Blackhawk or Bisley, Help!

[sherppa]

I am a novice single action shooter looking at the Bisley and the Blackhawk.  Need some insight to them.  Why was the Bisley made, is it a target thing?  Also, 44 Mag or 45 LC?  any advice would appreciated.

[canonF-1]

Let your hands make the decision for you.  Handle both.  The gun is the same if it is a Ruger.  Some like the Bisley, others like the BH or SBH grips.  I can go with about anything though I think the Bisley handles magnum loads a it better for me atleast.

44 vs 45?  Hmmmm. I really don't want to go there.  I know I think the 45 is King but the 44 is pretty good too.

Shoot mild loads to begin with and develop good trigger finger control.

F-1

[oso45-70]

Sherppa

Like F1 said, Let your hands do the talking, If you have large hands you might want to choose the Bisley. For me the Bisley is the only choice, I think the Bisley handles the heavier loads better than the BH or Rh, Thats just my opinion, As far as 44 or 45 its just a matter of choice, I am partial to the 45 colt but do have a few 44s and 41s, Good luck on your choice........Joe........

[jd45]

Canon F-1, this is not a religious forum! I don't wanna know if you're an atleast! (grin), JD45

[Pinkerton]

It really is a matter of to each their oun. I found that the Bisley fits my hand much better. Go to a shop and handle them both, I like the lower wider hammer and curve of the trigger of the Bisley. But I know lots of people who prefer the standard Blackhawk.

Good Luck.  

[canonF-1]

Canon F-1, this is not a religious forum! I don't wanna know if you're an atleast! (grin), JD45

Huh?  You lost me?

I have been known to be slow.

F-1

[Lloyd Smale]

I love them both a man should have at least a half a dozen of each!!!!!!

[EdK]

Canon F-1, this is not a religious forum! I don't wanna know if you're an atleast! (grin), JD45

I would guess somebody meant to type Atheist  :wink:

[jd45]

BINGO, Ed!.........I've been told I have a twisted sense of humor, and NO, I'm not takin this act to Las Vegas, JD45

[BrianU]

I own both and like everyone else pointed out, you have to try both to find what feels good to you.  One thing I will point out, the standard Bisley only comes in one flavor, blued with a 7.5" barrel.  If you have the patience and cash, there are of course the Acusport Bisleys.  Generally though, there are considerably more options with the Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk.  As far as .44 or .45, both are great hunting rounds.  I would say the major deciding factor would depend on if you handload.  While there are .45 factory loads available that do bring out the full potential of this round, you are not going to stop by the nearest Wal-Mart or even a local gunshop and pick up a box on the way to the range.  And if you do find them, expect over a dollar a shot.  You can pick up a box of .44s suitable for whitetail about anywhere.  I own a Blackhawk, Superblackhawk and a Bisley, and my favorate is the Bisley in .45 Colt.    The Bisley grip just fits so good in my hand.  If you can, find a gunrange that rents guns to shoot and try both.    
 

I am a novice single action shooter looking at the Bisley and the Blackhawk.  Need some insight to them.  Why was the Bisley made, is it a target thing?  Also, 44 Mag or 45 LC?  any advice would appreciated.

[Stillhuntn]

Sherpa,
I own a 44 Mag 7.5" SBH.  Love the gun.  It shoots better than I can.  However, with hot loads it does punish the hand more than the Bisley.  The Bisley I have shot is in 45 LC with heavy loads.  The Bisley "rolls" more in my hand than the SBH.  To me the SBH pushes back hard.
Like others have stated only you can judge what is best for you.  Try to find someone with the revolvers and shoot them.
As far as 44 Mag fs 45lac.  I would take the 45 if you reload.  The larger meplat of slugs increased the wound channel.  Even if you do not reload you can buy excellent factory 45 ammo.  
Which ever gun and caliber combination you choose, practice, practice, practice.  Start with mild loads to learn good trigger control and sight alignment.
Either caliber is capable of taking North American game.
Good luck in your choice.
Rick

[Bullseye]

The Bisley feels better in my hand until I shoot the gun.  When firing, the Bisley hurts my hand and I always wore a glove when shooting it.

My opinion would be to go with the 44.  I personally have never had great accuracy or case life using hot loaded 45's and if you are going to shoot factory stuff their is not comparison.

[Ridge Runner]

Anyone own one in 357 Mag? Your impressions of it? Good for CAS?

[Old Griz]

:cb2: I  have always liked the Bisley grip because I started out with DA revolvers that had room for all my fingers. The SA Bisley grip just felt more "natural" than the shorter navy grip of the standard SA guns. But like everyone else said, feel both of them in the store—or better yet, at the range if any of your shootin' buddies has either, and see (feel) which one you like the best before buying.

