.45 Ruger Bisley, talk me out of it, or into it, or out....

[Tactical Lever]

I found a nice Ruger for sale, seems like a pretty good deal, almost $300 off suggested retail. Looks pretty nice, but I wouldn't mind a Redhawk, or a Blackhawk in stainless, with a slightly shorter barrel.

Jump at it, or wait until I find exactly what I'm after?

[Chuck 100 yd]

It`s your call. I would wait for the one I wanted.
It sounds like you don`t know what you want.

[Ray Newman]

Chuck100yd: agreed.

[Blaine]

I read all the magazines about fifteen years ago and bought a Bisley .41 BH. Hated it. Could not shoot with that grip.....If you can, try one out first.

[Old Savage]

CowboyTutt has one in stainless, excellent all around revolver.

[Tactical Lever]

Well thanks guys, that was just about as helpful as I thought it would be.

If I had the money, I would just get one of each and be done with it!

I think I am going to be kicking myself if I don't try to acquire it. I don't see too many come up for sale.

[.45colt]

I bought Mine when they first came out, I think in 86. still have it. with heavy loads the grip helps a lot.

[BenT]

Like any handgun it has to fit your hand. With that said with the Bisley grip hot loads are easy to shoot. It pushes straight back into your hand. I had mine out this last weekend and was hitting a 10 inch plate offhand at 75 yards. The long barrel gives a great sighting plane. Mine is in 45 colt and I use it for deer and wyley steel plates.

[alnitak]

I love the Bisley grips. While I didn't have a .45, I had them in .44 mag/spl and .357/.38. They fit my hand perfectly and tame the recoil. I prefer having a grip I can get all my fingers on, rather than the pinkie under, though others prefer the plow-handle grip.

[M. M. Wright]

The Ruger Bisley grip is very close to Elmer Kieth's no. 5 which is considered by many to be the perfect grip. When they first came out I remember that Ross Seyfried, (IPSC world champion and long time gun writer) said it was the perfect packing pistol, but then I think he used the 5.5" barrel. What's the one you're looking at, 7.5"? Either way, buy it, if you just can't stand it then you have an excuse to buy something else.

[FLINT]

I have a .45 bisley blackhawk with 7.5" barrel and I really like it.

I had a .41mag regular blackhawk that I liked, but sold it to get the .45 bisley and like the bisley way more.

like others say, i'm sure its a personal preference.

[Griff]

The "Bisley" Grip was introduced in 1894 as a target pistol, named after the shooting range in Bisley, England. IMO, it holds wonderfully in one hand. The Colt Bisley feels great in my hand, the Ruger version, not so much. What give the Colt its advantage is also the much wider and lower hammer spur, and wider trigger... these allow for much easier one-handed operation of the pistol. I don't find the recoil "lighter" with the Bisley; whereas with the plow-handled model I've developed a grip that allows the gun to rotate in my palm, I have a tendency to grip a Bisley like I do a 1911 or double action, where the gun is pushed upward under recoil.

[piller]

As several others have said, you may have to try it out if you can find someone who has one. The Ruger Bisley does not fit my hand, but that is me and not anyone else.

[AJMD429]

If you get a Bisley one and don't wind up liking it...

a) you can likely sell it quickly, as many of us LOVE the Bisley grip Rugers,
b) you can also replace it with a regular grip frame (easier with stainless ones though).

I have a 45 Colt Bisley and also a 45 ACP cylinder. That, plus my 45 Colt 1894 Marlin, and my Para Ordnance 1911, makes a nice trio of hunting and CCW firearms.

[Pete44ru]

I read all the magazines about fifteen years ago and bought a Bisley .41 BH. Hated it. Could not shoot with that grip.....If you can, try one out first.

+1 - I loved the look of them, when they were 1st introduced - so I bought one in .44Mag.

I really hated the way it felt, when shot - even with .44 Specials - so, I swapped out the gripframe & grips with a NM .357 BH I had on hand.

Since I've been shooting SA revolvers for around 50 years, I much prefer the gun rotating up to dissapate recoil, than slamming straight back into my hand like a S&W M29 (or other DA revolver).

I liked it much better with the XR3-RED gripframe, and the Bisley hammer /trigger.

One of my friends liked the .357 BH with the Bisley gripframe so much that I "let" him talk me out of it. .


.

