Bisley Woes

[Rusty W]

I've been wanting a bisley for years. Then I finally got to handle one. My second finger hits the back of the trigger guard. I've shot the super blackhawk and I get the ole guard in the knuckle with magnum loads. Does the bisley do the same? I haven't got to shoot one. They're scarce around here. I've only handled one at a gunshop and I really like the way it pointed and felt in the hand. I have a 45 blackhawk and a 44 redhawk. I'm not wanting another hunting hand gun. I've been going over & over which caliber to get. I first wanted a 5 1/2" 44mag, then thought about the recoil problem so the .32 came to mind. With some help from the guys here. I reload & cast for .38, .44, .45 and others. I'd have to add another caliber to the mess if I got the .32, dies, brass, etc. I have several molds for the other calibers so I'd have to add another group to that. The .357 makes the most sense but I really like the 40 sumthin cals. Than again the .32 would be a fun little plinker. It would be easy on powder and lead. I've seen several threads about the .32 and everyone seems to like it. The .32 is on a smaller frame isn't it? Would it feel a lot different than the blackhawk frame? I shoot an old bearcat too I just have to remember how to grip it to shoot it accurately. What to do, What to do.......See what you guys get started??? I'd save a lot of $$$$ if I didn't hang out here so much.

 

[WAYNO]

I will tell you the Bisley bangs the hel+ out of my finger, and the next guy will tell you it absolutely does not.

The only way I can shoot a hard-kicking Bisley, is by curling my pinky underneath the bottom of the grip.

And the wierd part about this? In years past, a Bisley was the easiest of the SA's for me to shoot.

WAYNO.

 

[Scott r]

Grip configuration is the key to sucess. I find grips with a "gunfighter swell" at the top of the panel positions the grip frame high enough in the hand to keep the trigger guard off the middle finger. This style is available thru several makers, I have Bear Paw Grips and get along great with them.

 

[Zeus]

Where are you located? Just curious, never know if you are local, if so, getting the chance to shoot one is easy. I love the bisley frame but the dragoon is one of my favorite and neither one of them hit my fingers so I'm probably not much help....

 

[cas6969]

This may sound crazy, but try holding the gun up higher. (meaning higher up on the grip). It may or may not help, but give it a shot.

 

[David LaPell]

When I had my Bisley, I swapped out the factory grips with some Hogue Kingwood wood grips, non checkered, non fingergrooved and there was no more of the same issues you describe. I could fire some of the hottest .44 Mag loads available without difficulty after that.

 

[CraigC]

Factory grips or thin replacements beat me up but Hogue's cowboy grips for the Bisley are some of the most comfortable off the shelf grips I've ever used. For me, the grips are as important as the grip frame. You gotta find what works for you and that may take a lot of trial and error.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I find the original Redhawk grip and the Bisley grip to be very similar. In the 44 mag if they bang your knuckle just down-load them a little. Personally I can shoot either one with a good firm grip. :shock:

...Jimbo

 

[tek4260]

+1 on the thin grips. Makes it alot easier to hold on to. I have a set of gunfighter style that are very thin. A little thinner than factory at the top and less than 1/4" the rest of the way down.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

The grip: As others have said, it either works for you or it doesn't. I find that it provides a firm hold that helps absorb the recoil better, so knuckle slam isn't as bad as guns I've shot without it. John Linebaugh makes all his big boomers with a Bisley type grip.

The caliber: If you like the .4x sized bullets, by all means, use them! You can get a factory Ruger Bisley in .45 Colt, or a SBHH in .44 magnum easily enough. Just because these guns can be loaded up hot doesn't mean they have to be. Shoot low end loads with the right powder(s) and you've got a real pussycat.

I have the .22 Bisley, which is based on the Single Six, as is the .32, I believe. Yes, it is a considerably smaller frame, and feels different from a full sized BH. Similar, but (obviously) a scaled down version. Kinda cute.

-- Sam

 

[Rusty W]

Here's what I have for a small Ruger collection. The 45 is the one with the hideous hogues. I agree they don't look good but they work for me. I grip it so the web of my hand just touches the back of the hammer spur. They are wide enough to fill my hand and cover the trigger guard. I can shoot fairly good with them. The plow handle just don't fit me. The grip on the Redhawk is a decelerator and it soaks up recoil real well but they are too thin, they just don't feel right to me. I guess I could buy a Bisley grip frame and put it on the Blackhawk but buy the time I try to fit it, goof it up and take it to the local smith to straighten out my goof, & buy grips, I could have a whole new gun for nearly as much money. I'll wind up getting one. I'm going to the gun show in Tulsa in November and if I see one I like it'll probably come home with me. If I don't like it I could always sell/trade it for something else.

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[powder smoke]

I will tell you the Bisley bangs the hel+ out of my finger, and the next guy will tell you it absolutely does not.

The only way I can shoot a hard-kicking Bisley, is by curling my pinky underneath the bottom of the grip.

And the wierd part about this? In years past, a Bisley was the easiest of the SA's for me to shoot.

WAYNO.

YUP!! but I do like to shoot em up.

 

[flatgate]

The Bisley grip smacks my palm whereas the Blackhawk and the Super Blackhawk grips don't.

Different strokes for different folks seems to apply.......

flatgate - who's never even considered rubber baby bumpers

 

[Rifleman]

We're all a bit different when it comes to a single action revolver's grip. I absolutely cannot shoot a SBH without getting my second finger smacked. The Ruger Bisley grip works well for me. I do have large hands.

 

[MMichaelAK]

the grip on my Blackhawk .45 Colt gives me trigger guard bites on my middle finger with heavy loads but the grip on my Bisley Vaquero .45 Colt does not give me knuckle bite.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I have been saying this for years now. If you don't want the knuckle of your second finger to be wacked by the trigger guard, leave some space between the rear of the trigger guard and your knuckle. About 1/4" is all I need.

When I first changed over from Smokeless powder to Black Powder in 45 Colt, I was convinced I would need a Bisley grip to control the stout recoil of a full case of Black Powder under a 250 grain bullet. I bought a stainless Bisley Vaquero and shot it at exactly one match. Then I went back to my standard Vaqueros.

Leaving that 1/4" of space with a Bisley grip was not very natural for me. The Bisley grip easily accomodated my entire hand, and that is the problem. With my entire hand crammed onto the grip, my second finger gets jammed right against the trigger guard, and it gets whacked by recoil. But with a standard Vaquero with a 'plowhandle' grip, I don't even try to cram my entire hand onto the grip. That is the key. My pinky curls under the bottom of the grip, and I purposely grasp the grip a little bit low. A low grip with my pinky under the grip allows that critical 1/4" of space behind the grip. I can shoot full power Black Powder 45 Colt loads all day long and I never get my knuckle wacked. I do the same with a Colt, which is a little bit lighter than a Vaquero, and I can shoot a Colt all day long with full power loads without getting whacked either. I eventually sold the Bisley Vaquero to help finance a Uberti Cattleman, which is the same size as a Colt.

I can either grasp the gun lightlly, or tightly. If I grasp it lightly, the entire grip rotates in my hand, if I grasp it more tightly, there is not so much rotation and the gun simply raises my hand up a bit.

As far as calibers are concerned, I would not bother with a 32. Components for 38 Special are very easily available and less expensive than 32. The slightly larger size of the 38 is easier to handle than the tiny 32 stuff, if you have big mitts. And a 38 can be loaded way down if you want, so there will hardly be any recoil at all. No need to go to the 32 unless you really want to, 38 Sp will do it all.