Ultimate Survival Gun: Ruger Blackhawk .357 mag/9mm Convertible Revolver Part 1 of 2

[magicdaveable]

I often think (dream) about having a 357 convertible Blackhawk with a 10" custom barrel and a removable shoulder stock. :-) I love the 357 blackhawk and especially the bisley blackhawk with the 7 1/2 barrel. I love long barrel single action revolvers. Nearly bulletproof dependability and extremely accurate. Pairing it with a 77/357 carbine..... :-) Great video, I enjoyed watching. Thanks.

[cowboy836]

how is this thing with acuracy from 9mm?

[southernboy712]

i will be getting a ruger 357 magnum in a few weeks to carry out in the woods as a back up weapons against all the hogs we have. what caliber round would be best for a one shot kill for them?

[cowboy836]

@southernboy712 i would use 12gauge buckshoot if you dont care about the meat.

[GordonTurnerpark]

I love the Ruger Blackhawk, but just learned today that you can get a 9mm cylinder too! REALLY COOL. I fell in love with my Dad's and have lusted after one. I will soon be ordering one. Which model do you have to ask for to get the extra 9mm cylinder. A couple more questions. Isn't that small revolver in .357 miserable to shoot? And do you get more velocity from your .357 "snap caps" as compared to your 38's? LOL KIDDING!

[thenewsurvivalist]

@GordonTurnerpark Go to Gallery of Guns and do a search for Ruger and Blackhawk to find the different model numbers including the one that comes with two cylinders. Yes, .357 mags hurt your hand from a snub nose revolver, but that doesn't matter because when under the stress of shooting a bad guy I won't even notice I'm sure. When I practice I shoot 38 sp in it because they are less expensive.

[thenewsurvivalist]

@GordonTurnerpark Go to Gallery of Guns and do a search for Ruger and Blackhawk to find the different model numbers including the one that comes with two cylinders. Yes, .357 mags hurt your hand from a snub nose revolver, but that doesn't matter because when under the stress of shooting a bad guy I won't even notice I'm sure. When I practice I shoot 38 sp in it because they are less expensive.

[thenewsurvivalist]

@GordonTurnerpark Go to Gallery of Guns and do a search for Ruger and Blackhawk to find the different model numbers including the one that comes with two cylinders. Yes, .357 mags hurt your hand from a snub nose revolver, but that doesn't matter because when under the stress of shooting a bad guy I won't even notice I'm sure. When I practice I shoot 38 sp in it because they are less expensive.

[moose1ale]

i love your videos! can't wait for you to put out some more! Thanks for taking the time to share this with us.

[johnnymagnum357]

I agree with the exception of a GP100 instead of blackhawk. good food for thought ! thx.

[Xringer]

I got mine used about 30 years ago. It had a bend front sight, Ruger installed a new one for free, but it was impossible to zero. The rear windage was all the way to one side. :(

I found a (no gunsmithing) scope mount and installed a Leupold M8 4x Extended Eye Relief Scope. Now it's a nice pistol for 50 to 100 yards..

I wanted to shoot club metal silhouette with it, but they wouldn't allow 4x.. 3x would have been fine!! :(

[MW3lPro]

my dad loves ruger and he wants a piece maker and i think i need to get him this :o

[redneck4me2]

also i reload for this cartridge, for an old brake top that i own, but ive been using cast bullets that i size to 357, and thay work in my gun as well, how ever your post makes sence,

[redneck4me2]

telon55130, i did not think twice about looking up the spec,s on the 38 s&w, becouse i was given a bunch one time years ago and thay shoot just fine in my rossi 971, opon resurching the cartage after your responce, i found out that it took a 361 bullet in its origonal form, these would not fit, however ive read other say that some manufatures did load there ammo with 357 bullets, i will asume that this is what i got and while it worked in my gun,

[redneck4me2]

we think of the ruger 357 convertable as being able to shoot 3 rounds, the 357,38spec, and the luger 9mm, but to this we can also add, the 38 s&W short and the s&w long to the mix, as well as shot loads, this is why in my opion , the 357 convertable bets a auto pistol hands down as a survival pistol, most auto pistols are some what picky with ammo, not that thy wount shoot, good ammo quit well, but in a survival situation, good ammo is not always avalibale, and a good revolver, will shoot it all

[talon55130]

@redneck4me2 Sorry but the .357 and/or .38 special will not fire .38 s&w. If anyone has one that will chamber a .38 s&w you better get it checked out fast while you still have a hand to shoot it with.

