Bisley grip frame "is less than ideal"

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jronald

Bearcat
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
22
So, 45 Colt Bisley. Shooting it sucks with any load. I can't imagine it with something with 110 0r 296 and a 300 grain bullet. The trigger guard really whacks the middle finger of the shooting hand. No joy with a glove. The web gurus suggest only a Bisley frame for the hot stuff. Baloney! I can't find a aftermarket grip the fill in the space behind the trigger guard like Pachs and Herritts do for the Blackhawk. My 45 Blackhawk works with those grips. Anyone know of a custom grip maker or any type of adapter that will work. The Tyler adapter I have is not a perfect fit and is currently held on with a rubber bank. I haven't tried it yet but have high hopes. I might even have to switch it to a Blackhawk grip frame because good grips ave available. I'm talking 260 bullet and 8 grains of Unique and pain.
 

41 mag fan

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
306
Location
omaha NE
I have made a few sets of grips with the fill behind the trigger. They seem to work out better with the laminates. Drop me a line if interested. Steve
 

BlkHawk73

Hunter
Joined
Dec 30, 1999
Messages
4,459
Location
Maine
Try changing your grip a bit. Lower maybe. Me, I LOVE the Bisley. Send me the grip frame and you'll b done with it. :)
 

contender

Ruger Guru
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
25,142
Location
Lake Lure NC USA
My friend,, you are new here, so I will say "Welcome!"
However, to open a post highly critizing something,, isn't the best way to approach things. First,, I used to think the Bisleys weren't very good or for me,, based upon their looks alone. Then I finally shot one & found out how wrong I was. I'd made a judgement without proper info.
Now, I'm much older, and wiser. I have also become an instructor since those blissful ignorant days.
Lets discuss your problem. Recoil is hurting your hand. First, not every grip fits every hand. Some folks find the Bisley is wonderful, & others find it's not as comfortable as a XR3-RED. Some folks find that the Super Blackhawk grip beats thier knuckles,, while others think the original XR-3 grip frame is punishing.
It all comes down to a couple of things.
First,, it has to fit YOUR hand. What works for youi may not be for anyone else.
Next,, it could be your shooting style. Now, I don't know you, but if you've never had proper instruction on how to shoot a SA firearm,, then it's possible you MIGHT be doing it wrong. How you grip a firearm,, and how you react to the recoil all affects how well it works. You mentioned using pachmyers on a Blackhawk,, and most of us do not use those types of grips as they do not allow the firearm to recoil upward as their design is supposed to allow them to do. Many folks, (And many years ago, myself included,) try & "fight" the recoil & hold it down. Taming it with rubber grips. It just doesn't work on a SA frame as well as it does on other types of guns. The inertia of recoil reacts differently in a SA than any other gun.
So,, maybe you should try getting some proper instruction, to see if that's the problem.

Look around this forum, as I recently described to another poster the proper gripping methods for shooting a SA.
 

B.Roberts

Single-Sixer
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
101
Location
Gig Harbor, WA
I love the bisley frame. I shoot it more accurately than the plow handled grips. For me, it is more comfortable for heavy loads and more consistantly accurate with all loads. However, compared to my vaquero, it isn't as quick out of the holster, it does not point as naturally, I can't operate the gun as quickly for multiple shots, it is not a comfortable gun for me to fire one handed, and it is odd looking. YMMV

Luckily for you, ruger makes several different gripframes. There are always people looking for a bisley frame. Many of them would love to trade you their grip frames for what you don't like.
 

dougader

Hunter
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Messages
3,108
Location
OryGun
Wow. I'm just the opposite. I would never fire off a 300+ grain slug in a Blackhawk with the standard "plowhandle" grip. Talk about abuse.

I don't know why your knuckles are getting busted with such light loads. I have compared recoil in several DA and SA guns with heavy 45 Colt loads (335 grain WLNGC Cast Performance bullets over 22 grains of WW296/H110 in cut down 454 brass for ~ 1200 fps) and the Bisley gripframe is by far the best for handling heavy loads. A tie or very close second goes to the Ruger Alaskan in 454. That Hogue grip works wonders in my experience, and is my choice when a DA revolver is needed.

