Ruger Old Army 75 Blued Barrel 1970s Production Review

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The Ruger 3 Screw... see the 3 screws?

The Ruger 3 Screw… see the three screws?

The Ruger iii Screw Blackhawk

So this gun is non exactly old. But Ruger stopped making them in 1973 and they accept become more than and more collectable and valuable. The proper name 3 Screw is in reference to the 3 Screws on the side of the frame. The new models have 2 pins. If you are fan of the single activity revolver and have never shot one of these you lot owe it to yourself to practise so. In my opinion, they are just about the best production unmarried action revolvers ever made. Behave with me while I effort to back that statement up!

History

This wouldn't be a Shooting History article if nosotros didn't talk about history. Sturm, Ruger and Company started product on the unmarried action Blackhawk revolver in 1955. The Unmarried-Half dozen .22 LR, which shares the aforementioned activeness, preceded it by 2 years. Westerns were very popular in the 1950s and there was a market for a new revolver like the ones the cowboys, lawmen and outlaws were seen with on Television set and in the movies. Colt had stopped product of the most well know revolver, the Single Activeness Army with simply a few being made after WWII. Ruger stepped in with what is really an updated Colt.

The original Blackhawks shared the aforementioned basic function and lock work with the erstwhile Colts merely had a few improvements. The overall pattern is stronger and everything is a bit bigger and sturdier. This is why you see "Ruger Only" loads; they can handle college pressures than most other revolvers. Some other chief deviation is the utilize of scroll springs in the place of the apartment foliage spring in the Colt and virtually other revolvers of the time. The coiled springs proved to be more durable and longer lasting. The leaf springs are the most common identify to have a breakage on a Colt. Lastly, the sights on the Rugers are adjustable and the Colts are stock-still.

Variants

Not a Flattop. You can see the firing pin. No transfer bar here!

Not a Flattop. You tin can see the firing pin. No transfer bar here!

At that place are two main variants of the Old Model, or three Screw Rugers. The first models that were fabricated from 1955-1962 are known as the Flattops. The top strap is flat with out any metal coming up to protect the rear sight. The ones fabricated from 1962-1972 are ordinarily chosen 3 screws although both them and the Flattop accept iii screws.

In that location are also the Super Blackhawks that are in .44 Magnum.

Ruger offered these Blackhawks in a number of calibers and barrel lengths. The notable calibers are .30 Carbine, .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum and .45 Colt.

The New Model

Before we become into the meat of the review gun I demand to take a few words to talk nearly the changes that were made to the 3 Screw and the development of the New Model Blackhawk.

The 3 Screw should be carried with 5 rounds in the cylinder. The reason for this is that the hammer, when lowered, is resting on the firing pin. If something was to hit the hammer difficult enough, or the gun was dropped, information technology could discharge. Now in that location is a "condom" notch on the hammer that keeps it above the firing pivot. Still, this is not a very strong safety and information technology could nonetheless go off with a hard enough bear on. The Colts and their clones are like this as well. Information technology is function of the blueprint and is perfectly rubber if you carry information technology with 5 rounds and non 6.

But idiots will be idiots and lawyers volition exist lawyers. In 1973, Ruger introduced the New Model Blackhawks that utilizes a transfer bar system. These Rugers are perfectly safe to conduct with 6 in the cylinder. But there was a cost to the feel of the activity. I am not saying the New Models are junk as they are far from information technology. Just if you lot have ever rolled the hammer back on a iii Screw you will know what I am talking about. They just feel better. Slicker, smoother and they brand 4 clicks.

Ruger volition as well retrofit a transfer bar into the one-time 3 Screws for no extra charge. First permit me say that these are safer in that you can carry 6 rounds in the cylinder with out fear of hitting the hammer and it going off.. The 3 screws that have had the conversion are just shy of being junk. I don't mean that they won't work, they will. But they feel like a cheap knockoff from a third world country. The action feels similar it could bind when you lot cock it and the trigger went from being great to being crap. A actually good gunsmith can brand a conversion work and feel pretty proficient, but information technology is nada similar what the gun use to experience similar. The New Models feels a lot better than the conversions.

Some holster wear.

The Review Gun

The Old Model Blackhawk I used for this review was fabricated in 1967. Information technology is a standard 3 Spiral and non a Flattop. It is in .357 Magnum and has a 4 5/viii inch barrel. It has been around the block and shows some good honest holster wearable. But it is still one of the all-time shooting unmarried actions I have ever pulled the trigger on.

Shooting

I have probably put between 1,000-one,500 rounds through this Blackhawk and at that place is no telling how many it fired before it came into my possession. As far as I know, this revolver has never had any piece of work washed too it. I have found no show of it having a trigger or activeness job. Information technology doesn't need one. The hammer pulls back easily and smoothly. The trigger breaks cleanly at 4 pounds with no creep. It locks up tight and the timing is right. This is how a Blackhawk should work and experience. Recoil is what you wait from a .357 revolver. The front bract sight is easy to option up. If I had i negative matter to say it would be near the rear sight. I wish it was a bit bigger just that is a personal preference thing. Every bit it is, information technology works fine.

This Blackhawk will shoot tighter than I tin can. I accept gotten 2 inch groups from 25 yards out of it before, on a really really good day. But I haven't done a whole lot of paper punching with this 3 Screw. This is ane of my favorite revolvers to carry on my hip while out in the wood. I have a bit of an inner redneck, 7th generation Arkansan will do that, and have been know to walk through the woods shooting random things. Non things that are alive, well only if they are in season.

Yep, about what you expect from this barrel length.

Yep, about what you wait from this barrel length.

Collectors

Unconverted Ruger 3 Screws and Flattops have a pretty large following among collectors. It is piece of cake to tell if 1 has been converted and nonetheless has the transfer bar installed, cock the hammer and look for the transfer bar! But some that accept been converted take be inverse back to the original parts. These should experience and function simply as well as one that has not been converted only they exercise not take the same value and collectors appeal. At that place is only i way that I know of to tell if 1 has been converted in the by. On the bottom of the frame, under the grip frame, at that place will be an "R" stamped. You have to take the grip frame off to see it, just if that "R" is at that place then it was converted by Ruger at some point.

And so these Old Model Blackhawks are not all that onetime and will probably be the newest guns that the series volition come across. Merely they are great shooting and operation revolvers. A well made single action revolver is one of, if not the, most reliable handgun designs there is. Couple the feel and function of the iconic old Colt Peacemaker with the improved reliability of a Ruger Blackhawk and y'all have a winner. And in my opinion the iii Screws are at the elevation of the Ruger heap.

15 Yards.