Always wanted one of these, and now it's here. I got the blued 7.5" model.





Took it out for first shooting today with some 240gr JHP over 9.5 gr Unique. Should be around 1100 fps or so. Shot really well. Target is standing, from 25 yards, 6 o'clock hold. I'm liking it.





Some scenery on the way to the shooting spot.

Very nice. I think you'll like it. I didn't get one when they first came out, but several years afterwards I ended up with two, a .44 and .45. The .44 I liked the looks of even more than the .45 because it had a fluted cylinder. Both went away in trades. I've had a 45 Colt for a number of years now and like it. I seldom use it but it's there if the need arises. I bought it off an old boy and if it had been fired once, it didn't look it. It was cheap too.

Thanks for sharing the pics. Love the outdoor scene.

MM, I suspect I may have said this before - you have fine taste in shooting iron...
Every time I see a Bisley it makes me think of a great article on it by Ross Seyfried in the early 1990s (in Shooting Times I think).

Thanks for the pics and sharing.

Fine looking iron! I love the bisley, they are so much more comfortable to my mitts.

It sure is comfortable to shoot. I know everybody has said it since it first came out. I had never shot one until now.

I like the 45 Colt too. I've got one of the Blackhawk convertibles in 45, it's pretty versatile.

Very nice.. Had a couple of those.. Have a .44 spl. now.. very fine weapon..

Congrats MM...One of the best .44's ever made. The design of the Ruger Bisley grip is a study in perfection of the magnum revolver. You're going to have fun with that one.

I have a Super Blackhawk Stainless Hunter with the Bisley grip. Perhaps my favorite .44 mag revolver!

Mike Holmes

MM,

Good looking SA! I like the wood/blue!

How smooth is the cylinder change? My Bisley was binding a bit when I first got it, but I sent it back to Ruger and they fixed it right up--they even paid shipping both ways.

The cylinder runs smooth, and is easy to remove/replace.

I don't have feeler gauges, but to the eye, the barrel/cylinder gap look very minimal.

My Bisley is a 45 Colt 5-1/2" I don't have any convertibles. Adjust sights once and shoot. But I also have a 45 Colt Vaquero 4-5/8" and a couple of stainless 45 Colt Blackhawks 4-5/8" one hasn't even been shot.

My 44 Mag is similar to yours only stainless that started life as a 7-1/2" cut down to 5-1/2" square trigger guard. Also a 3-3/4" that is pretty cool and a 5-1/2"Vaquero in 44 mag. What can I say, I like the original Vaqueros, they are big and tough also.

You pick good guns.

I knew you had the .45 convertible. I've owned two or three of the same model myself. They are versatile guns. IIRC you like some heavy lead bullets in that gun.

The first was a used gun that somebody had put a Super Blackhawk frame on...4 5/8" barrel. Later I owned a 7 1/2 incher that I bought new. I don't currently have a regular Blackhawk in 45 Colt.

I haven't gone too heavy in the 45, at least not yet. I've loaded some cast 200gr SWC, 230gr XTP, and 255gr cast SWC with the powder coating by Missouri Bullet Co. It really likes the 230gr XTP.

My older 44 Mag SBH with the 4 5/8" barrel has a bag full of the heavies, 310gr WFN at 1250 fps via 20.5gr H110. I'll be giving that load a go in the new Bisley for S&G.

I’ve never had or shot a Bisley, but I’m gonna have to try one. Whittaker’s Has a nice flat-top Bisley in 44 Special.........hmmm.

Hard to beat and about the finest for a hunting sixgun. My 44 Mag Bisley is a 5 1/2" converted three screw SBH. A fine piece.

MM, I'm starting to get away from the heaviest bullets, as I don't live in Alaska any longer. For most things this will work and be a little easier on the wrists. My Arthritis is catching up with me. http://www.beartoothbullets.com/bulletselect/index.htm 265Gr WFNGC is a nice bullet as well.

I enjoy shooting the mild to midrange stuff too. I loaded up a batch of the warm loaded 310s that I shot a few to get the sights dialed in on with the older 44, but I generally only carry them woods defense, they aren't much fun for target/plinking.

This is the older SBH I bought about 1978, and the heavy 310gr Oregon Trail bullet. I had the barrel cut back from 7.5" along the way,






I want to find a nice fun shooting load for the Bisley, I'm thinking something around 240-250gr cast at 800-900 fps. And shoot a few of the 'stomper' loads when I get the itch.

That’s a nice Bisley 44 Magnum you’ve got there , Marine. Those loads you mention are for sure more fun to shoot in quantity. My loads the fit what you describe is a 250 gr. cast Keith bullet over 8.0 gr. of Unique for about 850 fps out of my 7.5” Redhawk. Accurate and a fun shooting load. If out of Unique, 7.5 gr. of Universal works pretty much the same.