[Chuck 100 yd]

Not everyone likes the Bisley grip. I have several of them in my humble collection of
(50+) Ruger handguns. Only 8 or 9 have the Bisley grip frame.
I like both styles and IMHO the Bisley grip Will allow you to handle heavy Magnum loads better but since the gun recoils more straight back rather than rolling in the hand, the hand actually takes the force more and takes a little more beating if that makes any sense to you. For me the plow handle, as it roles in the hand, looses some of it`s recoil energy. That is the way it feels to me anyway.

.44 Mag. SS shortie, a handfull with 300 gr Ruger only loads. Bear medicine.
note the extra tall .45 Colt (Ruger) front sight blade to get it to impact lower on target with those heavy loads. They come regulated for 240 gr bullets and will shoot 12" high at 25 yd with the 300 gr. bullets.

.44 special flat top, Fun gun, great shooter 5 1/2"

Toys for boyz!!

[CowboyTutt]

I really like the Ruger Bisley grip frame myself. As previously stated it allows you to choke up and control recoil for repeat shots faster. There is a reason some custom gun makers like Linebaugh will not make a heavy recoiling magnum sixgun with a plow handle grip. The one weakness I see is that many Bisley grips are slimmer on top than at the bottom which can make the grip slip down further into your hand. A grip like this one made for me by Carey at CLC Custom Grips really help you maintain a grip that does not change under heavy recoil.







And in another material:



-Tutt

[Tactical Lever]

The Ruger Bisley grip is very close to Elmer Kieth's no. 5 which is considered by many to be the perfect grip. When they first came out I remember that Ross Seyfried, (IPSC world champion and long time gun writer) said it was the perfect packing pistol, but then I think he used the 5.5" barrel. What's the one you're looking at, 7.5"? Either way, buy it, if you just can't stand it then you have an excuse to buy something else.

Never tried a handgun where I hated the grip, but then again I've never tried a Ruger Bisley grip either. Elmer Keith had some pretty big mitts, but it kind of looks like the grip is less deep at the bottom, and might be suited for smaller hands. As for myself I buy the regular large size ropers.

The one I'm looking at is a 7.5. I would enjoy the 7.5, but a 6" bbl. might be nice... What's a gunsmith usually charge to shorten and replace the front site?

[C. Cash]

I am another one who never could warm to the Bisley grip. If you can, handle one and see if it feels natural.

[bdhold]

Tutt, thanks for showing those - beautiful work.

[Blaine]

Tutt, thanks for showing those - beautiful work.

+1

[piller]

Not all Bisley frames are the same. RKrodle used to have a Linebaugh in .475 Linebaugh that I fired a cylinder full out of. It was a very different feel than the Ruger grips.

[CowboyTutt]

Thanks guys,
Those are Carey's "tear drop" grips and I like them a lot. They are slimmer at the front (more narrow) and he widens them in the back to distribute recoil over more surface area. Also, interestingly, on Carey's website it says that the blued Bisley grip frames and the SS ones are different, so he can only custom fit them now.

Since Ruger's stainless and blued Bisley grip frames are different sizes I no longer make Bisley grips for stock sales. I will however make them on request if the customer is willing to send me the grip frame. See my "Grip Blanks" page for materials.

http://www.clccustomgrips.com/

-Tutt

[AJMD429]

The one weakness I see is that many Bisley grips are slimmer on top than at the bottom which can make the grip slip down further into your hand.

Yep. If you have long fingers, but skinny hands, none of the 'regular' grips are all that good; the long fingers make your knuckles hit the trigger-guard, and the skinny hands mean there is not enough grip to cushion recoil up high on the grip frame.

I got around this as a kid, with a home-made but 'ugly' pair I made as a teenager, for my Super Blackhawk.

[CowboyTutt]

That must be why my wide palm, short average length fingers fit a Bisley grip so well!!!
I almost always wear large size gloves but have a wee bit of room left in the finger tips.
The plow handle grips always feel so small to me.....
-Tutt

[Tactical Lever]

Great pictures, Chuck and Tutt! Those are some nice lookin' pieces of shootin' iron!

I should have just told the guy I would take it! In between the money I "squandered" on reloading stuff and other stuff, I would have had it half paid off....

Kind of weird having buyer's remorse and non buyer's remorse at the same time... 1st world problems.

I did end up with a nice old model 70 though!

I think I have to get some more wheeling and dealing done...

[Larkbill]

The only thing more fun than the joy of bringing home a new toy is the beginning of a new search. I just did a bunch of side work for cash and have a nice chunk "burning a hole in my pocket". Armslist here I come!