ok...I've decided to get a new Ruger Bisley .22 as my first revolver. This is my first handgun and I am looking to gain some experience before getting something a little bigger. What do you guys think of this gun? Is it good quality? Will it last? Is it accurate and trouble-free? What would be a good/fair price for a new one? Any and all comments would be greatly appreciated!!!!
Opinions please-Ruger Bisley .22
- Thread starter ROBSTOY
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Robstoy;
I have a Ruger Single-Six, that revolver in a conventional grip, and a pair Ruger Vaquero Bisleys. I have to say that your revolver is probably the finest to come out of Ruger. I would get one, if I didn't have other priorities. I find the Bisley grip way more comfortable that the original grip. The Ruger design is almost indestructible, due to the use of coil springs in the action.
Basically, you can't go wrong with a Ruger. They are excellent guns. Their .22s, however, are world-beaters as production guns.
-John
I have a Ruger Single-Six, that revolver in a conventional grip, and a pair Ruger Vaquero Bisleys. I have to say that your revolver is probably the finest to come out of Ruger. I would get one, if I didn't have other priorities. I find the Bisley grip way more comfortable that the original grip. The Ruger design is almost indestructible, due to the use of coil springs in the action.
Basically, you can't go wrong with a Ruger. They are excellent guns. Their .22s, however, are world-beaters as production guns.
-John
PotatoJudge
Member
Is it good quality? Will it last? Is it accurate and trouble-free?
Yes, yes, and yes.
New price maybe $400, but I haven't shopped around for them.
The Bisley .22 would be a great gun to start on before buying one (or more) in 357, 44, or 45.
Yes, yes, and yes.
New price maybe $400, but I haven't shopped around for them.
The Bisley .22 would be a great gun to start on before buying one (or more) in 357, 44, or 45.
Sistema1927
Member
Buy it today, shoot the snot out of it, and your great-grandkids will still be shooting it 100 years from now.
Smith & Wesson Man
Member
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Great gun to start out with
The ruger bisley is a sweet shooter, and the ammo is still cheap
The ruger bisley is a sweet shooter, and the ammo is still cheapYosemiteSam357
Member
I've got a .22 Bisley and it's the most accurate handgun I own. It's scary how consistent it is. Do the "poor man's trigger job" (remove one trigger spring leg from its boss) and it'll have a very light, creep free trigger.
The only downside on mine was one that I've had with other blued Rugers: They don't bother to completely stop the bluing process before packaging and shipping the guns, and you'll often find a fine film of orange rust on them when new. It doesn't do any harm, but it can freak you out when you go to wipe down your new gun only to come away with a rust-orange rag. Clean and wipe it down real well with a good oil-based CLP and you'll be fine. You may have to dig into some nooks and crannies to get it all.
They're great guns. I really can't recommend them highly enough. The finish thing is nothing to worry about.
I've also got three other Ruger Bisleys (.357 mag, .44 mag, and .45 Colt/ACP convertible), so yeah, the platform definitely has some appeal.
-- Sam
The only downside on mine was one that I've had with other blued Rugers: They don't bother to completely stop the bluing process before packaging and shipping the guns, and you'll often find a fine film of orange rust on them when new. It doesn't do any harm, but it can freak you out when you go to wipe down your new gun only to come away with a rust-orange rag. Clean and wipe it down real well with a good oil-based CLP and you'll be fine. You may have to dig into some nooks and crannies to get it all.
They're great guns. I really can't recommend them highly enough. The finish thing is nothing to worry about.
I've also got three other Ruger Bisleys (.357 mag, .44 mag, and .45 Colt/ACP convertible), so yeah, the platform definitely has some appeal.
-- Sam
I had a Bisley .22lr and regret selling it, thinking of buying another.
What kind of .45? Auto or revolver?
You might look into a Ruger Blackhawk convertable .357/.38 spl/9mm. With the Blackhawk, recoil is tamed pretty good, and you could use .38 special or 9mm for low recoil practice, plus it will handle like your .22.
What kind of .45? Auto or revolver?
You might look into a Ruger Blackhawk convertable .357/.38 spl/9mm. With the Blackhawk, recoil is tamed pretty good, and you could use .38 special or 9mm for low recoil practice, plus it will handle like your .22.
