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Flat top blackhawk vs. newer blackhawks?

7K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Tupp 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,
My name is Jake and I am new here. I have a question that I am hoping you all could help me with. I have decided that I want to get a ruger single action very soon but I am having a hard time making a decision. I like the new vaqueros size and the fact that they now click when you line up the cylinder for casing ejection, but I don't really care for the sights. On the other hand I love the sights on the standard black but don't care for the size and lack of ease in lining the cylinder up with the ejector rod. Are the Lipsey exclusive flat tops basically the smaller frame with the proper cylinder indexing? I just realized that "Flat top" referred to a specific type of blackhawk. (Obviously I'm new to single actions.)
From what info I can find the flat top is a smaller frame, (is that correct?) Any info you could give me would be greatly appreciated. BTW, this is going to mostly be a fun gun and perhaps one day hunting, with a home defense role as well (I already have a Remington 870 to cover that primarily). I was thinking about trying the .44 special model because I hear so many people tout the versatility of the round. Otherwise I am going to get a dual cylinder .45 Colt/ .45 ACP.
What are your thoughts or advice?
Thanks, :)
Jake
 
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#2 ·
I just ordered mine. There is a good article in this months Hand loader magazine about the flat top. Im new to single actions to. The flat top is is a smaller frame. you CAN NOT shoot the super hot (tier 3 ruger only )45 loads in a flat top. if you want 1400fps you need a Bisley. Mine will be a range queen and leave my bisley for hunting. Flat tops are becoming harder to find Snakeriverarms.com had a few left last week.
 
#3 ·
Tupp;
Just for the record, I have two .44 Special Flattops - a Blued .44 Lipsey Special with 5½" barrel and a SS Talo .44 Special with 4 5/8" barrel. I also have a Bisley .45 Colt/.45 ACP Convertible (full size frame).

If you handload, and want to hunt with a mid-size frame, then the .44 Special would be an excellent choice. Since the .44 Special has more metal in the frame, you can load serious hunting loads (up to 1200 fps with a 250 gr bullet) safely.

However, to further confuse you, the mid-frame flattop .45 Colt/.45 ACP convertible (a distributor exclusive with only about 2000 made) can be safely loaded to 1100 fps as Brian Pearce has checked with the factory and these new, mid-frame convertibles will handle a 280 gr bullet (RCBS cast 45-270-SAA) to 1100+ fps.

For all practical purposes, these handguns are a draw. Pick the caliber you prefer (or get one of each:D) and go for it.

Check the states where you'll be hunting with these handguns before making a barrel length choice. My particular home state (Ohio) requires a minimum 5" barrel length for deer hunting.

Either of these fine handguns will shoot through a deer lengthwise at reasonable ranges with bullets of reasonably heavy weights suitable for large game.

I suggest you buy the Handloader issue that covers your particular handgun for proper, pressure tested, handloading information as outlined by Brian Pearce.

Handloader Magazine #275 (December-January2012) for the .45 Colt Flattop

Handloader Magazine #260 (June 2009) for the .44 Special Flattop

Neither choice of caliber will be wrong. Brian has done the work for you - now all you have to do is follow his lead.

Dale53
 
#4 ·
Just did the paper work on my lipsey 45 flat top 4 5/8. felt great. If im going to shoot anything stronger than it can handel. Im going to use my 45 bisley. i already shoot a 255 swc with 8-8.5 grain of unique. I can imagine i would want to shoot to much hotter. Plus that should make any black bear/ hog have a bad day.
 
#5 ·
I have a 45 colt/45 acp flat top on the way from lipsey's. I ordered the 4 5/8 inch barrel in blue. I already have a new model blackhawk in 45 colt and truthfully I really don't like shooting the real big ruger only loads. I am not recoil sensitive, I just get more enjoyment with the tier I or II loads. I can't wait for the flat top to get here! I may just sell the new model blackhawk and get another flat top. The flat top can handle loads that push a 270-280gr swc at 1,000-1,100 fps. I can't imagine needing anymore than this for anything. Just my thoughts.
 
#6 ·
Dale53 has covered the topic really well! Just adding my comments as I have two .44Spec flattops and two .45 Convertible flattops . Plus the large frame old Vaquero and BH in .45 Colt.

Both of my medium frame .44Spec flattops (BH and Bisley) are very accurate. Firmly believe they shoot better than I can do. This is out of the box. I also tried several different powders under a 240g lead bullet. I couldn't find one that shot 'bad'. Why? I don't know ... but I am 'almost' (not quite) a believer that .44Spec is 'special' when it comes to 'inherit' accuracy of the cartridge :) . The hottest I've shot out of them is 15g of 2400 with a Magnum primer (1100+fps). I've settled on Unique as the go to powder for this cartridge and 7.5g under 240g bullet works great for me. There are other great loads I've found using Power Pistol, Green Dot, and others. You just can't go wrong with these guns.

Haven't had much time on the .45 Colt flattop medium frame convertibles (one blued, one stainless) yet. I've done quite a bit of .45ACP testing with the stainless revolver, for fun. 3 of the 4 cylinders needed reamed to .452 . The stainless loading gate needed to be sanded down flush with the back plate. Cylinder gaps (.006 on one I recall, don't remember the other) were fine. Haven't shot enough .45 Colt to form an opinion on accuracy yet other than 'not bad'. All my .45 Colt load 'testing' is done with the large frame .45 Colt BH which is what I have been doing the last few months. I think it is about time, to cool off the BH and start shooting .45 Colt through the flattops ! I do like the feel, and the blued is all steel... no alloy to be found. Oh yeah, they will easily handle the hottest loads I plan on using with .45 Colt... but NOT ROLs. A 255g bullet zipping along at 1100fps is as much as I should ever need. I prefer loads in the 900-1000fps range for my general purposes.

My old .45 Colt Vaquero is just plain fun. I like shooting Black Powder loads out of it and let the smoke fly. It is 'picker' for loads. I found that 20g of IMR 4227 under the 250 RNFP (or 255g SWC) is a keeper for this revolver.

My large frame .45 Colt BH will handle the ROL loads... But as said above, I really don't have a need for them. I do use it for all my initial load development testing to keep results consistent with all the other results I've generated. The grip frame and ejector housing being alloy does make it a 'lighter' carry gun.

Both calibers will do the job. But, I didn't have to work at it to find good loads for the .44Spec, whereas the .45 Colt has taken some time and each gun seems to be a bit different... Still prefer my .45 Colt even though!

As between Large frame and Medium frame .45 Colt .... That is a personal preference and how you are planning to use the gun. If hunting the Cape Buffalo in Africa or the Alaskan brown bear, then the large frame will serve you well. Otherwise, for defensive purposes, the medium frame should be enough ... in my opinion.

Enough rambling.
 
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