I am not a newcomer to revolvers and handloading cast bullets for them. I have been doing it for 54 years and have broken the code on how to do that. Along the way I have learned the ends and outs, quirks and eccentricities of Colt, Smith & Wesson and Ruger sixguns and have an ample supply of each in my home. I have worked on them, upgraded them and fixed problems they had. I thought I had a good handle on each of the brands, knowing the strength and weakness of each. A couple of years back an industry insider gave me heads up about a limited run of Flattop Rugers made on the smaller frame and issued in 45 Colt/45 ACP. I got my money together and had a friend at Lipsey's promise to snag me one from the up first run. In the due course of time it showed up The fit and finish was equal to that of Ruger's hay day. The charge holes were held to tight minimum specs with the throats being a very uniform .452. The revolver shot as well as it looks. The barrel clean up, was just couple of passes with a bronze brush followed with a wet parch and dried with clean patches. Ed's Red being being used along the way on the brush. There has never been a spec or trace of lead in the barrel. The only knock on this six gun was the front sight was set high for 300 grain bullets, I changed out the rear blade with a high one for the Redhawk. It was simple drop in. Saturday, I put 100 rounds through this handgun with nary a spec of lead in the barrel or cylinder throats. I used good old 454424 sized .452 and loaded over 8.5/Unique. Accuracy is far better than I can hold. This six gun is an amazing sixgun. You could spend a couple of thousand dollars more and not get a better handgun. Prettier maybe, but not better.
What came over Ruger?
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everybody deserves one good dog, one good wimmin critter ( not necessary his wiffe ), one good horse/car, and one good gun.
if you run the table, you win !!
ken
my biggest traumatic decision in life was whether to keep my 4 inch security six in 357 mag, or my beautiful m15 s%w 38... a sofie's choice ... mr. ruger won. i turned mrs. m15 into a ladysmith for my wife, so not a total loss .. ( g ) .
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Ditto on everything you said. The throats on both my cylinders is .4515. My first trip to the range with ammo I used in other .45's resulting in loading all my gear back up and returning home. The only other revolver that I have that can match the tolerances is a Freedom Arms .454 Casull at about 4 times the price. Throats are.452, bore is .0005 under that. Both are a real joy to shoot. Several folks that shot my Ruger now own one.
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I have a flat top 4 5/8” .44 special like that. Bought it a couple of yrs. ago. Other than having to run a few rounds down the tube to take care of barrel thread crush, it is a fine piece. Shoots too.
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Charles; If I didn't already have a Ruger SS Bisley 5½” .45 Colt/.45 ACP Convertible I would have jumped on that mid frame Ruger. I have heard nothing but good about those and the concept certainly puts it into a “Perfect Packin' Pistol” for general field use.
However, since my Convertible shoots well under an inch at 25 yards with both cylinders (after reaming) I can't justify a new gun (particularly since I am a Certified Old Fart) with too many fine handguns already... including two of the flattop .44 Specials...
But, “GOOD ON YOU"-you have plenty to brag about, for sure..
Dale53
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pics
I presume that is directed at me?
Here is my convertible with the ACP cylinder:
 off a makeshift rest. I hadn't even sighted the revolver in yet...
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http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/img072.jpg.html>
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Watching the new series GUNSLINGERS on American Heroes Channel has kindled a stronger desire for some of the older designs; though I still firmly believe that if the Lone Ranger were alive today he would wield a set of Glock 20's,,, Thanks for the pics.
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People who depend on guns for a living and to live, choose the best available equipment. Whether or not today that would be Glocks is an open question.
I have a serious social handgun or two, but in the main I enjoy shooting sixguns and the 1911 autopistol. I really don't pay any attention to the date attributed to the design.
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if the lone ranger was riding the range in today's pc world, he would likely be packin a pair of hubleys and manning a radar trap at the bottom of a very steep west texas hill.
tonto would be swimming in his private pool at his little rock gambling casino .
sigh.
ken
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Of course I don't intend to suggest that Glock is the best. I don't even really like them. But that is what most cops carry (fair to say the people's gun of our time) and the energy level of a 10mm is about even with the old 45 Colt loads.
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"Back in the day” I lusted after a Ruger Flattop. Money was very tight in those days and the closest I was able to come to it was a used Ruger Super Blackhawk I managed to trade for in the Sixties. It was one of the most accurate revolvers in our NRA Bullseye gun club, bar none! All I did to it was a trigger job and added a set of Pachmayr grips to it. I shot it quite a lot.
At that time, my home state of Ohio did not allow deer hunting with handguns so all I took with that revolver was some edible small game (if you shoot a rabbit in the head or through the “slats” with a .44 it doesn't damage any meat to speak of).