P. Plainsman
Member
Let me offer a dissenting opinion. I used to own a Ruger .22 Bisley. It was inaccurate, and I sold it. I would strongly encourage you to save your money and get a Smith & Wesson 617 (medium-frame, double action .22 revolver) instead.
The 617 is a way more serious and accurate gun in my experience -- even though my 617 has only a 4" barrel and the Ruger had a 6.5" barrel! The Smith shoots the doors off the Ruger, whether in single action, or even in DA (which of course the Ruger doesn't have). The Ruger was otherwise a nice, reliable, well finished gun (though heavy), but groups just would not settle down.
Here's the thing. Ruger .22 single action revolvers have a reputation for being cut with barrels that are often too "overbore" to accurately shoot .22 LR. That's because most Ruger Single Sixes (though not the Bisley model you're looking at) come with a "convertible" cylinder that lets you shoot .22 Magnum with them. So the barrel has to be cut wide to accommodate the .22 Magnum bullets. Unfortunately the Bisley comes with the same barrels as other Ruger single action .22s even though it doesn't include a .22 Mag. cylinder. So you will face the same risk if you buy that Bisley.
This whole situation is a real mistake and waste of effort on Ruger's part, in my view. It makes the design of all of their modern .22 single action revolvers, except the Bearcat, fundamentally flawed. Sometimes you get a good one (i.e., one that happens to have a comparatively "narrow" bore that shoot .22 LR well), but often you don't. Luck of the draw.
I'd so much rather have a gun designed so that it only shoots .22 LR, but can be counted on to do so with accuracy. I bet you would too. As a new handgun shooter you want as much help as you can get.
If you can find the dough, I would really encourage you to get a S&W 617. Sweet revolver that you will keep and enjoy as long as you shoot handguns.
I like Ruger centerfire single actions a lot -- used to have a Super Blackhawk Hunter in .44 Magnum and it was a great, accurate gun. I love Ruger double actions -- you can find a thread elsewhere in this forum where I'm singing the praises of my new SP101 snubby. But I do not recommend their .22 single actions.
The 617 is a way more serious and accurate gun in my experience -- even though my 617 has only a 4" barrel and the Ruger had a 6.5" barrel! The Smith shoots the doors off the Ruger, whether in single action, or even in DA (which of course the Ruger doesn't have). The Ruger was otherwise a nice, reliable, well finished gun (though heavy), but groups just would not settle down.
Here's the thing. Ruger .22 single action revolvers have a reputation for being cut with barrels that are often too "overbore" to accurately shoot .22 LR. That's because most Ruger Single Sixes (though not the Bisley model you're looking at) come with a "convertible" cylinder that lets you shoot .22 Magnum with them. So the barrel has to be cut wide to accommodate the .22 Magnum bullets. Unfortunately the Bisley comes with the same barrels as other Ruger single action .22s even though it doesn't include a .22 Mag. cylinder. So you will face the same risk if you buy that Bisley.
This whole situation is a real mistake and waste of effort on Ruger's part, in my view. It makes the design of all of their modern .22 single action revolvers, except the Bearcat, fundamentally flawed. Sometimes you get a good one (i.e., one that happens to have a comparatively "narrow" bore that shoot .22 LR well), but often you don't. Luck of the draw.
I'd so much rather have a gun designed so that it only shoots .22 LR, but can be counted on to do so with accuracy. I bet you would too. As a new handgun shooter you want as much help as you can get.
If you can find the dough, I would really encourage you to get a S&W 617. Sweet revolver that you will keep and enjoy as long as you shoot handguns.
I like Ruger centerfire single actions a lot -- used to have a Super Blackhawk Hunter in .44 Magnum and it was a great, accurate gun. I love Ruger double actions -- you can find a thread elsewhere in this forum where I'm singing the praises of my new SP101 snubby. But I do not recommend their .22 single actions.
Jim March
Member
The Bisley .22 is the same gun as the Single Six, just a different grip frame and hammer.
The number one reason you'd want a Bisley .22 over a Single Six is to act as an understudy to a centerfire Ruger Bisley SA. The number two reason is, you've got big hands or detest the "pinkie under" style of holding/shooting standard-type Colt SAA or similar grips (pinkie slung "under" the grip frame).
If your bigger Ruger SA is going to have normal grips, then get the same on the Single Six.
