# Calling all sixgun shooters need some advice!



## Bore.224

Gonna pick up a Ruger Blackhawk in the near future, not sure what cartridge most likley .45 Colt. Anyway my question is this 4 5/8 , 5.5 or 7.5 inch barrel. I like short barrels, however I like real tight shot groups on paper, will the 7.5 inch barrel because of the sight radious shoot much better than the 4 5/8? I need to shoot them side by side to really know but cannot. So any of you fellas that have experiance with shooting 4 5/8 5.5 and 7.5 inch barrels let me know what you think!! Thank you.


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## specialpatrolgroup

At what range will you shoot the most?


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## Bore.224

33ft to 50 yards


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## dakotashooter2

Are your going to carry it a lot of the time. If so go with the 5.5. I had a 6.5 and it was accurate but a bit long for carry so I went to the 4 5/8 which is nice to carry but not as accurate (for me).


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## NDTerminator

I like no more than 6" barrel on a wheel gun. I've had them and I can advise the 7.5" barrel is a real pain for belt carry. Bandolier holsters are their own type of PITA...

I would go with the 5.5" if I were you.


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## Bore.224

yes that is what I am thinking! but c,mon can sombody talk me into the 4 5/8 barrel?


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## Burly1

If you will carry a lot, go for the short barrel. If you want to shoot itty-bitty groups, go with the 7 1/2. The longer sight radius will make a big difference to most shooters, and the weight out front is a lot of help as well. I own both, and for carry, you won't like the long one........that is until you are trying to line up on a target without the aid of a rest.....THEN, you will see the value in the longer tube. Also, and this is purely my personal findings, greater accuracy can be had with the heavier bullets (300 gr and up). The extra 2", and four ounces, is a plus in that instance as well.
Burl


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## dakotashooter2

I will ad that the 4 5/8" is technically as accurate as the 7 1/2". The reduced sight radius just makes it harder to shoot accurately. My issu is also that on my 6 1/2" I thinned the front sight and have not done so on my current gun. Even with my bad eyes I shoot better with a thinner front sight.


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## Bore.224

Thanks , I think I will go with the 4 5/8 barrel, naaa maybe the 7.5  I am worse then Bret Farve :lol:


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## budman461

bore 224,

i had one of each in .45 colt concurrently; both were fine guns and accurate from the bench, but i shot the 7.5" version much, much better offhand...it seemed "hang" well in my hand.

it's an almighty tough and accurate gun that'll serve your grandchildren.

i don't miss the shorter one, but have been kicking myself for letting the 7.5 incher go when i got my s&w 25 in .45 colt...i'm a moron...maybe i'll add a stainless 7.5" bisley model to my wish list. 

budman


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## Bore.224

Thank you for the info, yes I already have a 4.6 inch barrel on one of my guns so I am leaning tword the long barrel for the blackhawk!


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## Colt

Bore.224 said:


> Thanks , I think I will go with the 4 5/8 barrel, naaa maybe the 7.5  I am worse then Bret Farve :lol:


LMAO!!!

I thought you pinky commies in Mass weren't allowed to have handguns.   

I have several Colt SAA and I'll say this......GO WITH THE 7 1/2 "!!!!!! As for carrying, go with a cross draw instead on strong side. By doing so, you'll find it's a lot more comfortable and easier to carry the long tube that way.

It is amazing to me how I can just "point" and shoot and be so accurate with the long tube, and take my time and line up sights with the shorties and still struggle for accuracy.

Best of luck to you.


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## Bore.224

Thanks .....Colt thats what I needed to hear. Yes Massaschusetts even gave me a licence to carry firearms !! This state does suck but it's better than California! 

But at least California has nice weather and lots of Bikinis! :lost:


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## Chevyman

Colt said:


> Bore.224 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks , I think I will go with the 4 5/8 barrel, naaa maybe the 7.5  I am worse then Bret Farve :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> LMAO!!!
> 
> I thought you pinky commies in Mass weren't allowed to have handguns.
> 
> I have several Colt SAA and I'll say this......GO WITH THE 7 1/2 "!!!!!! As for carrying, go with a cross draw instead on strong side. By doing so, you'll find it's a lot more comfortable and easier to carry the long tube that way.
> 
> It is amazing to me how I can just "point" and shoot and be so accurate with the long tube, and take my time and line up sights with the shorties and still struggle for accuracy.
> 
> Best of luck to you.
Click to expand...

