Question re: Stocks for Lipsey's Bisley .44 Special

[Walter Rego]

I gave my local dealer a deposit for one of the Lipsey's Bisley .44 Specials about 2 weeks ago. The dealer told me they were on allocation and he couldn't commit to a delivery date, so I figured I'd see it when ever. It came in this week.
While undergoing the mandatory 10 day waiting period I've been considering some custom stocks, and am curious if they need to be relieved on the inside to clear the lock mechanism ? Can anyone who has one of the Lipsey's Bisley Flat Top .44's pull the factory laminated rosewood stocks and let me know if the back sides are flat, or routed out for the lock ?
Thanks

 

[Base Pin Maker]

I don't think the flattop bisley 's have the safety. Kelye @ Belt Mtn

 

[caryc]

It all depends on the width of the grip frame. The only reason that the other new flat top guns and the New Vaquero need relief cuts in the backs of flat backed grips is because that newly brought back steel copy of the New XR3 grip frame is only .437" in width which is narrower than the locks.

The Blackhawks with the locks have no problem because their XR3-RED style and sized grip frames are still .500" in width and wider than the locks.

When Ruger started to install the locks in the Blackhawk and Single Six, they did not change the grip frame any. All they did was to make it accept the lock. The size and width are still the same.

I don't know anyone that actually has one of those Bisley flat tops yet, but I'd be willing to bet that if the Bisley grip frame does have a lock, it's still the same .500" width as it always has been therefore needing no recesses for flat backed grips.

I'm inclined to agree with Base Pin Maker in that I will bet that they have not installed locks in the Bisley grip frame yet. Ruger makes only two Bisley grip frames. One in carbon steel and one in stainless steel. There are no different sizes for different cylinder frames or calibers, although there is some difference between the blued and stainless frames. The same stock grips will fit each one differently.

If they did install the locks in the Bisley grip frame it would make sense to just alter the master mold to accept the lock as they did with the XR3-RED grip frames, not re-engineer the whole thing as they did with the New XR3 grip frame.

 

[Walter Rego]

Thanks Cary, what you wrote makes sense. If one of the members who already has one of the Bisley's doesn't respond, I'll post my findings when I pick up the gun. I was under the assumption that Ruger was or had transitioned to the locks in all of their single actions.

 

[41 mag fan]

I have a 4 5/8 bisley 44 special. There is no lock in it. Steve

 

[Arokcrwlr]

There is no lock, but the grip alignment pin is in a bit different location than the previous Bisley grip frames. I have three of the new Bisley 44 specials, and I was playing around with some spare grips that I had laying around and the grips would not interchange and fit correctly. The pin location is not off by much, but enough to be an issue.

Having said that, I sent my GF to Patrick Grashorn for some new elk bone grips...

 

[caryc]

I don't think the pin is actually in a different place. As I said the same stock set of grips will fit stainless and blued Bisley frames differently. If a set of grips was custom fit to a stainless Bisley frame, I doubt that they would even go on a blued frame. That is unless they fit sloppily in the first place.

Below is a picture of a stock grip on a stainless frame and the same grip on a blued frame (frame is in the white). You can see how differently they fit. This is one of the reasons that I don't even make Bisley grips without the customers grip frame to fit the grips.

Top pic is the stainless frame. Bottom pic is the carbon steel frame.

 

[Arokcrwlr]

Cary, good point.

Now that you mention it, I do believe that the spare grips that I was playing with came off of a couple of my SS Bisleys.

 

[Walter Rego]

This is interesting information.It means that Ruger would have to hand fit the stocks on their Bisley and blue steel grip frames of have two different part #'s on the assembly line. On the Ruger website, they sell laminated and also Hogue faux ivory stocks for Bisleys, with only one part # listed for each.
Cary's illustrations certainly show the differences, I'm surprised Ruger lets this get by.
Arokcrwlr, may I ask what Patrick Grashorn's elk horn stocks set you back ?
They are among the type I am considering. Thanks

 

[caryc]

This is interesting information.It means that Ruger would have to hand fit the stocks on their Bisley and blue steel grip frames of have two different part #'s on the assembly line. On the Ruger website, they sell laminated and also Hogue faux ivory stocks for Bisleys, with only one part # listed for each.
Cary's illustrations certainly show the differences, I'm surprised Ruger lets this get by.
Arokcrwlr, may I ask what Patrick Grashorn's elk horn stocks set you back ?
They are among the type I am considering. Thanks

It's no surprise. As I've said many times, Ruger is in the gun manufacturing business not the grip manufacturing business. Their grips were formerly made by Lett who is out of business now. Ruger only has one size Bisley grip panel and of course they are cookie cutter grips. Meaning they are CNC machine made and not hand fitted to any grip frame and with minimal hand sanding.

People are just used to a sloppy grip fit on a stock gun unless you are paying for that fit like with Freedom Arms. Sure Ruger could make their grips fit better but then you would be paying for it.

Then there is always the Ruger owner who says "my grips fit perfectly". Of course it's just coincidence. Who knows what "fit perfectly" means to them? Maybe they've never had a set of custom made and fitted grips.

I don't fault Ruger for this in any way. When you buy a Ruger you get what you pay for, a gun made like a tank. You want to pretty it up later on, it's up to you. That's why there are custom grip makers.

A bit of advice. If you want a set of custom Bisley grips made always send the grip frame to the grip maker.

I realize that no one wants to sit around looking at half a gun at home, but when they get their frame back with custom fit grips on it, they suddenly forget all about that wait time.