ibboatin28

Here is an OM Blackhawk i bought from a friend. He brought it in to sell to me and I doubt that it had been out of the holster in 20 years. He bought it new in 69-70 shot, it a few times and stuck it in the holster. This gun still had grease in the ejector rod housing from when it was new. It's never been to the factory to be modified. What do you guys think.. Keep it for a beater or have it refinished?

Randy

OM BLACKHAWK pictures by ibboatin28 - Photobucket

DocTone

Refinish please. Even if you do it yourself.

bigghoss

at the very least see what you can scrub off with solvent and elbow grease. it depends on how much you like that particular gun. do you really like the combo of platform/caliber/barrel length? what do you want to do with it? do you want a woods gun to pack around, a gun for hunting, or shooting from the bench?

J Miller

Well, this is just my opinion you understand, and since you asked ..... I'd take it totally apart and clean it thoroughly. Make sure every thing worked properly. Then I'd work the outside over with Gun Scrubber and 4/O steel wool and see what it looked like. The stains on the hammer are an easy fix, just use 600 grit wet or dry with oil on it and slide the hammer in the direction of the original polish - up an down, just go one direction.

Considering the collectors value is long trashed I keep it as a field gun and a shooter. I wouldn't have it converted as Rugers hap hazard conversion actions results in a generally crappy action and sometimes leaves the cylinder carry up way late.

Nope, I'd just clean it up real good and use it. Sure as heck can't hurt it any.

Joe

4 clicks

I agree with J Miller. Clean it up and shoot it. You now have one you can use as a testbed for gunsmithing skills or load development and not worry about it. Some owners get paralysis worrying over potential nicks or blemishes and never get to enjoy the reason these were made.

Flash

Depends on what you paid for it. I'd take the hammer, trigger and pawl out and ship it back with a note to refinish it if you got it cheap enough.

A Patriot

ibboatin28,

She's a potential diamond in the rough. A diligent and thorough soak, clean and scrub, followed by judicious and maticulous use of oiled 4-aught steelwool and 600 to 1500 grit wet/dry paper and she should be bright and shiney.

Install a set of Wolff springs, while you're at it, if you'll be shooting her.

terry_p

If it were me I'd call Bowen about a 44 Spl conversion and see if you want to sink big bucks into it. If the cost made me choke then I'd just get it refinished. Either way it would get shot a lot.

ibboatin28

Thanks for the replies. Other than the hammer it's had the steel wool treatment already. The rust was actually caked on the barrel and cylinder when I got it. I only have 150.00 in it so maybe it's my new deer pistol. As for the action this thing is so much smoother than the new ones. It makes my new Hunter model feel like it's full of sand.... It's just a shame that this gun was neglected like it was. I would doubt that it's had a box of shells thru it.

Thanks again...

Flash

You only have $150 in it now, add another $130 for refinishing, that's $280. Plus another $25 to ship it and you'l have a beautiful 3 screw. I sent an old Security Six back to Ruger and they did a fantastic job.
Before......


And after...........

ibboatin28

Flash: I kinda like that idea I may just do that. It is a sweet gun I just hate to see it in the condition that it's in.

Randy

OldSchool

I love the OM Rugers. As little as you have in it, it would be a great candidate for a Turnbull Restorations Color Case hardened receiver & high-polish blue on screws, barrel, & cylinder. Of course, if the pitting is too deep, you may need to have it bead blasted & blued. Either way, you've got a lot of revolver for not a whole lot of outlay.

O_S

Flash

Take the innerds out first, otherwise you won't not get them back. If you get a sheet of 400 grit silicon carbide paper, lay a straight edge down on it and slide your hammer along it, repeating the patern on both sides, your hammer will look like new. You can cold blue that and your trigger but you won't, I repeat won't, be able to get them back from Ruger.

ibboatin28

I really like the Turnbull with the case hardening... I'm just not sure I want to put that much additional in this gun... Understand I bought this gun 5-6 years ago and it's like a thorn in my side... I'm probably gonna have to do something with it. Mechanically it's great.... cosmetically it irritates me.

I appreciate all the replies...

JimH

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ibboatin28, if you want to have it re-finished and you want to avoid the Ruger mandatory conversion to transfer bar issue, and don't want to spend what it would cost to have a Turnbull job, there are other shops that will refinish for less. Check out cylinder and slide's services (Reblueing) or Ford's Custom Gun Refinishing (Hand Guns Price List). These shops do good work and aren't over the top on price. There are others to consider as well.

You could also refinish it yourself with one of the spray applied and baked on finishes or you can rust blue the steel parts without a shop full of excessively expensive tools. Check out Brownells website for "do-it-yourself" finishing kits and supplies.