Author Topic: Preferred barrel length for a .44 Magnum Ruger Bisley (Read 2778 times)

lenoxmi · « **on:** February 01, 2009, 03:58:40 PM »

4.5 inches is too short to balance well, 7.5 inches is too long for convenience. I want to be able to shoot a 270 grain cast bullet at 1200 fps. Anyone got experience with other barrel lengths?

Mike

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #1 on:** February 02, 2009, 02:00:17 AM »

personaly I think the 4 5/8s ballances perfectly. If not id go to 5.5 but no longer.

Hank08 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 02, 2009, 07:35:05 AM »

I like 5 1/2 and 6" but it kinda depends on what your using it for and how you plan to carry it.
H08

teamnelson · « **Reply #3 on:** February 02, 2009, 07:53:09 AM »

I'm guessing you're hunting with that load, so I'd definitely recommend 6" or longer. I've shot a lot of cast 240s through a 7.5" Bisley out to 200 yds. and the extra length is great, especially if you're not scoped. I carry it in a plain ol' Hunter crossdraw and haven't found it inconvenient on the pull.

BlkHawk73 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 02, 2009, 10:43:45 AM »

While I love my 5 1/2" Bisleys I also find the 7 1/2" ones just as comfortable and easily carried. I'll have 10 1/2" and a 6 1/2" Bisleys sooner or later.

Graybeard · « **Reply #5 on:** February 02, 2009, 10:54:35 AM »

I'd say 7.5" but only because they don't use 8-3/8" like S&W does. I'm not a fan of snub nose revolvers for other than concealed carry.

lenoxmi · « **Reply #6 on:** February 02, 2009, 03:22:41 PM »

OK then, everyone agrees that I should either cut the factory barrel to 4.75 - 6.0 inch, or get a new 8.5 or 10 inch barrel, or leave it as it is. I'll get right on it!

MS Hitman · « **Reply #7 on:** February 02, 2009, 05:42:56 PM »

All my centerfire cartridge Bisleys wear 5.5" barrels.

teamnelson · « **Reply #8 on:** February 02, 2009, 06:06:40 PM »

Quote from: lenoxmi on February 02, 2009, 03:22:41 PM

OK then, everyone agrees that I should either cut the factory barrel to 4.75 - 6.0 inch, or get a new 8.5 or 10 inch barrel, or leave it as it is. I'll get right on it!

Well you asked

Bigeasy · « **Reply #9 on:** February 02, 2009, 06:21:36 PM »

Mike-

What feels good / balances well in your hand? There really is not a big difference in velocity between a 4 5/8 and a 7 1/2 inch barrel. Most people using iron sights do better with a longer barrel. Less of an issue with an optical sight. Long barrels carry well in cross draw holsters, not as well on strong side hip.

I like both, but think the 5 1/2 is a good compromise length is a SA.

Larry

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #10 on:** February 02, 2009, 10:33:49 PM »

If you use a proper sight picture and have proper trigger technique and can focus on the front sight it dosesnt matter much what barrel lenght you shoot. what a longer sight radius does is hide normal sight movement a bit. the same reason people cant shoot a short barreled handgun off hand is the problem people have with scoped handguns off hand. Every little movent is amplified. Put the front sight on a target and squeeze the trigger properly and you will hit just as well with a short barrel. The only real advantage to a long barreled gun is for guys that are near sighted and cant focus on a sight to close to there eye. Personaly ive never seen where an inch or two made much differnce. My eyes are tired and even a 7.5 inch gun is getting to focus on. Luckly over the years ive developed some trigger skills and 95 percent of handgun shooting is trigger control not sight picture. I cant shoot like i used to be able to but still do a respectable job for a blind man.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #11 on:** February 04, 2009, 01:57:42 AM »

ill add one more thing to this and its back to trigger control. You will find if you actually ever do master trigger contol (im close but still working on it

) things like barrel lenght and even the style of gun your shooting doesnt really matter much when it comes to accurate shooting. The best thing i ever did even for my rifle shooting was spending 100s of hours on a bench testing loads for handguns. Some say bench guns does teach you how to shoot them but ill argue that point all day long. Theres no better way to perfect your trigger control then on a bench shooting groups.

