In ancient days of street racing, it was a lot easier to hustle a race with a plain, white, 1964 Plymouth Savoy, hiding a full up 426 Hemi, than it was with a shiny, new, big block Corvette. Headers capped, slicks in the trunk, seats and floor buried under hamburger wrappers and empty soda cups, the products of hours spent at drive in restaurants. Sitting with the engine off, waiting for just the right opportunity to come along. The Ruger, pictured, is kind of like that Plymouth. Stark, almost elegant in its simple design and projecting utility. Chambered for the 41 Remington Magnum, this particular Blackhawk has much more power than its compact appearance would suggest.
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This example was tight right out of the box. Minimal cylinder gap, no wiggle, sharp hammer and cylinder clicks and not a bad trigger. So I bought it. The plan is to work with it, shoot it, handload a bit, then determine what, if anything should be changed on the gun as a series for future projects.
My only concern at this point is whether or not the barrel length is long enough to get decent performance from the .41 Magnum. My experience with this round is… casual, but the data will speak for itself during handload development. Outside of that, the gun’s balance is very good, the grip angle is fine and the adjustable sights are very good… even if very black. If I find I want to enhance the gun’s aesthetics or function, I’m sure I’ll be able to locate whatever parts and tools I need by sourcing Ruger or Brownells.
Disassembly. More than a process, it’s an adventure…
Pictured above is the Ruger disassembled with the exception of base pin and ejector housing. Removal of the latter two is not difficult, and the steps are documented in the owners manual. I just didn’t need to remove them to examine fit and finish of fire control parts. Parts are precision cast and nicely finished. There is some room here for a little finesse work on the hammer and trigger contact surfaces, but nothing serious or in need of immediate correction. Trigger pull measured 4 lbs 10 oz.
The Super Blackhawk and Blackhawk share the same Western style grip frame. Made of case aluminum, it is a very clean casting. Finish is a little different in texture or sheen than the rest of the gun and the ears of the grip frame sit just a tiny bit above the back of the cylinder frame. I’m being very picky because, as an assembly, it is an attractive combination. The ejector housing is also aluminum, however, it is finished in a luster that matches the rest of this otherwise steel gun.
I’m working up a step by step disassembly and assembly photo guide that will be published separately, but the manual gives more than enough information to cover both processes.
Couple of notes to make life a whole lot easier. Don’t try to reconnect the grip and cylinder frames without first setting the lock in the frame and inserting the hammer strut and compressed mainspring in place. Additionally, the trigger spring legs should be off the frame’s retaining cross pin. These conditions allow the trigger spring to easily be tipped up into the correct position on the trigger and the strut to be slipped into the hammer as the two frames are joined. I miss the old simple mainspring retainer. Of course, I also miss my hair, perfect eyesight and the almost classic good looks of my youth.
The Blackhawk has a fully adjustable rear sight and a serrated ramped from sight. Adjustment is positive at the rear sight and adjustments stay put. The front blade is fixed and does not have interchangeable inserts.
The Blackhawk, like the Super Blackhawk, does not have the features of the Vaquero that are more closely aligned with SASS applications. The cylinder rotates clockwise only, as noted earlier, the grip frame is a full size western style made of aluminum rather than the steel X3 frame used on the Vaquero. The Blackhawk also gets the compact ejector housing, rather than the large crescent head ejector found on the Vaquero.
Does a magnum with attitude have magnitude?
A six gun is just a six gun until you know the chamber. No, I have no idea what that means, but it seems almost ethereal as a concept. The 41 Remington Magnum is a pretty spiffy cartridge, which means the Ruger Blackhawk in this chamber is a pretty spiffy revolver. It can toss a 170 grain load 40% faster than the same weight bullet would exit a 357 S&W Magnum and only about 100 fps slower than a 44 Remington Magnum… which pretty much defines the 41 Magnum’s role in modern society, or at least in 1964 when it was introduced. It has a lot more going for it than the 357 Magnum, but it doesn’t suffer from the gun size and recoil of the 44 Magnum.
Pictured, left, is a cast 200 grain load and a 210 Jacketed Nosler. Bullet weights for the 0.410″ bullet are a little narrow, perhaps 170 to 210 grain. The 210 is good for 1,400 fps or 1,300 fps or 1,500 fps… depending on the reloading manual and their version of a 6″ barrel. The 170 grain, lists between 50 fps and 200 fps faster, again, depending on which manual is referenced. There are a good number of bullet weights available for the 41 Remington Magnum, from 170 to 265 grain, the heavier weights coming as cast bullets, but there are good jacketed bullets also.
Factory ammo performance is rated significantly higher than velocities listed in reloading manuals. As an example Double Tap 180 grain Barnes loads are rather at 1,600 fps and their 250 grain ammo is listed as 1,300 fps. Grizzly Cartridge Company lists their 265 grain loads at 1,400 fps. No reference barrel lengths were noted for any of these, so I’ll wait for live fire and handloads for a reality check.
For the compulsory my cartridge is bigger than your cartridge check L-R 357 S&W Magnum, 41 Remington Magnum, 44 Remington Magnum and 45 Colt. At 1.290″ case length, the 357 mag and 41 mag are the same and just 0.005″ longer than the others.
So where are we? A question I ask way too often…
The Ruger is a solid single action six shooter right out of the box. The production quality is very good, the sights are excellent and the gun handles well. The gun is made in America. Yes, that does mean a lot to me. I am sure, as has been the case with my other Ruger revolvers, the New Model Blackhawk will last for a very long time. Chambered for the 41 Remington Magnum it would be a great gun to carry during hunting season, for either self defense or as a primary firearm. This round is more than enough for deer and its very heavy bullet weights make for a lot of bullet mass and a lot of penetration… as in hog hunting.
I have lots of plans for the gun, both modification and handloading, so much more to follow.
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