Lower felt recoil on a SA: plow or Bisley grip?

[Smaug]

I've seen threads where some folks insist the old style plow handle is best, while others say Bisleys have lower felt recoil.

I'm curious if there is a majority, so let's put it to a vote.

Please only vote if you have shot both in the same caliber.

 

[RidgwayCO]

John Linebaugh makes most of his big, honkin', loudenboomers on a Bisley grip frame. His expertise is good enough for me...

 

[CraigC]

Recoil is highly subjective but for me it is the Ruger Bisley, with proper custom grips, hands down. With the standard SAA/Navy/XR3/XR3-RED type grip frame, standard weight bullets at 1200fps are my limit. Even with top loads, I find the Colt and Ruger XR3 to be much more comfortable than the Ruger XR3-RED. The Colt Bisley grip is also surprisingly comfortable with heavy loads.

 

[snooperman]

With heavy bullets like 45 Colt at 1200 Ft/sec...

I prefer the Bisley grip , but with cowboy loads at 850 ft/sec the plough handle feels better.

 

[rcmodel]

I agree I much prefer the looks and feel of the orginial SAA grip with Colts orginial calibers and loads.

However there is no arguing the fact that the Bisley grip is far superior for handling the modern hard & heavy kickers comfortably.

rc

 

[Smaug]

Wow, I didn't expect consensus! I thought I'd read somewhere that with the old style plow grip, the gun tends to "swivel up" more, rather than push back...

I think my next wheel gun may just have to be a Ruger Blackhawk Bisley.

Craig: What does all the XR3 nomenclature in your post refer to? I didn't get that at all.

 

[PO2Hammer]

For me the standard Blackhawk grip rolls up in my hand more and has less felt recoil than my F/A model 97 with it's close to Bisley grip. The F/A is heavier than a Blackhawk, but the Blackhawk handles recoil better IMO.

 

[royal barnes]

It all depends on whether you are talking about a real Colt Bisley grip or the Ruger Bisley. Two different animals. I don't feel the recoil as much with the standard Colt grip as I do with the original Bisley. The Ruger Bisley grip is just too chunky for my small hands.

 

[CraigC]

What does all the XR3 nomenclature in your post refer to? I didn't get that at all.

The XR3 is the original grip frame used by Ruger on Single Sixes and Blackhawks from 1953-1962. Then revived in 2005 for the New Vaquero and all the new flat-tops. It is a dead ringer for the Colt SAA pattern.

The XR3-RED is Ruger's "improved" grip frame that was used on Single Sixes and Blackhawks from 1962-present. The only real difference is that it has more room behind the triggerguard than the XR3. For me, it is not as comfortable as the XR3 or Colt SAA pattern grip frame. A subtle difference to some, signficant to me. Enough so that I retrofitted some of my Old Models with XR3's.