Rifleman Q & A: A Collector or a Shooter?

Q: I recently started hunting and ATV riding in Colorado and want to carry a large-caliber and capable gun with me for defense. I have one gun that fits the bill easily, it is a like-new, commemorative New Model Super Blackhawk chambered for .44 Mag. Stamped on the gun’s barrel is “Made in the 200th Year of American Liberty.” I am concerned with the potential for spoiling any additional value this commemorative edition has by firing it.

A: Given the nature of your question and the queries I have made, the pistol does not appear to gain significant additional value due to its markings. One source says Ruger marked virtually all of its 1976 production this way. If it were my gun, I would not hesitate to use it. But to obtain more information on its collector value, if it has any, I would suggest you contact the Ruger Collectors’ Ass’n at its website: rugercollectorsassociation.com.

--Charles W. Pate