which Ruger?

[Quiet Burp]

I am thinking about either a Bisley or Vaquero in .357.I haven't had the chance to fire either. Would anyone care to comment on how they compare? I want something accurate enough for formal target work.Would you recommend something else? Thanks

[Lloyd Smale]

I prefer the vaquaro but for what you are using it for deffinatley go with the adj. sighted bisley.

[DennisB]

Go with the Bisley!  My .357 has the 7-1/2 inch barrel, non-fluted cylinder with (fair) engraving, good balance and fit in my large hands.  Tuning the fixed sight Vaquero for target work can be a task.

[Henry Bowman]

Hello, of the two choices the Bisley wins hands down tho for formal target work in the .38/.357 caliber the S&W 686 (L-medium frame) or the 627 (N-heavy frame) are better tools.

[Quiet Burp]

Yeah Henry, I agree that the S&Ws are good shooters but, to me, the Bisley looks a lot better.                                                                         Now the big question is... what's more important? Shootin better or lookin better? Now thats gunna be a hard one! :?

[Henry Bowman]

Hello QB, beauty is in the eye of the beholder the saying goes eh?
A sixties vintage Colt Python in Royal Blue with or without engraving (IMO) is the the most attractive .357 Magnum ever.

[Majic]

From your choices I would pick the Bisley for it's adjustable sights. Now if you change the Vaquero to a Blackhawk you would be left with the choice of grip frames.

[Charlie Detroit]

Hi...sorry to take so long in getting back to you; I was helping my kid move in downstairs plus a number of other things.
First, we have to be sure we're talking about the same guns...the Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk are available as Bisleys or (for lack of a better term) non-Bisleys. The Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk have adjustable sights. The Vaqueros (all of them) have fixed sights (blade front, grooved topstrap rear). They are also available as Bisleys or non-Bisleys.
The hammer on the Bisley guns is considerably easier to reach (not the 'stryne-ism!) than the non-Bisley. Many shooters don't have to shift their grip at all during cocking. The Bisley trigger is wider and gives better control for most shooters. The grip shape on the Bisleys is designed to put the barrel-line lower in the hand than the conventional "hawg-leg", giving better recoil control and consistency from shot-to-shot for the average shooter.
I wound up with a Vaquero Bisley (they practically gave it to me) and found that the grip shape didn't do much for me, as I have smallish hands. Add to this that Bill Ruger, president of the firm, had hands like catcher's mitts, and the grip was just too big for me. I replaced it with a birdshead grip frame from Brownell's (check them out: http://www.brownells.com, I think they can ship to Australia). This grip frame is designed for the Blackhawk series, so I had a bit of metalwork to do...not hard, just fiddly. The result is a somewhat strange-looking revolver that shoots very well...for me. I'll send you a pic via email, my email software knows how to squish these pics down to manageable size, but I don't, so I can't post them. Yet. In any case, I believe that Ruger is coming out with factory-fitted birdshead grips, although I have yet to see one.
The big point is, you can get the Bisley conformation in either revolver, so it's not a point to worry about. BUT...if you're talking about shoulder-to-shoulder bullseye matches, the adjustable sights certainly are a consideration. Get the Blackhawk.

[Charlie Detroit]

Well, big ol' mistake (I suppose that should be "misteak") there...I didn't check my little book of instructions, etc., that comes with every Ruger. My mistake was in assuming that since my Ruger came in all flavors (Blackhawk, Bisley, Vaquero, Vaquero-Bisley), that they all would. Not so; it depends upon the caliber. Mine is .45 Colt. The .357 Mag that you want (not a bad choice for target work using .38 Spl, while you can take an occasional 'roo with .357 if you need to...dunno about crocs, though) is available in Blackhawk or Bisley (I always have a tendency to call the latter "Blackhawk-Bisley", as you may have noticed), but NOT Vaquero. You may find that it is otherwise, my booklet is 3 years old. Check the Ruger wbsite.

[daddywpb]

The Bisley grip frame fits my hand much better then the Blackhawk frame. Seems like every time I shoot a hard kicking caliber in a Blackhawk, I end up with cuts on my hand. The longer grip on the Bisley helps control recoil better for me. Maybe you should try them both out before you pick one.

[Charlie Detroit]

Those cuts...are they in the web between the index and thumb? They're caused by the kinda sharp edges of the frame and grip frame around the hammer pivot; those edges can be (and should be) rounded off a bit.

[daddywpb]

Yep, those are the cuts. I didn't want to start grinding on a blued gun that I could'nt afford to get refinished. It happened with my Super Blackhawk and with a 4 5/8" .45 Colt Blackhawk. The roll under recoil cut me every time. The Bisley grip seems to have solved the problem for me, and it shoots great.

[1badmagnum]

I surprised nobody suggested the blackhawk 357/38/9mm convertable.
I was checking them out today,$409.
not a bad price for the pistol plus the extra 9mm cylinder.
the bisley grips do seem a little larger,and better for a guy with big hands,but I shoot with gloves anyway.
they have a nice bisley vaqeuero in 45 long colt for $329,from the rental case barely fired which I was considering until I noticed the fixed sights.
I also already own a 454 and a 45 long colt,so another 45 would be overkill.
If the bisley was in 357,i would probably have gobbled it up for the $100 savings.
enjoy your new toy. :eek:

[BobYoung]

One additional point on the Bisleys:  The grip frame is steel.  Grip frames on the blued Blackhawks (not Super Blackhawk) are aluminum alloy, but I don't know about the Vaquero.  I seem to recall that all the stainless Blackhawks have a steel grip frame as well.  The steel grip frame does alter balance a bit.  By comparing the weights posted for the various models in the Ruger catalog, you can tell which have a steel grip frame...they're heavier by an ounce or two for same barrel length.

I have both a .357 Bisley and a 38/357/9mm Blackhawk (4 5/8" Bbl).  The Bisley's more comfortable but it's big and accuracy isn't impressive with light target level loads.  The versatile little Blackhawk seems oddly proportioned and the hammer spur is a reach, but its accuracy with light loads has made this a favorite.  It shoots 9mm as well as it shoots 38/357, but it does have a habit of piercing the occasional primer when shooting 9's.
Bob