Great post Colt. I own a Ruger SRH in 454 Casull with a 7.5" barrel :thumb: and i honestly don't see why so many people say they are awful to carry as a side arm. I don't even know mine is there unless i look down at it. I am 6'5" tall and 245lbs so im not as small as some but still, they are not that bad, Maybe if you are 4' tall and the gun is a third of your body length then maybe you have an argument LOL :lol: . I carry mine in a cross draw and like you said it is much more comfortable that way. Definately stay with 7.5"


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## mike landrich

I have a Blackhawk 41 mag with the 4 5/8" barrel and it shoots reasonably well. It is a whole lot less intrusive on the belt than my SRH with a 7 1/2" barrel, which is why I bought it, for those times its a backup to a scoped Contender or muzzleloader. I carried it all last year for deer and would've felt comfortable taking a shot out to 60 yards or so. I shoot it as well as I shoot the SRH.

Yeah, I know its an old post, but it was resurrected, so I'll add my 2 cents' worth.


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## Bore.224

Yeah I know its an old posting but I still have not picked up the Blackhawk yet. I was thinking to go with the Convertable model in 45 colt and 45ACP and Ruger does not mae them in the 7 1/2 inch barrel so I guess I will go with the 5.5 inc?


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## TheBlacksmith

Well, you know that we (men) cannot rush into anything... unless we go cash in the pocket and _need_ a new handgun! :thumb: 
I've got a Ruger SuperBlackhawk that I've had for 15 yrs or so... It was a 10.5 barrel when I got it (trade) and didn't suit my needs. I took it to the shop and turned it into a 6". Coupled with a Bianchi 1830 holster... no way is it too long. Comes out quick and easy, long enough to be accurate. But bottom line, to be accurate, we all gotta burn some powder. But the point, the 6" is easy to carry. I'm 5'10".

I'm a full-time RV'er and the six shooter no longer fits the lifestyle. I'm gonna replace it with a semi-automatic. I'm gonna miss saying, "Pilgrim... "

Danny


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## Plainsman

Blacksmith keep the wheel gun you will miss it to much. I like to RV also, and I take a 4 inch 629 along with a Kimber 1911, a Springfield XD with green laser, an AR with six 30 round mags, interchangable scope/holosight, and green laser. Also, don't forget the 870 with the eight round mag and picantiny rail along the mag extension. Make sure you have a good safe that can not be carried off. I have a thick welded tool box in my pickup. 
I camp where I want to including on the desert alone. I have wireless motion detectors and wireless night vision camers that set up in less than five minutes. The chances are one in a million that I would ever need it, but with it I sleep like a baby.


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## Bore.224

Hey wait a second why do I feel well defended with my worst defensive sidarm? A ruger single six in 22 mag?

Blacksmith auto pistols are over rated , I have a glock 20 and a beretta 92fs but I think I would feel secure with your 44 mag superblackhawk! In my opinion any advantage an auto pistol gives you is mostly fantasy . It is really more you than the gun! Dont belive me? What do you call 6 guys armed with wonder 9's vs one Bob Mundon with a rusty .45lc single action?

Yep thats right 6 dead guys!!!


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## Chevyman

Bore.224 said:


> Hey wait a second why do I feel well defended with my worst defensive sidarm? A ruger single six in 22 mag?
> 
> Blacksmith auto pistols are over rated , I have a glock 20 and a beretta 92fs but I think I would feel secure with your 44 mag superblackhawk! In my opinion any advantage an auto pistol gives you is mostly fantasy . It is really more you than the gun! Dont belive me? What do you call 6 guys armed with wonder 9's vs one Bob Mundon with a rusty .45lc single action?
> 
> Yep thats right 6 dead guys!!!