I probably read the same article by Ross Seyfried. In one of his articles I seem to recall he was loading up and shooting some cast bullets in a Bisley Single-Six chambered in 32 H&R.

I always liked his articles.

That sounds pretty close to what I want, I'll give it a try.

I just loaded up 20 rounds using a 250gr cast Keith SWC over 6.0 gr Unique, seated to the top of the forward driving band. I figured that would get the combustion chamber a little smaller, closer to 44 Spl volume. I'll chrono those and see how they do.

The 44/45 Bisley is a great revolver.

I've had two 45's and a friend has one of the original 44 Bisleys from Seyfried's first writings in Guns and Ammo. Before I gave him the 5.5 Stainless 45, his 7.5 44 was his favorite handgun.

Sights closer to the hand and recoil on the palm instead of bits and pieces of the hand, the Bisley Rugers are misunderstood and underrated.

FWW, I'd be seating that bullet foreward rather than aft....

8-8.5 grs. of CFE Pistol is a good replacement for Unique and works with Elmer's H&G 503; IMO better than the RCBS 250 K and Lyman 429421, although those bullets will work well too.

Yep, I mixed up your older Super Blackhawk and the .45 Blackhawk. The SB was the one you loaded some heavies for.

I read all Ross Syfreid's articles back in the olden days when he was heat treating and such, but was just a kid and didn't have money for moulds that weren't available at local gunstores around here. I remember getting some 275 grain Barnes bullets for whatever .44 Mag. I had at the time and thinking I was really getting heavy. lol

I hear ya EE. It doesn't seem so long ago that the 44 was basically 240gr, and the big bullet was the 265gr JFP for the 444 Marlin. When the 300gr first appeared it seemed enormous.

We've come a long way.

I had one of those up until about a year ago. Mine loved the Speer 270's. The Bisley grip was still pretty comfortable with those running at full power.

After I got a Bisley 44 Special, and the fact that my Blackhawk .45 is my favorite, the 44 Mag just didnt get used much, so it went down the road.

Its the first time I have been without a 44 Mag in 29 years.

lmao I almost edited my post or made another one mentioning the 265 grain 444 bullet-which is what I used for my heavy bullet in 44 Mag's for a long time. Either great minds or old-timers. lol

Hmmmmm,,,,,,,,,,old, or wise.......grin.

I too loaded some of the 265s in my early reloading days as a teenager around 1978, with this reloading kit,

After reading Ross Seyfreid's articles, I drooled for a Bisley for years. Finally bought one of the .44s like the OPs. I owned it for about a month and punted it. I discovered that I really don't like the Bisley grip, it's slow and clumsy to draw and fire and it is very butt-heavy, not a feel I like in a handgun. Also, at least with my gun, the front sight was too short. I could screw the rear sight down hard and it'd hit point of aim with 240s, inch high with 250s, and around 8 inches high with 300s which is what I bought it to shoot. It was a failure.

A couple years later, I picked up one of the stainless Bisley Hunters. It wasn't as butt-heavy and I had a taller front sight insert for a Redhawk that allowed me to get it sighted in with 300s. I would probably still have it but Ruger came out with the 5 shot .454 and ... the .44 got sold to fund the .454 purchase. The .454 has a heavier barrel than the first .44. It's still a bit butt-heavy and it is still Bisley-slow and awkward but I appreciate the extra "snot" on-tap at times.

Tom

This 7.5" isn't butt-heavy at all. In the hand it feels a little nose-heavy. The balance point is right at the front frame screw ahead of the triggerguard.

I suppose the longer barrel and smaller 44 bore/chambers leaves a bit more steel forward.

That's funny. Back in the late 60's I loaded hundreds of 30-30 rounds with one of those. Actually they work pretty good for what they are. Little slow but what ever works.

I've still got all my old-school Lee kits in 223, 243, 30-30, and 44Mag.

Probably not a bad idea having those. I may have to look into those again.

I've still got mine in 308 somewhere.

.45

That's nice.

Thanks Shane.

Nice shooting, Shane. I prefer the Bisley over the classic cowboy grip, particularly for stouter loads. Mine is a stainless 45 Colt convertible 5.5". I like the looks of your blued model, too. Great guns.

I'm sure you will be happy with the Bisley. Loads "mild to wild" should be comfortable to shoot. I really like that shortened Super! Looks like a great "working" sixgun.

Dan

I like the shortened Super too. The grip is a bit bigger than the Blackhawk or round triggerguard SBH's that look dimensionally like the Blackhawk, but in steel.

The dragoon style grip feels about right in my hand. The Blackhawk works, but it's almost on the small side for me.

Nice looking shooting iron I see there.

I would love it if someone else owned my 44 Mag SS Super Blackhawk and I owned a SS Bisley Hunter.

I started my loading for metallic cartridges for my original flat top 44 mag using Lyman 310 Tool to load cases and size the cast projies (429215) and I still have the mold