Lipsey's .45 Convertible

When it comes to firearms these are the best of times. No, scratch that, these are the best! of times. Yes, I definitely miss the old classics and we haven’t seen a new Three-Screw Ruger or Pinned and Recessed Smith & Wesson with Diamond grips for nearly 50 years. On the upside, where we once had relatively few choices when it came to a new firearm, we now have literally thousands of choices. And also on the upside, the fact that so many newer shooters want the newer guns means, in many cases, the old Classics found in used form at gunshops and gun shows often go for bargain prices.

We don’t have any of the old Classics, however thanks to the combination of Lipsey’s and Ruger we have the next best thing. When the Ruger .357 Blackhawk arrived in 1955 it had a flattopped frame, a three-screw action, and was basically the same size as a Colt Single Action. The Flat-Top disappeared in 1962, the three-screw action gave way to the two pin New Model action in 1972, and at the same time all Blackhawks were built on the larger .44 Magnum frame. Gone forever was that smaller, handier and easier to pack, original .357 Blackhawk. Well, almost.

In 2005, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original Blackhawk, Ruger brought out a Flat-Top New Model downsized to match the original. As an extra-added bonus, Ruger brought back the original grip frame configuration, which had been lost in 1962. The original XR3 grip frame was an alloy, while the new version is all steel and both are basically the same size and shape as that found on a Colt Single Action. They didn’t even stop there, as the adjustable rear sight was a Micro once again. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say the 50th-year Blackhawk is even better than the original, as it was now all steel and could be safely carried with six rounds.

Pressure/Accuracy

Let me repeat the fact the New Model .45 Colt Flat-Top Ruger Blackhawks are basically the same size as the original .357 Magnum Blackhawk and the Colt Single Action. After the original .45 Blackhawk arrived back in the early ’70s, handloaders found they could go well above loads they were used to using in the Colt Single Actions, and most reloading manuals started having a special section for the .45 Ruger Blackhawk.

Some of these loads are in the 25,000-32,000 psi range and must never be used in the new Flat-Top .45 from Lipsey. This is an easy-to-pack, medium-framed .45 Colt single action and loads should be tailored accordingly. For me, that means 250- to 260-grain bullets should be kept under 1,100 fps. Save the heavier loads for larger-framed sixguns.

Over the years, .45 Colt sixguns have been plagued with chamber throats in the cylinders, which have not adhered to any sort of standard specifications. I have found .45 Colt cylinder throats as tight as .449″ and as large as .457″ with the ideal being somewhere around .451″ to .452″. Tight cylinders are a relatively easy fix, requiring only a throat reamer and the skill to use it. Overly large cylinders can be overcome by using larger diameter bullets, or in extreme cases being replaced. Sending a .452″ bullet down a .457″ chamber throat doesn’t do much for accuracy.

Both of the cylinders on each of these Ruger .45 Convertibles have been cut correctly. With the blue version the .45 Colt cylinder having uniform throats at .451″, while all of the .45 ACP holes measure .452″. With the stainless sixguns, both the .45 Colt and .45 ACP cylinders throats are all a uniform .451″. These details in proper sizing the throats are, no doubt, a large part of the reason these sixguns shoot so well.

Details

The blued and stainless steel versions are offered in 45/8″ and 51/2″ barrel lengths, however I opted for the 51/2″ barrel on each. For most of my sixgunning life I have preferred a 71/2″ barrel single action for shooting, and a 43/4″ length for easy packing. In recent years I have found the 51/2″ to be an excellent compromise between the two. Indeed, the new Rugers are excellent candidates for the title of Perfect Packin’ Pistol.

Sights are excellent, consisting of a black Micro rear sight with a nice square notch matched up perfectly with a black ramp front sight with a sloping blade. Normally New Model Ruger single actions come with trigger pulls heavier than I prefer and it’s my standard procedure to remove one grip panel and slip one side of the trigger return spring off its post, resulting in a lighter pull. With these two .45 Flat-Tops this resulted in trigger pulls of 21/2 to 3 pounds.

When Ruger first started building single actions in 1953 with their first .22 Single-Six, the grips were checkered rubber and this carried over to the 1955 Blackhawk .357 Magnum. Sometime in 1956 they began issuing walnut stocks and this carried over through the Old Models and New Models. With the arrival of Bisley Models in the mid-1980s grip panels were a little more exotic, appearing to be of cocobolo. Apparently the days of wood panels are over and current single actions mostly have checkered rubber/plastic.

The grips on these .45 Colt Flat-Tops are faux ivory, with black Ruger eagle medallions. The panels on the blue version are such that the pinhole on the grip doesn’t quite match up with the pins on the grip frame resulting in an overlap of the panel on the backstrap and an underlap on the frontstrap. Apparently someone paid attention to this fact and the stainless steel version has grips fitting correctly. These sixguns are so nice I intend to fit them with custom grips, and currently the blued version wears a pair of exotic wood grips stolen from another Ruger.

Shooting

Shooting both of these .45s with either cylinder in place is extremely pleasurable. In fact we could call them Perfectly Pleasurable Perfect Packin’ Pistols. Whether using standard or slightly above .45 Colt loads or .45 ACP loads, felt recoil is never close to punishing. The grip panels are a little thinner than I prefer, however with their smooth finish they roll gently in the hand.

I normally like to load standard .45 Colts with 250-260 grain cast bullets at around 900 to 1,000 fps, and both of these.45 Flat-Tops handled those loads with ease. Elmer Keith’s original bullet Lyman’s #454424 weighs around 260 grains from my alloy, however some .45 Colt cylinders are just a smidgen short when this bullet is crimped in the crimping groove.

Several years ago Dave Scovill set about to basically redesign the Keith bullet by slightly shortening the nose and adding more weight in the body. The result is the RCBS #45-270SAA which weighs around 280 grains from my wheelweight alloy. Loaded over 10 grains of Unique it clocks out at just over 1,000 fps and groups into 1″ making it an excellent everyday working load for these Perfect Packin’ Pistols.

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