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Woods Report: Ruger .45 Bisley BlackHawk!

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WebHobbit

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Apr 5, 2003
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Just got back from behind the levee. Was kinda muddy and the mosquitos were ferocious but we survived!

THR member Glocksman and I tried out THR member ElmoH's custom .45 BlackHawk:

wh_bh45c.jpg


It was amazingly EASY to shoot. This was my first time shooting a gun with the Bisley grip frame and WOW! All the good stuff people been reporting about the recoil handling characteristics are 100% true.

This was a really nice shooter.

We shot a variety of ammo. Too bad I'm not sure of the grains and all because Elmo just gave them to us in an unmarked plastic ammo box. I think some were Corbon, some were definitly Winchester Silvertips & some looked (and felt) like mild cowboy loads.

It was all very easy on the hands...pretty gentle really...even the Corbon stuff.

The biggest surprise of all was the astonishing fact that I was able to shoot this bad-boy ONE HANDED & actually hit the paper-plates from a distance of 30 feet. :) I was very pleased. I know that feat probably doesn't sound like much to many of you but I've never been able to hit the broad side of a barn with ANY gun using only a one-handed grip. This is probably in part due to my very small hands.

I absolutely see a .44 Magnum Vaquero Bisley in my near future!


:cool: :D
 
Regarding topstraps: the Vaquero topstrap is perhaps theoretically STRONGER than the blackhawk-type, because the BH topstrap has that "step" at the rear where the sight is.

But it doesn't matter, because in both Ruger types, the topstrap isn't the "weak" link.

When a Ruger SA is finally pushed past it's limits, the upper half of the cylinder blows up but typically the topstrap holds. It bulges way the heck up, but it holds. So the cylinder pieces fly sideways and up, leaving the shooter uninjured. I've seen pictures of both Blackhawks and Vaqs k-boomed with idiotic handloads and in both cases, this pattern holds. Since that's about all you can possibly expect of a topstrap, the difference remains purely theoretical.

Note: I've not seen pics of any 454/475/500 custom five-shot conversions blown. I would bet that first, not many of these exist compared to standard calibers and second, the people spending $1,200+ understand handloading and are aware of "how close to the edge" these conversions are and are thus damned careful at the loading bench.
 
Jim is right. If the cylinder blows the topstrap is a moot point. The real question is .... do you want adjustable or fixed sights. Aside from CAS I prefer being able to zero different loads in a "field and range revolver." Unfortunately to have this in a Ruger Bisley that has a shorter barrel and/or a fluted cylinder one has to create a custom gun. Hopefully Ruger will take a hint.
 
WebHobbit: Have you seen the new Vaquero sets w/faux ivory grips and consecutive sernos? They say no additional charge for the matched set. They really are beauties!
 
Arub -- haven't seen those yet sounds interesting. I've got my eye on a set of Hogue dark rose-wood grips. There really dark...not black but close.


Jim March - thanks for clarifying the top-strap question.

Old Fuff - I like the adjustable sights a lot but I like the looks/profile of the Vaquero more. I generally don't shoot very long range anyway so maybe the fixed sights will be OK?

Does anyone know what load the .44 Magnum Vaquero's sights are regulated for?

I'm thinking I'll probably end up using mostly handloads in the neighborhood of a 240 grain jacketed bullet going about 1100-1200 fps give or take....if that POA/POI is close enough out to 50 feet or so.
 
Actually, the fact that the Ruger topstrap tends to hold even when the cylinder goes byebye DOES matter. A lot. When the topstrap breaks on an S&W or other such, the topstrap piece can be flung back, and the "blast shield" behind the cylinder is no longer quite vertical and it can spit cylinder parts to the rear.

The Ruger topstrap holding has almost certainly saved people from some injuries, possibly even death.

-----------

On the Vaq sights: it's set up from the factory very tall. It's a normal thing to sort out which loads you like (and that group well) and then file the front sight to fit that load yourself...part of the joy of the 19th century re-creation (and yes, they did the same thing back then).
 
Glad you enjoyed it Little Buddy, but before you go out and buy one, it you some more ammo, and shot it some more to make sure thats what you want.
 
I dunno Elmo. I'm pretty much settled on this. I mean it was just a joy to shoot & it seemed to fit me a bit better than Glocksman. He shot it just as well but complained about the trigger gaurd "pinching"...where as I experienced no discomfort of any kind.

:)

How much do I owe you for that ammo? I'm guessing a good deal as the factory stuff aint cheap!
 
I don't know about Indiania, but here in Kentucky, "nothing means nothing"
:neener:
 
Ruger has made several small runs of 5.5" SS Bisleys in both .44 and .45 for a distributor (AccuSport). I think they are KRBN-445 for the .44 and KRBN-455 for the .45. I have the latter - it was $399 locally - as does a good friend after shooting mine. We love them. Now I need the .44 version for all of the .44 Specials and Russians I've loaded (I don't shoot .44M's... I have a .454 SRH when I need 'emphasis'.). The free spin pawl really helps the Ruger SA's unload & reload more quickly. Opening the cylinder exit bores to a uniform .4525" helps grouping as well. Like a regular BH, it has adjustable sights - a great aid with the myriads of .45 Colt loads available.

The .45 Colt round is addictive. I never thought I'd reload... then I counted my 'empties'. By last fall, I had saved >2700! I bought a Dillon 550B and assorted accessories before Christmas. By the time I had reloaded ~2200 rounds, the equipment was 'paid for', according to the current price of 'cowboy' loads. Now I have another hobby... I shoot to reload! I blame it on the .45 Colt... but I reload .44's and .45's now (.45 Auto Rim and ACP's as well).

Stainz
 
I have an Accu-Sport 5.5" SS Bisley in .45 Colt. I absolutely love it. It is, IMHO, the best packing hot-rod .45 Colt you can get, and its a shame that you have to wait for Ruger to make a run of them. Also a shame is that Ruger puts the wrong front sight on them for hot loads, so you have to change that out. Too much dwell time with 300+ grain bullets. Otherwise they're awesome. They shoot really nicely with 325 LBTs.
 
I reckon it oughtta be alright for 240s. It was fine for .45 C cowboy loads, but when I put a 325 though it it shot way high...was pushing around 1300.


Heh, try that with a 5.5" .44 Mag! :D
 
That is basically the color of mine. SK did them on my gun and put Western (I think?) case heads in where the Ruger emblem used to be. Looks REALLY sharp.
 
SK?

And you got a picture you can post?

BTW, my dealer charged me $420.00 plus tax. I got the impression this was only around 10% over cost as he said cash only for that price.
 
I'll throw in my .02 in on those Accusport Bisleys. I love mine. I got a .44 and I think it's about the best shooting Blackhawk I've ever had and I've had a few. When the wife ain't lookin' I'm gonna grab a .45
 
No joy for you...yet.

TFL is up but my pic isn't there any longer and I don't have the time to take a pic and post it...sorry.
 
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