Today I went back to the range with my 5.5" bisley 45 to make sure I was zeroed nice & tight with this new 2dogs front sight I put on a few days ago. It had shot really good for me off the sandbags after taking the Bowen rear sight off & putting the factory Ruger rear sight back on, I just didn't have enough adjustment with the Bowen.

Today I was in my usual reclining position with my piece of leather between my knees & starting out at 50 yds. We've had a cold front move in & the wind was blowing, rain is expected & snow by Sunday or Monday, it's on! Anyway my first shot went high towards the top of the steel clanger, you can see it in the first photo, and it knocked the steel clanger clear over! My buddy Paul was pretty impressed & so was I, I haven't knocked one down in a long time. The load is 18.5 grs of 2400 & a 260 gr Keith that's powder coated. This load, minus the powder coating has taken a lot of game for me.

I stood the target back up & noticed a rock had chipped the paint a bit on the right side at about 2 o'clock, that's not a hit. You can see the next 4 shots in a nice little cluster & just a tick to the right. 2 clicks windage took care of that & I moved back to 65 yds & shot 5 more rounds. Now I was sitting out in the wind & I knew the first shot was right. I made no correction & ran the next 4 shots, you can see all 5 shots with 4 of them centered.

Now to get my son to install 2 more of 2dogs sights for me if he'll put down his fishing pole long enough. He told me while he was standing in the river last night that about 35 head of elk walked right up on him & one big 6X6 bull was bugling his brains out, he didn't have his bow!!





Dick

Nice shooting!

Nice rig!

Excellent!!!!

Good shootin!

I really like the ability to swap front blades in a SBH. I want to try a few.
Glad it worked out for you, and you had a great day shooting the 45LC.
You are ready for the hunt, good luck this season.

Good shooting!
I recently bought the same revolver, with an extra cylinder in .45 ACP, and I'm just starting to get it up and running.
Did you have to open up the cylinder throats?
Measured or estimated velocity with the 18.5/2400 260 load?

Good shooting! (I love my 5.5" Bisley!)

I need one of those or maybe an SBH. The Bisely looks to be more shootable for me. I used to shoot the plowshare handled Old Army in competition. Lots of fun but the handle change might be better for me. Looks like you have the elk load figured out. That bullet mold is in the basement but I thought the 300 WFN from Veral Smith might be the thing for me. Good luck and Be Well, Rusty

GunDoc7, sorry for the late reply, missed your questions. Yes I had to have the throats opened to .4525" on the bisley & both of my old models, a 7 1/2" & a 4 5/8". The velocity with the bisely & that load clocked 1125 fps.

I've taken 3 elk with the bisley & one with the 7 1/2" OM but a different load on the elk.

Dick

Rusty,

I've had two 45 Bisleys and both doted on that bullet with H110 and LilGun. If it's the same mould I have, its takes up less case capacity than the 255 Keith and the RCBS 270 SAA bullets.
When the deer it tipped over with 13-14 grs. BlueDot died like the 1,300-1,400 fps loads, I decided ringing ears made hitting less fun.
It's a grand bullet in the Smith 25-2.

It also doesn't need hot loads like the 325 WFN to be accurate at 100 yards. One of the better LBT bullets.

I prefer the Bisley to both the Blackhawk and SuperBlackhawk, as the sights set closer to the hand and the grip is all steel.

Dick,

I think you are ready for elk.

Good shooting!

Dick,

Thanks for the reply!

Best,
Gun Doc

What bullet are you using for elk...

Bob

I absolutely love my 5.5" Bisley! Bought it back around early '02. It ain't going anywhere.
Unfortunately, the only animal I've had in front of it was a pig (it died).

I gotta kill sumthin' with it this year...........

Always thought the bisley rugers looked like a lot of fun.

I ever look for something new and different that may well be where I go...

Do the .44s require throat work like the .45s? I like what field grade shows with his .44 special...

It's been my understanding that Ruger's latest offerings have had a more correct throat diameter of around .452 or so.

Once upon time, getting the throats opened up was pretty standard procedure, as the throats ran around .449.

If the .44's in either Special or Magnum ever needed attention, I'm not aware of it.

I love my .45 Colt, but it'd be tough to make a (dimensionally correct) Bisley suck in any caliber.............

I really like my .45 Colt Bisley...

Jim Stroh had worked this one over before I got it, although I fitted the stag grips, installed the Ruger medallions..

I think the Bisley grip configuration is one of the most comfortable to shoot, especially with big boomer rounds.

It's not the same as Elmer's famous #5, but along the same lines.

Below is a picture of the Bisley and Bill Grover's version of Elmer's #5. You can see the grip similarity. The Grover's Longhorn Arms gun has two factory cylinders, one in .45 Colt, the other in .45 Mag. The holster is a Bill Grover design, a high cross draw that carries very well..

