How many like a Ruger Bisley .32 mag? Good to collect?

[vh6]

How many people would like a Ruger Bisley .32 magnum?  Is this a good gun to own(Or, a good to invest in, to collect?)?  I've never owned one of these single Six(Bisley's)before!  I know where to find a NIB, Bisley model RB32W(.32 mag)and, a Bisley .22(Model RB22)!  What advice, would you give this "Newbie"(Regarding single-action's)about whether or not, it would be good to buy one(Or, the both?)of these Bisley's(Pro or, Con?)?  I'd like to hear anything about these Bisley's, that anyone might care to report about them?  I want to increase my knowledge about these guns?  I welcome your comments or opinions? :roll:

[Lloyd Smale]

the bisley .32 and .22 are both sweet guns. I wouldnt recomend buying any new model ruger hoping for it to be a collectors item. But as far as shooters go there excellent guns. It would all depend on what the guy wants for them.

[ajj]

Excellent shooter. Will benefit from a trigger job. Mine is very accurate with just about any load. It's a fine handloader's cartridge, just a joy to shoot.

[moparman2]

The Ruger .32 mags are real sweet shooters. They are my favorite caliber in the single action Rugers. I personally thing the Bisley's are one of the nicest guns made. I spent many years trying to locate a Bisley .32 magnum here locally with no luck. A few years ago I picked one up off of Guns America. I paid a premium price for it but was more than willing just to get one. After the gun arrived the seller told me he had been flooded with emails on the gun. A guy here locally had a matched set that I offered him $600 just for one and he wouldn't sell. I paid $500 plus shipping for the one I have. The .22 Bisley's are still in the catalog's and go for around $300 new here in Utah. I also bought one of the birdshead gripped stainless single action .32 magnum when they first appeared here. Love both guns and will never sell them. I had  two of the single six .32 mags with sights in the 6 1/2 barrel lengths and one in the 9 1/2 barrel. Wish I would have kept the 9 1/2 it was a great target pistol. I sold them knowing that I could replace them but then Ruger quit production and I have been sorry since. My brother has one in the 6 1/2 barrel that I have been trying to buy for years with no luck. I have seen a couple at the gun shows but they are going around the $400 + mark. I wish Ruger would come out with one of the .32 magnums it still makes only with target sights again. Buy the .32 magnum Bisley and enjoy it. They only seem to go up in price.

[vh6]

1)Thanks everyone for all of your replies so far(And, I hope to get more?)!

2)Yes, it's true that the Bisley .22(With the adjustable sights, are still being made by Ruger)!  However, there is that second Bisley in .22 caliber, in the same Gun Shop, with the .32 Bisley, that I'm also considering?  The model of the Bisley .22 is RB22(With a fluted cylinder and fixed sights(Drift adjustable only)and, this one was also interesting to me, because this particular Bisley .22 model, is also no longer made by Ruger and, is fairly rare(Maybe 2,000-2,500 ever made, in this configuration)!  I'm trying to decide if it would be good to consider buying both of these Bisley's?

3)I would like to get more input from Bisley .32(Or, .22)owners? :shock:

[Blunderbus]

VH6,

Back in the mid- to late 1980s, I traded a stainless single six convertible (my first handgun purchase) for the drift-adjustable Bisley .32 H&R magnum model to which you are referring.  I eventually traded the Bisley because the ammunition was relatively scarce. As years passed, I grew to realize that it may have been the most accurate revolver I have ever (or will ever) own. I have never ceased to regret trading it off.

Obviously, a lot of factors other than the Bisley configuration contributed to the accuracy of that little Ruger. But if I had a chance to obtain both the .32 and .22 Bisley flattops, I'd try to get both. These are elegant little revolvers. The grips of that vintage should be made of goncalo alves ... no longer offered as standard. Very nice.


Blunderbus

[vh6]

Blunderbus:

Thanks for your great response!  I had never owned any .32 magnum revolver before and, I just walked into this Gun Store one day-and there they were(Two "Mint" Bisley's-an RB22 and an RB32W)!  Although, I had never had any experience with single action revolvers-I was attracted to the looks of both Bisley's!  When I found out that the Bisley .32(RB32W)was very "Rare" and, even the Bisley .22(RB22)being somewhat rare(With the fixed sights and with the fluted cylinder)I started wondering if these Bisley's(Despite being rare!)would be of much interest to gun collector's?  If so-then I had it in my mind to possibly buys these two Bisley's-the RB32w to "Collect" and, the RB22 to have a somewhat rare "Shooter"?  This is why I had started this thread-to find out if there would be anyone with enough experience with these Bisley's, to not only educate me about them(Positive or negative, viewpoints?)but, to also, give me an idea of the amount of interest, that there might be, regarding these Bisley's(Being based upon the Ruger Single Six)?  However, except for the recent good responses that I've received here, up until now, I just hadn't received much support for Bisley's like these?  I was disappointed-and, I almost felt like just giving up and "Passing" on buying these Bisley's?  I figured that without getting any "Support" these guns, just must be "Duds"?  My assumption has been that because of this, there could be no reason at all, to even consider buying either of these Bisley's!  My "Enthusiasm" is beginning to return(In view of this newfound support, that I'm starting to get)!  And, I hope that I can get some more Input regarding these two Bisley's(So the "Flames" won't fizzle out too soon!)?  Otherwise, I might just end up choosing an S&W M19-3 and an M17-4, instead(But these aren't "Rare"!)?  :grin:

