Reviews on the Ruger Bisley Vaquero 45 Long Colt

In 1894 Colt debuted a target variation of its Unmarried Action Regular army pistol (SAA) called the Bisley. This new revolver was named afterward the famous British shooting range in Surry, England. Filly manufactured more than 44,000 Bisley revolvers in 18 unlike chamberings, with barrel lengths of 4.75, 5.five, and vii.five inches, until 1915, when the company discontinued the line. A very modest number had adjustable sights, but almost had fixed sights like the SAA. The Bisley used the same frame, butt, ejector-rod system, and cylinder, also as the basic mechanism of the SAA, only the new gun also offered some distinct differences — namely the hammer, trigger, and grip, which were designed for the late-19th-century target shooter. Some internal parts similar the mainspring, hand, racket, and others were as well different.

The shape of the Bisley grip is swept under and appears more vertical than the traditional SAA, and that'southward for a reason: To accommodate a bent-arm single-paw agree, which for today'due south shooter looks and feels archaic. Plainly, one can shoot a Bisley like any modern pistol by keeping the wrist locked with a ane-hand or 2-hand grip, like with modern semi-automatic pistols such as the 1911, Glock, and the ilk. But the Bisley's grip doesn't lend itself to this modern hold.

Besides, the Bisley'due south trigger is wider than the traditional SAA, the trigger guard is shaped differently, and the hammer spur was lowered to go far easier to cock without a shooter needing to loosen his grip.

Ruger refreshed the Bisley in 1984, introducing the Ruger Blackhawk Bisley with a similar unique grip, simply not equally tucked as the original Colt, and with target sights and an engraved unfluted cylinder. The Ruger Bisley grip design allows for less move of the grip in hand when firing hot loads. Unlike a SAA grip style, which curls upwards in your paw when firing hot loads, the Bisley transfers the recoil into the palm of the hand, a more comfortable experience when shooting hot loads. A Bisley of one blazon or another has been in Ruger'southward catalog ever since.

We wanted to take a look at an old-schoolhouse Bisley and a modern Bisley to compare them side by side, and so nosotros caused an Uberti Cattleman Bisley, which is a spitting prototype of an original Filly, and the more than modern variant in a Ruger Bisley Vaquero, built on the New Vaquero frame. Our first task was to utilise a revolver range rod and rod-head combo from Brownells in 38 Special/357 Magnum (080-617-038WB, $40) to check each chamber for alignment with the bore, and we establish everything to be in spec. Some older replica revolvers might have had the throat of a bedchamber opened up to accept a range rod during manufacturing plant inspection, which means that particular bedchamber volition shave and spit atomic number 82 and be less accurate than other chambers. The range rod won't selection up this effect.

Newer CNC machines concord improve tolerances, and we did not experience any spitting or shaved lead with the Uberti replica nor the Ruger, nor did we wait information technology. We mention it merely considering we idea it prudent to let readers know that some older manufactured replica revolvers on the used market may exhibit this trouble. We also used a feeler judge to cheque the barrel/cylinder clearance, and we plant that the Ruger was tighter at .004 inches compared to the Uberti'due south .008 inches. The tighter Ruger, fifty-fifty with a five.v-inch barrel, gave slightly higher muzzle velocities than the Uberti with the larger gap and 7.5-inch butt. The recommended gap for lubed atomic number 82 bullets is .008 inches and .006 inches for jacketed bullets. Not that we retrieve it is an issue, but extensive lead shooting without cleaning may cause the cylinder to bind, and so Cowboy Action shooters accept note, especially if you load black-powder cartridges. Clymer Go (184-100-380WB) and No-Go (184-100-381WB) gauges, both $thirty from Brownells, were used in the cylinder chambers to check headspace. Nosotros do this with the Go approximate to ensure factory ammo volition sleeping room and allow the cylinder to rotate freely. If a No-Get gauge tin can exist rotated in the cylinder, the headspace is likewise long and out of spec, and information technology becomes a potentially dangerous revolver to shoot. We assumed the Uberti and Ruger would pass without incident, and they did.

We also field-stripped the revolvers to get a better sense of their ease of disassembly and manufacturing. We found the fit and end for both were well executed, and the timing on both Bisley revolvers was near perfect.

