montea6b Posted November 5, 2007 Report Share Posted November 5, 2007 Ruger centerfire singleshot frames are all supposed to be the same, right? A pistolsmith could swap barrels and cylinders and have a new caliber easily enough. So, why does Ruger find it necessary to stamp the caliber on the frame?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swamprat Posted November 6, 2007 Report Share Posted November 6, 2007 The frames may appear to be the same but are they? Different tensil strength for different calibers. This could be done quite easily by adjusting the batch at casting time. Then to avoid over zealist lawyers they mark the frames to keep you from putting a 44 mag together in a 38 frame. Or thats my guess. Having gone to Rugers site I found they have thier own casting dept. they not only cast for themselves but for others. I am know convinced that thier frames are rated different for each caliber. I would not try increasing the pressure in a 38 to a 44 or anything other than 38. Down sizing seems possible as the decreased pressure would insure safe shooting. But just who would want to? Swamprat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z1r Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Ruger only made one single shot frame, the hawkeye. I reckon yer talkin about single action frames in which case though they made several different frames throughout the years they are for the most part essentailly the same. The newest Vaquero frames are smaller and not as strong as either the older vaquero or blackhawks. The older varquero is nearly as strong as the blackhawk. As for parts, they will all pretty much interchange. It is a very common conversion to take an older .357 and convert it to .44. If I'm not mistaken, the earliest .357s were built on a smaller frame which is why they are sought after. Later, Ruger switched to one frame size. The Blackhawk is common converted to such uber rounds as the .454 & the various 475's & .480's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montea6b Posted November 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Yeah, good catch Mike. I meant the Blackhawk single action revolver frame. I have a Bisley Vaquero in 45LC, and a Super Blackhawk in 44mag. I was contemplating playing a little switcheroo, but am stymied by this frame stamping issue. Do you happen to know when the older stronger Vaquero frames you referenced were made? The topstrap on my Vaquero is obviously thinner, and it was made in the late 1990s, but I hadn't heard about any significant differences in strength between old and new with this model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.