SBH Hunter Grip Frame Question

[Rclark]

I was looking around for a SBH Dragoon style frame in Stainless (mine is currently the standard BH handle on my SS SBH) . Brownells lists them in Steel (out of stock). While I was there I noticed they sell SBH Hunter Grips in SS . Now is the Hunter grips the Dragoon style handle but rounded trigger guard? (gunblast article seems to infer that) .... Is that why they list it separately? They say it fits the SBH Hunter. No other revolvers listed.... Just curious as I 'though' I had a handle on what grips were what and that they were interchangable for New Models Large Frame revolvers .... until I saw the 'separate' part # and for SBH Hunter only. Any comments?

I was thinking this might be a way of getting the bigger grip handle on my SBH in SS ....

 

[45Colt_Man]

The Hunter grip frame does indeed take the same grips as the Dragoon. It can be fitted to any Ruger single-action
Just finished installing another Hunter grip frame just yesterday. My problem has been the stainless guns I own have at least an eight of an inch height differential of the ears on the grip frame that need to be filed off the grip frame to mate with the gun properly, and the ears are extremely thicker requiring a lot of filing to get the profile to match the rear of the hammer. The KBN-45 (1992) I just finished took a lot of filing. The KBN-44 (1996) still has the ears extending .135" rearward of the hammer. Will start on that filing project later.

I really like the Hunter grip frame, too bad they don't make a blued version.

Photos:
KBN-44 with Hunter showing the extra ear depth

Old Model BK-45 with Dragoon frame ears to short.

Factory Hunter.

Dana

 

[Rclark]

Thanks! Now I know!

 

[flatgate]

One picture worth thousand words.......

Hunter grip frame on a stainless .45 cal. Blackhawk.

flatgate

 

[xtratoy]

45Colt_Man, Could you post a picture of the differences you are talking about? I have never swapped a grip frame yet and I am not figuring out the frame and hammer thing you mentioned ." to get the profile to match the rear of the hammer."Thanks

 

[tek4260]

He is referring to the top of the grip frame mating to the top of the cylinder frame. Here is a pic of a stainless Bisley frame on a regular 45 Blackhawk. They matched up perfect

Here is a poor pic of an Anv 44 Mag I cut down and installed a Super frame on. Notice the poor fit. I need to get around to it with a file...

 

[xtratoy]

I could see filing on the grip frame, but I don't think I could bring myself to actually file on the main frame of the gun. Which is more common the grip frame being high or low? I was gonna buy a super blackhawk hunter frame and put it on my stainless Blackhawk 45 colt but not sure I want to if it turns out it may sit low compared to the the main frame. Why are some high and some low?

 

[tek4260]

Later production Ruger's have taller ears on the grip frame (and taller main frames). I think the Bisleys have always been taller and Ruger standardized them to all be the same height. The problem with the 50th above is a late revolver and an earlier grip frame.

BTW, don't be shy about the file. It's your gun. I have cut, crowned, changed sights, and grip frames on nearly all of mine, and most were NIB when I took the file, saw, and torch to them. The configuration is more important than the cosmetics to me. If you take your time and really get it smooth and polished, Orpho blue from Brownells will look great.

See that sight on the Bisley? Notice the blue is discolored? So what. It hits where it points with 325's instead of way high as it did with the factory sight and the nice blue. :lol:

 

[xtratoy]

Great pics. explains a lot. My 45 has a serial date of 1997 which is weird to me since I bought it new from a fairly high volume dealer in 2006. Would it fall into the later production time frame with the taller frame?