DanChamberlain · « **Reply #12 on:** February 04, 2009, 03:25:48 AM »

Best length for all around hunting.

Dan

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #13 on:** February 04, 2009, 05:01:25 AM »

Quote from: Lloyd Smale on February 04, 2009, 01:57:42 AM

ill add one more thing to this and its back to trigger control. You will find if you actually ever do master trigger contol (im close but still working on it ) things like barrel lenght and even the style of gun your shooting doesnt really matter much when it comes to accurate shooting. The best thing i ever did even for my rifle shooting was spending 100s of hours on a bench testing loads for handguns. Some say bench guns does teach you how to shoot them but ill argue that point all day long. Theres no better way to perfect your trigger control then on a bench shooting groups.

This makes very good sense. For myself, sometimes waiting more than 7 to 8 seconds for that trigger to break can be agonizing while at other times if the target is an interesting one that holds my attention I can bear down on it hard and not really be conscious of the trigger till the gun goes off. If I go shooting with the intent to better a previously shot good group I will do some warm up shooting to take the edge off my nerves. Hunting can be different...it doesnt really matter if it is Deer with a handgun or Coyotes with a rifle...I have always been able to get a hard lock on these targets and perhaps do a little shaking (read buck fever) after the shot is taken.

To summarize, and get back to the topic, I do agree that the barrel lenght of the handgun (mine range from 3-7/8" to 7-1/2") makes no difference once you get tuned in or are addressing the target properly. At this point the gun seems to go off by it'self and you are closing in on that trigger control.

Graybeard · « **Reply #14 on:** February 04, 2009, 12:47:26 PM »

You guys can tell yourself that all ya want but it's just not factual.

There are a couple things that matter. One is your eyesight and where your eyes can focus and where they can't. If you focus best up close then shorter might be better for you. But if you need it way on out there like many of us do then longer clear is better and more accurate.

The other factor is sighting error induced by wiggles. The longer the barrel the less the wiggles influence the group. Your wiggles are what they are and barrel length scope or irons really isn't gonna change that. But the closer the sights are together the more that wiggle makes the bullets stray from your intended aim point.

Those are facts of life that can't be changed they are what they are. Only you can decide what is most important to you. If tho that front sight is fuzzy on a 4.5" barrel and clear on a 7.5" or 8-3/8" barrel you'll shoot the longer one better. If it's fuzzy on the longer and more clear on the short one you'll shoot the short one better regardless of the effect of wiggles being exaggerated with short barrels.

For years I needed 10" to 12" barrels to clear up the front sight and shorter than 8-3/8" made a drastic difference in my accuracy. These days now that I'm being treated for the dry eyes condition I have it's less important and I can again focus on the closer front sight about as well as the longer so that's not the issue it once was. But I also am not nearly so steady as I once was either so over all I can't shoot as well now as I did when I could see less well.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #15 on:** February 04, 2009, 02:41:20 PM »

sorry bill but i dont buy all of that. Its just common physics that if your hand is what is shaking The farther away the barrel is the more its going to move. take a 6 inch pencil and bump the but of it and see how far it will swing in an arc then take a 12 inch pencil and move the but of it the same ammount and you will get twice the movement on the end. Were do you get the idea that a long barreled gun shakes any less then a short one. Its your hand thats shaking not the gun. Now im not trying to say that scientifical its easier to shoot a short barreled gun. Your eye argument is a good one. What i have problems with with my old eyes is switching focus from one plane to another more then focusing on the front sight and have found that if i consentrate only on the front sight and not worry about the rear or the target that i shoot just as well as i would trying to get anal about lineing them all up. Another thing im not saying is its easier to shoot a short gun then a long one. To me its a toss up. I can shoot but as well of the bench and maybe just a tad better with a short one off hand but that is probably due to the fact i mostly shoot short ones and they balance better in my hand. balance is a big factor to me. A long heavy barrel out front wanders more then a short one. A gun that is neutraly ballanced in my had is what i do best with. Really its just a matter of personal prefernce. Im not telling you you could shoot better with a short barrel im telling you i can. Bottom line is its a small differnce even for me. the differnce in the trigger pull on two differnt guns means makes a much bigger differnce then barrel lenght. A buddy of mine won the long range shoot in the 500 linebaugh class and the 475 class at the last seminar we were at. He did it with a 4 inch 500 and a 4 5/8s 475. I won the 44 class with a 5.5 inch accusport. The range was 800 yards so there aint anyone telling me that in the hands of a good shooter a short barreled gun cant run right with a long one.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #16 on:** February 04, 2009, 02:47:12 PM »

