Regular or Bisley SA?

I shot my Ruger Vaquero 44 mag (regular) last week and my Ruger Vaquero Bisley 44 Mag today. Both are incredibly fun to shoot and quite accurate if you know the POA (both of mine shoot a it low but the Bisley a bit less than the regular model).

I love the looks of the regular model better and frankly I could live with it well enough. But the Bisley always seems to get a bit of an edge.

I can't make up my mind which is better although I tend to lean (very) slightly towards the Bisley.

Opinions from all the SA shooters out there would be appreciated.

 

I shoot plowhandle SA revolvers just fine, but the shape isn't my favorite, especially in heavy recoiling guns. 44 mag is about my comfortable max with a plow handle like my super Blackhawk. But the bisley Ruger my buddy had didn't seem to recoil hardly at all! I will be ordering the bisley when I get my BFR in 500 jrh. I like bisley's

 

I have shot both but I ended going with the Bisley in my 44mag SBH. They seem to handle recoil much better imo. The recoil pushes back more instead of rolling up in the hand. I suppose that's the way you explain it. The only thing I don't like about Bisleys is the replacement grip options are limited...

 

I prefer the plowhandle. It depends on your hand size and how you hold them. I tuck my pinky under the grip of most revolvers, so the plowhandle is more natural for me.

Ruger Single Six 32 H&R magnum by Tallball posted Dec 13, 2018 at 5:54 AM

 

I'm no help.
All mine are standard grip guns.
I hear good things about the Bisley though.

 

I have both. To be honest I'm not sure I can say one is better than the other. Some say the Bisley is better for higher recoil. Maybe that is true, but I cannot confirm either way. One thing with the Bisley is that when you shoot it at a range and someone knows single actions you always get the "ooooh, you have a Bisley", so it typically gets noticed. Means nothing to me really.

I would agree with this statement.

-Jeff

 

I’m in the same boat.

I like the idea of the bisley but I’ve not had the opportunity to shoot one. I’m not sure it would be for me though. One of the reasons I LIKE the standard grip is because it does roll in the hand instead of pushing backwards like my gp100 sending all that recoil force into my thumb joint. Having arthritis in my hands limits my ability to shoot heavy recoiling guns much UNLESS they are single actions with standard grips. Again no first hand experience with a bisley yet so my opinion is worth little.

 

When I had my Dad .44 Bisley Vaquero for a while, I really liked it.

 

The Bisley grip revolvers I have owned and shot (Ruger Blackhawk, FA Model 83) rolled in my hand just like the regular grip Rugers do. I think the benefit mostly depends on one's hand size and their preference for how they feel.

I prefer the Ruger Blackhawk regular grip with a Pachmyer gripper on it. The older Pachmyer grips are harder rubber then the new ones and they roll in my hand. It's bigger in size than the factory plow handle grip and fits my hand better. That being said, my FA 83 in 44 Mag handles heavy loads better then my Ruger 44 Mag, but it's also heavier, so that makes some difference.

My Ruger 45 with the Pachmyer.


My FA 44 Mag with Bisley grip.

 

I think there is a big difference between an 1851 Colt and a 475 Linebaugh.

 

I like the plowhandle for standard loads and prefer the Colt SAA/Navy or Ruger XR3 over the Ruger XR3-RED. I can also get along with the Super Blackhawk grip pretty well, with properly shaped grips on it. My 5.5" OM Super does fine with the Buffalo Bore 340gr load. Same for the FA83, which closely resembles the Colt 1860 Army profile. My favorite, for anything with an appreciable level of recoil is the Ruger Bisley.

 

One thing many are not aware of, Bisley grip has tad shorter trigger reach. With thinner grips, works better for folks with medium size hands.

 

Craig, those grips on stainless Bisley were done by somebody who real knows his trade. I do not round aft bottom, but I do modify area behind trigger guard, like on yours. Quite difference in handling.

 

I wish I could find a Lipsey's .327 Single Seven Bisley to form an opinion -- I think it looks like a winner, but I've been fooled by looks before!

 

Howdy

As many of you probably know, I am a big proponent of curling my pinky under the grip when shooting a Single Action Army.






Not so much with a Bisley. The real Colt Bisley, not that thing Ruger calls a Bisley.

 

Rob Rowen is probably the finest gripmaker extant. Jack's grips are also very good. He did the ivory on the blued gun.

 

I shoot them equally well and enjoy them about the same. On any given day I might like one more than the other. Once recoil gets into .44 Magnum country and beyond, I start really liking the Bisley.

 

IMHO, that helps ^^^^^^^

Of the 8 Rugers I have, 8 are plow handle.
Some claim the Bisley controls recoil better. I can't say better, but it is different. I prefer the look, feel, and fit of the Blackhawk plowhandle. The Vaquero is smaller than the Blackhawk.

I am glad they all exist and we can find what we like best.

 

I really like the Ruger Bisley. I have a .41 that has that grip frame and I much prefer it over the plow handle. I do not like the "slip" of the plow handle. To me the Ruger Bisley sort of emulates the feel of a double action revolver in my hands.

 

I have both.
My Bisley is a New Vaquero in 45 Colt.
I have a Vaquero in 44-40 and a New Model Blackhawk in .357

I can't claim to shoot better with one compared to the other.
I do love the looks and feel of the Bisley.
I would like a couple more.

 

I don’t have any Bisleys and other than handling a few, have no experience with them. I much prefer the look of the plow handle grips.

 

My softest-kicking Ruger SA revolvers are Bisleys, a .22 LR and a .32 H&R, so I can’t honestly say whether the grip improves the felt recoil or not.

But, I like the Bisley trigger feel, the ease of thumbing back the hammer and the way the grip feels in my hands. If I did have the Bisley grip on my other Ruger SA guns (.41, .44 Spl, .45 Colt) I am sure I would like them.

Stay safe.

 

My FiL and I have similarly-sized hands. He has a 7.5" SBH with Bisley grips, because he likes them better. I have a 7.5" SBH with plowhandle grips, because I like them better.

 

The Bisley is - an acquired taste - one that I have never gotten past looking at one and thinking,,,,"Ewwwww".

 

Standard Ruger blackhawk frame, pinkie under the grip feels natural. Super blackhawk with dragoon frame is close, but not as nice for me as the regular grip frame.

Had a bisley years ago, but can't recall my feelings towards it. When I look at a bisley, I immediately think hunting gun and the mind wanders....

Don't shoot much of the heavy stuff.