By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
The announcement by Ruger earlier this month that it is suspending the production of several popular—call some of them legendary—revolvers hit many of us hard, because high on the list is the iconic Blackhawk.
I own two of these tough-as-nails wheelguns, and today I’m focusing on the one I most recently acquired, if “recent” can even apply because this revolver came to me in early 2002, darned near 25 years ago. Over the course of more than two decades, this particular single-action, chambered for (what else?) the .41 Magnum, has never let me down. That’s the kind of performance one should expect from any top tier revolver, and I will add that my gun, with its 4 5/8-inch barrel, has performed and traveled in some pretty nasty environments over the years.
I still have the original plastic shipping case, molded to hold the Blackhawk. It still contains the Ruger cable lock, a sealed envelope containing a fired cartridge case dated 02/01/2002, and Ruger’s instruction booklet.
There are only two modifications to my revolver, a steel ejector rod housing which replaced the aluminum factory housing, and a slightly oversized set of Magna Tusk “aged ivory” grips from Arizona Custom. I asked for a little more width on these grip panels because it adds a bit of meat to provide a comfortable hold when I light off a full-house magnum load. Thin grip panels might be okay if you’re using pipsqueak target loads, but when I’m shooting at live game, I’m sending a bullet downrange with some “oomph!”
Favorite Loads
My favorite loads include a 210-grain Nosler (or Sierra) JHP propelled by 20.0 grains of H110, or a 215-grain LSWC from Rim Rock Bullets in Polson, Montana, launched by 16.0 grains of Accurate #9. I have also successfully used the old, and now discontinued, 220-grain half-jacket SWC from Speer over 15.5 grains of 2400.
When I purchased this particular Blackhawk back in 2002, it was only a couple of months before Bill Ruger passed. The guy who introduced the Blackhawk way back in 1955 was a genius on several levels. This centerfire single-action appeared during the heyday of television westerns. It was, and remains, a handgun of remarkable strength, and I can say without fear of contradiction that Blackhawks of all calibers have been used just about everywhere on the North American continent against all kinds of game animals, from deer and elk to caribou and grizzlies.
I bought this wheelgun so I could actually carry it holstered while seated behind the wheel of my pickup, something that is not so easy when packing my first Blackhawk with its 6 ½-inch barrel.
When it arrived, I quickly replaced the factory hardwood grip panels first with a one-piece wraparound Pachmayr rubber grip, and later on with a set of Ajax grips, and now the Magna Tusk panels. I also have a pair of elk angler grips I personally crafted out of an old antler shed I discovered one opening morning of grouse season some 10 years ago.
One thing I immediately confirmed, because it was expected, is that my handloads lose maybe 100-150 fps in muzzle velocity, compared to the same rounds fired from the longer barrel.
Packing in Bear Country
Earlier this fall, while grouse hunting and scouting out the deer potential, I carried the Blackhawk along because I hunt in what can be called “bear country” in east-central Washington on the east slope of the Cascade Mountains.
I’m not an alarmist about black bears—most of them try to avoid humans—but this year in Washington and elsewhere has seen an uptick in human-bear encounters, and they haven’t been entirely pleasant. In June, a teenager was attacked by a sow black bear on a popular hiking trail near my home, and just a few days ago, a black bear, allegedly a sow with a cub, attacked a woman walking her dog.
Two of my writer pals, Dean Weingarten (who writes for TGM) and Texan Mike Dickerson, have done extensive research and documentation on bear attacks. Their assessment is that such encounters have increased this year for reasons unexplained, and I don’t happen to be dumb enough to think bears behave like Yogi and BooBoo, especially this year when it appears berry crops didn’t do too well.
The shorter barrel on my Blackhawk allows it to clear leather fast, and I can swing it around in the brush with relative ease. It has a fairly smooth action and it can deliver a devastating blow at close range to a misbehaving bruin.
There are also a lot of healthy mountain lions in my region, and as I’ve written many times in the past, there have been two cougar attacks in close proximity to where I live, within a few miles. I can say with some authority on the subject that apex predators do not just attack weak or sick animals. That may have been true in the past—I never actually subscribed to that theory—but it sure isn’t now. The aforementioned bear attacks involved perfectly healthy people, and the cougar attacks likewise.
Considering the amount of time I spend in the high country, I want a handgun I can quickly deploy with a knockout punch. A JHP or LSWC bullet traveling in the neighborhood of 1,350 fps can adjust bad behavior almost instantaneously.
Wrapped in Leather
I favor leather holsters for my wheelguns, especially for the single-actions. I’ve built a couple of holsters for every one of my wheelguns, both single- and double-actions.
For my short Blackhawk, I put together two rigs, both lined with smooth leather, which I’ve hand-oiled and also treated with some stuff from my pal Mitch Rosen, proprietor at Mitch Rosen Extraordinary Gunleather, called “Leather Lightning.” It’s a proprietary formula which truly speeds up the draw.
I just believe from experience that leather is the best holster material. It is durable, it lasts for as long as you maintain it (i.e. saddle soap, Neatsfoot oil, etc.) and it simply gains character over the course of years.
I also built a couple of cartridge belts for my .41 Magnum revolvers, with plenty of cartridge loops. Some of the places I visit are nowhere near a sporting goods store!
One thing I’ve always believed is that if one is going to carry a handgun, he/she needs to be fairly proficient with it. After all, my sixgun might be used to kill game, or to defend myself against a nasty animal, and I don’t fancy being on the menu. So when I took delivery of my Blackhawk, not a single day passed before I had it down at the range to sight it in. Over the past 24-plus years, I’ve sent a lot of lead downrange out of this wheelgun, and it just keeps working.
Final Thoughts
Yeah, I was stunned and disappointed when first reading about Ruger’s current plans, but as I wrote earlier, nobody has said the Blackhawk and other iconic Ruger wheelguns have been “discontinued.” See, I read the whole memo from Ruger, not just the parts which I could misconstrue. Production has been suspended, and those are two very different terms with different meanings.
For my money, which I spend very carefully, the Ruger Blackhawk has consistently “delivered the goods.”
I’ve never been so foolish as to try “hot” loads that exceed published loading data in any of my manuals, but I have been known to try maximum recommended loads. I’ve discovered that less-than-max loads are actually more comfortable to shoot, and usually more accurate. I’m not impressed with arm-wrenching recoil, and while a muzzle flash in low light is impressive, that’s not what stops a bear or a buck.
If you own a Blackhawk, hang onto it. I happen to believe my two were excellent investments, and being a gunwriter, they might even fall under the umbrella of “occupational hazard.”
Stay safe, and shoot straight.
