Ruger's Blackhawk In 256 Winchester Magnum Part I

I decided to write this article in two parts. Yes, almost like a firearm duology. Part 1 addresses the firearm and it’s initial performance. Part II addresses fabrication of 256 Winchester Magnum ammunition, optimization for revolver use and additional firearm performance. I could not get my head around all of it in one fell swoop, so… baby steps.

Writing sometimes puts me in the vicinity of some very nice firearms. Certainly nicer than the floggers I own and shoot on a routine basis. Writing about firearms is a lot like being a bank teller; I handle a lot of other people’s money, but shop at Walmart on the way home from work. Why? Budgets and life’s priorities, of course. However, that does not mean I lack imagination.

Two websites I visit are Scott Rods, where I build and rebuild my dream ’33 Willys coupe, and Bowen Classic Arms, where I sift through the catalogue and assemble my dream revolver. So it was a treat to spend some time with a Bowen Classic Arms product. Now all I need is that ’33 Willys  and my life will be complete.

A Bowen Classic Arms conversion

The subject gun began life as an all stainless, Bisley grip frame, Blackhawk 357 Mag / 9mm Luger Convertible. The basic Bowen Classic Arms conversion, if there is such a thing as a “basic” Bowen Classic Arms conversion, includes a new barrel and front sight, a new cylinder, and work required to make those pieces work together and look good.

For reference, Blackhawks come in two sizes, large frame and medium frame. Big bore cartridges typically end up on the large frame, but not always. There are flat tops in 45 Colt built on the medium frame, as have all 45 Colt Vaqueros since 2005.

The easiest way to identity large or small cylinder frame Ruger single action revolvers is to measure the gun’s cylinder diameter; 1.732″ +/- for the large frame and 1.680″ +/- for the medium frame. The medium frame Blackhawk is more than stout enough to contain the 256 Winchester Magnum’s C.I.P. specified 51kpsi chamber pressure. The length of the cylinder, 1.655″, provides handload flexibility by permitting the use of longer, heavier bullets.

I can see it, therefore I can probably shoot it…

The 256 Win Mag Blackhawk has a useful set of sights; ramped front and fully adjustable rear. The rear sight aperture is outlined in white, but there is no glow-in-the-dark Tritium or fiber optic glow. The front blade is 0.125″ thick, the rear sight aperture is 0.140″ across. The result is that the front sight does not obscure targets at 50 yards and, at the end of a 7.5″ barrel, leaves a little more daylight on either side as reference when aligning to the rear sight.

Soft recoil, big report

The Bisley grip is long, and the combination of backstrap and grip width provide a good deal of surface area to diffuse recoil. That said, recoil is very light and muzzle rise is minimal. However, it is a barky, a function of high muzzle pressure when the bullet exits, a little reminiscent of shooting a Blackhawk chambered for the 30 Carbine… but only in good ways.

Hammer travel. The road is long, with many a winding turn…

 

I love single action revolvers, but not necessarily their hammers. After frequently shooting double action revolvers, when I pick up a single action revolver I tend to point, pull the trigger and then wonder why the gun’s hammer isn’t following my direction. So a bit of reorienting practice is often necessary. Cock the hammer, cock the hammer, cock the….

Cocking the hammer on some single action revolvers feels as though my thumb needs to stretch to an unnatural length to make contact with the hammer spur. Additionally, a single action’s hammer fall seems to take forever, so a light trigger pull is essential to avoid movement before discharge. Yes, that was intentional use of dramatic phrasing, in an effort to force reader visualization.

The low Bisley hammer, puts even my stubby thumb within comfortable reach. The subject Blackhawk has a crisp 2 lb 15 oz trigger pull, with no perceptible creep, which greatly contributed to my ability to shoot the subject gun accurately.

Dare to be different…

I think, if Ruger had created a Blackhawk six shooter back in ’63-’64, instead of the single shot Hawkeye revolver, it would have been a huge success, or maybe ahead of its time. Who knows?

Perhaps Ruger was skittish over Smith & Wesson’s 1961, 22 Jet Model 53 revolver flop, and decided to avoid its fate by going to a single shot  firearm. The near wedge like case of the 22 Jet, caused it to drive rearward against a breech face when the revolver was discharged, jamming its cylinder.

