil as naturally as a shotgunner strokes a pump shotgun during recoil.

I make no claim to speed shoot my 44, but given SOME time goes to recoil recovery with any 44 magnum,the time thumbing the hammer is not lost.

Just as generally, a pump shotgun puts shots on birds as fast as a semi auto.
They all have recoil time. (OK,A Benelli IS fast!)
Aimed,effective fire, with a heavy recoil cartridge, until its reload time I perceive no disadvantage to single action.

For myself, maybe its 50+ years with the same gun, but the draw,cock, point/aim first round hit with my SBH is as fast(or faster) and natural as any other gun,including a 1911.

And a first round hit with a 44 Magnum (or any other heavy big bore load) will generally buy enough time for another shot if needed.

[44 AMP]

My typical grip on my SBH 44 is two handed .I clamp down hard enough the gun does not "roll" even with full power loads.

I take almost the exact opposite approach. I don't hold the gun any tighter than I needed to hang on to it and I let it roll in my hand. My SA's wear Pachmayr grips, which does reduce the roll over slick wood grips but I use them for their hand filling size. Really dislike getting wacked on my middle finger by the trigger guard.

I consider the SA to be a repeater, but not a rapid fire weapon the way a DA revolver or semi auto can be.

So, there's no need to try and hold it like one that I can see.

I'm not into being a gunfighter, even an old west style one. One can learn to be very quick with an SA for repeat shots, but its not in the same class as a DA revolver or a semi auto, what's the point of trying to make it shoot like one??

.. the draw,cock, point/aim first round hit with my SBH is as fast(or faster) and natural as any other gun,including a 1911.

Not sure if it still hold the record but the SA revolver was king of the fast draw competition for time to draw and fire for generations.

IF your goal is to accurately shoot full house .44 Mag as fast as possible, I'd recommend you train your self on a Desert Eagle. The massive weight of the gun, plus the shape of the grip reduce muzzle rise and recoil recovery time more than any .44 Mag revolver I know.

[darkgael]

I am stuck trying to balance the dime on the front sight.

[HiBC]

IF your goal is to accurately shoot full house .44 Mag as fast as possible, I'd recommend you train your self on a Desert Eagle. The massive weight of the gun, plus the shape of the grip reduce muzzle rise and recoil recovery time more than any .44 Mag revolver I know.
__________________

44AMP, Thats not my goal.
There was a time in the 70's and 80's we were going through about 100 lbs of wheel weights a month.
Economic hard times had me trading some guns for mortgage payments.
I decided my SBH would be the one "keeper" I would not sell.
I shortened the bbl to 5 in. Put the original front sight back on. Much better to wear driving the pickup. It was with me a lot.
Though I used my Win 97 with slugs when an AK bear made it necessary,camping in Denali my SBH was in my pack.
It put venison in the freezer.
No.its not the ultimate combat handgun. But I was confident I was armed and dangerous at least to 100 yds.

I made a point of finding what worked best for me.

I had worked behind 5 guys with chainsaws cutting fenceposts in the Medicine Bow. I was the guy with the horse and dredge bucket picking up the posts ,skidding them out and loading them on the truck.

Then I busted tires,including truck tires,for 7 years before I took up machining. Literally,ripping phone books and paperbacks in half was no problem. I could grip the plow handle.

My goal was to partner up with my SBH to be as effective at whatever I might need a gun for as possible. Especially if it was something that might bite me.

We spent a lot if time together trying different things, . I found what works for me. The 50 yd ten inch steel dinger would get hit at least 50 rounds near every time we went out shooting.. Almost never missed,six for six as fast as I could thumb and find the sights.

Thats what worked very well for me. I have no interest in a Desert Eagle. None. While a Redhawk or a M-29 Smith are very nice guns,I think I made the point for aimed fire ,given they all recoil, thumbing the hammer costs me no time . No,I'm no Jerry Miculek. Not even close!

I like the excellent "sweet spot" that a Single Action Revolver IS.