[MI-shooter]

Currently, I have two of the 32's in 4 5/8 and a Bisley adjustable sight model. In the not too distant past I had the whole series unfired NIB from the 4 5/8 to the 9 1/2. All of the adjustable sight models only. Then I got to shoot them and found they are much more fun to shoot than look at. I sold off the 5 1/2, 6 1/2 and 9 1/2. They just did not feel right. The Bisley 22 I have feels so good I just had the shoot the Bisley 32. WOW! Wonderful guns and caliber. Pleasant to shoot but more fun than a .22. If you get a chance to buy a 32 Single Six Magnum, do it. The new Ruger 2005 catalog does not show a Single Six 32 anymore for what its worth.

Mi-shooter

[vh6]

Why was the Bisley .32 so much more fun(Than the Bisley .22?)to shoot?  The extra power?  Because you reload? Other?  Please comment?  Thanks! :eek:

[moparman2]

VH6 the Bisley's were special in the larger calibers for their ability to handle recoil better than the regular plow handle single actions. The Bisley's were used as a platform for many wildcat cartridges. For those of us that just plain love the single actions but found that the regular grip frame just didn't quite fit some hands right , the Bisley was the gun that changed that. I have owned the Bisley's in all calibers as well as having owned many, many other handguns from auto's, double actions, single actions, and single shots. The Bisley's just plain fit my hand better than any other. I like the low hammer spur as well as the curved trigger. Everyone I have owned as been very accurate. You ask about collector value well my view as I get older (44) is that I would rather shoot my guns and enjoy them then put them away hoping one day they will be worth more. Guns like the Ruger 3-screws go for much more than they did when new but the cost of living has also gone up much more so the value really hasn't risen on them. Buy all means buy the two Bisley's and enjoy them they were meant to be used. Why the .32 magnum. You get good power in a smaller frame gun that the .357's. The cartridge is very accurate, easy to reload, and just plain fun to shoot. When loaded to near max it sends a 85 to 100 grain hollow fast enough to be impressive on small to mid size varmints. It is by far my favorite center fire cartridge for having fun with. The .22 Bisley's I have owned seemed to be more accurate than the regular single-sixes. I don't know why that was but they were. The S&W  M-19 and M-17 are also great guns. The new model 17's with the full underlug make the gun just plain heavy for a .22. I prefer the older Smith model 17's with no underlug and the 8 3/8 barrel length. Very accurate and a superb shooter. I shoot my double action sixguns the same as I would a single action, meaning I cock the hammer for each shot so I myself see no benefit in having the double action. Besides growing up in an era when western's were popular and living in the western states with wide open spaces I still get a big kick out of shooting the old single actions. Good luck with whatever choice you make.
Mopar

[vh6]

The real problem, is which of these guns to choose?  The two Bisley's(.22 & .32?)or, the S&W M19-3 And the M17-4(Since these came into the same Gun Shop, while I was considering the two Bisley's!)?  I almost had my mind made up on the Bisley's, until these two S&W revolvers showed up!

I guess what is bothering me, is whether or not, the Bisley's would hold there value enough that I wouldn't lose too much money, whenever I should decide to sell them?  On the other hand, I know that the M19-3 and the M17-4, are popular S&W revolvers!  And, value-wise, it seems that the S&W's should continue to climb in value(Even though these aren't "Rare" S&W's!)?  The Bisley's, might never rise in value(Representing a "Loss" over time-rather than a "Gain"!)?  All of this, is just assumption's on my part!  Of course, this doesn't take into account, the differences in the "Fun" factor?  My first thought, was to possibly buy the two Bisley's-and, shoot the .22 and collect the .32?  Then I began to suppose that maybe even the ultra-"Rarity" of the Bisley .32(RB32W)might not even make up the difference in the potential collectible value between the two S&W revolvers and these two Bisley's?  It seems that everybody is always looking to buy nice S&W revolvers-but, I have not got a feel for how the gun buyers would view these two Bisley's(In a few years?)compared to the two S&W's, in the open gun market(At that time)?  The good input coming in now, is being very helpful to me however!  I do appreciate it!  Maybe with more input, I'll have enough information, to more easily decide upon buying(Or, not buying the two Bisley's-in stead of the two S&W's(M19-3 & M17-4)? :toast: