41 magnum bisley

[megasupermagnum]

As I had a bad deal with S&W, my new model 57 is long gone. I've kept an eye out for a good older model, but have yet to come across a reasonably priced one yet.

I've since had the desire for a 41 magnum again, and I think it's a good opportunity to try a Ruger bisley grip, as I've found I do not like the standard blackhawk at all. Ideally I'd like a nice compact gun, all my revolvers get carried, and I'm all for compact power. I really like the 4 5/8" barrel, and lighter the better within reason.

I've found two good options, if modified. The first is the Ruger 0471, a stainless 5.5" barrel bisley. The problem with that gun is the longer barrel, which isn't a big deal, plus I prefer blued, and on top of that, it advertises at 51 ounces. Not a lightweight. I'm thinking a barrel shortened to 4 5/8", and the frame skeletonized would be a good gun. I'd rather not try and shorten my own barrel, but I could lighten the grip frame myself.

The other gun I like better. It is the Ruger 0405, a blued 4 5/8" standard blackhawk. It advertises at 38 ounces, and is perfect beyond the grip frame. This gun is also about $125-150 cheaper, which is the cost of a grip frame.

It seems grip frames can be hard to come by, but I'm willing to wait. Has anyone attempted fitting one themselves? Other than polishing and bluing, which I can do, the only thing I gather is that the top has to be fitted to the inside of the frame. To do a true bisley conversion I would also need the hammer and associated hardware. Is there any reason I can't keep the standard hammer and trigger parts?

[mattw]

Can't help ya with questions regarding single actions, don't have any. But... I sure love the 41 mag. I shoot mine in old stainless Smiths. I hunt with a 5 inch and have a 3" that is nicknamed "little thumper" that is loads of fun to shoot. I love blued guns, but my wife has the most corrosive skin composition and will rust them in a couple of hours. She like to shoot the 41's as well.

[megasupermagnum]

Yes, blued can rust easier, and eventually wears. Rust has not been a huge problem for me. Even after a hot working day, I just wipe the gun off quick when I set it down for the night.

A third option I've been wondering about is a set of grips that can turn the blackhawk grip into the bisley. I've got long enough fingers that a wrap around grip should work even better. I can't find anything that looks like what I'm after. Maybe a call to Herrett is in order.

[Ozark mike]

Don't quote me but Im sure the hammers exchange between the standard the bisley and the vaquero. I like my sbh in 44 5.5 bbl that I have its stainless so I have less problems with water

[RED BEAR]

I absolutely hate the grips on the black hawk put a set of houge on mine . Didn't do much for looks but sure feel better. Will be making a set of wood grips to get the cowboy look back. Just love my 41 carry gun but at only 23 oz it can be a hand full at the range.

[megasupermagnum]

The Hogue grips do work well. They are the only grips I ever found, custom or otherwise that actually work on a blackhawk. I called Herrett today, and they say that making a wrap around grip for a blackhawk to simulate a bisley would make the trigger reach too far.

[megasupermagnum]

I ended up handling a bisley today. The shop did not have a Blackhawk, but did have a bisley single six. I'm not sure if the grips are significantly different between the two or not. While I like the more vertical front, rounded back feel, one thing that stuck out to me was that my knuckle was crammed in behind the trigger guard. That isn't a combo I want to shoot heavy loads from.

I'm starting to wonder if a standard Blackhawk with custom grips may be the best way to go. I like Hogue grips, as their palm swell, and relatively straight contour help a lot. I also like that they extend under the frame, for a full hand fit.

One thing I came across today was this thread, http://singleactions.proboards.com/thread/13279/modification-super-blackhawk-gripframe
There, it is shown where the standard frame is ground to provide a more bisley like profile. This maintains the knuckle room. I see he also welded an extension on the bottom. I don't think I would have to do this. Grips would be custom at that point, and it should be no problem for a grip maker to wrap the grip on the bottom for an extension. I'll ask Herrett tomorrow. I really like the looks of that plan, and the only cost would be custom grips, which I would prefer anyway.

Ultimately what I'm after is a grip that doesn't taper. The flared bottom, and thin top standard Blackhawk grips are ridiculous unless you enjoy having your gun point backwards on every shot. Something more vertical, long enough for a pinky, and with a palm swell should be the ticket.

[RJM52]

Never cared for the Bisley grip myself... I do however have a custom Gary Reeder .41 Magnum with a 5-shot cylinder, 5.5" barrel and his modified GunFighter Bisley grip...it gives a whole different feel and recoil pattern over the standard Bisley....

240298



Also have a standard BH in .41 Magnum that came with a set of the standard Herretts on it...makes the gun very easy to shoot...

240299


The 4 5/8" guns are one of my favorites...have had five I think but none right now....

