What if's....don'tcha just love em &nbsp;<!--emo&:)--><img src="http://beartoothbullets.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->

How feasable (practical) would a 45 colt Blackhawk be with a 3.5&quot; barrel?....trail gun use only....

I saw some pics at Gary Reeder's sight of a 3.5&quot; dragon killer calibered Ruger with gun fighter grips. &nbsp;It looks like it would be a joy to carry. &nbsp;For 赏 plus shipping, a standard Blackhawk could get the same treatment.

Suggestions/comments?

God Bless,

Alan

Don't they get into ejector rod length problems chopping them off that short?

Alan,

Personally, I like the 5.5 inch barrel for all around use. Its easy to find holsters, you don't give up too much velocity over the longer barrels, and the balance just feels right. By far I feel the Bisley grip is the most comfortable, either shooting or just sittin' in your favorite chair thinking about hitting the trail.

I haven't shot a gun with Reeders gunfighter grip yet so I'm not sure of the handling characteristics. I'd like to see a Bisley grip given a gunfighter make over. That might be something.

For your first venture into big bores you might be better off staying with the stock gun for awhile. Keep your eye out for anyone shooting something different and see if you can cap of a few rounds in what they're shooting. That'll help you find whats right for you without making any expensive mistakes. Its easy to take the metal off but making grow back is another thing.

...&quot;For your first venture into big bores you might be better off staying with the stock gun for awhile. &quot;...

Again, sage advice &nbsp;:^)

Alan,

I'm sorry, but I'm a pretty boring guy. I've spent a ton of time and money in pursuit of the perfectly customized gun in the past. I haven't kept one of them. I just what to keep others from making the same mistakes I have.

My favorites are the simple pieces that make sense. Now I'll be the first to tell you that some modifications are helpful, neat, or just downright mandatory. Just go slow. Take your time and enjoy yourself.

&quot;Now I'll be the first to tell you that some modifications are helpful, neat, or just downright mandatory. &nbsp;Just go slow&quot;...

Money dictates that I'll go slow &nbsp;:^)

MT - I'd really appreciate learning about these helpful and mandatory modifications. &nbsp;Now from what I've read at various sites, in order to make a stock Ruger perform, I need to have &nbsp;the pistol Taylor throated, the cylinder throats reamed to proper size, the cylinder to barrel gap adjustments made , and a complete action job. &nbsp;If this is true, I need to spend an additional 足 on top of the purchase price of a new or used Blackhawk.

True, false or kinda?

God Bless,

Alan

Alan,

I'll lay no claim to being an expert at anything but being me :biggrin: There are a few things that need to be done to make a Ruger single action perform at its best. The gun you take home will be different than anyone else's so play around with it and see what it needs.

In the 45 Colt caliber, the cylinder throats need to be honed out to allow the use of bullets slightly larger than the bore. Typical Rugers run .450 to .451 in the bore. The cylinder throats on my 45 Colt Bisley were a mixed bag ranging from .449 to .450 the bore size was .451. These mixed size, smaller than the bore, throats give a bullet quite a ride. They expand in the cylinder, get crushed at the forcing cone and rattle down the bore. Lead bullets will have trouble with all this sizing and will leave their mark in the bore (read leading). Accuracy will suffer. The fix is easy. You can hone the throats at home with a few items from the hardware or have a good gunsmith hone them for you.

Trigger jobs will depend on the gun and the shooter. A trigger set at 2 pounds that breaks like a glass rod can hinder a shooter not familiar with such a light pull. A good shooter can over come all but the worst triggers. I shoot double action revolvers quite a bit so I don't go for light triggers. A complete action job is more luxury item than accuracy aid in most guns.

Taylor throating seems like it works from what I've read. Can you or I shoot well enough to see the difference? I can't. If I ever get good enough I may experiment with it. The cylinder gap, if excesive, will be fixed by Ruger.

For me, I shape the grips to fit my hand. Take the flair at the bottom off and round the grip behind the trigger guard. Just remove a little wood at a time and see what feels good. A little stain and polyurethane and you'll have a great looking, great feeling grips. A pistol that fits you will shoot better. I installed a Belt Mountain oversized base pin in my Bisley Vaquero. This takes up some of the play in the cylinder fit and in my case made cocking the hammer feel smoother. A ฦ.00 part goes a long way.

For now I'm leaving the trigger as it came from the factory, its quite nice. Because the front sight on the Vaquero is fixed I'm going to splurge and have a new sight dovetailed into the barrel. That'll give me the sight picture I want and windage adjustment if needed.

You might pick up your new gun, shoot it, and find that you don't need to do anything to it. In reality you don't need to do anything. But that would take all the fun out of it, wouldn't it.

&quot;....find that you don't need to do anything to it. In reality you don't need to do anything. But that would take all the fun out of it, wouldn't it.&quot;

LOL!! &nbsp;Yes....it would.

Perhaps you or Marshall could write a &quot;Do-it yourownself&quot; throat honing article for the Tips and Comments section? &nbsp;I'd certainly like to learn about it.

God Bless,

Alan

PS: &nbsp;How do I change my &quot;newbie&quot; handle to my name?

Alan,

For a do-it-yourself cylinder throat process, I wrote the whole thing up, step-by-step as one of the features in our Bullets Technical Guide it also walks you throught the whole fire-lapping procedure as well as a host of other topics.

Click on the link below to order!

Buy Beartooth Bullets Technical Manual Now! (beartoothbullets.com/book/index.htm)

Not to blow our own horn, but I think you'll find lots of information there to answer many of the questions you are having!

Hope this helps, and your handle has been fixed... Newbie, we now dub thee Alan! *Simply use your new handle, all other things are the same! *It's done.

God Bless,

Marshall

Alan,

Marshall, sage of sages, has covered &quot;honing your own&quot; in his Tech Guide. You will find this book a treasure chest of knowledge covering a wide range of subjects in Marshall's book. If you haven't ordered it yet, do so. I believe Marshall is waiting for the next printing right now but get yourself in line.

I believe Dave Clements will allow you to mail him your cylinder for honing if you want to run the gunsmith route. Check his web site at www.clementscusomtguns.com

To change your name click on PROFILE at the top of the screen after you log in. Then you can create your new identity.

Tech Guides Are Here Today!

Alan, your name has been changed. Login as Alan, with your original password from now on.

God Bless,

Alex

Marshall and Alex - thanks for the &quot;dubb'n&quot; &nbsp; :biggrin:

My technical guide order has been placed.

Blessings to all,

Alan

PS: &nbsp;I'll still have many questions!