Is it possible to take a Ruger BH in .45 Colt & have the cylinder reamed for .454 Casull? Or should a person start with a SBH and have it rebarrelled? I have a hankering for something new.

I think you'd need a 5-hole cylinder to handle the Casull in the SBH or BH. I don't feel that either has enough steel to contain that much pressure.

I would have to agree.

Yep, it needs to be a five shot, that allows for thicker walls and places the lock point on the cylinder between chambers instead of over the chamber and the five shot cylinder is longer and has a larger OD.

So it looks like if it could be done it would have to be a SBH with a new cylinder & barrel. Any specs on how long a BH cylinder is vs a SBH cylinder?

Joe, I wouldn't go to all that expense to do it on a SBH frame. I don't think it is built strong enough to handle the preassure of the 454. If you like the looks of the SBH, buy a Magnum Research BFR in 454. Looks just like it but it is built to withstand the preassure of the 454. They go for around $1000 and in my opinion the quality is better than the Ruger. You can look at mine on the bragging board. I even made a custom set of Zebrawood grips for it.

This guy was able to pull it off with a redhawk

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=105441&highlight=redhawk+454

2nd the bfr,mine cost 830.00 is very accurate and comfortable to shoot.

IIRC, he used a SRH cylinder tho.

The BFR is an excellent gun but the Super Blackhawk frame is more than strong enough that's why I and many others do the 5 shot conversions. I personally do them in 45LC, 454, 480, 475, 500 S&W short(same as jrh), and the 500 Linebaugh. Actually the 454 is the one I would worry about the least as it has the most meat around the cylinder and the cylinder is what takes the majority of the stress. The BFR will normally be cheaper whereas the SBH or actually the blackhawk as they have the same frame end up being a custom piece. Actually Dick Casull was a pioneer in altering blackhawks which of course then John Linebaugh picked it up from there as have many others since.

This is my personal 454 I built.


This is a 500 Linebaugh I carry as a backup weapon when needed on a Vaquero frame.

That is a cute little bugger, with a big bite on both ends I 'spect ;-)

It will get your attention thats for sure but it's controllable. I have it apart right now, I'm doing some experimenting with my casehardening mix and decided it should be the candidate. As a side note I found out the case harden finish on it in the pic which was factory Ruger is fake. They use some type of chemical finish instead of actually cooking them to save time and money.