One more benfit to a short barreled gun is the fact that they tend to shoot differnt bullet weights and velocity loads to the same point of impact compared to a long one. Again its not majic. The bullet spends less time in the gun so differing recoil has less time to act on the gun. Very important if your shooting a fixed sighted gun and want to run a heavy hunting load and a plinking load. My two 4 inch 500s will shoot just about any load i can put in them into the same 2.5 inch group a 25 yards. Even my 5.5 inch 475 wont come close to doing that. then when its all said and done even if i was slightly better with a long one I dont want to use shoulder holsters or slings on a handgun. My hunting handguns have to ride in a hip holster or they stay home. If i have to sling a handgun ill take a rifle.

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #17 on:** February 05, 2009, 04:50:56 AM »

Quote

There are a couple things that matter. One is your eyesight and where your eyes can focus and where they can't. If you focus best up close then shorter might be better for you. But if you need it way on out there like many of us do then longer clear is better and more accurate.

Good Argument

Quote

due to the fact i mostly shoot short ones and they balance better in my hand. balance is a big factor to me. A long heavy barrel out front wanders more then a short one. A gun that is neutraly ballanced in my had is what i do best with.

And Good Argument

I will mention another factor (that reflects back to the eye sight) is that when I started wearing prescription eye glasses, I have a much harder time letting my target blurr out while keeping the sights in sharp focus.
I started shooting really good several years ago when I discovered this and it was with a cheap ole H&R model 649 .22 at that time.

Hank08 · « **Reply #18 on:** February 05, 2009, 06:03:39 AM »

Trigger control is, of course, very very important as is the ability to see the front sight but the FACT remains that if your front sight is 1/1000" off on a 4" barrel it will impact the target twice as far off as it will with 1/1000" off and an 8" barrel. This is a fact, nothing to do with how well it balances or how easy it is to carry or how well you see the sights.
H08

MePlat · « **Reply #19 on:** February 05, 2009, 09:53:46 AM »

Lloyd is right on this one. I tried to explain it back several months ago about sight radius and people tried to make light (or fun) of a simple explanation as they didn't want to hear the truth so it got locked.
Thats okay as it is Graybeards site and not mine.
"There are none so blind as those that refuse to see."

teamnelson · « **Reply #20 on:** February 05, 2009, 11:54:20 AM »

What sort of range are you comfortable shooting with the 270gr bullet?

Everybody has their pet ideas of what works. The truth is that most of us stumble across the right mix by sheer dumb luck. I count myself blessed to have been coached by Major Golden who helped me figure out the right stance, grip, sight picture, trigger pull and load to routinely knock over a 50lb steel plate at 200 yds with my 7.5" bisley .44. My confidence in that setup is unwaverable ... and most likely would not work for you

gunblade · « **Reply #21 on:** February 05, 2009, 02:34:12 PM »

I've owned all three barrel lengths and in the Ruger I find the 5 1/2 to balance the best in my hand. The 7 1/2 is too long and muzzle heavy, and the 4 5/8, while handy, just doesn't look right to me with the big Ruger frame...in a Colt SAA maybe.

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #22 on:** February 06, 2009, 03:22:15 AM »

I really like those 7-1/2" barreled guns but I shot the cap n ball revolvers for so long that when I got my first centerfire in the .45 it felt quite natural.

