He will surely be remembered as the greatest firearms designer of our time, not so much for invention, but more for refinement and improvement of older designs and improved manufacturing techniques like precision investment casting, that produced better, stronger products. To this day, demand for single-action revolvers remains high, and the company has grown into one of the largest and most versatile manufacturers of firearms in the United States, with offerings in all four major market segments – shotguns, rifles, pistols and revolvers. Expanding on a winning theme, he went on to develop the most extensive line of single-action revolvers in history – starting with the. 22 rimfire was embraced by anxious buyers and soon became as successful as his. While other manufacturers thought the single-action revolver was dead, Ruger’s Single-Six. Noting the popularity of Western movies, and the fact that Colt had ceased production of the Single-Action Army revolver after World War II, Ruger saw the void as a market opportunity. He has been called a visionary for his ability to read the firearms market like he had a crystal ball, and this insight lead to development of the Ruger Single-Six in 1953. After Alex Sturm’s death from viral hepatitis in 1951, Bill Ruger assumed control of the company and started work on his next offering.
Profitable in its first year, the company quickly paid back the loan from the Sturm family, and has neither lost nor borrowed money since – operating solely on revenues generated. A year later the semi-automatic pistol was ready for sale and proved to be an instant success with the masses, due to its aesthetic appeal and comparatively low cost, as well as its accuracy and reliability. With a $50,000 start-up loan from Sturm’s family, they rented a small machine shop in Southport, Connecticut to produce the. Ruger partnered with young firearms enthusiast Alexander Sturm to start the Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. A proper review of the Ruger Blackhawk however, would be incomplete without a few words about the man who designed the gun, and some history of the company that bears his name. Fortunately, a wealth of adjectives have been used to describe this single-action (SA) revolver over the years – like “venerable” and “remarkable” used above – so the approach here will be to review the descriptive words that readily pop into the minds of those who know the Blackhawk, and then discuss the significance of each for today’s prospective buyer. Taking a new and/or different approach to reviewing the Ruger Blackhawk however, presents a genuine challenge. With so much history, reviewing a product that’s been around for 60 years – and nearly 40 years in its current model – should be comparatively easy, and I eagerly accepted this assignment. Consider that this firearm is used primarily in recreation and sporting activities, so notwithstanding sidearm duty for some rural western lawmen, it’s participation in the enormous market for Military and Police arms has been miniscule. Yet this firearm was engineered and manufactured so well that demand for vintage original “Flattop” and “3-Screw” models, as well as the “New Model” and current line extensions, is as great today as ever before.
Trying to come up with another product from the mid-1950’s in the durable goods category that even approaches the track record of the Blackhawk would result in mental exhaustion. Though not without a few changes along the way, this is nonetheless a remarkable record for this venerable six-shooter. The Ruger Blackhawk Single-Action Revolver has been in continuous production for 60 years.
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