Bob

[lar45]

Here is a comparison of the Bisley, Super Black Hawk, and Black Hawk.
http://www.lsstuff.com/pics/grips.jpg

[lar45]

I have a 4 5/8" Stainless Black Hawk in 45 Colt with a Houge Mono-Grip on it and really like it.
The Stainless BH comes with a Stainless grip frame. I believe that the Blued BH comes with an Aluminum grip frame, so it would be lighter.
I have several Bisleys and enjoy shooting them also, especially with heavy loads in large calibers.
http://www.lsstuff.com/pics/45bh-01.jpg

[Ozark mike]

I as always liked the plow grips on the bh my 58 rem and sbh feel fine to me and don't beat me up I wish my bfr came with wood panels but I'd probably have a pistol shaped knot on my head being as the wood doesn't provide enough friction

[megasupermagnum]

It looks like the bisley will have to be another day. I was warming up to a custom grip on a blackhawk, but ran into a model 57 (57-1 4") I've been looking for a while. I talked the guy to a fair price, and am very happy with it. I finally got to use my custom Herrett grip, and the gun only weighs 43 ounces. Just right for what I was after. I hope it shoots as good as it looks.

240911

Thanks for the help. The grips on this gun are what I consider the ideal grips for heavy recoil. If I can find the same thing on a single action, I'll give them a try. They look a lot like the custom bisley grips from some gunsmiths, but not like the ruger bisley. There isn't enough finger room, long reach on a ruger bisley for me.

[onelight]

I like the black hawk grips but have a couple of shooting buddies that don’t they both like the Hogue mono grips like lar45 posted.

[Wheelguns 1961]

That’s a beauty mega supermagnum. Congratulations!

[smkummer]

Good for you. I think you would have never been satisfied until you did found the Smith.

[Texas by God]

That 57 is perfect! I'm tickled to be picking up a brand new 6.5" Blackhawk next week I hope. I'm not a Bisley fan.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Dale53]

I have a history of shooting a LOT! I have a number of Ruger single action revolvers and long ago settled on Pachmayrs as My solution. They are not the prettiest of grips, but they DO work! If you want to hit what you are looking at, and are not overly put out with their looks, you may want to try them. I get my whole hand on the grip (all fingers, etc), the revolver stays in place regardless of the recoil, and I get NO pain. All of this with excellent hitting ability, THAT is my answer...

https://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/QPachmaryRuger50th44MagSelects-0021.jpg (http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/QPachmaryRuger50th44MagSelects-0021.jpg.html)

My buddy, Green Frog, wants to throw up every time he looks at my revolvers, but I just smile and soldier on!:-P

FWIW
Dale53

[RJM52]

mega...that is my favorite S&W revolver....have a great time with it...

Bob

[osteodoc08]

Beautiful 4” 57!

[Texas by God]

The Pachys look better than the Hogues IMO. Strangely I preferred them when young but now I prefer bone/antler or wood grips on my Ruger SA's.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[megasupermagnum]

Unfortunately it doesn't shoot anything special, but it's not bad either. I think with some work, I will have something good.

One weird thing is this the the first barrel I've measured that isn't even close to what I expected. 41 magnum is of course supposed to be .410" groove diameter. This one seems to be .406". I first tried with a fishing egg sinker, and figured that I had started it crooked. I then tried with an old bullet of unknown hardness, and figured it may be wrong. Finally I cast some pure lead bullets, and same thing. I am using a feeler gauge wrapped around the bullet to account for the 5 groove barrel. I never put much stock into the ultimate accuracy of this method, but I've always been within a .001" before. All three slugs measure .406". I double checked with another mic and calipers. Even on the bare slug, I can't get a measurement over .408" (a false high reading). I guess I have a tight bore.

Throats are consistent at .411", and there only seems to be the slightest bit of thread choke. A .399" pin gauge falls through, but needs a couple taps on the grip to make the last bit through. No appreciable leading, none with proven loads. I tried 5 loads, best being the Federal factory 210 gr JHP, with a close second my 230 grain SWC which shoots good in anything. They shot about 3" and 3.5" 6-shots at 40 yards. Not bad, but not good. I had some Remington JSP 210 gr bullets loaded with HS-6 that is a decent load in another gun. Somehow that one threw bullets all over the place, and one even missed the 14x20 target. Not sure what happened there, as the gun shoots very nice with that Herrett grip.

More testing will need to be done as this gun should be capable of cutting these groups in half.

[osteodoc08]

I’d be happy with 3” at 40 yards for a new pistol that I haven’t shot much, done much load development or become really familiar with. Sounds like you have a good shooter.

[Groo]

Groo here
Depending on how much money you have,, get a vaquero [new/ smaller] Bisley and rechamber.
Replace barrel, recut cylinder and your good to go.
Replacing grip frames is not to bad so changing a blued 357 to 41 would not be hard.
I have a Andy Horvath New Vaquero Bisley SS in 41mag. 5 1/2in , S&W prewar sights,,,, NICE...
Just remember , ruger controls bullet size with cylinder length.
A 45 cylinder is too long to fit in a frame for a 44 etc. and a 357 is the shortest of all .
Load to 1.6 or less and your ok...

[Wheelguns 1961]

I picked up one of these. It is a williams shooting supply special run. It has nice tight chambers and uniform throats. The b/c gap measures .004. The stainless finish is flawless, and the factory grips show a good contrast of color. I loaded up some loads with the arsenal quick run 41-220 and 7.5gns of unique, and they shot very accurately. Overall I am very impressed. This has to be one of the best new rugers that I’ve bought. The only thing I am not crazy about, is the ramp front blade sight. I will be on the hunt for a new blade.