Aluminum Bisley Gripframe

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RUFFBIRD

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Hi Folks.

Does anyone know of a company that has ever manufactured the Bisley gripframe in aluminum?
I sure would like to get my mitts on one (or more) for my .32 single sixguns. The steel type make for a heavy gun!
Works great on my big bore guns to help with recoil, but on the single six a lightweight bisley gripframe would be nice....

Thanks for any info & your comments! :)
 
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If I remember correctly one of the 'smiths did one and found it would not hold up to the forces of one of the big bore custom guns. It sure might for a 32 but as of now, there are not any as far as I know. You might contact Jack Huntington in Nevada. He does a grip extension on standard Ruger grips that lengthen them. He may be able to do such an extension on a 32's grip frame then if you can find a single six bisley sized hammer (Ron Powers makes them I believe) and have the hump reshaped to match the hammer well on the lengthened grip frame you would be pretty darn close.
 

Varminterror

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There's a lot of extra meat in a Bisley frame - you can lighten it a lot without sacrificing integrity beyond the point of function for the little 32H&R's. Here's a photo of one the Tincanbandit did:

2015-10-12%2B22_10_35-Bisley%2BOld%2BModel%2BLightweight%2B327_32-20%2BREVEALED%2521%2B_%2BSingle-Actions.jpg
 

Hondo44

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That's a great solution and compromise. I never want any alloy parts on my Rugers. But the steel grip frame does make a SS 22 heavy. However, a little milling even on the plow handle grip has a lot of potential to eliminate weight!
 

Hondo44

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If you think you might need a single six size Bisley hammer, now's the time to call Ruger parts. They recently ran a limited run of 22 Stainless Bisleys as a distributor exclusive model and must have hammers again for a short time.
 

2 dogs

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Varminterror said:
There's a lot of extra meat in a Bisley frame - you can lighten it a lot without sacrificing integrity beyond the point of function for the little 32H&R's. Here's a photo of one the Tincanbandit did:

2015-10-12%2B22_10_35-Bisley%2BOld%2BModel%2BLightweight%2B327_32-20%2BREVEALED%2521%2B_%2BSingle-Actions.jpg

That is actually my grip frame, and we did it, not tin can bandit. Be advised, it really didn't lighten the grip frame as much as we were trying for and in order to uniformly drill the holes in the straps of the frame like that takes a bit of time.

I agree with Rob, an aluminum grip frame would be really cool on a 32/327 but probably wouldn't do so well on a really mean kicking big bore.
 

Hondo44

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2 dogs,

But your handiwork does illustrate how much and in which areas grip frames can be lightened.

A milling cutter can run all around inside the strap connecting all the little holes, and all the large holes can be connected to remove all the metal in between them. That should really get the weight down. Colt SAA grip straps are hollow with a lot less metal than Rugers.
 

CraigC

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I agree, there's a good bit more material that can be removed than that. It can also be removed from the exterior instead, to slim down the whole profile and be a better fit on the Single Six. If I recall correctly, Clements has done them like that.

Far as I know, there have been no issues with the aluminum Bisley grip frame on Dennis Madriaga's Huntington .45 convertible.

Alloy%20Bisley%2001.jpg
 

2 dogs

Buckeye
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Hondo44 said:
2 dogs,

But your handiwork does illustrate how much and in which areas grip frames can be lightened.

A milling cutter can run all around inside the strap connecting all the little holes, and all the large holes can be connected to remove all the metal in between them. That should really get the weight down. Colt SAA grip straps are hollow with a lot less metal than Rugers.

Well Sir, nowadays there are some very sophisticated machines that make such work possible for sure. I think behind this particular project we were just trying to visit the methods and thinking of Harold Croft. My bet is you understand perfectly well how important it is to keep the custom sixgun pioneers alive in our minds.
 

Hondo44

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They did wondrous things with firearms long before sophisticated machinery was invented or at least affordable to the average gunsmith. It seems skillful hand file work is becoming a lost art. Lots of great milling these days, etc.
 

