Can those of you who have used both the Bisley and "regular" single action grips enlighten me as to the advantages and disadvantages of each? I am interested in a Ruger .44 mag. In the past I've had single action Rugers in .22LR/.22mag and .44mag, both with "regular grips, but have not used a revolver with a Bisley grip. Is the difference mostly cosmetic? Is the angle of the Bisley more comfortable for shooting? Is the felt recoil to the hand and wrist with heavy loads distributed differently? Is recovery time to thumb back the hammer for a followup shot in one handed shooting different? Are the various differences more pronounced in one handed or 2 handed shooting?

Can those of you who have used both the Bisley and "regular" single action grips enlighten me as to the advantages and disadvantages of each? I am interested in a Ruger .44 mag. In the past I've had single action Rugers in .22LR/.22mag and .44mag, both with "regular grips, but have not used a revolver with a Bisley grip. Is the difference mostly cosmetic? Is the angle of the Bisley more comfortable for shooting? Is the felt recoil to the hand and wrist with heavy loads distributed differently? Is recovery time to thumb back the hammer for a followup shot in one handed shooting different? Are the various differences more pronounced in one handed or 2 handed shooting?

The Bisley grip doesn't slide downward in your hand as much as the "regular" grip (which I'll just call the "Army" grip)....does slip some, which helps soften recoil or heavy loads. On really heavy loads, the Besily grip may keep the hammer from hitting your hand as the grip won't slip that far down.

Bisley grip points differntly...and I find that for taget shooting, where you spend a good amount of time with the gun just ahnging out there as you aligne the sights and work on your trigger sqeeze, the Besiley is less tiring than the Army. Army grip is better for quick "snap" shooting.

Longer reach for one-handed shooting with the Bisley. Amry grip better posisions the hand for one-handed follow up shots. two handed, it's a bout the same..differnt location fo teh spur, but as your off hand's thumb is doing the work that's only a location issue.

Only worked with Colts and Colt-cloes, the Ruger being heavier and thicker may make some of these points different...but I doubt it.

Before you buy, you might attend one of your local CAS shoots, talk to the pards that use a Bisley grip and get their advice. If you're real polite and they are in a good mood, one of them might even let you shoot one. Personally, I think the Bisley grip looks a little odd but it was very popular with the target shooters so they must work right. It's best to handle one and see how it feels to you since you have the last word on this. :)

It's all going to be based on your experience with it, as I've heard several shooters say they greatly prefer the "army" style grip...even with heavy loads. When shooting heavy loads I very much prefer the Bisley grip. With the standard grip I'll have the pistol usually ends up perpendicular to the ground and I end up with cut on the web of my thumb. When I talk about heavy loads, be it a .41, .44, or .45, I'm talking about a 300 gr bullet at around 1300 fps in either of the three, a touch more in the bigger bores. I find the Bisley more pleasant even with the standard weight factory type loads in the .44. I don't do CAS and typically am in no real hurry when shooting a single action, so I can't speak to which is faster for a follow up shot.

Irv:
The custom gunsmiths who build 5 shot Ruger single actions for the 475 and 500 Linebaugh cartridges, use the Bisley grip-frame, They claim that it is easier on the hand.

Darrel

With large hands, I find the Bisley grip on the SAA (I have an Uberti .45) to give me better feel and marginally better accuracy.
The grip that Ruger calls their "Bisley" is really quite different. The Colt Bisley has a noticable "hump" and is a good deal less massive than the Ruger Bis grip. Took me awhile to get used to the size of the Ruger bis grip, even with a big hand, but I like it now.
And I definitely prefer the lower hammer spur on the Bisleys.

I grew up watching Westerns on TV and always loved the look of the 1873 Colt Peacemaker or Single Action Army or whatever you want to call it. When Colt designed the SAA, they used the same size grip frame they used on the 1851 Army model, which was smaller than on the 1860 Army model.

My problem is that I have large hands, and the "plowhandle" grip on the SAA just dosen't fit my hand very well. My little finger hangs off the bottom of the grip, and with the shape of the grip, they always end up pointing upwards for me. I never liked the look of the Bisley style grip. I thought they were ugly.

For me the Ruger Vaquero, with it's slightly larger grip worked better than the Colt style, but it still didn't fit me particularly well. Some time back in the late 1990's I was in a gun store and picked up a Bisley Vaquero in .44 mag just for the heck of it. It was a perfect fit. To make a long story short, it followed me home. I liked the way it fit my hand. I liked the way it shot without rolling back in my hand like the way the tradtional style guns would do too. Eventualy, a second Bisley Vaquero in .44 mag followed me home too.

Some people like the way the traditional style guns roll back in your hand on recoil, but I never did. For me the Bisley style grip makes the gun much easier to control, particulary with heavy recoiling loads like the .44 mag. I think it depends on what you get used to. When I started shooting years ago it was with double action revolvers and semi autos, so the Bisley style grip made the transition to single action revolvers much easier.

When I heard that Ruger was coming ouit with the new smaller frame Vaquero, I didn't want to have to have to go with the small frame gun in .45 Colt, so I bought the "old" Vaquero in .45 Colt with 4 5/8" barrel, and a Bird's Head Vaquero in .45 Colt too. I haven't gotten started in CAS yet, but I could use the .44 Bisleys with light loads or the .45's. I still have to work up some hand loads that shoot well for me with these guns for CAS.

I think you should go to a gun store or gun show and try some different guns to see what fits you best. The Bisley style grip may not be for everyone, but they work for me.

Irv, here is my .2 cents; I have medium size hand and found that Ruger Bisley grip fits me better than standard SA grip, trigger reach is bit shorter for the same hand position/height. If still feels too bulky, get spare stocks and thin them until you find right thickness. Be moderate, small reduction in thickness can affect holding pattern considerably. Another thing you should consider is to file the corner that makes pressure on middle finger; see http://www.rugerforum.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/007628.html .
Plinking 44 Special level loads are fine from anything in 44. Heavy loads are entirely different story; some of top smiths insist on Bisley grip for powerful 45, 475 and 500 conversions. Personally, I wouldn’t dare to fire any heavy load from any SA revolver if doesn’t have Bisley grip (or from Freedom Arms revolver). However, your experience and preference could be different. The proper way to find what is the best for you would be to get the box of 300 grain load and try it in Bisley, BH and SBH. Good luck!