Ruger Blackhawk in 30 Carbine?

Bob A · Post by **Bob A** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:51 am

Anyone ever own or shoot a Blackhawk in 30 carbine?
I've been thinking about a new Single Six with a longer barrel and ran across the 30 carbine revolver with 7.5 inch barrel.
I did a little research and it seems they are accurate with little recoil and easy to load for.
I was thinking about Speer 110gn HPs or cast 115 gr rn. Just for plinking or coyotes

Bob A

Post by **Hobie** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:57 am

Lotsa fun but wear your muffs!

rangerider7 · Post by **rangerider7** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 12:10 pm

+++ Hobie

mescalero1 · Post by **mescalero1** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 1:10 pm

great guns, but LOUD

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 1:37 pm

I had one many years ago when I was about 17 years old. I came into some old Korean war surplus ammo, about 5K rounds of it to be exact and thought the Blackhawk would be a good way to burn it up. Wrong, Chamber tolerances being what they were only about 1 in 5 rounds of the GI stuff would chamber. The guy at the gunshop where I bought it told me after I went back in disgust that it was only meant for commercial .30 carbine rounds. It still shot good with that and with the 1 in 5 I could shoot of the other stuff.

And yes it was loud!

awp101 · Post by **awp101** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 1:40 pm

Hobie wrote:Lotsa fun but wear your muffs!

Boy howdy!

Plugs under the muffs won't be a bad idea. And avoid shooting under a covered line as well...

oldmax · Post by **oldmax** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 3:43 pm

You will like it....Great shooting, more fun than a 357 mag...

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 4:36 pm

I wanted one of those once, but the more I hear from those experienced, I think the .357 is a better choice. I'm sure reloading your own will increase it's pleasure of ownership......

adirondakjack · Post by **adirondakjack** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:18 pm

I almost bought one once. Later on I learned that very same revolver has been sold no fewer than FIVE times by the same GS. Everybody THINKS it's a neat idea, but the round is so danged loud out of a revolver thatthey soon become persona non grata at their choice of shooting venue (even farmers refuse to let em shoot woodchucks because of the noise).
(Think crotch rocket revved to 12 grand inside a tin shed LOUD)

airedaleman · Post by **airedaleman** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:11 pm

Ditto all the above, although I never had trouble with US military ammunition chambering in mine. Was a great gun, shots as flat as a stretched string. And LOUD! Back in the early 70's I used to shoot outdoors sans hearing protection quite often (how dumb can you get?), and I think the .30 Carbine Blackhawk caused a good deal of the hearng loss I live with now.

bcp · Post by **bcp** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:17 pm

Load it light and make a modern 32-20 out of it.

Bruce

stinkycat · Post by **stinkycat** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:26 pm

My brother bought this one in 1974 used, original owner could'nt deal with the muzzle blast! A couple years ago I cut it to 3.5 inches, added a steel trigger guard backstrap round butted it, steel ejector housing grips white micarta parkerized it. Use a 100 grain semiwadcutter sized to .309 5gr uclays for a little over 1400fps. Great little gun but very heavy at 47 ounces.

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:35 pm

1. It is without question the loudest gun I've ever shot - (louder than a 16" AR with the politically correct 'compensator' instead of the flash suppressor!).

2. It is VERY strong - I've seen one where a .30-06-level powder charge was mistakenly used when loading on the range bench, and the case head destroyed, but the gun suffered not a scratch.

3. If I had a .30 Carbine I'd want the Blackhawk as a companion gun.

4. Despite the nostalgic lines and inherent beauty of that gun, I'd consider a detachable flash suppressor if I could find one in a legal configuration, at least for range sessions; I'm realize some of the noise comes from the cylinder gap, though. (Then I could have one of those guns like in the movies - a revolver with a suppressor!

- but I'll bet it would STILL be loud...)

stinkycat · Post by **stinkycat** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:48 pm

Correction to my post should read 1040 fps

chrisb · Post by **chrisb** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 10:03 pm

I have one. Got it from my brother that hated cleaning it. It really only comes into its prime when you reload ammo for it. At near max loads with red dot it gets wicked accurate.

The muzzle blast is fairly impressive. And it has quite a bark. Not as bad as the gents above may be making it out to be.

Bullard4075 · Post by **Bullard4075** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 10:58 pm

"The muzzle blast is fairly impressive. And it has quite a bark. Not as bad as the gents above may be making it out to be".

WHAT ??? YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEAK UP I CAN'T HEAR YOU .....

chrisb · Post by **chrisb** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:04 pm

What? Just because everyone steps back when it comes out..

Doc Hudson · Post by **Doc Hudson** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:47 pm

Don't get me wrong, I ain't knocking the .30 Carbine Blackhawk, but the things have always puzzled me.

Why is it that so many folks tout a .30 Carbine Blackhawk as the ne-plus ultra deer stomper cartridge, yet some of the same folks dam-n the M-1 Carbine, in the same caliber, as being a poor choice and underpowered as a deer hunting cartridge?

Let's face it, from an 18" barreled M-1 Carbine, the cartridge is pretty marginal for deer at moderate ranges. It will get the job done, but it generally takes more than one shot. From the M-1 Carbine, the cartridge produces 400-600 fps more velocity than from a 7.5" Blackhawk. The Carbine has a longer sight radius than a Blackhawk. Yet lots of folks who have nothing but disdain for the M-1 Carbine happily take to the woods with a .30 Carbine Blackhawk.

Just don't make sense to me.

