Ruger Blackhawk Cylinder is way oversized

[Adam in WI]

Anyone have experience getting an oversized 45 Blackhawk to shoot well? I'm talking .456 cylinder throats and .487 chambers. It shoots okay-ish, but I want to be able to shoot ~270 grain cast bullets with H110. I tried some today, and other than not having chronograph numbers it went fairly well. I actually thought the recoil was more pleasant than the SBH .44 Magnum. There was some expected leading, probably because the bullets are in the 15 bhn range. Is there anyone that makes an economical cast bullet in the 18-22 range that has a .454+ sizing option?

The other question is about getting a different cylinder fitted. Anyone done this? Would a custom with a minimum spec reamer give the best results for the money, or would asking Ruger be worthwhile? Even if I got a bullet to shoot well as is, it's still going to tear up brass with loose chambers. What kind of pesos would an operation like this run?

 

[hornetguy]

I'd contact Ruger. That sounds pretty oversized, chamber wise.
Quite a few years back I had to send one back to Ruger, and they replaced it, and returned the original cylinder to me with the corrected Blackhawk.

 

[Adam in WI]

Just to clarify though, this gun was made in 1973 so it's probably nothing they're going to look at for free.

 

[lawman29]

Montana Bullet Works

You'll find a selection of many bullets of various weight and bhn, most size up to 454 (gas checked ones probably higher bhn)

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Just to clarify though, this gun was made in 1973 so it's probably nothing they're going to look at for free.

If its still the old model and you send it in itll come back with a built in lawyer and a box of extra parts like goober from andy griffith show worked on it

 

[K22]

My limited experience with Ruger factory service was not good. Albeit this was back in the 80's so it may have improved since then.

I had a Blackhawk, 357 that had extensive tool marks in the cylinder causing the cases to stick in the chamber. It was under warrantly so I sent it back. After several months it was returned in much the same condition that I sent it. I took it to a pistol smith, and he polished the chambers, and it worked great. Of course, I had to pay for the repair.

I was more upset with me than Ruger, by the time I purchased that revolver, I was an accomplished pistolero and should have carefully inspected the cylinder before purchasing. I just assumed being a new revolver, it would be fine. After that, I always went through a detailed inspection of all future firearm purchases to the annoyance of the salesclerk.

 

[rockhound78]

If you send it in, I am not sure they will send you back the parts they will take out of the gun. Best to take them out yourself before you ship it. You might be able to purchase some powder coated bullets for the 45-70 and size them down .002", or just regular cast bullets for the 45-70 and size them down .002". Your cylinder on the OM blackhawks , being oversized, is nothing out of the ordinary. You aren't alone having such oversized chamber mouths.
I had a Colt New Frontier in 44 special with a .428: groove barrel and .433" cylinder mouths. Shot fairly well once I fed it .433" bullets

 

[Dusty Stevens]

If you send it in, I am not sure they will send you back the parts they will take out of the gun. Best to take them out yourself before you ship it. You might be able to purchase some powder coated bullets for the 45-70 and size them down .002", or just regular cast bullets for the 45-70 and size them down .002". Your cylinder on the OM blackhawks , being oversized, is nothing out of the ordinary. You aren't alone having such oversized chamber mouths.
I had a Colt New Frontier in 44 special with a .428: groove barrel and .433" cylinder mouths. Shot fairly well once I fed it .433" bullets

They sent them back to me in a box labeled “old model parts” and the invoice said they were for collector value. Here is the flyer:

https://www.ruger.com/pdf/safetyOfferAd.pdf

 

[Adam in WI]

It's not an old model

 

[madmixerman]

If its still the old model and you send it in itll come back with a built in lawyer and a box of extra parts like goober from andy griffith show worked on it

If you get back at all. Years back I sent my 3 screw SBH in for the safety gate update. I got a call saying that it was ruined by a UPS conveyor belt. Non repairable. They did send me one of the new models. I think it was just a line of BS. I still think the 3 screw has a new owner.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

If you get back at all. Years back I sent my 3 screw SBH in for the safety gate update. I got a call saying that it was ruined by a UPS conveyor belt. Non repairable. They did send me one of the new models. I think it was just a line of BS. I still think the 3 screw has a new owner.

That sucks. I love the old models

 

[jcm800]

My limited experience with Ruger factory service was not good. Albeit this was back in the 80's so it may have improved since then.

I had a Blackhawk, 357 that had extensive tool marks in the cylinder causing the cases to stick in the chamber. It was under warrantly so I sent it back. After several months it was returned in much the same condition that I sent it. I took it to a pistol smith, and he polished the chambers, and it worked great. Of course, I had to pay for the repair.

