Ruger Super Blackhawk

[Captainkirk]

I purchased this Ruger SBH new back in the late Nineties. I was looking for a nice "Cowboy" gun to accent my collection and this one reached out and grabbed me by the ankle. The fact that it was Stainless and chambered in .44 Remington Magnum made it perfect as a bear protection sidearm for my North Woods hikes. Recoil can be vicious with full-house factory 240gr loads, so I generally shoot using my hand loads of a 240 FNSP or plated bullet over 9.5gr Unique, which still packs punch a-plenty without spraining my wrist. I save the factory loads for my woods walks.

[Hawg]

I bought one with a 7.5 inch barrel with the square back trigger guard in the early 80's. It was my first wife's favorite gun to shoot with my hot hand loads and 255 grain Keith bullets. She still has it. She weighed 115 pounds soaking wet in her winter clothes and still does.

[sourdough]

Back in the day in Alaska (early-mid 1980's), I owned two Ruger SBH .44 Remington Mag revolvers. The first one I purchased (used) was the New Model transfer bar (two-pin) version such as yours, Kirk, only it was the standard 7.5" blued revolver. The second one I purchased (used) was the original ("Old Model") 3-screw (4-click) 7.5" blued revolver. Once I shot the latter I sold the New Model. The trigger on the Old Model broke like glass compared to the "squishy" New Model trigger. I experimented with a couple of different grip styles: a rubber Pachmayr grip and an oversized (thicker) wood grip that I made myself from a couple of small slabs of walnut. I eventually went back to the factory wood grip as I learned to just let it rock back in my hand upon firing it. (I once owned a TC Contender with a .44 mag 10" barrel, and the recoil from it was punishing as the gun recoiled straight back into my wrist. When using the 10" .223 barrel shooting was a piece of cake.)

I carried it in a Bianchi shoulder holster when salmon fishing for bear defense protection. I handloaded a few different loads, all using the Speer 240 grain jacketed semi-wadcutter flat-nosed soft point. The first experiments were with 2400 powder, but found out how dirty it was upon firing. I finally settled upon a slightly below recommended max load of H110, and those loads were much more stout than any factory ammo by far. The fired cases showed slightly flattened primers and no firing pin cratering. I used to use the H110 loads shooting at water-filled gallon milk jugs at 100 paced yards from a sitting position on the ground with no rests. Lots of fun!

I still had a full box of 50 that I sold to a co-worker; he and a buddy used that box in a Ruger Super Redhawk and they were awed by the power compared to the Rem 240 grain factory loads. They used six rounds to "cut down" a 6" sapling: I don't know what the BAC of the shooters were.

I imagine this is where I obtained my aesthetic love for squareback trigger guards (a Pietta Navy Second Model, a Pietta Dance, and an Uberti WH Dragoon). Unlike some folks who find them uncomfortable to shoot, I have never had a problem with them. Maybe long skinny fingers has something to do with that. I dunno.



You always know how to tug on heartstrings.

Regards,

Jim

[Dellbert]

They are both fine looking revolvers. Make me want one.