Ruger Blackhawk Serial Numbers 45
The above chart shows the approximate first serial number shipped for the indicated year. This number should be used as a point of reference only. It is not necessarily the very first serial number shipped, but it can be used to determine the approximate year your Ruger firearm was shipped. RUGER “SUPER BLACKHAWK”.44 MAGNUM Page 3. Page 1: Page 2. Of the Ruger Collectors. 3/32” serial numbers and Blackhawk “Flattop” barrel. 44 rows *.45 cal. Blackhawk serial numbers rollmarked with.357 cal. Blackhawk revolvers beginning in 2013. The above chart shows the approximate first serial number shipped for the indicated year. This number should be used as a point of reference only. Ruger blackhawk serial number lookup, ruger blackhawk serial numbers, ruger gun serial number lookup, ruger pistol serial number lookup, ruger pistol serial numbers by year.
Also, within a model family the same serial number prefix may be used to produce a variety of different models, all in the same block of serial numbers. And in some cases, firearms may be stored for a length of time before they are shipped. For details on your specific serial number you may contact our Service Department: 336-949-5200 For serial numbers manufactured prior to our electronic records, or for an official letter confirming the details on your firearm please download and mail in the form.
You can see the tail of the poorly struck “S” mark. A factory letter is a must to validate the correctness of an “S” gun. From the Bill Eyring collection.
This is one of the changes made in 1962/63. Close-up view of “Transition” Super #12224’s serial number. This is a Type 3 or last of the “Transition” Supers. It is #12171 and it has both the aluminum alloy rear sight and ERH but still retains the small 1/16” serial number.
A view of brass framed Super #28291 lying in its open box. From the Matt Olivier collection. Close-up view of Super #28291’s serial number. From the Matt Olivier collection. Picture of a Super #80-51384, a prefix serial number factory installed Brass frame gun.
The.45 Colt has more than enough power to get the job done and it isn’t worth the risk, unless the loss of a few fingers and maybe even one or both eyes is something that doesn’t bother you. With the.45 ACP cylinder installed, my Blackhawk can fire any.45 ACP load available to me, either factory made or handload, and if it fits in the chamber, it will fire without the slightest complaint, assuming of course that the round isn’t a dud. I haven’t measured the interior diameter of the chambers in the.45 ACP cylinder my Blackhawk came with but my subjective impression is that one of them is cut to a slightly different dimension than the others as it is sometimes difficult to to extract a fired round when it is dirty. It doesn’t seem to hurt its ability to shoot good groups and since I don’t use the,45 ACP cylinder much, I have decided to leave it alone for now but it is something I plan to investigate at some point.
There is no erosion in the bore. Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 98% of its metal finish. There are some faint marks on the underside of the barrel from removing the cylinder. The cylinder itself shows the lightest dragline. It is apparent that this revolver was fired/cycled very little.
Pictured with its seldom seen complete packaging. From the Matt Olivier collection. A view of the rather faint “S47 SUPER BLACKHAWK.44 MAG. 7-1/2” BBL” ink stamp on #28291’s shipping carton. Note the absence of a “B” in the stamp. This gun was shipped in May 1967 and apparently the factory was not putting a “B” designation for “Brass” frame on these early guns. From the Matt Olivier collection.
Close-up of “Transition” Super #13601’s serial number. Top view of a very rare Type 2 “Transition” Super, #12224, shipped in April 1963 with its aluminum alloy non-marked rear sight, steel ejector rod housing and small 1/16” serial numbers. Less than 500 believed made. Close-up view of the aluminum alloy non-marked rear sight found on Transition Super #12224. This is one of the changes made in 1962/63.
Most balloon-head cases are close to 100 years old and it just isn’t worth it from my perspective to have them around except for display, what with the potential for mixing them up with modern brass and inadvertently loading them with powder charges that they are not meant to safely handle. Over the 15 years or so that I’ve been shooting the.45 Colt I’ve heard of more than a few shooters who talk about how they can load their.45 Colt cartridges hot enough to match the performance of the.44 Magnum.
The 44 mag does develop higher pressures than the 45 for the same velocity/bullet weight.but, it doesn't affect what the bullet does on the receiving end.regardless of pressures (internal ballistics), both calibers make big holes. (By the way,.023 difference in the diameter of the two is negligible as far as practical field performance is concerned.if the weight, shape, material, and impact velocity of both bullets were the same.I dont think the game animal would know the difference. I have absolutely nothing against the 45, its a great cartridge, and performance of both cartridges on game is near identical.neither is 'better' than the other.they are both good. I cannot speak for the hunting history of the 45 in a handgun, but, the history of the 44 Mag is very well documented. Be all this as it may, I think the OP should jump on that 45 Ruger SA.
Blackhawk revolvers beginning in 2013. The above chart shows the approximate first serial number shipped for the indicated year. This number should be used as a point of reference only. It is not necessarily the very first serial number shipped, but it can be used to determine the approximate year your Ruger firearm was shipped. Ruger does not necessarily produce firearms in serial number order.
The highest serial number known is #80-64750 so this one is about 70 from the last serial number made. I bought this fine, very high polished gun while traveling on business in Lebanon, Tennessee, in Feb. I bought it at Don Keeton’s Gun Shop while on my lunch hour! Close-up view of Super #80-64679’s serial number. Super #80-64679’s white eagle grip panel medallions were put into use by Ruger in 1971/72.
