Riomouse911
Member
I wandered into a LGS in the city I work in just to poke around a bit and see what the gun and ammo shelves look like. (Last time I went in they were pretty barren.)
Even in “AR Ban” Ca. there were plenty of “Featureless” AR clones for the masses, lots of hunting shotguns, some hunting rifles and a Sacramento- limited selection of handguns. The consignment section was empty of handguns and only a beat up 20 ga Win Mod 12 was worth briefly looking at.
Among all the “Ca Approved” gen 3 Glocks, M&P and Kimbers were two sets of Wranglers in the case. Two were grey-black and two bronze-black, one each a standard and one a 3 1/4” Birdshead. Since I have a black standard Wrangler I asked to check out the Birdshead.
This was the first Birdshead grip revolver I’ve ever held, Ruger or otherwise. I was surprised that the grip was as chunky and hand-filling as it was, from pictures I always thought they were thin and teeny like the “splinter” J frame grips. It actually fit my mid-sized hands pretty well and pointed nicely at the targets sitting up on the wall.
The gun is typical Wrangler; alloy and MIM parts, a surprisingly well done Cerakote finish on the frame and barrel with a black finished cylinder, the standard channel sight groove/ thin blade front, plastic grips, etc.
I liked the feel so much I decided the $210.00 price tag was worth the buy. Ten days later, after the mandated stay in the regulatory penalty box, I picked it up today.
I compared it side by side with my black Wrangler. The barrel and of course the full length ejector rod housing are a bit shorter on the Birdshead, but with a fired case I had I saw the rod itself has enough length to pop empties out without having to dig them out. The grip is a fraction longer but much more curled at the butt, as is expected. The factory grips were wider than the Wrangler’s saltine cracker-thin original plastic panels. (I ditched those right away for a set of more hand-filling Altamonts.)
The only thing I noticed right away was a stiffer trigger pull on the Birdshead. A quick check with the trigger pull gauge showed me the Wrangler’s pull was 4lbs., the Birdshead was exactly a pound heavier at 5lbs. I hope some use will lighten it up a bit, if not I am going to buy some Wolff aftermarket springs and lightly touch up the action surfaces to smooth them out.
As I said earlier the feel was very good from the get go. I don’t know what a Birdshead gripped centerfire would feel like as it recoils, but with the .22 I know it’ll be minimal. If you see one of these, or a Heritage, pick it up and see how it feels. It may just surprise you as well.
Looking forward to giving it some exercise to see how it shoots side by side with the original. But, sadly, it will be a few more weeks before I get to shoot it. I am going to be busy for a while with the family and unable to hit the range.
Stay safe.
Even in “AR Ban” Ca. there were plenty of “Featureless” AR clones for the masses, lots of hunting shotguns, some hunting rifles and a Sacramento- limited selection of handguns. The consignment section was empty of handguns and only a beat up 20 ga Win Mod 12 was worth briefly looking at.
Among all the “Ca Approved” gen 3 Glocks, M&P and Kimbers were two sets of Wranglers in the case. Two were grey-black and two bronze-black, one each a standard and one a 3 1/4” Birdshead. Since I have a black standard Wrangler I asked to check out the Birdshead.
This was the first Birdshead grip revolver I’ve ever held, Ruger or otherwise. I was surprised that the grip was as chunky and hand-filling as it was, from pictures I always thought they were thin and teeny like the “splinter” J frame grips. It actually fit my mid-sized hands pretty well and pointed nicely at the targets sitting up on the wall.
The gun is typical Wrangler; alloy and MIM parts, a surprisingly well done Cerakote finish on the frame and barrel with a black finished cylinder, the standard channel sight groove/ thin blade front, plastic grips, etc.
I liked the feel so much I decided the $210.00 price tag was worth the buy. Ten days later, after the mandated stay in the regulatory penalty box, I picked it up today.
I compared it side by side with my black Wrangler. The barrel and of course the full length ejector rod housing are a bit shorter on the Birdshead, but with a fired case I had I saw the rod itself has enough length to pop empties out without having to dig them out. The grip is a fraction longer but much more curled at the butt, as is expected. The factory grips were wider than the Wrangler’s saltine cracker-thin original plastic panels. (I ditched those right away for a set of more hand-filling Altamonts.)
The only thing I noticed right away was a stiffer trigger pull on the Birdshead. A quick check with the trigger pull gauge showed me the Wrangler’s pull was 4lbs., the Birdshead was exactly a pound heavier at 5lbs. I hope some use will lighten it up a bit, if not I am going to buy some Wolff aftermarket springs and lightly touch up the action surfaces to smooth them out.
As I said earlier the feel was very good from the get go. I don’t know what a Birdshead gripped centerfire would feel like as it recoils, but with the .22 I know it’ll be minimal. If you see one of these, or a Heritage, pick it up and see how it feels. It may just surprise you as well.
Looking forward to giving it some exercise to see how it shoots side by side with the original. But, sadly, it will be a few more weeks before I get to shoot it. I am going to be busy for a while with the family and unable to hit the range.
Stay safe.
.
