i can't answer your question but could it have some thing to do with your gun having the lock inside the grip ?

 

It's not really as complicated as you think. Over the 50+ years Ruger has used only three basic plow handle type grips. Their frame markings are enough to drive people nuts. First off, the "N" just stands for new model.

The "RED" just stands for redesigned. Ruger first started with the XR3 grip frame in 1953. In 1962 they redesigned the frame to the new XR3-RED.

They finally dropped the "RED" but it's still the XR3-RED profile. I guess after 40 years they figured they no longer needed to refer to it as redesigned.

Your short barreled Super Blackhawk has the XR3-RED profile grip on it. This is the same as the Blackhawk / Vaquero. The only difference on the Blackhawk is that the grip frame is aluminum. On the Vaquero and your SBH it is steel.

The short barreled Super Blackhawks (4 5/8" & 5 1/2") have the XR3-RED profile grip frames and the long barreled Super Blackhawks (7 1/2" & 10 1/2") have the larger Dragoon style square backed trigger guard grip frames on them.

You can see the three grip frame sizes in the drawing below. Anything that fits the regular Blackhawk and Vaquero (XR3-RED) will fit your gun.

Don't confuse people with your grip frame markings. When shopping for grips just tell them you want grips to fit the regular Blackhawk or Vaquero, (not New Vaquero).

There is an exception. The new Flattop Blackhawks have the New XR3 grip frame. This is the same as the "New Vaquero". This steel grip frame is almost identical to Rugers first (1953) XR3 grip frame with two exceptions.

The first is that they have the locks in them and the second is that they are only 7/16" in width whereas the original XR3 was 1/2" in width.

If anyone is not sure of the grip frame on their gun, just draw yourself a three inch square and place one of your grips in it and see how it fits.

Hope this answers your question and makes some sense to you.

 

Thanks a lot! This helped me immensely, I red so many conflicting articles and didn't know what to go with.



The Super Blackhawks do not have the internal lock...from what I have seen!

i can't answer your question but could it have some thing to do with your gun having the lock inside the grip ?

 

Thank you caryc for the great explanation. I learned something new and wasn't even wanting to.

 

If your head is not spinning enough yet, here is the story on Rugers internal locks.

In 2005 Ruger came out with the New Vaquero. This newer smaller version of the Vaquero had a new steel copy of the old aluminum XR3 grip frame that Ruger used on their single action revolvers from 1953 to 1962. In trying to satisfy the Cowboy Shooter crowd and emulate the Colt, they made the grip frame only 7/16" in width whereas the original XR3 aluminum frame was 1/2" in width. The new locks they had for these grip frames are wider than 7/16" so they stick out on each side of the grip frame. The locks are .480” in width.

This was no problem since they put molded black plastic grips on the New Vaqueros. They are concave in the backs so the locks did not interfere with the grips at all. However if you put a flat backed wood grip on the gun, it needed to have recesses in the backs to fit over the locks. The only guns that have this New Steel XR3 grip frame so far are the New Vaquero, the two 50th Anniversary flat tops (.357 & .44 mag), the Montado, and the now Ruger cataloged .44 special flat top. So, the only guns to have that narrow steel XR3 grip frame are either the New Vaquero or the New Flat Tops. Beware that the new flat tops say Blackhawk on the side of the gun but as I said they are flat top Blackhawks.

OK now on to the regular Blackhawks. Maybe a year or two ago Ruger installed the locks in the aluminum Blackhawk grip frames also. But they left the grip frames at 1/2" in width which is wider than the locks so any flat backed grips do not need any recesses in the backs to clear the locks.

As far as I know, so far none of the stainless grip frames have locks in them except for the stainless New XR3 as used on the New Vaquero and stainless flat tops. I have been told by customers that they called Ruger and were told that the plastic grips sold for the new blackhawks would not fit an older blackhawk because they were made for guns with locks. So even the people at Ruger (well at least the telephone sales peopl) don't know what the hell is going on since those new black plastic Blackhawk grips will fit the Blackhawks as well.

Any flat backed wood grip made to fit the regular Blackhawk XR3-RED sized grip frame will fit the new Blackhawks with the locks in the frames with no problem.

The plastic grips on the regular Blackhawks (non flattops) with locks will fit the older Blackhawks without locks with no problem.

 

CaryC is the expert when it comes to Ruger grip frames. He has helped a lot of people, including me, on this forum to navigate Ruger's ever-changing configurations.

 

CaryC. I also want to thank you..I also learned something even though I did not intend to!!

 

What drives me crazy, in looking at Ruger grips on some auction sights, I keep seeing "these grips will fit a Blackhawk and the 2005 or newer New Vaquero".......

HUH??

 

The New Vaquero came out in 2005. It has the steel copy of the old XR3 grip frame on it.

Then they came out with the .357 50th Anniversary Blackhawk which was a flattop and this had the same New XR3 grip frame on it.

All the new flattop Blackhawks have the New XR3 grip frames on them.

All the new regular Blackhawks still have the aluminum XR3-RED profile grip frame on them.

It gets confusing because the regular Blackhawks and the Flattop Blackhawks are just marked "New Model Blackhawk".

As I said, one can always tell the New XR3 grip frame buy just measuring the width. It's 7/16" in width whereas all Rugers other grip frames are 1/2" in width.