2 dogs

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Hondo, a bit of a two part answer to your last post. First, here is a picture of a lightweight Colt that we took inspiration from to build the Lightweight OM 327/32-20 Bisley the drilled frame above goes to.
nViHVYQ.png

Skillful handwork may indeed become a lost art if we don't keep our files sharp! There is steel out there that has to be saved!!
5wTbLpJ.jpg

q0fqXUz.jpg
 

xtratoy

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2 dogs said:
Varminterror said:
There's a lot of extra meat in a Bisley frame - you can lighten it a lot without sacrificing integrity beyond the point of function for the little 32H&R's. Here's a photo of one the Tincanbandit did:

2015-10-12%2B22_10_35-Bisley%2BOld%2BModel%2BLightweight%2B327_32-20%2BREVEALED%2521%2B_%2BSingle-Actions.jpg

That is actually my grip frame, and we did it, not tin can bandit. Be advised, it really didn't lighten the grip frame as much as we were trying for and in order to uniformly drill the holes in the straps of the frame like that takes a bit of time.

I agree with Rob, an aluminum grip frame would be really cool on a 32/327 but probably wouldn't do so well on a really mean kicking big bore.
Do you happen to have the before and after weight of that grip frame? I'm curious of the actual weight reduction that resulted.
 

2 dogs

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I didn't weigh it. While it was a good amount taken off, as Hondo has suggested, far more steel could have been removed. Again, what we were looking to do, was explore the Keith/Croft sixgun build connection. If ever I have occasion to take this gun all the way down to the pins we could always weigh it against a standard frame and see the difference.
u2jyxrt.jpg


Now, if you look a couple of pictures down, you will see I am in the process of rescuing a Single Six main frame that has been some beat up. I have a Bisley grip frame fitted up to it so we can see how much material we will have to weld onto the mainframe ears to properly fit the Bisley grip frame to this main frame. As has been pointed out, a Bisley grip frame does make for a bit heavier Single Six sized sixgun. Speaking for myself, I have always found the Bisley grip frame "set" in my hand better and I never minded the additional weight from a "shootability" standpoint. Still, that doesn't relieve us of the challenge presented from a technical point of view and we might chuck this sucker up in a milling machine and have at it like a mad mass of zombie beavers. If we do, we will have to weigh it first for sure.
L9HpfF9.jpg
 

Varminterror

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I've been thinking that myself - if a guy milled half of the thickness of the backstrap to leave a thin gusset on the inside, then enlarge the holes in the web/gusset at the bottom, it would cut a LOT of fat from the grip frame, a lot more than was drilled out in the picture I copied above.

Sorry 2 dogs for the incorrect credit for the picture, I'd seen that pic a long while back in another image site which pointed me to it at TCB's site, so I knew to find it there again. Not sure I ever actually read the page, maybe he gives credit, idk? But it comes up easy in a google image search.

A LOT of the Bisley frame could be milled out, without significantly weakening the frame, especially for use on a light cartridge Single Six.
 

2 dogs

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Varminterror said:
I've been thinking that myself - if a guy milled half of the thickness of the backstrap to leave a thin gusset on the inside, then enlarge the holes in the web/gusset at the bottom, it would cut a LOT of fat from the grip frame, a lot more than was drilled out in the picture I copied above.

Sorry 2 dogs for the incorrect credit for the picture, I'd seen that pic a long while back in another image site which pointed me to it at TCB's site, so I knew to find it there again. Not sure I ever actually read the page, maybe he gives credit, idk? But it comes up easy in a google image search.

A LOT of the Bisley frame could be milled out, without significantly weakening the frame, especially for use on a light cartridge Single Six.

I sure don't want to give you the impression I was upset. Just wanted to be clear on the point that there was still LOTS of steel left on that frame. Anybody named Varminterror has got to be my kind of guy!!!!
 

37fed

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Hey 2 dogs. New member. Please explain the holster above with the single 6 or 7. Is it an inside the waistband. thanks.
 

2 dogs

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37fed said:
Hey 2 dogs. New member. Please explain the holster above with the single 6 or 7. Is it an inside the waistband. thanks.

It's from Barranti Leather. It's his Longhorn Companion. It's my favorite field holster as it can be worn 4 different ways and is easy on and off. It's not an IWB rig. I rate it right up there with the invention of fire.
 
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