Well, this ain't gonna work!

[jebstuart]

I fear I've lulled myself into believing Blackhawk revolver parts are so interchangeable, I don't even need to look - it's called laziness.

I'm trying to convert a convertible .45 to Bisley. After advertising for weeks, I finally bought a great Bisley grip frame from a member here, extra helpful with measurements etc., (thanks Sir). Ordered a trigger and b-back screws from Brownell's, AND purchased extra stuff to total $50 for free shipping (I actually did need some English red stain) and then, they didn't include the dang trigger in the shipment! Called them, they sent the trigger by "pack burro" from Iowa to Arizona. Set me back another week. I'm like a month and a half into this "as we speak".

Now, the pathetic, selfinflicted part. After I gathered all the Bisley parts, I removed the handles from the subject .45. Imagine my chagrin when I find this "lock gadigit" in there. What a work stopper that was. So now, can someone tell me what I need? Will the strut & spring work with just a new "seat"? Is the strut/spring properly sized for a Bisley grip frame? Any help for a lazy, stupid man will be appreciated. I should have included a pic of the "lock style" strut and spring. Here goes:

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I am not positive but I think you will need a new strut, mainspring and mainspring seat for the Bisley gripframe.
page 33, part #s 30, 31 and 32. https://ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/_manuals/blackhawk.pdf

 

[BPGuy]

My friend, you are absolutely right: That ain't gonna work! I have been in your shoes, and I feel your pain! One thing you will NEED that NO ONE will EVER mention to you is a NEW PAWL. The one in your gun WILL NOT WORK with the Bisley frame and lockwork. You will need the strut, mainspring and mainspring seat as mentioned above, but all is for naught without the new pawl. You need one from a "non-lock" gun.

When I got to that point (frame, hammer, trigger, new strut, mainspring and seat installed), the hammer simply wouldn't lock back. It just wouldn't go far enough back to engage properly. My good friend tried to file the pawl (a shot in the dark) to make it work, but it just made things worse. He then took a pawl out of one of his guns, installed it in mine, and it worked fine.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

 

[Hondo44]

Whoa, whoa, fellas. I'm sorry to have to disagree.

1. The strut and spring will work just fine and in fact give you a nicer hammer pull and trigger pull. It's 25 coils instead of 28 coils. I use them in all my Rugers. You just need a standard spring seat or a Bearcat seat. The advantage of the BC seat is you won't have to fight the spring on the strut to install the seat. It installs like the lock; below the take down pin. If you call ruger, they'll send ether seat to you free.

2. Now to confirm, is your 45 convertible a Blackhawk or Flat Top BH?

3. Regardless, you won't need to change the pawl. If you change the pawl in a flat top, with a non-spin free pawl, the Reverse Indexing Pawl System to align the cyl chambers with the loading gate trough won't work. It must be a free spin pawl.

Bisley grip frames, although one of the easiest swaps, a few details to be aware of. Current production have the divot and do not have the projections into the frame. If an older Bisley frame, a slight divot needs to be reproduced in the Bisley GF.

Divot for free spin pawl on NM Flat Tops and New Vaqueros with the reverse indexing pawl system shown on the left:

Ruger free spin pawl on the right:

Cutting the divot: To locate this notch, take a measurement from the location on your original GF. Or mark that area on the replacement GF with a magic marker, assemble the GF to the gun, then cock the hammer a few times. This will leave a 'witness' mark in the marker ink, so you simply make the "divot" there. Be cautious not to let the cut extend to the outside edge of the grip frame or it will show when assembled, and don't cut notch too deep!
Use a thin cut-off blade in a Dremel tool. With grip frame in a vice, and your old grip frame nearby for reference, hold the Dremel with two hands for control. And replicate the divot in the new grip frame. It's easier to clamp the Dremel tool in the vice at an angle and hold the grip frame instead.

4. Grip Frame Projections shown here pointing to the right just above the two rear trigger guard screws and both sides of where the hammer would be. To fit grip frames with projections to guns w/o the cut out in the cyl frame, like the NM Flat Tops, just saw or grind off the projections, they are not needed on steel grip frames:

Photo by G2.

I hope this is helpful and if you have any questions, just ask.

 

[jebstuart]

1. The strut and spring will work just fine and in fact give you a nicer hammer pull and trigger pull. It's 25 coils instead of 28 coils. I use them in all my Rugers. You just need a standard spring seat or a Bearcat seat. The advantage of the BC seat is you won't have to fight the spring on the strut to install the seat. It installs like the lock; below the take down pin. If you call ruger, they'll send ether seat to you free.

2. Now to confirm, is your 45 convertible a Blackhawk or Flat Top BH?

I hope this is helpful and if you have any questions, just ask.

The convertible .45 is NOT a flattop (I bought a flattop 44 special, but it was already in Bisley guise - bless the small miracles I guess), and it appears that you're right again. I measured the strut/spring against one I previously converted, and its exactly as you describe it. So I bought a "strut seat" from Midway - $2.50 & $5.00 shipping. Well, I have to justify the shipping, so I also bought a new set of India stones to tune the double-set triggers on the most beautiful, mint condition, 1888, Hanel sporterized, Commission rifle, in 8mm J-bore Mauser, you ever........ Anyway, why can't a guy just buy the parts he needs?

And be careful when you say "just ask", cause I just might. And thanks again Man!

 

[Panthera Tigris]

Hah, and I thought that divot was a machining error. Mine was all scored up and had the blueing off, so I blued it with some birchwood casey. You learn something every day...

 

[Hondo44]

Anyway, why can't a guy just buy the parts he needs?

That's a good question. Why should one have to pay $10 shipping for a little $2 part or a large part?

No worries, happy to answer any and all questions.