Anatomy of  a Working Gun

by Jim Taylor

"Here.. I've got something for you."  My Uncle, whom I had not seen since I shipped out for the Far East nearly 5 years before had just walked in the door.  Holding out a package he called me over.  I took the box and opened it.  Inside lay the neatest pistol I had beheld to that time.  A Ruger Blackhawk single action with a 7 1/2" barrel.  I picked the gun up and noted with satisfaction that it was in .45 Colt caliber, my favorite.  "I wanted to give you something"  he said, "and I figured you could use this."

I was speechless!  I pulled the hammer back, rolled the cylinder around and noted there was something in the chamber that had been under the hammer.  I punched it out with the ejector rod and into my hand fell a $50 bill!  "Old-timers used to carry their burying money there" he said,  "and I figured you could use a little cash.."   Still more speechless, all I could do was give him a hug.  I had just gotten married some months before and sure could use the money.  The gun was a nice gift too as I had sold my 2nd Generation Colt SAA .45 not too long before to pay bills and purchase needed things.  Whether my uncle knew of that or not I did not know, but it sure was nice having a .45 again.

Over the next few months I shot the gun a lot.  My standard load was the Lyman #454424 260 gr. SWC Keith bullet.  Loaded over 18.5 gr. of 2400 this was about the only load used for a long time.  I cast the bullets using a cast iron skillet on the kitchen stove to melt the lead. I used a Lyman lead dipper to dip and pour the lead, and a hand-held bullet sizing die to size them.  The bullets were lubed by standing them in a small pan and pouring melted lube around them, then cutting them out of the hardened lube with a Kake Cutter.  I loaded all the cartridges using a Lyman 310 Tool.  However I did full-length size them first with a drive-in die.

NEW GROUND

This was the gun I used in first working up loads with a 300 gr. bullet.  All this was New Ground to me then.  It started when I wrote Elmer Keith.  He related to me how he had experimented with the 300 gr. Lyman  #457191 .45-90 rifle bullet in the old .45 Colt Single Action revolvers.  He had used black powder at first and then 2400 later on.  I figured that since the Ruger was stronger than the Colt (larger diameter cylinder - better steel) that his loads for the Colt would be a good starting point. So I got a mold, cast some bullets and went to work.  Over a few weeks I tried different loads and worked up to 20 gr. of Hercules 2400 with the Lyman #457191.  The bullet was sized .452" and seated so as to crimp directly into the top grease groove.  This put the nose of the bullet right out at the end of the cylinder.

I did not shoot too many of the 20 gr. load and backed the powder charge down to 18.5 gr. of 2400 with this bullet.  Some years later when I finally got some loads pressure-tested (thanks to John Linebaugh and Hodgdon's) I found that the 18.5 gr. of 2400 load developed nearly 30,000 CUP. I am not sure what the 20 gr. load developed  but I am sure it was way too hot.  The 18.5 gr. of 2400  load however has been fired for well over 20 years now in the gun and it has not beat it to death.  I have used this load to do accurate shooting at ranges over 1/2 mile.  I used it for years as my primary game load with good results, giving it up only for a better bullet - the LBT.

Over the years this gun became my "Working Gun".  When I went someplace it was the one I took along.  I carried it in a home-made rig when I wore a belt holster and I stuck it in my belt when I didn't.  Eventually I bought a Bianchi shoulder holster to use for hunting - which became one of my favorite hunting holsters.  I used the gun to shoot targets, long-range rocks, dogs, cats, coyotes, fox, javelina, deer and burro's.  Going on 30 years now, the Ruger has served me well.  I have never had any parts break.  The only mechanical problem it has ever had was a "jumping" base pin.  Heavy loads pounded the original base pin and screw and eventually the pin started jumping out.  I solved the problem by drilling through the end of the pin, threading the hole and putting in a set-screw.  I still have that old pin.... but it has been replaced by a Belt Mountain pin.

MODIFICATIONS

Over the years I have made certain modifications to the gun.  Sort of "home customizing" if you will.  Let me say up front...I am NOT a gunsmith. ( John Linebaugh told me years ago to stick to horse-shoeing when he saw some work I did on one pistol.)  The things I did to this gun were done over a period of several years, bringing it to where it was like I wanted it.  I am not suggesting you try it.  Besides,  you may not like some of the things that I like on a handgun.

