Ruger 45LC

[wonderwolf]

I have a friend who purchased a Ruger black hawk in 45LC and was unhappy that it shot very high due to its modifications for longer range shooting. The gun is in rough cosmetic shape as its on its 3rd owner now. But it functions just fine. I was thinking of taking it off his hands but was not sure if $250 was a good price for a "used but not abused) gun ($250 is his asking price cause thats what he paid for it) He has since gotten another 45LC that shoots center at the short ranges he shots at (25yards).

I have shot Rugers but I like S&W N frames better I have never owned a SA Ruger before though I know that they are very strong. I'm thinking this would be a wonderful gun to use as a woods gun. It has a 5"ish barrel on it.

[nalioth]

Sounds good to me.

Go for it.

[amd65]

I bought an excellent shape one for $250 a few months ago. Really, it is like new, except for a couple scratches on the alloy ejector rod tube. It is very accurate, and very versatile. I can load it with mid-power semi wadcutters that are easy shooting and barely recoil. Or, I can load it with DoubleTap's magnum level loads and be ready for any animal on this continent. These are a real "blast" to shoot, the barrel recoiling nearly vertical with the western-style grip. I havn't yet carried it on any backpack trips, but it will probably be my choice next time. Mine has the 4 5/8" barrel, perfect for a woods gun.
As to the one you are thinking of buying, work the action slowly, cocking each chamber, and make sure it is locking up properly. Retail on these is between $400 and $500 for a new one. If it really shows wear, I would try to get the price down. What mods were made for long range shooting?
Is it a new model, or old model? Old models are worth a premium, and $250 would be steal in just about any shape.

[WildBillCody]

Sounds like a fair deal, I had one in .44 mag, nice enough, I had one of the first version Vaquero, in .45 LC, I wish I never got rid of it, I could shoot 9mm cases off of the target stand at 25 yards with it, it was dead on.

[wonderwolf]

Yeah....I have enough 44mag guns for now. The 6" 629 was the only one I would take into the woods cause the 4" was just to nice to do that kind of stuff with and the other ones are just too long. But the 629 is gonna be down for a while as it gets rebuilt. SOOOOO thats my excuse for getting the Ruger then :bash:

I know the 45LC is a extremely versatile round and was gonna get in on a group buy over on the cast boolits forum for a 6 cav 244gr keith style mold (lee) for $60 shipped. I've heard some guys say that it can be loaded and shot in a 1911 as well...so we'll see about that.

I'll have another look at the gun as I've only seen it once and didn't really take mental pictures. The gun has a short front sight and some odd rear sight as well.

[wonderwolf]

What signifies "old models"? I'm not all that familiar with Rugers much at all so how does one tell the difference? I've read somewhere that its like S&W and the # of screws they have on the side or something along those lines.

[nalioth]

What signifies "old models"? I'm not all that familiar with Rugers much at all so how does one tell the difference? I've read somewhere that its like S&W and the # of screws they have on the side or something along those lines. Old model rugers have 3 screws on the side.

See here for more info:

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FA-Safety_Announcements.html

[wonderwolf]

Picked up the gun. Mechanically its solid...needs new rear and front sight. The aluminum parts are in the white from 2 owners ago. Its the 4 5/8's barrel and still has wood grips.

I'll need to get the sights swapped out before I start to load for it. That 454423 bullet mold looks...hehe ummm ideal (boo hiss I know) for the LC and my 1911.

[SteelCore]

they also sell the 1/2 moon clips so you can shoot .45ACP from those. Seems like a nice deal.

"barrel recoiling nearly vertical with the western-style grip. "
--Yeah, I remember that with a buddy's Ruger .41Mag...same thing.

[wonderwolf]

I'll save my moon clips and my .45acp brass for my 625. I got a new rear sight and my dad soldered on the new front sight (I got with the gun for "free") I have 230gr RN boolits and 200gr SWC boolits and I brought 50pcs of brass back with me from my stash back home (I ordered 1k from starline). The bore is around .450 in this gun which is really tight I guess but will work for .452 boolits just fine.


I have sharps book but what is THE load for 45LC....my keith style mold isn't in yet but I can still mess around with "inferior bullets" non the less

[wonderwolf]

Test fired and chronographed about 60 rounds of handloads in with various charges of Unique. 200gr SWC and 230GR RN with Unique was all I had to work with and I got good results the paper plate was shot at 20 yards offhand with 230gr RN going 1kfps. I purchased a 252gr lee single cavity mold along with a bunch of misc dies from a guy this weekend so I'll have something to play with until my long awaited custom mold shows up. I busted out another 50pcs of new starline brass to load up with some target plinker ammo. :rockon:

I did all the testing with the wood stocks that came on the gun. Dad scrounged around and found a extra set of Hogue grips WOW so much better than the Hog leg grip. I'm sure I can easily cut that group in half now with a better grip on the gun.

[SteelCore]

whazzup with the dog treats in the upper left of the pic? Snacks? ;)

[wonderwolf]

I'm working for UPS over winter break and those are left over from that day, A lot of dogs on my route (nervous laugh).

[K.O.A.M.]

I hate Ruger large caliber autopistols, but their revolvers are great. That's a nice pickup that your grandkids will be shooting.

[k98k792]

It is always amazing to me how much a good set of grips can change the shootability of a hand gun. Those Hogue grips make a world of difference on the Blackhawks.

[amd65]

I like shooting the rubber grips, but I like how compact and smooth the wood grips are on my Blackhawk for carry--I like how the wood looks, also

[wonderwolf]

I hate Ruger large caliber autopistols, but their revolvers are great. That's a nice pickup that your grandkids will be shooting.

+1 on the Auto's I've never seen one work all that well. Some guys showed up at a PPCC match with a pair of ruger autos in 40 and 9 I think. Only 1 magazine for each (rolls eyes) and had quit a few jams.