This afternoon I took my recently acquired Super Blackhawk Hunter out back to put a few rounds through it... function test and all that. I had been lusting after one for a while, and when I saw this used one in the display case at the local fun shop I just had to have it. This is a BIG gun, and with its 7 1/2 inch ribbed barrel it weighs all of 52 ounces. The grip is a good deal larger than that of the Vaquero. (All pics here can be viewed full size by right-clicking, select 'view image')
I walked back maybe a half mile into the woods to find a good spot to shoot. Today was a beautiful day; temperature was in the mid-to-high 70s. The ground was still a bit mushy so I was able to see a lot of deer tracks as I walked. With all the rain we've had this year, the mosquitoes were out in force!
I found a dead tree to shoot at, using a small knothole as an aiming point. I fired from about 25 feet away, unsupported. I tried some 240 grain .44 Magnum rounds, and heavy as this revolver is, recoil was not an issue at all. I did get some muzzle flip, but it was not at all uncomfortable to fire.
Then I loaded up some 180 grain .44 Special rounds. Those were VERY mild in this gun, with very little muzzle rise. They felt like a popgun in comparison. Still, .44 spl is a serious round, and I would not hesitate to use it for self defense.
The dead tree, made deader:
The one thing that I did not like at all when I first got this gun home was the way the grips felt. They were very uncomfortable, as there was an almost sharp edge on the right underside. I removed the grips and attacked the sharp edge with a series of half-round files, working my way down to one that has a very fine cut. I don't think it turned out too badly. I may just leave it as it is for now, but I suppose I could sand the entire grip down and apply a dark stain and add Minwax or something. It's hard to notice in most light, so I'll probably just leave it. The change made for a 100% improvement on how this gun feels.
Before (when I first got the gun):
Notice the sharp edge on the bottom, where the grip transitions from the angular corner part of the frame. This really seemed to dig into my hand, and no way was I going to fire this gun until I either fixed it or bought new grips.
This picture shows how it looks after I smoothed it out a bit:
Depending on how the light hits it, you almost can't see the mods:
One thing I do NOT like is that, unlike my Vaquero, the cylinder does not align with the loading gate at each click. This was a huge PITA as I tried to unload and reload while being swarmed with mosquitoes. Does anyone know if there is a fix for this? I think my used Hunter is from 2002, although it says 'New Model' on the side of it.
Obligatory pen-through-the-triggerguard pic:
I really like this gun. I just hope there is a way to fix that cylinder alignment issue.