I still have that fine example of “Elmer's dream".
I was never able to find a Flattop for a reasonable price. I was always behind the price curve. There really weren't all that many of them made and they quickly became collector's items.
When Ruger produced the Fifty Anniversary Models, I bought one of the .44 Magnum Flattops. It was a really fine example. I liked it so much that I gifted my son-in-law with it. It gave me great pleasure to see it in his hands. He is an excellent shot and lives in Utah, along with my daughter and grand children. I suspect that my grandson will be shooting it when he gets big enough and that REALLY puts a smile on my face.:D
When the flattop .44 Specials hit the market, I bought a blued 5½” and liked it so well(all it needed was a trigger job) that when the SS 4 5/8” hit the market I bought one of them, too. It too, just needed a trigger job. They both fit the category (as Charles' Flattop Convertible does) of the perfect packing pistol.
With a Ruger Flattop on your belt (in .357, .44 Special, or .45 Colt) a competent man or woman is “Field Ready"... especially if that revolver is loaded with a proper cast bullet - just about all I have shot for 65 years...
Dale53
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I have one of those Ruger SBHs. Went on about it here way back when I was new to the forum. I got it figured out well enough for my purposes. I even cast and shoot bullets from an old Lee wadcutter mold as well as some heavies and anything in between. That's what I like about the SBH, versatility. Anyway, Dale, I was wondering if you'd share your load recipe from back when you shot the old SBH in Bullseye? Just curious.
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tturner53; I can see how I may have inadvertently misled you. I belong to an NRA Bullseye Gun Club. I did NOT shoot the Super BlackHawk in the matches (shot three gun pistol matches with appropriate guns for the purpose - an S&W Model 41 for .22, a .38 Masterpiece for centerfire and a custom 1911 for .45's. Later, I used the 1911 for both centerfire AND .45 class).
What I meant was, that benched, the Super was the most accurate at fifty yards. I shot it off a bench at first, then later when the club got a Ransom Rest, I used that.
I had lesser guns for light loads and dedicated my Super to full house .44 Magnum cast bullet loads. My hunting loads for all of my .44's became 24.0 grs of H110 behind a 250 gr Keith. Unfortunately, all of my deer were taken with later double action revolvers (in good weather, I used my S&W Model 29 8 3/8” barrel with scope and in bad weather, my Ruger Red Hawk 7½” with scope). 23.0-24.0 grs of H110 will shoot clear through a large whitetail deer end for end.
Now, I feel a bit guilty as we have hijacked Charles' most interesting topic.
Back on topic: Either of the two flattops (.45 Colt or .44 Special or magnum) will take deer nicely at any reasonable range. These are MOST practical field pistols, and that is a fact!
FWIW Dale53
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Some years back I stumbled onto a very worn Ruger OM in an Odessa Texas pawn shop for $125.00. The barrel and cylinder were trashed. I sent it to Ruger for a new barrel, cylinder and blue job. I added a stainless steel grip frame from a ROA and a steel ejector rod housing. The grips came from a swap of stuff with Doc O'Mera. It is also a very fine sixgun and just about perfect for the 38/357. It isn't a true Flattop but it will do.
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As long as I am on the subject of Ruger rescues, here is a 1958 vintage Single Six that also came from a pawnshop. It had zero blue left and was covered with fine pits in the metal. I spent hours hand polishing it and sold off the old XR-3 frame and grips for more than I paid for the revolver. I installed a XR-3RED frame and some old walnut grips I had in my parts box. I went with a black satin Gun-Kote finish. I think I have a total of about $90.00 in this revolver and it is scary accurate. Rugers make great rescue/project guns due to the abundant parts available and good rugged construction.
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This is the last of my Ruger rescues, an early 60's vintage SBH from another pawn shop again found with no blue intact. I fixed it up on the cheap except for those grips which cost me more than the original handgun. Oh well, a little vanity won't send me to hell, I don't guess.
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Texas is clearly the place to find project Rugers... Hmm...
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I should point out that I did my own trigger job on the three Ruger OM rescues. Before taking a file and stone to the full cock notch on the hammer, I would suggest a pluralistic approach.
- Wait for a good Karma day.
- Don't drink coffee.
- Do some Zen mind clearing excercises.
- Make the sight of the cross when you pick up the file.
At any rate, the all now have fine crisp and light trigger pulls with no damage done. Wheeewww!
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Stunning examples Chargar.Like that Gunkote finish. Just picked up a used Vacquero at last gunshow. Cleaned er up with some Turtle chrome polish looks like new now for 450 bucks. My first gun in 45 colt. Can hardly wait till dies and brass arrive. Ill probably start with light loads behind a Hornady swaged swc. Im not a caster..
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