OK guys, I give up!!!! I will put it to you this way.when I was looking for a tough big bore handgun back around 1960, the 44 mag was the 'one'. Back then, nobody made a 45LC handgun that would take the stout loads that these modern guns will take today. The 44 mag was the only choice. So, thats what I bought, and thats what I have been shooting all these years.
I am not one of them and in that respect, I agree with Ken Waters’ observation in Pet Loads ( Handloader No. 54, March-April 1975) that the.45 Colt case was not designed to handle the sort of pressures the.44 Magnum can and I feel it is foolhardy to try it considering all the comparatively weak guns like the Colt SAA floating around that the.45 Colt is chambered for.
Collectors often refer to these medallions as “Squashed Chickens”! This is Super #26037, one of only two known extremely rare “S” marked Super Blackhawks with the rare 6-1/2” barrel. From the Bill Eyring collection. Close-up view of the “S” marked 6-1/2” barrel Super #26037’s serial number. From the Bill Eyring collection. View from the bottom of Super #26037.
This is a very rare consecutively numbered pair of factory lettered duplicate “D” marked Supers, #D80-25994 and #D80-25995. From the Bill Eyring collection. Close-up view of #D80-25995’s serial number. Note the hand stamped “D” in front of the serial number indicating that this is a duplicate serial number.
The box is in Fine condition. Inside the box are the original Instructions and parts list for Ruger Blackhawk Revolvers and an NRA promotional card. Our Assessment: This is a fantastic looking revolver for one that is 45 years old and doesn’t even look like it has ever been fired. It has a mint bore and a great cylinder lockup. With its four click hammer, it sounds and functions like a Colt except the Ruger has more reliable coil springs. So, if you like “period” revolvers, this is as close as you can get with a modern design. This very early first year of production.30 Carbine Blackhawk should be of great interest to the Ruger collector.
Loads but I wouldn’t want to try firing six proof loads in them as they are nowhere near as strong as the Blackhawk. The Ruger Blackhawk also uses music wire coil springs whereas the Colt SAA uses leaf springs to power its mechanism. Fans of the Colt SAA will sometimes point out that leaf springs will provide a superior trigger pull and in my personal experience they have a valid point if the leaf spring is installed and adjusted properly. However, coil springs are still superior in many respects, especially for a gun that may see hard use.
A factory letter is a must to validate the correctness of an “S” gun. From the Bill Eyring collection.
Ruger New Model Blackhawk Serial Number History New Model Blackhawk Revolver (Includes Bisley Models) Caliber: 45 Colt/45 ACP Beginning Serial Number: Years of Production: 46- 46- 46- 46- 46- 46- 46- 46- 46- 46- 46- 47- 47- 47- 47- 47- 47- 47- 47- 47- 47- 47- 47- 47- 47- 47- 47- 48- 48- 48- 48- 48- 48- 48- 48- 48- 48- 48- 48- 48-56911 and *38- *38- *38- *.45 cal. Blackhawk serial numbers rollmarked with.357 cal.
Ruger Blackhawk Serial Number History Blackhawk Revolver (manufactured from 1955 to 1973) Caliber: 357 Magnum Beginning Serial Number: Years of Production: 1 1955 1737 1956 7318 1957 1 30- 30- 30- 31- 31- The above chart shows the approximate first serial number shipped for the indicated year. This number should be used as a point of reference only. It is not necessarily the very first serial number shipped, but it can be used to determine the approximate year your Ruger firearm was shipped. Ruger does not necessarily produce firearms in serial number order. There are occasions when blocks of serial numbers have been manufactured out of sequence, sometimes years later.
Ruger Blackhawk 45 Convertible Serial Numbers
Thankfully, the barrel on my Blackhawk Convertible is very nicely made and doesn’t show the slightest trace of leading, even after firing many rounds, unlike some handguns I’ve owned over the years. As much as I love my Blackhawk Convertible, there are a few things I wish Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. Would do to make the gun just a bit better.
Vogel, Manager of Sturm, Ruger, & Co. Inc., Prescott Division and co-founder of the Ruger Collectors Association. This is one of the last of the Supers with all steel parts and the small 1/16” serial numbers before the “Changes of 1962” began. S/N 10659, shipped in Nov. 1962 in the new two-piece “telescoping” black and red box that replaced the “White Box”. Scarce guns with probably less than 2000 made.

/ SOUTHPORT, CONN. U.S.A.” The side the box has the serial number written in white grease pen.
Make no mistake, the Model 1911 is one of the finest pistols ever designed, but I find a revolver much more versatile and more importantly, as a reloader, I don’t have to look for fired brass after it has been ejected into the weeds like I would with a semiauto pistol. I’m a fairly good rifle shooter but a mediocre handgunner, mostly because I don’t practice enough and good handgun shooting definitely requires lots of trigger time. Even so, my Blackhawk with the.45 Colt cylinder installed is an excellent shooter with groups of 2 inches easily attainable at 25 yards, especially when I am shooting 255 grain LSWCs at about 800 to 900 fps. Because of my lack of practice, the first 4 rounds generally cluster into a 2” group but the next 2 rounds open up the group enough to sometimes double its size. It irritates me to no end when it happens but such is the result of the onset of middle age and too much time spent in front of a computer. By the way, when you see photos in the major firearms periodicals of the small groups shot by the various folks employed to write about guns, you might want to try and do it yourself sometime. A lot of the groups are shot with machine rests but it still isn’t as easy as it looks.