[Red Head]

I have never been into guns but I inherited a Ruger Blackhawk .41 Magnum Cal according to the Sturm, Ruger & Co. it was produced in Feb. 1971 catalog #BKH-42. It has a brass grip frame. Where can I go find a value for it? I need any help you can give me. Thanks!

 

[wwb]

Not certain, but I don't believe the Blackhawk was ever produced with a brass grip frame. It was probably taken from a Ruger Old Army cap & ball revolver and fitted to the Blackhawk.

Go to the Ruger Forum:

http://www.rugerforum.com/cgi-bin/cgiwr ... tion=intro

and post your question in the "Ruger Revolver" section.

 

[slabsides]

Brass grip frame was availablefrom Ruger as aftermarket, perhaps even NIB. You can still buy brass frames (at least for new models, not sure about old models) from Brownell's.

 

[TexNekkid]

Ruger shipped a few Blackhawks with brass gripframes around the time yours was manufactured. Based on your post, I'm assuming you've already got a letter from Ruger identifying its "as shipped" configuration. If not, you should request one; many folks have installed aftermarket gripframes on their Blackhawks, but original "Brassies" are worth substantially more than their more common contemporaries.

My shooter grade .357 below was originally shipped with a brass gripframe. A former owner, alas, changed that.

You might want to post an inquiry on value in the revolver section of RugerForum.com. Its moderator ("Flatgate") is a very accomplished Ruger collector and seems to have a particular affinity for brass gripframes, both factory and aftermarket.