Ruger Blackhawk 44 Mag. 50 th edition

[cleveland48]

Hey guys I just bought a Ruger Blackhawk 44 Mag 50th anniversay flattop  with a 6 1/2 in. barrel.  Are there any certain bells and whistles to this model?  Besides the flattop, and old xr3 grip frame? Also could someone tell me how many of these were produced?  Thanks for your time, and good shooting. Andrew.

[LoudBoomBoom]

Hi Cleveland48 (Andrew?)

I have found two anwers to your first question about bells and whistles:

Answer #1 is "Leave it alone, it's fine just the way it is" and it comes from the purist and/or collector who sees this Ruger as "the" Anniversary Model that it is and considers it sacrilegious or even unpatriotic to modify it in any way.  In fact, for some, even shooting it would be frowned upon and, for them, this makes sense and I have no quarrel with that.

Answer #2 is "Leave it alone, don't mess with it, unless you really know what you're doing" and it comes from the non-purists utilitarians (NPU's from here on).  These are the guys that took their brand new 50th Anniversary Ruger still in the box and brought it straight to their avorite Ruger-trained specialist gunsmith and told him what they wanted out of this Ruger.

One such NPU had his new Ruger fitted as follows:

- Brand new Ruger KXR00300 grip frame instead of the original MVQ00301
- Hogue soft rubber Monogrip instead of the original plastic grips
- Target hammer and trigger instead of original
- Wolff spring kit instead of original
- Action job for 2 1/2 lbs. smooth-as-silk trigger
- Replaced original rear sight with custom fitted Weaver 48638 #301 scope base
- Fitted Warne 201LM 1" Matte QD scope rings
- NPU's choice of an illuminated 2-7X32 LER scope and a Burris Fast Fire red-dot clone

Please note that no modifications were done to the Ruger frame or cylinder, all parts removed were intact and returned to the NPU, so it may be reassembled in original configuration if desired.

How does it work?  It is an absolute delight to shoot and very accurate
How does it look? A rather unique, a two-tone unmistakably Ruger.

Question #2?... I don't have a clue

[kirkwhitaker]

Bought one too...I bought it because it was a great buy and I wanted a Ruger flattop. Am shooting it just like it is. They made a number of them and mine is not a 1 of ###...it is the general commemorative. Not planning on selling it...may replace the grip sometime, but works like is right now...shoot it and enjoy..if not, replace grips and try again. Have not found a Ruger I didn't like...
k

[Decapod]

Maybe you just bought mine! It's been on consignment and supposedly set aside on layaway by somebody.

Anyway a couple years ago I suddenly wanted a .45 Colt but the examples of the regular Blackhawks at the gunshop weren't as tight or as nicely finished as this 50th Anniv they also had. Since I already had .44 mag loading stuff it wasn't a hard choice. I made small mods like adding a washer to one side of the hammer to take up a little slop, changing hammer springs, and changing the grips to something more hand-filling. That helped somewhat but the original Colt-like grip frame is too small and tight for heavy loads, at least for me, and I don't have large hands.

I was happy to find that the cylinder pin was tightly fitted and didn't need an aftermarket one. But the edges of the front sight washed out in sunlight due to factory polishing so I had my gunsmith install a red plastic insert. But I lost interst in it and didn't shoot it after that.

If this gun was an original Flat Top I certainly wouldn't have messed with it, but it's a regular if limited production gun that didn't exactly fly off the shelves, and I doubt it will become a collector's item anytime soon, if at all. But if you want a handy SA .44 mag that still has a decent length barrel and seems better-made than regular BHs, this is a good one--just be conscious of your grip when shooting stiff loads!