44AMP, I agree, you are doing it "right"" . The plow handle was meant to roll.

I do not suggest you do things my way.

But "My Way" works for me. And I confess, I like the Bisley grip frame on my Lipsey Special. Or the hump on the back strap of the Lightning/Thunderer.
I can't prioritize it in the budget these days,but a Bisley SBH would be nice.

We can all have fun. We can be different. Its OK.

[damienph]

My .357 Blackhawk. It probably has more felt recoil than any of my other .357s. I usually shoot .38 Specials through it. However, it is quite accurate with either.

[44 AMP]

My .357 Blackhawk. It probably has more felt recoil than any of my other .357s.

Felt recoil is highly subjective, what I consider moderate, you might consider heavy, etc.

What other .357s are you comparing it with?

[Recycled bullet]

Thank you to everyone who has responded I have enjoyed reading all of your responses.

[Recycled bullet]

To dmk: shooting the Ruger Blackhawk satisfies me in much the same way as driving a manual transmission car with a powerful engine. I am beginning to learn to shift gears quicker.

44 amp: the coin on the front sight is an excellent training aid. It is absolutely brutal because we can all watch the money fall. Do you ring the 200 yard gong with your 357 Magnum Blackhawk? I want that I could do that with mine, and I'd like to learn how to do that that with my revolver in my hand. I think it could be a very good tool to do that job. It is good to specialize with selecting tools to perform specific functions.



To barrylee: I must admit that in my haste to rapidly shoot my Blackhawk that I did once shoot the ceiling also. It was not a distraction because of filming, it was a distraction of my attention to timing. In this mistake I can attribute only to my own hands. It is a direct representation that I hold my own responsibility inside of my hands, and that I am responsible for every shot that I make.

Smee78: I just plinked outside for the first time with a Ruger Blackhawk this past weekend and I enjoyed it greatly. It was amazing to slap the steel plate.

Bob wright: I enjoyed your pictures of shooting the revolver, the pictures are fantastic. Watching your photographs exactly expresses the sentiment that I felt while shooting an AR500 plate yesterday afternoon. Thank you for sharing them.

Ricklin: please do not get the wrong idea. Only one hole in that ceiling is mine that's my story and I'm sticking to it .

4v50 Gary: they absolutely are a hoot to shoot! In my interest to continue to slap the steel plate I endured mosquitoes that could be mistaken for bloodthirsty hummingbirds and humidity that would drown a frog. Luckily I have survived and am several ammo boxes lighter. Do muzzleloaders have ammo boxes?

Stinkeypete: I hear that. Sometimes everything works exactly right and you can redirect all of the energy from the gun in your hands through to your shoulders and into your hips then feet and into the Earth, and you can shoot remarkably quickly and accurately with only one hand. It's very satisfying to smack and smack and smack a swinging steel plate. I am blaming that on my toes .

Hibc: when I shoot double action revolvers I clamp down the hands also. I consider it grip strength exercise combining with ballistic percussion therapy.

Darkgael: I hear that. The dime is an uncooperating test of smoothness and balance.

Damienph: could you describe what the additional recoil you are experiencing feels like when you shoot the Blackhawk, compared to other revolvers?
I only ask is that I have experienced the exact opposite of heavy recoil: this Ruger Blackhawk in my hands is the smoothest and easiest to control with 358429 bullets and h110 that I've ever felt in my hands compared against any 357 mag revolver I have shot.

[44 AMP]

Do you ring the 200 yard gong with your 357 Magnum Blackhawk?

I' sure I could, I probably have, but don't recall right now. I usually use my favorite, a 7.5" .45 Colt, shooting a 250gr SWC. My load clocks just a bit under 1100fps and I know how much front sight to hold up, so, its actually rather easy, for me. I can do it, and have done it with other guns in other calibers, though .22s are the toughest to learn, unless you have a partner who does the spotting.

The 200yd gong at the range I use is 18" across.