Bob, don't let my comments steer you away from that Blackhawk if you have the urge to buy it. Like I said, I'm not knocking the six-gun, just admitting to confusion.

BTW, my brother Andy Gladwell killed a button buck with his M-1 Carbine last week, he shot it a second time after it didn't fall and didn't run off.

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:34 am

AJMD429 wrote:1. It is without question the loudest gun I've ever shot - (louder than a 16" AR with the politically correct 'compensator' instead of the flash suppressor!).

2. It is VERY strong - I've seen one where a .30-06-level powder charge was mistakenly used when loading on the range bench, and the case head destroyed, but the gun suffered not a scratch.

3. If I had a .30 Carbine I'd want the Blackhawk as a companion gun.

4. Despite the nostalgic lines and inherent beauty of that gun, I'd consider a detachable flash suppressor if I could find one in a legal configuration, at least for range sessions; I'm realize some of the noise comes from the cylinder gap, though. (Then I could have one of those guns like in the movies - a revolver with a suppressor! - but I'll bet it would STILL be loud...)

+1 on all. It makes an awesome companion to the M1 Carbine. Mine sports a Bushnell 2.5 Magnum Phantom handgun scope. It was originally mounted on my Ruger Super Blackhawk but would not stay put. No such problem on the .30 Carbine Blackhawk, and it makes it a tack driver. I love shooting it at the indoor range - just to make people jump!

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:36 am

BTW, I agree with Doc. You can use the .30 Carbine round to take a deer, but it really shouldn't be used for such an animal. However, I hope to use the Blackhawk for coyote hunting some day, and it would be awesome for that or other varmits!

mikld · Post by **mikld** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 11:49 am

OK, ignert me wants to know.

Why is the 30 Carbine round so loud in a revolver? Is the cylinder gap the problem? Could it be loaded with a faster powder to get less muzzle blast? I've considered getting a Blackhawk in 30 Carbine because I already have a 357 revolver, and it just seems like a good (fun) pistol cartridge. I reload and cast bullets so it sounds like a fun cartridge to work up loads.

John in MS · Post by **John in MS** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:08 pm

It's a very high pressure round with a small bore. If it was the same pressure/same volume of gas coming out of a large bore, its muzzle blast wouldn't be so offensive. Or, with low pressure/small bore, likewise. I've shot HOT .30 Luger loads in a 6" barrel, and believe me, I'd never shoot one without ear protection unless it was IMPORTANT...
John

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:50 pm

Bob,
Unless you really want a .30 Carbine revolver, get something else that grabs your attention. Yes, they are neat, have little recoil, are accurate, but.......like others have said, are very loud, and are NOT easy to load for. The case headspaces on the mouth and unless cases are kept near perfect in length, are a pain in the butt. Some chamber, some don't, some go off, some don't.

Lead bullets with a full caliber driving band have to be seated deep as not to interfere with internal dimensions of the cylinder or they too will not chamber.
If you know what your doing, no problem, but I don't know your level of expertise. Bullets need to be kept at near normal dimensions of factory specs as possible. My advice is if your not confident on the above issues, get a .357 mag. They eat up everything.

Below is an OM Ruger that has eaten up several thousand rounds. Its OK now, but it sure was a learning experience to load for.
-----------Sixgun

Nite Ryder · Post by **Nite Ryder** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:35 pm

I have one, I don't shoot it a lot, but when I do take it out, I always enjoy shooting it. Other people at the range will notice you aren't shooting just an ordinary single action revolver. They are loud, but who amoung us doesn't have enough sense to wear hearing protection? One thing about these guns is they are 30 caliber, how often do you see other 30 caliber handguns. Right now I'm toying with the idea of loading some 22 caliber bullets into some 30 caliber sabots, if I'm careful and check the over all length, they should headspace okay. If a bullet from one of these guns was recovered, there would be not marks on the bullet linking it to your gun. In the direction our world is going today, that might be a good thing. Especially if you shoot the wrong thing with your gun.

One poster questioned why everyone seemed to like a 30 Carbine revolver, but didn't seem to care for a 30 M1 Carbine. I think the answer is pretty obvious, it's darn hard to put a 30 M1 Carbine in your pocket...

NR

Kansas Ed · Post by **Kansas Ed** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 12:07 am

I always wanted one....till I shot one.

That thing is so loud that it would raise the dead in a 100 year old cemetery. The concept is really cool....the range factor is less than...

Ed

Jaguarundi · Post by **Jaguarundi** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 1:29 am

VERY LOUD!!!

A Royal pain to reload.Only plus is fun to shoot.Be better off with a 357 mag in same barrel length.Just my 2 cents.

flatnose · Post by **flatnose** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 3:00 am

I have thought about getting the 30 carbine blackhawk for many years now. I have never fired one, but had seen one in action in the hands of a very capable shooter.
I was at the range one day, taking a breather from shooting, and a guy shooting a revolver caught my attention. I think it was the unusual sound of the revolver upon firing, that made me notice. I got to talking with the guy, and he told me it was a ruger in 30 carbine. I thought it was a custom setup, as I had not heard of this combination before. I took a look at the target he was shooting at 100yds. Amazing. Two handed, off the bench, with sandbags, iron sights. Never before or since have I seen this kind of accuracy with a revolver or pistol unless it was a single shot.
The guy was also shooting another unknown to me combination. A browning blr in .223. That too was about the best accuracy I have ever seen with a lever action. Maybe that guy could shoot good with anything, but he certainly showed the potential of the two firearms.
I am still tempted to own one of each, but am content with what I have. Maybe one day...maybe.

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