SA revolver for big handed person

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I am a big handed person. Being 6'4'' with Marfan's syndrome doesn't lend yourself to having small hands. As a result, a lot of grips on handguns don't firt me very well. Now, I'm looking into getting a centerfire SA handgun for plinking/CAS (maybe). I like the looks, durability, and price of the Ruger blackhawk, but my pinky curled around the bottom of the grip. Do Bisley models have longer and more controllable grips than these. I'd probably get a Uberti or Navybecause their less pricy. Simply because of ammo costs, does anyone make a .357 Bisley besides Ruger? How much would the Bisley .357 Ruger cost, generally? Do most SA's have bigger grip frames than the Ruger Blackhawk? I like the looks of Ubertis 1875 Frontier with the 5.5''.
I have a '64 Colt Scout and I'm probably gonna get a Heritage for inexpensive plinking. I might also pick up a Cobra .22 Deringer as a novelty/fun item. However, I want a centerfire revolver. Preferably .357 or .38. I want it to have big, controllable grips, and priced sub $500.
PS-would it be better to get a single Bearcat or two Heritages?
 
I'm afraid I don't have experience with the other brands you're considering, but I do know the Ruger Bisley grip is the biggest & most comfortable SA I've handled--and yes, it's a good bit more accomodating than the regular Ruger SA grip.

If you shop around, you should easily be able to get one for sub-$500.
 
Do Bisley models have longer and more controllable grips

Yes. Plenty of room for all 4 fingers.
bisley_vaquero_r.jpg

I liked the Bisley grip so much, I even replaced the frame/trigger/hammer on my Blackhawk.
bishawk_r.jpg

Good Luck...

Joe
 
Another option is to put oversized stocks on a conventional Ruger, Colt or Colt clone. See www.cdnnsports.com for inexpensive examples, but remember they have a flat $10.00 handling/shipping charge - so you may want to shop around a bit.

Also the longer backstrap and trigger guard used on replica 1860 Army cap & ball revolvers will fit on the same maker's single action reproductions.
 
Another option to consider is a replica of the Remington model 1875. EMF is the current importer of the Uberti-made "1875 Outlaw" in .45 Colt, .44-40 and .357. I have never found the Colt SAA to fit my large hands well, but the Remingtons feel great in my hands. I don't think the grips are any longer, but they do extend further to the rear, making the reach to the trigger longer. That allows me to keep a much more comfortable and solid hold with the trigger falling naturally at the first joint of my index finger. The Remington is also a fairly heavy revolver due to the big "web" under the barrel, and that helps to dampen recoil, making it even more controllable (but making it too heavy for some smaller people to shoot comfortably).
 
Believe it or not, a lot of us bigger-hand guys (I'm also 6'4") prefer a "pinkie under" hold if your pinkie knuckles are flexible enough.

Basically, I shoot with my pinkie curled deliberately under the grip but NOT "free floating" - I'm holding it firm under there. As the recoil takes the barrel up, the bottom edge of the grip "extends" my pinkie. Said pinkie is used as part of the process of slowing that recoil - and then curling the pinkie helps bring the barrel back down from recoil.

This process also helps position the gun the same way in the hand for each shot - what's sometimes called "indexing".

The bottoms of each panel on my Ruger New Vaquero (same size as the Colt SAA) have been rounded rather than leaving the two flat beveled panels in place.

My hands are somewhat big, but not enough so that I have a comfortable thumb reach to the original hammer with this pinkie-under hold. So I run a lower-slung SuperBlackHawk hammer to reduce thumb reach.

I recommend trying out this "pinkie under" type of hold. If it doesn't work out, then the Bisley grip is probably your best bet.

In all cases, I recommend sticking with Rugers. You can swap grip frame parts around and tune any given gun to your needs.

Ruger grip frames in a nutshell:

XR3-RED: this is the standard grip size of the Blackhawk post-1966ish and SuperBlackhawks with barrels of 5.5" or less. It was also the normal grip on the "Old Vaquero". It's a slightly oversize variant of the Colt SAA "plowhandle" grip. NOTE: because this grip frame was so common, there are a hell of a lot of "oversize" grip panels that stretch or expand this grip frame as needed. Aluminum grip frames in this size are common and dirt cheap (less than $30) and can thus be used to lighten any Ruger.

Bisley: Ruger's "Bisley" is really descended from a custom gun of the 1930s known as the "#5", owned by Elmer Keith. Ruger's version is oversize from the #5 and is noted for being able to handle big recoil. Usually matched with a very low-slung hammer and trigger with more curvature than normal. The Bisley hammer/trigger sets can be matched to other grip frames as desired.

SuperBlackHawk: SBH Rugers with a barrel more than 5.5" come with an oversize plowhandle grip frame bigger than the XR3-RED. Most have the "squareback" trigger guard often noted as being the stupidest idea Ruger ever had (the "knucklewhacker"). Ruger's "Hunter" series SuperBlackHawks have the big grip frame but with a rounded-back triggerguard that is highly prized for those with big hands. The "Hunters" also come in a Bisley variant. These are possibly the best Ruger SAs ever made - their heavy 7.5" barrels come with integrated scope ring mounts and with Ruger's excellent scope rings in the box. Damn fine guns.

XR3: Ruger's original 1955 - 1965ish grip frame was very similar to the Colt SAA grip frame, enough so that Colt grips could often be fitted to the Ruger. In 2005 Ruger brought this size back with the New Vaquero and both 50th Anniversary "Flattop" limited edition Blackhawks (357 and 44). This new variant always comes with a keylock hidden under the grip panels, and so far the only factory grip panels are black checkered plastic.

Bird's Head: currently not in production, but available aftermarket, this smallish round-back frame is actually pretty respectable at recoil handling, at least up through strong 357Mag power levels and for some people, up through at least moderate 44Mag horsepower.

For really big power, the Bisley is now considered king of the hill. John Linebaugh now refuses to ship his monster 475 and 500 customs with any other grip frame. To get an idea what level recoil those entail, see the video at:

http://www.customsixguns.com/

If your hands are truly gi-huge-ic, you may need to go to the SBH grip AND do pinkie-under! That would be what I'd try if my hands were too big for the Bisley.
 
Jim March said:
Believe it or not, a lot of us bigger-hand guys (I'm also 6'4") prefer a "pinkie under" hold if your pinkie knuckles are flexible enough.

+1. I always have my pinkie hard against the bottom of the grip frame. I've tried Bisley grips and just don't care for them.
 
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