I have 4 Bisleys and only 2 Blackhawks, so you can see which one i like the best.

I understand that the .45 Colt is a great round if you reload, but if you don't, there are a lot more .44 mag choices on the shelf at your local gun store. Plus, you can shoot .44 Specials in the .44 mag. Basically, neither you nor the deer will tell the difference between the two. Availability is my only concern.

Let me warn you. Once you go SA there is no turning back. You'll get hooked, and they'll just keep coming. They're so much more fun than any other gun. (It's great!)

[cma g21]

I like the feel of the Bisley better than the Blackhawk, when both are fitted with factory grips.

After trying a friend's Blackhawk with a Hogue grip, I found that I liked it better than the Bisley. YMMV

[flintlock54]

I agree with cma g21.

The Blackhawk with the Hogue mono grip installed feels better than the  Bisley. Trouble is it looks more like a double action when installed. For loads under 1000 fps I install a custom set of black micarta grips for a more tradtion single action look and feel.

[TC Shooter]

After firing a couple of Bisleys - one in .357 and the other a 45 I probably would go with a Bisley grip if I bought another Ruger sngle action centerfire. I know there is not the choice of barrel lengths like you have with the Blackhawk but the 7.5" would suit me just fine.

Plus with the Bisley you get an actual steel grip frame - I like that feature. Never cared for the blued Blackhawk's aluminum grip frame. When I went to buy my Single Six I went with a stainless so I could have an all steel revolver. I added Hogue grips to it for a more hand filling hold.


Ruger once made the Bisleys available with a fluted cylinder , I wish they still did.

[Castaway]

Two questions are on the table here.  Like other posters have mentioned, handling both frames will give you an indication of what you might like best but shooting full house loads is the proof.  As far as caliber, the 45 Colt wins hands down.  Same mass bullet, same velocity, less pressure and all that with a bigger hole.  Additionally, the 45 can be pushed faster with the heavier bullets than the 44.  This may start an argument or two, but the felt recoil of the 45 is much less than the 44 with the same weight bullets (I'm ignoring powder charge mass).  The 44 is more snappy while the 45 tends to be more of a slower push.  Physics tells us that it will be the same and it is, just takes a mite longer for the 45 to stop moving backwards which moderates the impulse to the shooting hand.  All this assumes you are talking about Black Hawks that can take high pressure loads.

[mt3030]

Due to arthritis, I have gone to the Bisley or birdhead grips. The aftermarket birdshead grips can be added to all Ruger Blackhawks, both Old and New Models.

BrianU: The Ruger Bisley 45s were available with shorter then 7.5 barrels. Here is my NM 45 convertable.



Here is one of the after marker birdshead grips available.

[daddywpb]

The Bisley fits my hand much better. Handle each, or better yet shoot them both, and it will be easy to decide.

The 45 LC can do anything the .44 Mag can do...just better. :grin:

[KENTDEP]

I would take a Bisley like one of these....





But thats just me... a lover of the Bisley design.

JC

[sherppa]

Thanks everyone for all the input.  I new I came to the right place.  Now I have another element to consider or maybe it is a none issue.  The Birdshead, do they make a 44 Mag or 45 LC with the a long barrel and a birdshead grip?  Or am I just confusioning myself again.

thanks for all the assistance

sherppa

[BlkHawk73]

First, the birdshead models have been dropped from production.  That said, most were of the 3 3/4" bbl length and chambered i either .45Colt or .357 magnum.  A .32 magnum version was available on the Single Six sized frame.  When originally introduced, there was a 7 1/2" barrel model cataloged but not sure if this variation ever actually entered full production.  Some different un-cataloged variations were also made as special distributor editions.  These most notably had a shorter barrel and called "sheriff models".  These were produced in 45 Colt and I think .44 magnum.  All were produced with Vaquero style sights.
  Although out of production, they're still easy tofind, especially on gunbroker where there's always afew listed.  Just put a blue/CCH .32 birdshead on lay-a-way.     The larger framed ones with the smaller grip just look out of proportion to me.

[txray22]

mt3030, where did you get that birdshead grip for the BH? Is it steel or alloy?  What is the barrel length on that BH?

Great looking guns.


Phil

[bigger e]

Yesterday I purchased a 7 1/2" SBH S/S used for $219.00. I thought it was a bargain and got home last night in time to shoot off about 10 rounds before dark. It was shooting to the right about seven inches or so. I look forward to sighting it in.