I was more upset with me than Ruger, by the time I purchased that revolver, I was an accomplished pistolero and should have carefully inspected the cylinder before purchasing. I just assumed being a new revolver, it would be fine. After that, I always went through a detailed inspection of all future firearm purchases to the annoyance of the salesclerk.

I used to bring calipers when checking out revolvers...lol. Saved me from buying a few dogs.
Rugers are some of the worst for sloppy cylinders.

 

[SSL]

Anyone have experience getting an oversized 45 Blackhawk to shoot well? I'm talking .456 cylinder throats and .487 chambers. It shoots okay-ish, but I want to be able to shoot ~270 grain cast bullets with H110. I tried some today, and other than not having chronograph numbers it went fairly well. I actually thought the recoil was more pleasant than the SBH .44 Magnum. There was some expected leading, probably because the bullets are in the 15 bhn range. Is there anyone that makes an economical cast bullet in the 18-22 range that has a .454+ sizing option?

The other question is about getting a different cylinder fitted. Anyone done this? Would a custom with a minimum spec reamer give the best results for the money, or would asking Ruger be worthwhile? Even if I got a bullet to shoot well as is, it's still going to tear up brass with loose chambers. What kind of pesos would an operation like this run?

Just dragged my .45 Colt Blackhawk out and guess what? Almost a perfect duplicate of your dimensions. This is a 1973 model that I restored after having lived in a leather holster on a saltwater boat for at least 7 years. I had never measured before because I remember an article years ago that said Ruger cut their chambers and bores for .454' bullets. No idea if that is true or false as a generality, but the cast bullets I use pop out of the molds at .453-.454". I use them unsized and have very little leading. My lead mix is running slightly heavier (and thus a bit softer) than Lyman #2, which is the mix most molds are rated for when giving weights. For example, a 250-grain (nominal) mold drops at 260 with my mix and a 300 is at 312. This is lead salvaged years ago from old lead-sheathed telephone cable and does not lead to any real extent in the .45 Colt or in my .44s cast from the same mix even at top velocities.
As to brass life at those dimensions - I haven't noticed any stretching or excessive wear, and sizing isn't difficult. Accuracy is reasonable (my avatar shows 12 rounds off-hand at 30 yards with my .45 and 260-grain Lee RNFP cast bullets). N.O.E. offers a good selection of .454" molds and I can vouch for their quality.

 

[Adam in WI]

It looks like I definitely need harder bullets if I'm going to be driving them this hard. Shoots well enough though if I keep it clean. Also going to need a locking base pin apparently.

 

[SSL]

It looks like I definitely need harder bullets if I'm going to be driving them this hard. Shoots well enough though if I keep it clean. Also going to need a locking base pin apparently.

Too hard of a alloy mix will lead too. You want it soft enough to obturate and fill the bore snuggly. If replacing the base pin and lock, you might want to consider an oversize pin. It takes out any "wobble" and most end shake. Of course, just the oversize pin might help the locking problem.

 

[Adam in WI]

I doubt I'm too soft. They're 15 BHN. I'd rather not state publicly how much or how fast they were going out of a 4-5/8"...

 

[akajun]

You need to measure your land diameter of the barrel. You want the cylinder throats to be about .001-2 over bore diameter and all the same diameter. Its like the "choke" on a rimfire barrel with lead bullets, tighter at the end is good, tighter at the beginning is bad. I have reamed every revolver I own to .001-2 over bore diameter and have no leading with bullets I cast.
As far as leading in the bore, more often than not it comes from commercial cast bullets that are too hard (ie too much tin added to cast better), and undersize. I have had a revolver with a slight bulge midway in the bore, it leads a little bit at the bulge where the gasses shoot past untill it seals up again.

 

[Adam in WI]

I have a .454-280 grain wfn mould ordered from NOE and a .454 die for lubing them. Going to try water quenched wheel weight, that should put me between 18-22 BHN from my reading. Ought to be enough for ~1000-1200 fps loads. I had 270s up to 1330, but that short Ruger was getting rambunctious to say the least.

 

[Adam in WI]

A second thought, I have a handful of .452 and .453 slugs left. Has anyone tried or can recommend fire lapping? I would think at the very least it would smooth up the forcing cone some.

 

[FireMedic]

Elmer Keith used a 16-1 alloy with a bhn of around 11. He got along just fine with that in the 44mag with his Lyman/ideal 429421 slug

Fit is king with cast bullets. Gas checks can cure some ills as well when the alloy/sizing isn’t perfect.