Beautiful quote man and i couldn't agree more. Revolvers will never die but the people that don't use them may. :beer: I'd like to see one of those semi worshiping criminals try and get me from 150 yards while i pick them off one by one :lol: But in all seriousness the revolver is a staple that will never go away. I carry my 454 Ruger SRH in 7.5" with me way off the beaten path on long hikes in rough terrain and have never had an issue with carry ability. I agree whole heartedly that it is about the shooter not the gun. I am sure there are competition shotters that will argur but how many times are you in a competition situation with moving targets or ones that shoot back, i bet they are not quite as good then. I get that 10 rounds are better than six as far as having them but seriously, even though i am sure it has happened, how many times has some one had to unload their clip in defense and if they did then they weren't that good and at that point what good were those ten rounds. It only takes one so be good with what you have and then it comes down to preference. Don't get me wrong most all my friends have semis' and they are awesome guns, of this there is no doubt. I guess i am just old school and always will be. All hail the revolver. Plus i don't have to own 3 guns to do what i want. I can go from Hunting, Preditor defense, to personal defense simply by switching bullets and i am not aware of any semis" that give you that versitility.


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## Plainsman

Chevyman, I agree with you about 95%. If the threat is multiple people under 25 yards give me the semi-auto. If the threat is animals, or people beyond 25 yards give me accuracy and dependability and that means my Smith 629.

The model 1911 is very versatile. You can switch to a ramped barrel that gives you full chamber support and load hot. For example the factory recoil spring for factory ammo is 16 pounds. I most often carry an 18 lb Wolf variable rate recoil spring in my Kimber. If I am in the Badlands hunting and want to carry my 1911 I switch to a 22 lb recoil spring and a 185 gr hard cast lead loaded to 1250 fps. On the net some hard core 1911 fans say they push 230 gr to 1250 fps.

The odd thing is the stiffer spring I put in my Kimber the better it shoots. With the factory spring and factory ammo I can't do much better than 3.5 inches at 25 yards. The Smith 629 will do one inch off bags. As soon as I drop that 22 pound spring in my Kimber it sucks into less than two inches. I think it's simply because lock up is more stable.


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## Bore.224

This is what you say to one who looks at your wheel gun and says "yeah but you got only 6 shots"!

Well 6 shots is allot , think of it this way if we were in a gunfight it would take the "rest of your life" for me to fire just one!


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## Plainsman

Here is a link to recoil springs for the 1911

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=2456 ... OIL_SPRING

I guess my heavy springs are a different brand than the 18.5 Wolff that I carry most of the time. Even if you shoot factory ammo you will reduce wear on your frame by using the 18.5 recoil spring along with a good shock buffer.


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## TheBlacksmith

Plainsman said:


> Blacksmith keep the wheel gun you will miss it to much.


Hey Plainsman! I don't know about that... I've not shot over 50 rds thru it since I've had it. Like any weapon/tool... knowing it was there if I needed it was good.



Plainsman said:


> I like to RV also, and I take a 4 inch 629 along with a Kimber 1911, a Springfield XD with green laser, an AR with six 30 round mags, interchangable scope/holosight, and green laser. Also, don't forget the 870 with the eight round mag and picantiny rail along the mag extension. Make sure you have a good safe that can not be carried off. I have a thick welded tool box in my pickup.
> I camp where I want to including on the desert alone. I have wireless motion detectors and wireless night vision camers that set up in less than five minutes. The chances are one in a million that I would ever need it, but with it I sleep like a baby.


Wow! If I carried all of that, plus all of our household stuff... the wife's sewing paraphernalia, my cameras and paraphernalia, household toolboxes... and even though we have a 40' fiver I'd be out of space... plus, I'd need a semi truck instead of my F350 to pull our home :lol:


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## Plainsman

I perhaps took that Boy Scout "be prepared" thing to serious. 

Hunt1 and I went to Montana and only for does. At the time we could not afford gun cases for all of our firearms so we opened my sleeping bag and laid it across the back floor of his Jeep wagoneer. Then we laid out rifles across the sleeping bag and covered them with his. We had four muzzleloaders, a few pistols, and a few rifles. Then there is the ammo. If it's worth taking a firearm it's worth taking 1000 rounds for each caliber isn't that reasonable.


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## Lakota

Plainsman---you're too much. Way to be prepared! I'm kinda handgun nut. First off I like accurate guns; which means nice triggers w/ adjustable sights. Some of my favorites: most all S&W revolvers, Models 17 6" & 8 3/8", 14--6" & 3/8", 25--6", 27--5", 686--6" & 4" Mountain, 629 Classic 6 1/2'. S&W revolvers w/adjustable sights and smooooothed triggers are hard to beat.


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