The Bisley grip frame is noted for coping with big recoil - a non-issue on the .22 but it comes into it's own with heavy 44Mag and higher horsepower levels. The Bisley grip frame (if it fits your hand and shooting style) will make the hottest 357Mags seem downright tame. When John Linebaugh builds you a 475 or 500 handcannon the only grip frame he'll set it up with is a Bisley, for safety reasons.
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Accuracy on the Single Six is unaffected by the grip frame or hammer type. Accuracy is usually at least "decent" but is sometimes hit-or-miss. The "miss" guns can usually be spotted via The Checkout but if not, modest gunsmithing, tightening the action and a re-crown job often helps a lot. Durability is outstanding. Accuracy is almost always better than the "Heritage" cheapo rimfire SAs (with the funky safety switch to the left of the hammer).
S&W DAs are admittedly often more accurate by a bit. But they're not as cool, they're not dual-caliber (the .22Mag is damned useful!) and worst case the Ruger will respond to minor tuning.
Again: this is all independent of which Ruger grip frame setup you choose.
The number one reason you'd want a Bisley .22 over a Single Six is to act as an understudy to a centerfire Ruger Bisley SA. The number two reason is, you've got big hands
or detest the "pinkie under" style of holding/shooting standard-type Colt SAA or similar grips (pinkie slung "under" the grip frame).If your bigger Ruger SA is going to have normal grips, then get the same on the Single Six.
The Bisley grip frame is noted for coping with big recoil - a non-issue on the .22 but it comes into it's own with heavy 44Mag and higher horsepower levels. The Bisley grip frame (if it fits your hand and shooting style) will make the hottest 357Mags seem downright tame. When John Linebaugh builds you a 475 or 500 handcannon the only grip frame he'll set it up with is a Bisley, for safety reasons.
---
Accuracy on the Single Six is unaffected by the grip frame or hammer type. Accuracy is usually at least "decent" but is sometimes hit-or-miss. The "miss" guns can usually be spotted via The Checkout but if not, modest gunsmithing, tightening the action and a re-crown job often helps a lot. Durability is outstanding. Accuracy is almost always better than the "Heritage" cheapo rimfire SAs (with the funky safety switch to the left of the hammer).
S&W DAs are admittedly often more accurate by a bit. But they're not as cool
, they're not dual-caliber (the .22Mag is damned useful!) and worst case the Ruger will respond to minor tuning. Again: this is all independent of which Ruger grip frame setup you choose.
YosemiteSam357
Member
Different brands of .22 LR ammo will affect accuracy more than any bore diameter dimension differences. Note too that I've never heard of any bore size related issues with Ruger .22 convertibles prior to the previous post. .357/9mm yes, but not .22LR/.22WMF.
S&W DAs are also considerably more expensive, and, well, DAs. Though I wouldn't say no to a nice older K22 Masterpiece.
-- Sam
S&W DAs are also considerably more expensive, and, well, DAs. Though I wouldn't say no to a nice older K22 Masterpiece.
-- Sam
Boxhead
Member
I prefer the standard aluminum gripframe on my Single Six's bit I like to carry mine and the Bisley version is too darn heavy for a .22 IMO. In fact, I just sold a Bisley 32 as I never used it.
Good luck finding a new Bisley .22 - Ruger no longer makes them. My dealer called all of the distributors they deal with and they couldn't turn up one. The local Gander Mountain had one, so I "gave in" and bought it from them. I haven't shot it yet, so I can't speak to its accuracy.
This makes Bisley #4 for me - .357, Acusport .45 LC, Acusport .45LC/.45 ACP Convertible, .22 LR.
This makes Bisley #4 for me - .357, Acusport .45 LC, Acusport .45LC/.45 ACP Convertible, .22 LR.
Quote:Good luck finding a new Bisley .22 - Ruger no longer makes them. My dealer called all of the distributors they deal with and they couldn't turn up one. The local Gander Mountain had one, so I "gave in" and bought it from them. I haven't shot it yet, so I can't speak to its accuracy.
I checked on Ruger's site and they show the Bisley .22. Where did you hear that they are not making them anymore? Anyone else heard this?
I checked on Ruger's site and they show the Bisley .22. Where did you hear that they are not making them anymore? Anyone else heard this?
OK...I called Ruger and they were discontinued this year!! However, they do still have some. They are going to call me tomorrow (their systems are down) with a distributor in my area that can supply the gun. We'll see what happens!! Thanks for the headsup ewayte!!!
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