DF

Bob, I used a 325 gr LBT with H110 on 3 of the elk & the bisley & I used the old reliable 260 gr Keith & 24 grs of H110 on the other elk (168 yds) lasered by my buddy. The 260 gr bullet is really all you need. I never recover a bullet.

Dick

Penn Bullets 270 gr. Thunderhead is an interesting option for the .45 Colt for maximum meplat.

Google Penn Bullets for more info.

DF

NOW that looks like a hammer! Don't know how good it would be beyond 50 yds or so but most game is shot closer than that anyway. Almost looks like the bullet is backwards!

Dick

Gotta get me some of those boat-tailed wadcutters !!!

Tom

Yep, those do make an impression...

IME, 50 yds is a pretty good pistol shot. On targets like hogs, I may go longer, but generally don't.

DF

Anybody use the NEI 454-270-PBK? WFN size, sharp edged meplat on a SWC.

Like the one in the middle or the 325 gr version NEI used to have?
This one is 275, but has the meplat size of the WFN/WLN.


NOE, never heard of it!

Like the one in the middle, not the big 325.

mm,

Yeah, I love it. NOE catalogs it as the 454-275 Keith (454-276-SWC-BD4). It's kind of a cross between the RCBS 270-SAA and the 280 WFN LBT; to me its a more universal bullet than either.

The LBT WFN needs leaned on more past the 50 mark and the 270-SAA just doesn't cast to .454 or .455 with wheelweight metal; plus the NOE has the slap of the WFN.
It flew fine at 350 yards this summer.
Not at all bad.
No critters, but having used the 280 WFN, 300 WFN, 325 WFN, 340 ,280 and 260 LFN's plus the 270-SAA and Elmer's 452423 in use, I'd be a bit surprised if the 275 Keith by NOE was a letdown. Fixing for hogs next month and this bullet is going to get wrung out...

Truth be told, its my "bulk" bullet choice for when 45 Colt is on the menu.

Maybe NOE used the NEI as a pattern. Walt Melander (NEI) made my 454-270-PBK years ago, and also a 44 that is similar to an LBT 300 LFN. All my stuff is getting dusty, I don't think I've cast a bullet in twenty years. It used to be something I did with my father, he was the real bullet caster. He passed in 1998.

mathman,

It could be that NOE has the prints for many of those moulds. I have some NEI stuff, even some of Walt's towards the end.

Regarding your father; he must have been a good one, as everything I've ever seen you post is honest, sincere and always from the heart. If not the gut at times..
Sons like that never have grown on trees.

Never met you but your words are always taken with the highest regard, even when we're just being silly.

It may be a bit ironic, but I cast the bullets and Dad (retired for 5? years), runs my stuff through the sizer these days while I'm at work or fixing dinner for the kids when Mom is at meetings.

He wasnt and never did reload.

Thanks for the reminder....

Regards,

Nate

Nate,

Thanks for the kind words. Pop wasn't rich, and he never looked to be a "known" guy. Nevertheless his sendoff service was packed, and it was a pretty big chapel.

Dave

For mathman....

Bang, flop. Lots of flop.

Bullet hit at the neck/shoulder junction, exited the offside scapula. Been trying for that bullet placement out after watching Franz Albrecht Ottingen Spielberg videos.

Anyways, hit one hog with the 45 Colt handgun, the aforementioned NOE/NEI Keith bullet, and three others with the 400 Whelen.

The bullet does skid a bit at 11 BHN with the shallow Colt rifling. I made up a batch that ran 28 BHN before the hog trip and the driving band skidding was reduced greatly. Typical Keith wound; a round bite of 45 caliber in and out....

Good job Hawk, I'd say that hog out weighs you buddy!

Dick

I think its one of those "big fish pictures".

I don't think she was quite 200 lbs., which I unfortunately weigh! She was in the range though, 175-200 I think.

A few bullets were cast from some original NEI Prochko molds in 35, 41, 44, and 45 and sent to Al at NOE. He made a limited run of these molds with Elmer's signature lasered onto the side.

Story

Thanks for all the info guys. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

Interesting.

I had NEI's catalog around here somewhere, but the 45's, at that time, were usually cataloged as .451 diameters, which made me leery of them. I also believe they were designed for type metal.

Heck, the much hyped RCBS-270-SAA was/is a good bullet, but was standardized with Lino. With wheelweight metal, my mould didn't hit .454. With my throat reamed SA Rugers it worked well, but with Colt and Smith DA's it was a bit small, as I want snug for the throat.

Have six of the NOE versions and every one is a catalog item, not limited runs. The two 44's are available in .434 and .431 diameters. The .434 versions work in the larger Smith -2 and -3 throats.