My SBH in the 7-1/2 balances out a little better than my 7.5" old model Vaquero but I attribute this to a beefier cylinder frame, or perhaps just the weight of the unfluted SBH cylinder that lets it settle into my hand just a bit better. I think that I could even shoot that long barreled .500 Smith well as it balances out much, much, better than I figured it would in my hand.

If I would pick up a 4" to 5-1/2" the balance is so perfect that it feels like an extension of my hand...Accurate Too!...I still do not have any issues with the longer barrels so I guess that I am getting the best of both
Worlds.

BigMuddy · « **Reply #23 on:** February 06, 2009, 05:34:47 PM »

"the range was 800 yards so there aint anyone telling me that in the hands of a good shooter a short barreled gun cant run right with a long one."

Yes that is true. The key being "good shooter".

" if your front sight is 1/1000" off on a 4" barrel it will impact the target twice as far off as it will with 1/1000" off and an 8" barrel. This is a fact, nothing to do with how well it balances or how easy it is to carry or how well you see the sights."

That also is true. The real reason that longer barrels for most people are easier to hit with...the longer barrel does not amplify errors in sight alignment as much.

Bottom line, as Lloyd said...trigger control is the single most important issue in hitting with a handgun. Shooting from a bench is a great way to learn that, as is shooting a gun with a heavy trigger pull. I actually have a few that I leave with heavy pulls, and when I start missing, I go back to them. I have to "re-learn" good trigger pull at times and those guns are great teachers.

To the question asked, for the Bisley I really like the 5 1/2" best. It carries easy in a Milt Sparks holster on my belt, easy in and out of the pick up, not in the way. The 4 5/8" is a close second. I usually hunt with a 7 1/2" in a shoulder holster, because I like a shoulder holster when I am hunting. (Bandoleer type)

Autorim · « **Reply #24 on:** February 06, 2009, 06:07:50 PM »

I like both the 5.5 inch and 7.5. I don't need anything shorter in a field gun. Both carry just fine in a crossdraw holster for me.

I will bring up one point. The sight radius on the 8 inch barrel revolver is not twice the length of the sight radius on the 4 inch revolver therefore the aiming error due to sight misalignment will not be twice as much.

The barrel is twice as long, but you must factor in the length of the frame. Get the tape measure out.

Hank08 · « **Reply #25 on:** February 07, 2009, 06:01:05 AM »

Sorry, Autorim, I should have made that more clear instead of assuming everyone would know that I meant sight radius instead of barrel length. Thinking one thing and typing another, thanks for the correction.
H08

44 Man · « **Reply #26 on:** February 11, 2009, 04:20:57 PM »

Well, I was going to jump in here eariler, but Lloyd said it very well. But what you need to know is it really doesn't make any mechanical difference what barrel length you buy, none of us can shoot well enough to take advantage of it. So buy one that you like the looks and feel of and enjoy it. An interesting bit of side information was several tests back in the 70's to come up with the best compromise between handiness and efficiency. They decided that a 5" barrel was the best tool. If you shortened it a lot, you lost a lot of velocity. But you didn't gain a lot by lengthening it either. I have a Mag-na-port Ruger that was built in that time period with the 5" barrel because the gun guys 'in the know' said that's what the length should be. I enjoy short barrels, specifically 4" the most, but that's just my preference. After you have shot for a while, you will find that having several barrel lengths may suit you better. Short for easy carry in the woods, and longer for hunting. 44 Man

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #27 on:** February 12, 2009, 04:41:37 AM »

Lloyd said it well. Myself I like the 5.5 inch length, and 6 inch length for my hunting handguns.

Travis Morgan · « **Reply #28 on:** June 25, 2009, 10:42:50 AM »

I'd not go over 5 1/2", most likely. At times, I think the 4 5/8" is too long, but if I knew I'd probably be making some real long shots, I'd compromise. .....or carry a rifle!

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #29 on:** June 25, 2009, 10:51:33 AM »

For what it is worth i like 5-5.5 bbl. on most any revolver not carried for protection . And I have to open the rear notch to see it better on most gund GB has a good point . Check out Bowin custom guns .