Gripframe

The first thing changed was the gripframe.  The Ruger had the gripframe marked "XR3-RED" (for 'redesigned').  The original XR3 gripframe being redesigned for some reason or other.  I had - early on - enjoyed the older gripframe and developed a preference for it.  Somewhere along the way I was forced by economic circumstances to sell my old Ruger .357 but before I did I made sure the XR3 gripframe was on my .45 Ruger.  It has been there ever since.  Sporting a set of laminated wood stocks, I have left it alone.  It has fallen off horses with me, fallen down mountains, been dropped in embarrassing circumstances, gotten wet, snowed on and bloody.  The grips have stood up well and are missing only a little piece in one corner.

I did remove quite a bit of metal from the front of the trigger guard.  This was to facilitate my trigger finger getting onto the trigger quicker when I needed to jerk the gun fast.  Whether it actually helped or not I do not know.  I do know it gave me the feeling that it helped, so it did help.  sabe?   And I could jerk the 7 1/2" gun as fast as I could pull the shorter guns....at least in practical shooting.  The first Shootist Holiday Mike Venturino and I were engaged in some friendly draw-and-shoot games. We set up bowling pins on a table and at the "GO" would jerk our guns from the holsters and clean the table.  One of the Shootists wandered over to join.  He had a "Pin Gun" that he had spent lots of money on, getting it just right.  Mike and I put him in the center between us.  We had our guns holstered and he held his Pin Gun in his hand, pointed down at a 45-degree angle in front of him.  At the whistle Mike and I jerked our single action revolvers and cleaned the table before the guy in the center got off a shot.  He may have fired one... I disremember for sure at this late date.  I do know he did not hit any as they were all down.

Another thing I did was to straighten the trigger.  Not everyone likes a straighter trigger, but to me I can shoot better with a lot of the curve removed.  Something about the way my hands are made I suppose.  You need to be careful when straightening a trigger should you decided to do it.  If you just lay the trigger on an anvil and smack it with a hammer you might straighten it. You might also break it. I heated the trigger with a small torch.  You have to be careful and not get the sear end hot.  I put that end in a vise, heated the tip of the trigger to less than red-hot, carefully removed some of the bend in the trigger, and then used a file to finish it up to where it felt good to me.

Shooting the 300 gr. bullets quickly showed me that I did not have enough adjustment in the rear sight.  Screwed all the way down the bullets still were quite high at 25 yards.  What I ended up doing was running the sight all the way down  ( NOTE: make sure the adjustment screw does not protrude through the frame and hit your cylinder.  It will score the cylinder if it does.  If the screw is too long simply file the end off to shorten it.) 

Once the sight was down I then filed the blade down even with the sight body.  Then, using a nice sharp jeweler's file I deepened the notch until I had effectively lowered the sight.  This got my point-of-aim down where I needed it. 

Since I no longer planned to use the adjustment feature for elevation I simply removed the ball and spring from the frame under the sight and put them in the parts bin. I locked the sight down after first applying some epoxy to the screw threads and it has been there ever since. (1979? - around that year some time)

In keeping with my phobia about adjustable sights on a working gun I removed the rear sight blade from the body, dumped out the spring that the blade works against and fitted a small piece of metal in it's place.  Using the windage adjustment screw I ran the sight over against the metal until it was tight.  Firing showed me that I was hitting to the right, so I took the sight apart and filed some off the end of the metal.  I then screwed it all back together and shot it some more.  I kept doing this until I had it hitting dead center.  Then I took it apart one more time, filled the inner recesses with epoxy, put it all back together and locked it down.  It has been like that since around 1980 and has not given me any trouble.

Questions

I have had people ask me about the 'fixed' sights.... why?...wherefore?   All I can say is "I prefer them."  I am not saying they are "better".  I just like fixed sights. I don't shoot but one main load and I know where that hits.  I know where to hold to make it hit out farther than I need to be shooting.

I shot silhouette matches with this gun around 1983 - 84 - 85.   I used 2 loads.  My 300 gr. load and the 18.5 gr. 2400 with the Keith 260 gr. SWC.  On the chickens I used the Keith load and held 6 o'clock.  On the turkey I used the Keith load and held center.  On the pig I used the 300 gr. load and held 6 o'clock and on the ram I held on the top of his back.  Not perfect maybe, but I won more matches than I lost.

Should you copy this?  Not unless you are as goofy as I am about fixed sights.  They will not make your gun shoot better.  Only shooting hundreds of rounds a month, every month and practicing dry-firing 2 or 3 times a week can make you better.  Use what you shoot best.  And make it the way you like it.  If you can perform with it no one will give you a hard time over it.  Or not much at least.

Frame

Some time after I locked down the rear sight I noticed the "ears" on the rear of the frame stuck up above the sight.  I did not like the looks of it and being partial to the old Ruger flattops I decided to flattop this gun.  I got out my mill to mill the top of the frame off.... my "mill" being a horseshoe rasp. 

