Ruger Bisley 45 convertible

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
I've been wanting a blue 4 5/8" .45 Colt/.45 ACP combination since last February. However the local gun store closed, but he wouldn't do Internet-purchased transfers anyway, and the local gunsmith who would closed, also.

One of these days, when availability approaches the new normalcy, I'll made the 40-mile round trip to the chain outfit and see what they can do.
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Had a dream last night. An unknown guy and I were out and about and ended up at the Ruger factory, where his sister worked. I bought a partial box of .22 gas checks, and was finalizing the paperwork to have them mailed to my house, when Mr. Ruger entered the room and started talking to us. Friendly man. I asked him when the .45 Colt/.45 ACP Blackhawks would be available. He said tomorrow and I could have one for $550. I had to inform the chain outfit what was what, and that it needed to write a letter to Mr. Ruger acknowledging the deal. He'd see to the rest. Because Mr. Ruger was involved, I knew the Blackhawk would be hand picked, its fit and finish would be perfect, and all the cylinder throats would be the same and correct size.

Don't know what it all means, but here it is tomorrow . . .

. . . and the money I'd set aside, to buy the Blackhawk, went toward painting the truck . . .
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
The story of many lives.

Those Ruger Bisley grip sets just plain work for me. Not many OEM grip sets have over the years--The 3rd-Series Colt Det Specs did, and the S&W Target grips are usable. S&W for a short time (1987-91, roughly) put on a finger-groove reverse-tapered IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION (the grip gets smaller as the fingers get shorter) on a lot of their revolvers, and that is what came on my Model 16-4 x 6" c. 1989. Most of my wheelguns wear Pachmayr or Hogue neoprene sets, to include plow-handle single-actions.
 

Dale53

Active Member
I really enjoy having my Ruger SS Bisley .45 ACP/.45 Colt convertible. After I reamed both cylinders to .4525", the revolver is extremely accurate with my home cast bullets (well under 1" at 25 yards off a rest). Being that it's a Ruger, I had a trigger job done, and it is currently suitable for any job a person might call on a Single Action Sixgun.

Since I no longer hunt, I mostly use the .45 ACP cylinder with target loads. Very pleasant for the range and would be an excellent field piece, indeed!

FWIW
Dale53
 

Dale53

Active Member

CZ93X62;​

You and I have much in common. I have a "base of the thumb" problem on my right hand (I am right handed) that cannot handle much recoil from hard grips regardless of their shape. Years ago. I discovered that Pachmayr grips solve that. I even have Pachmayr grips on my single actions. They totally solve my hand problems and allow me to shoot to my potential without issue. Since I am all about "performance", I smile when my grips are slammed with such comments as "Goodyears" and such.

After all, my everyday goal with a handgun is to "hit something" not make noise with a "pretty" gun:rofl:... Now, I confess that I left my Ruger SS Flattop .44 Special stock and learned to shoot it as issued by curling my finger under the butt. The only thing I have done to that EXCELLENT handgun was to have a trigger job done. It fits the "perfect packing pistol" category as outlined by John Taffin. So, out of a BUNCH of Pachmayr gripped guns I do have a few that I can shoot without them.

FWIW
Dale53
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
I have owned a couple of the 45 ACP/Colt convertible BHs, a 7.5" and a 4-5/8". I still have the BisHawk 45 Colt x 7.5", and that S&W Model 625DashWhatever in 45 ACP/AR serves well as a 4" sideiron. That kinda covers it for me.
 

L Ross

Well-Known Member
Once upon a time a salesman in Scheels was about to pay the floor tax on four Freedom Arms revolvers they had had in the fancy gun show case since the store opened three years prior. As I have an innate prejudice against handguns that I think are too big to be carried comfortably all day, the only one of interest to me was a Model 97 5 1/2" in .45 Colt. I asked to see the 97 and the salesman tipped his head a little and looked at me and asked if I might be a serious buyer or if I was just kicking tires. Having pulled this gambit about inventory tax on a Ruger 77 International .250-3000 years before, I floated it past the salesman. He told me to wait a minute and disappeared into the office. Returning quickly he showed me documentation on their cost for said revolver and with a straight face said, "I'll sell it to you for 200 dollars less than we paid for it." They had not sold a single FA revolver since they opened. The market up there in Green Bay just didn't support it. The good folks I knew and loved in Green Bay try to chisel down Fleet Farm on a case of teat dip.

I bought it and it is indeed one of the most accurate handguns I have ever fired. Only a High Standard HD Military in .22 and a Contender Super 14 scoped in .30-30 rival it. At the time our shop was shooting Glocks in .45 acp and I was allowed to salvage brass and filled several 3 lb. coffee cans of nickel plated Federal Hydro-Shok brass. I sent the FA back to Wyoming for a .45 acp cylinder and was savaged by UPS on shipping, making an already costly decision a nearly prohibitive one. The 97 returned and now the .45 Colt cylinder lays in its buckskin pouch rarely if ever used. Frankly nearly all of my handguns languish in the safes as I got distracted by cast in rifles and long range .22 shooting.