[redneck4me2]

jesus, ive been saying the samething for years now, that in my opion the ruger 357 blackhawk convertable is the perfect survival pistol, although a survival pistol and a combat pistol can be thought of as simmuler, thay are not... a combat pistol has one job, to kill people, a survival pistol, must preform meny jobs, self defence,hunting, pest control, the ruger 357 convertable is strong,simple,fairly cheap , and can use mutibule ammo, what eles could you want from a survival pistol, good video

[assman255]

wish I had gun rights

[monstarmarkum]

so i hear that this gun with the 9mm is just slightly smaller then the other 2 so it may over long time scald the barrel and ruin it. i would like to know form some one that actuly has the gun if you think this it true

[talon55130]

@monstarmarkum Scald the barrel??? What does that mean? I own a .357 convertible and have owned other Blackhawks, with the exception of setting off a thermite grenade on top of them there is basically nothing you can do to hurt them.

[isamtator]

If I had that gun I would be ready to sell the spare cylinder!

[talon55130]

@isamtator You will get 3 cents for it because it will only be useful to the revolver it came with. It was hand fitted to the revolver at the factory.

[broadfall]

how does ruger design it so you don't need moon clips to hold apc rounds in a revolver

[thenewsurvivalist]

@broadfall The chambers in the cylinder are machined precisely with a step that the front of the brass case rests on.

[talon55130]

@broadfall Moon clips are only for extracting not head spacing. I have a Colt M1917 in .45 acp you can shoot it without clips but you will need to poke the empties out with a stick. With clips just push the extractor and out they come. With the Blackhawk you empty using the ejector rod same as with the .357 and .38 rimmed cases. Also the 9mm cylinder is chambered for 9x19 mm.

[GLOCKCOPG23]

I would also like to point out that a Glock .40 cal with 9mm and .357 Sig conversion barrels has an even more simple manual of arms with very few parts and is more accurate than it needs to be for 2 or 4 legged foe. The .40, 9mm, and .357 Sig chamberings are positively capable of taking deer withing pistol range. I know this through first hand experience. That being said....Rock On Ruger Blackhawk Convertable!!! I love mine and it ain't going anywhere. Definately one of the best SHTF guns ever.

[GLOCKCOPG23]

Equally versitile would be a Glock 40 cal with 9mm and .357 Sig conversion barrels. IMO the Glock in this arrangement would be a better SHTF weapon for it's fire power alone but the Blackhawk gets no argument from me. Both very versitile indeed. Nice vid.

[lonegunman69]

Hey I'm looking into buying a blackhawk and I have a question for you.  Can you purchase the 9mm cylinder for any .357 blackhawk?

[thenewsurvivalist]

@lonegunman69 No, according to Ruger the cylinders are tooled for the individual guns and so you must buy them together.

[lovejen01]

@lonegunman69 if you can find a gunsmith might be able to do a custom job for you but will cost a bit.

[jerryspriinger]

@lonegunman69 You can send your revolver back to Ruger and they can fit a 9mm cylinder to it.

[talon55130]

@jerryspriinger Good luck with that. But they will be very happy to sell you a convertible. For those interested a standard .357 Blackhawk is model# BN3- the convertable is BN3-XL the dash after the 3 is barrel length BN34 is 4 5/8" BN36 is 6" barrel. Also to the post of finding a gunsmith to do the work, it would be cheaper and BETTER to just buy a new Blackhawk convertiblefrom Ruger.

[mstarmer68]

The only improvement I would think would be stainless if it's available.

[jwgbmp40]

if i could have only one handgun for shtf, it would be this one and for every reason you just gave. probably i shoulda just commented, i concur.

[CarbonGrips]

Cool gun. I'll have to get one for when Red Dawn comes and I have to fight off the red army with different calibers.

[urbansurvivor101]

Why did you not get a 4" barrel?

[thenewsurvivalist]

@urbansurvivor101 The longer the barrel the more accurate it is, especially when shooting targets at a further distance. I got the 6.5 inch barrel for hunting. I already have two snub noses (less then 2 inch barrels) which are great for concealing the gun on your body. This gun is not for concealment.

[ntrudr800]

@thenewsurvivalist A longer barrel does not necessarily mean more accurate. Often a shorter barrel is more accurate because there is less 'movement' of the barrel upon firing. A longer barrel = higher velocity (unless it is too long for the intended cartridge). A longer barrel may also be easier to aim with iron sights. There is more than one video here with men shooting snub nosed revolvers 'long range'. I'm talking 100 yards+. S&W snub noses are often very accurate, just hard to master :)

[ChromeArty]

@urbansurvivor101 not to mention that the 6 1/2 inch model just looks way better...IMO :)

[timmyjunior1]

I just fell in love *_*

I'm only 16 but I'll be saving my pennies for this thing now.