I locked the gun down in vise, the frame protected with heavy leather, and started in.  I forget now how long it took me to get it all done.  The horseshoe rasp took the metal right down.  I stopped before I went too far and finished the filing with a bastard file to remove the rasp mark. After the file I used an Arkansas whetstone on the frame to remove the file marks.  After that it was a matter of sanding and polishing.  I know it took several days in my spare time to get it ready for bluing.

The frame is not truly "flat" like the early Rugers. There is a slight hump where the sight pivot pin goes through the frame.  I did not want to get down into that for then I would have to have some serious welding done.  It is flat enough that most folks do not recognize it for what it is.  Suits me OK.  I was not trying to fake a flattop anyhow.  I just like the looks better.

Cylinder

I don't remember when it first hit me, but along the way I knew I hated the recessed chambers Ruger had put on the cylinder. None of the old Colts had them.  (the new Ruger's don't have them either)  The idea had merit back in the days when balloon-head cases were still around.  By the time Ruger came out with the large-frame Blackhawk in .45 Colt they really were not a problem. 

If you blew the head off a balloon-head case there was a likelihood you would get hurt if you did not have recessed chambers. It happened in the old Colts from time to time.  However, if you blow the head off a modern case you will most likely blow the gun and still get hurt!  And the recessed chambers will not help in that case.

So... out came my "milling machine" again.  Actually, I did not use the horseshoe rasp.  I used several good files.  It took a couple hours but I "turned" the recesses off the cylinder and made it much nicer... in my opinion.  In 1987 I think it was I visited John Linebaugh.  In his shop he took the cylinder out of my gun, chucked it in his lathe and trued it up. What was interesting was, my filing job was not off very far.

I only took the recesses down until I had some of the chamber recess still showing around each chamber.  That way I did not mess up the headspacing.

ACP Cylinder

One day my Dad came back from a gunshow with a Ruger .45 ACP cylinder he had picked up.  I stuck it in the Ruger and found it worked just fine.  I have been shooting it ever since.  With that addition the old gun became a "convertible". 

Internally

The gun had a trigger job done on it by my Dad years ago.  The trigger pull is about 1 pound and you best be used to it before you use it or you will let one go before you are ready.  I do not recommend that for everyone.  The action now is smooth... from years of use.  Someplace way back when I added a shim under the hammer spring to make the spring stiffer than factory.  I cannot abide a hammer spring that feels like a cap pistol and that will hardly fire a stiff primer.  My guns will fire the hardest rifle primers going with ease. Besides, it makes the hammer fall faster.  I added a shim alongside the cylinder bolt to keep the bolt from battering the frame when the hammer is jerked back hard and fast.  (Bowen adds a screw on the side of the frame that looks good and works really well on the New Model Rugers)  It has not been quite 30 years yet but so far it is holding up.

YEARS

The sixgun has been with me through thick and thin.  It is one I would never part with.  And I will always be grateful to my Uncle for it.  Having it pulled me out of a couple tight situations.  Having it once almost got me shot. 

It happened this way.  I was heading out into the hills with pack-burro on a lead rope behind me.  I had the rope around the saddle horn and the cantankerous old burro was coming along behind.  It cut back and forth to the left and right behind my horse. I did not think much about it as the burro was prone to do that.  Riding along for about 10 minutes I happened to look down and there in my holster sat the Ruger .45 at full cock!  Pointed right at the calf of my right leg. Loaded with the 260 gr. Keith SWC and 18.5 gr. of 2400!  As far out in the hills as I was I don't know that I would have survived that one.

The lead rope had wiped the hammer to full cock while the burro was cutting back and forth.  That durn old burro nearly shot me!  It was the last time I wore a low-riding holster while in the saddle also.  I went to a high-ride from then on.

But I couldn't let the burro get away with that.

So I ate it later.

Wear

Over the years the anodizing has worn off the gripframe and the ejector rod housing.  I polished them to a high luster and left them be.  The bluing is pretty well gone now.  A mark of honor on the old gun.  A couple years back I put a Qualite' crescent-head ejector rod in it just to make the old gun feel young again.  I think it actually helped!

There are a few dings and marks on the gun.  It earned them all and wears them with pride.  I have other sixguns that look prettier and some that are more accurate.  But if I am going into the hills for a couple of days this gun will be on my hip.  Yes it is a little loose.  It will keep working if I fall into a dusty pit or a mudhole.  And if I have to pull the trigger on anything I know it will do the job.  It is a Working Gun.