[.45 COLT]

Ruger SA Question

To your second question - I've loaded Speer Gold Dot 230 grain in the .45 with a taper crimp. No problems that I've seen. I don't use a super-hot load, about 1000 FPS. The Gold Dots aren't made for much faster than that anyway.

 

[KN]

Ruger SA Question

I havn't fit one, but I did buy a 45 vaquero birdshead. you'll love it! I also load Sierra 185gr JHP and Win 230gr ball in mine. I use 11.5 and 10.5gr of W-231 for about 1000fps. Crimp them as good as you can and you shouldn't have any trouble. If you go with too hot a load they may try and slip during recoil. I have found that W-231 works really well in these loads. I tried a bunch of other powders with these bullets and had a lot of inconsistencies in the loads. KN

 

[securitysix]

Ruger SA Question

Re: question #2, I have loaded Mid-Kansas 230 grain lead bullets in .45 Colt brass, but they had a small shoulder I could roll crimp over. I did seat the bullets a little deeper than designed, but not by much and it still doesn't compress the powder charge with Unique or HP-38. As far as jacketed bullets, never tried loading one without a cannelure, but my dad has in .44 Mag.

A Lee Factory Crimp die will allow you to make a crimp that will dig into the jacket material a little and effectively make its own cannelure. It will also resize the case on its way into and out of the die, making sure you don't buckle the case.

 

[Charlie Detroit]

Birdshead Grips from Brownell's

Well, I haven't fit one to a Blackhawk, but I've done the harder thing: I've fit one to a Vaquero Bisley. This grip frame was definitely not designed with the Bisley in mind. The Bisley trigger is 'way bigger than the Blackhawk, and the hole for it has to be opened and lengthened (mostly the latter) a whole bunch to accept it. Likewise with the hammer slot...I had to beg off and go to my gunsmith for help on that one...the hammer slot is much too visible for me to go making mistakes on it. The trigger opening was OK, but it still was what Newt's mom said about Hilary K. Not enough room to get a good stroke with a file. Everything else worked out OK...you may find some interference with the mainspring inside the grip frame, but a little filing in the proper place will solve that. I still haven't done what Ruger calls "match-polishing" the gripframe to the mainframe, but it looks and handles really well...I got the brass frame and the black grip panels. Looks great with the fake case-hardening of the Vaquero. People come over to me at the range to see what I'm shooting.

 

[cheyenne ranger]

Ruger SA Question

Charlie,
Any chance you have a pic or two of your modification?
thanks

 

[Charlie Detroit]

Unfortunately,

Charlie,
Any chance you have a pic or two of your modification?
thanks

No. I have been looking for a good scanner or a good CHEAP digital camera for some time, but the price hasn't come down on the cameras yet, or at least not far enough. Unfortunately, I'm on a fixed (by law!) income. If I make a dollar more, my wife gets a dollar less on her SSI. If I make a LOT more she loses it entirely, and her Title XIX too. I figure I'd have to quadruple my income at a stroke just to stay even. So I wait...pretty soon the Japanese will be selling 'em for 4 bucks apiece.