The 256 Winchester Magnum cartridge is all things the 22 Jet was not. The 256 Win has minimal body taper, a sharp shoulder angle and a short neck. The 256 Win grips cylinder walls more tightly under pressure and generates less breech face thrust.

The proof of bottle neck cartridge / revolver viability can be found in Hamilton Bowen’s firearms, Gary Reeder’s single action revolvers and proprietary cartridges and in Freedom Arms Model 97 production revolver offered in 224-32 FA. The latter, the 327 Fed cartridge necked down to .22 caliber.

Why the 256 Winchester Magnum? Why not?

Within the confines of Part I, I wanted to make some brass from 357 Mag case inventory, pick a couple of bullet weights and types and baseline the Ruger’s performance.

The now retired SAAMI rifle spec for the 256 Winchester Magnum set the maximum cartridge overall length at 1.560″. However, some single shots like the Contender and Ruger Hawkeye can accommodate much longer. Some older Hornady published data for an 87 grain bullets sets COL at 1.825″.

This Blackhawk conversion has a depth from cylinder face to breech face of 1.730″, for a practical COL limit of 1.690″. This increase over spec length is useful, as it allows broader bullet selection, both grains weight and type, and conserves case powder capacity.

For Part I, I went with a 60 grain, flat nose, soft point and a 75 grain hollow point.

 

Performance from a 7.5″ barrel revolver… with a cylinder gap

Warning: Bullet selections are specific, and loads are not valid with substitutions of different bullets of the same weight. Variations in bullet length will alter net case capacity, pressure and velocity. Primer selection is specific and primer types are not interchangeable. These are maximum loads in my firearms and may be excessive in others. All loads should be reduced by 5% as a starting point for development where cartridges have greater than 40 grains in capacity and 10% for cartridges with less than 40 grain capacity following safe handloading practices as represented in established mainstream reloading manuals. Presentation of these loads does not constitute a solicitation for their use, nor a recommendation.

With a maximum ordinate of 3″, the 60 grain load put up 159 yards of point blank range; just hold line of sight and squeeze the trigger. Even 200 yards is minor hold over.

Best Zero Results 75 Grain
Near-Zero – yards.		17		Mid Range – yards.		90
Far-Zero – yards.		156		Max Ordinate – “		+3.0
Point Blank – yards.		165

Best Zero : Range 0 – 200 yards
Yards		0	50	100	150	200
Velocity – fps		2016	1817	1631	1464	1316
Energy – ft.-lbs.		677	550	443	357	288
Momentum – lbs-sec		22	19	17	16	14
Path – “		-1.50	2.02	2.90	0.50	-5.97
Drift – “		0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Time Of Flight – sec.		0.00	0.08	0.17	0.26	0.37

The 75 grain bullet, due to its better streamlining, extends pointblank range to 165 yards, and with even less hold over at 200 yards.

This is a heck of a cartridge for varmint and small game hunting. Significantly more powerful and flatter shooting than the 22 Hornet, 218 Bee and similar cartridges. That is a lot of reach for a simple, single action revolver.

Accuracy…

Accuracy was a progression that followed my handload development; components, charge levels, bullet selection, and brass forming. The final result appears in Part II, but this 60 grain, 25 yard, 3 shot, 0.9″ group was shot with the very first 3 IMR 4227 handloads assembled.

Conclusions?

Hmm… Let me think. I think it is always good to avoid group think. Gather information, assess its credibility then, using that foundation, make your own decisions. I worry that firearm enthusiasts are in the worst phase of collectivism, driven by social media personality dominance, and at the expanse of independent thought.

Excellent firearm and cartridges are dismissed without trial, brand politics causes a of loss of all objectivity, and cliches rule the day. As a result, many firearms offered by multiple companies, have a too common look, and function alike. A new model year’s innovation is defined by camo pattern and the new Cerakote color, rather than by a new cartridge or firearm design.

The 256 Winchester Magnum chambered Ruger Blackhawk never skipped a beat. No setback, no sticky ejection, no weird things goings on. The Blackhawk looked good, shot accurately and required no more than routine cleaning. I will be back with Part II.