I also detest rubber grips on a Blackhawk. It sticks to your hand and rips your skin when firing 44 mag equivalent loads with the standard grip.

The only handgun that ever rapped the heck out of my knuckle was a nasty little derringer in a relatively light caliber: 357 magnum. What a nasty little weapon.
 

dougader

Hunter
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Messages
3,108
Location
OryGun
B.Roberts":dw6ijpkw said:
Luckily for you, ruger makes several different gripframes. There are always people looking for a bisley frame. Many of them would love to trade you their grip frames for what you don't like.

Count me in. If you want to trade a Bisley gripframe for a plowhandle gripframe I'll do it on the spot.
 

DwarvenChef

Bearcat
Joined
Nov 29, 2009
Messages
28
Location
Central, CA
I used to use a plow handle alot till I found the Bisley, no more busted knuckles for me. I couldn't get rid of the plow handles fast enough :p

Hot 300's don't even hurt and I have big hands :)

Hope something works out for you.

Welcome to the site...
 

clintsfolly

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
308
Location
outside lansing mi
hi guys jronald is a friend of mine and i will say he tell you like it is for him. i also shoot his Bisley and it hit me in the finger too. i will do a search and see if we are holding the thing right. Clint
 

COR

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 7, 2007
Messages
850
Location
Pittsburgh, Pa
I really like the Bisley myself and have converted a few blackhawks to that frame set up.

I think Trolls are what really suck the most.
 

Swampbilly

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jul 29, 2007
Messages
235
I recently purchased a single action Bisely. I have shot it a couple of times now and don't notice any discomfort in my middle finger when done shooting it.

Haven't shot it enough yet to have an opinion on increased accuracy with this fame or not, but that is commonly attributed to it.


Regards,

MD
 

JWhitmore44

Blackhawk
Joined
Oct 23, 2008
Messages
987
Location
NW Kansas
Sell it, life's to short to shoot guns that don't work for you :) As much as I like the Redhawk I couldn't shoot it worth a darn. It wasn't the guns fault as many here shoot the Redhawk just fine. I just couldn't get the grip to work for me. I sold it and bought a Bisley in 45 colt (I already had one in 44, 357, 32, and 22).

Course I could have jumped on here and said the Redhawk sucks and got all the Redhawk fan's backs up against the wall :) There is a difference between telling it like it is and stiring the pot.
 

CraigC

Hawkeye
Joined
May 27, 2002
Messages
5,197
Location
West Tennessee
The Bisley doesn't work for everybody but it works for most. Including myself. I was shooting 320's at 1200fps out of my short-barrelled custom Bisley .44 just the other day and thinking about all the trial and error that went into finding a combination that would allow me to shoot such loads in relative comfort.
 

EarlFH

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 17, 2007
Messages
361
Location
Montana
I have the same trouble with the XR3-RED, but don't have any problem with the Dragoon grip frame of the SBH, which some people hate. It's all in your shooting style, and hand size. Try one out, and see if it helps you.

EarlFH
 

Yosemite Sam

Hunter
Joined
Mar 18, 2002
Messages
2,113
Location
Cape Cod, MA, USA
contender":1fhw39sa said:
Gee Slim, are you saying we have a new member TRYING to stir things up?
It seems we attract younger, coarser, more aggressive posters as the weekends approach. Weird phenomenon, but consistent. My guess is they're either feeling their hormones, or last weekend's hangover is finally starting to fade...

-- Sam
 

c.r.

Single-Sixer
Joined
Apr 23, 2008
Messages
436
Location
Texas
Yosemite Sam":h9gceqhi said:
contender":h9gceqhi said:
Gee Slim, are you saying we have a new member TRYING to stir things up?
It seems we attract younger, coarser, more aggressive posters as the weekends approach. Weird phenomenon, but consistent. My guess is they're either feeling their hormones, or last weekend's hangover is finally starting to fade...

-- Sam

it also seems to occur during school vacations.

must be all those school teachers with nothing to do :lol: :lol:
 
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