[FriendofCat]

It is hard to argue against a Ruger Blackhawk, they are built tough like an manhole cover. I'll stick with my Glock 19 all the same.

[nsane992002]

@FriendofCat I actually just traded a 357 magnum Nightguard for this same blackhawk with a 4" barrel,AND a Glock 19 and I am so happy. I took them both out today and fired some 9mm. So cool. Probably best trade I'll ever get.

[flabeachcomber]

Wouldn't a Glock G22 or G23 give you similar advantages? Barrel/mag swap between 9mm/.40/357 sig.

[mrsvinarich26]

you had that loaded! holy shit thats exciting

[thenewsurvivalist]

@mrsvinarich26 The safety "rules" for guns: 1) keep your finger off the trigger until you intend to pull it, 2) Never under any circumstances point a gun loaded or unloaded in an unsafe directions, & 3) Keep your gun unloaded until you are ready to use it. Regarding #3: For my handguns (not hunting rifles) they are defensive weapons and therefore are ALWAYS in use so they are most always loaded. I take tremendous care, however, to keep them out of the reach of children and irresponsible adults.

[mrsvinarich26]

@thenewsurvivalist that makes it pretty safe then sorry for my naive comment and i shoot as well and im very familiar with gun rules.

[Richardofdanbury]

I understand about the cylinder differences, but what about the barrels? Doesn't the 9mm round rattle down the barrel on firing rather than traveling snugly down the barrel to release?

What is the approximate cost of this Blackhawk convertible.

Richard of Danbury

[thenewsurvivalist]

@Richardofdanbury 9mm parabellum (9x19) has a bullet diameter of 0.356 in (9.03 mm) whereas both the .38 SP and .357 MAG have bullet diameters of 0.357 in (9.1 mm.) That is a difference of only 1/1000th of an inch or 7/100th of a mm! In summary, the barrel is not a problem!

[valflyinf]

@Richardofdanbury Do some research on the diameter of a 9mm bullet and a 357/37 special bullet...hehe

[floridaarnis]

The .357 S&W Magnum is (9x33mmR)

[valflyinf]

@floridaarnis The 9mm is (9.03X19mm)

The 357/38 are 9.1X33mm.

[googlesbitch]

Good selection of guns, the best selection is the most common calibers that you can find in an emergency. A side note is not to make a habit of spinning the cylinder and then shutting it quickly because over time it will chip or nick the indexing key on bottom of frame opening. This can cause cylinder to be off timing or cause it to bind when shooting.

[thenewsurvivalist]

@googlesbitch I never spin it and shut it while it is spinning. I know better. It looks like I do in the video but I always completely stop the cylinder with my hand before shutting it. I just do it quickly, and with the limited frames per second of the videos quick details are often missed.

[dp665]

that is awsome thank you so much for this video i did not even know about this revolver.

[dougluvn]

you shoot a deer with that video that so we can see that.

[paulgem123]

That is really cool.

[drewstarr71]

How much did that set you back?? I might try to find one.

[thenewsurvivalist]

@drewstarr71 Suggested retail (MSRP) is: $655.00 but I got a sweet deal from my local gun dealer of $480 plus shipping/handling and tax (grand total: $535.49.) Locate them at galleryofguns period com.

[skrillmau]

wouldn't the best weapon be a musket? that way you could melt down scrap metal and make your own ammunition.

[eatasammich]

What model number is that? You just sold me one

[thenewsurvivalist]

@eatasammich Model 10318

[talon55130]

@eatasammich It's Model # BN36XL. I think he just gave you the serial number. The 4 5/8" inch barrel is BN34XL.

[grayv1964]

Sweet gun Doc, I can see the advantage of a handgun that can shoot three cartridges.

[FuriousPixel]

what do you think it shoots best .357 or 9mm

[thenewsurvivalist]

@FuriousPixel It seems to shoot both equally well to me based on my accuracy with it.

[talon55130]

@FuriousPixel .38 special. .357 mag won't hurt the gun but it will beat you up after awhile. 9mm is .355 diameter and your shooting it down a .357 diameter barrel, no biggy but there is a tiny drop in accuracy but you will need precision equipment and a lab to see it.

[bobosantos1]

Love the versitility

[JP5466]

Very nice review. Great song too.

[Bigoldjeff1956]

I had the exact same gun in the past, but I let it get away to buy something else and I don't even remember what. One of my big regrets. I still have a stainless 6" New Model Ruger Blackhawk .357 Mag which is still a two shooter, .38 Special and .357 Mag that I picked up for $200 about 15 years ago. But I still wish I had that old three shooter back.

[ohoh00007]

Exactly why I bought one.... Cheers.

[blazinbudsbitch]

I watched this video. why did the view count not go up?