Help me choose between two Ruger SAs.

they make Super Blackhawks already tuned? kinda like the performance shop thing
 
ontarget said:
Should I be concerned about improper throat size on the 44 Vaquero?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be. Ruger is generally pretty good about getting .44 Magnum throats right, especially on relatively recent guns. They - like all major manufacturers - do try to get the last bit of life out of every reamer, but even when you get one of those guns, the problem is a good one to have: undersize throats are extremely fixable!
 
41 Magnum
Early in my life I passed up a 41 Magnum Blackhawk because I thought I wanted a 44 Magnum .
The 44 Magnum wasn't the be all I expected . A few years later with some reloading and shooting experience , I traded for a S&W model 58 in 41 magnum (my avatar) ...
And This was the chambering I had been looking for ... bought bullet moulds and have to this day regretted passing up that Ruger Blackhawk in 41 Magnum ...with the 4 5/8" barrel ... perfect belt revolver !
I do have a 41 mag . Blackhawk but it has a 6 1/2" long barrel ... I like it but I don't Love it ...if it only had that sexy looking , convient to carry 4 5/8" bbl it would be perfect !

Get the Blackhawk
little secrete , in 41 magnum , they are more accurate and easier to load for than 44 magnum revolvers .
Loads , reguardless of bullet weight all seem to want to group together ... even Elmer Keith noticed this and wrote of it .... a 41 Magnum Blackhawk , 4 5/8" bbl ... That's Handgun Perfection !
I do also love the S&W model 58 with 4" barrel , it's a keeper for sure !
Gary
 
ontarget - if I'm not mistaken, between .44 Specials and Magnums, aren't there a wider choice of factory loads than for the .41 loads?
I know nothing of the Vacquero grips that others have mentioned. I believe that the longer barrel of the .44 gives you a better sight picture and alignment. I got a GP-100 with a 4" barrel as the 6" I tried was too "nose heavy" for my grip, so I prefer the shorter barrel.
 
Well I wouldn't mind getting back into a .41 Magnum again after having to sell my S&W Model 57 and Model 58 during some financial shortcomings quite a few years ago.

Don't really need or want a .44 Magnum, especially one with fixed sights.
 
CraigC said:
Another factor to consider, the large frame Bisley Vaquero isn't made any more. The .41 Blackhawk is still catalogued. :p
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Exactly! The 5.5 Bisley Vaquero is a rather rare bird and can be used in traditional Cowboy Competition class with .44 special. I can't think of a better traditional belt gun for all around woods use if you work up a ..44 mag load that hits to the sights. The Bisley grip really takes recoil BTW.
 
Oh heavens, what a conundrum! I love the look and feel of the Bisley; yet, the efficiency of the .41 mag. is so great.
I can be of no help whatsoever. This question has given me a brain cramp. 😵‍💫
 
The real answer is easy ... it's really the best answer .... Buy Both !

Life is too danged short ... enjoy it while you can a few bucks spent on two handguns can bring you years of pleasure ... you wait too long and age gets to you and robs you of enjoying life's pleasures ...

Do It Now ... Buy them Both !
Gary
 
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Dave DeLaurant said:
the Vaquero if I could be sure it shot to the sights. Fixed sighted SAAs always seem to be a crapshoot in that regard.
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Yep, adjustable sights all the way. In a heavy magnum revolver, the ability to easily zero the gun for any of the caliber's bullet weights is critical in my experience. While it's possible to torque the bbl. around or file the rear notch to correct windage problems, it's far harder to lengthen the front sight for a gun that shoots low. A royal PITA to my way of thinking.

Bisley frame/grips are nice with heavy recoil, some say, but an equal number find the old plow handle just as accommodating. And no grip style will endear the gun to you, if it doesn't shoot to the sights. Both calibers have bullet weights that vary by as much as 50 to 75 grains in normal, over the counter ammunition, more if you handload...big weight variations will require a lot of adjustment in sights....

Too, the shorter barrel length will be easier to carry in a belt holster without digging into your short ribs while seated in any modern conveyance: jeep, car, truck, 4x4 etc. I'd get the BH and be happy with it.

YMMv, Rod
 
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I've got .357 and .44 mags. No need for a "tweener".
Am thinking of sending my 3 screw SBH to Bowen to cut to 5".
 
Update:
I appreciate all of the input from the board, and I made a decision.
I went with a 45 Colt/45 ACP 4.62 barrel. Blackhawk.
I am already heavily invested in both of these cartridges as a hand loader so I found one for a similar price as the other 2 options and went for it.
Will post the proof (pics) when I receive the new gun.
Happy day today!
 
ontarget said:
Update:
I appreciate all of the input from the board, and I made a decision.
I went with a 45 Colt/45 ACP 4.62 barrel. Blackhawk.
I am already heavily invested in both of these cartridges as a hand loader so I found one for a similar price as the other 2 options and went for it.
Will post the proof (pics) when I receive the new gun.
Happy day today!
Click to expand...
I have one just like it. Its a blast.
 
ontarget said:
Vaquero Bisley in 44 Mag 5.5 inch or Blackhawk in 41 Mag 4.6 inch barrel.
Same condition and same price.
Yes I will be handloading for either.
Help me out here folks, I can't decide.
I could buy both, but I don't want to right now because neither was on my radar. I have other guns I want first.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Go with the 41 just because they will soon go like the Dodo bird. Get dies and brass. You can make anything else if you have to..

44 ain't going anywhere. Ammo, dies and components will always be readily available.
You can grab a 44 any time you want to. I'd jump on that 41.
 
:D What do you want to buy? That is the true answer that you seek.

As for free advice, I’d do the .41. I like the Blackhawk, I like the .41 Mag and load for it and .41 Spl. The .41/BH combo is very nice, they sort of seem made for each other. (Mine is a 6.5” BH, I wish it was .5.5” though.)

I also like the Bisley grip, if the .44 was a SBH Bisley, that would be my choice. If it was a .41 BH, there would be no question.

The old model Vaquero is cool, but my .45 Colt old Vaquero with the short barrel is not as easy to shoot as well as my short barrel .45 Colt Blackhawk. The adjustable sights are sharper and easier on my eyes.

Like anything, YMMV. Let us know what you choose and how it shoots when you get it home. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
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