To examination for part, feel, and accuracy, nosotros tried a variety of standard 38 Special and 38 Special +P loads as well every bit a 357 Magnum set. What we plant was that these erstwhile-style revolvers shot well. Beyond all ammo brands and types, nosotros averaged near ane.5-inch five-shot groups at 25 yards using a remainder. Those older-mode sights may not be every bit like shooting fish in a barrel to use every bit more than modern sights, but with some practice by the shooter, they sure can get the chore washed.

Depending on what you adopt, you will either similar the more than traditionally styled revolver or the modern update, merely for most of our shooters, the Ruger Bisley came out on height, and yous will come across why soon. Here's more than on the Bisley match up.

Uberti Cattleman Bisley 346040 38 Special/357 Magnum, $609

If holding to tradition is important to you, and so the Uberti Cattleman Bisley has a place in your gun safe. This is a well-made, cute revolver that offers practiced operation at $200 less than the Ruger. The butt, cylinder, and grip frame are all deeply blued with a rich case-hardened frame color. The smooth walnut grips had overnice figuring and were well fitted to the metal.

The blue-blood Colt collectors winced at the Uberti because it was not truly a clone of a Filly, only information technology was a darned good replica. Modest touches, such as the checky hammer spur, aid redeem it in their eyes, though the firing pin was obviously not the cone-shaped firing pivot of an original. The Uberti made the same music when cocking every bit does a traditional SAA. Information technology uses the same type of mechanism, with a half erect notch for loading and unloading. As a result, the Uberti needs to have the hammer remainder on an empty bedroom when carried.

What was modernized on the Uberti was the elongated cylinder base pin, which has two notches in lieu of one. The shooter tin press the base pivot screw and push in the cylinder base pin to the first notch to cake the hammer from fully moving forward and firing a round. This is not a solution for conveying the Uberti fully loaded, we believe. Instead, nosotros recommend using the "load one, skip one" method like a shooter does with a traditional SAA.

The ejector-rod head is crescent shaped and rotates abroad from the barrel and then finger tips do non become singed. This is a feature on traditional SAA revolvers testers have come to capeesh. The Uberti has a rounded front-blade sight and the traditional grooved rear milled into the top strap. When cocked, the rear of the groove is flat and night. We plant we liked these sights as is, especially considering the Uberti shot to point of aim. In fact, with a residue, some testers were able to cluster shots with holes touching, especially with the 38 Special ammo.

In hand, the Uberti felt lighter and more compact than the Ruger. The grip was a bit odd; thinner direct behind the trigger guard than the Vaquero. Many testers liked the fuller Ruger Bisley grip, which filled this thinner area. Again, this is due to the Uberti keeping with the original design of the Bisley grip. We did fire a number of rounds similar late-19th-century target shooters, and found in 38 Special, the stance was fine, though awkward. Using 357 Magnums, notwithstanding, required a more modernistic stance. The felt recoil with the Hydra-Shok loads was quite manageable. We also felt the Uberti was easier to cock. It had a similar trigger-pull weight as the Ruger, and both had no creep and a crisp let off.

Our Team Said: The Uberti was as close to an original Bisley as yous can become, and nosotros thought information technology was a steal compared to the toll of the Ruger. The grip, however, felt a bit off for modern shooters, and that was what knocked the Uberti backside the Ruger.

Ruger Bisley Vaquero 5130 38 Special/357 Magnum, $835

The Ruger Bisley New Model Vaquero offers the unique Bisley look plus many modern refinements that make shooting these revolvers safer and more user friendly. Our Ruger Bisley featured a v.five-inch barrel, simulated ivory grip, and a polished stainless-steel stop that resembled nickel plating, but with none of the wear and maintenance requirements that finish requires. If the glossy, bright finish has a drawback, information technology is sun glare when shooting under a clear heaven. On the other hand, the stainless finish made information technology piece of cake to clean the revolver after extended shooting sessions. Testers agreed they would darken the shooter-facing position of the forepart bract and the semi-circular cutout just to the rear of the groove on the top strap.

The grip is reminiscent of the original Bisley, but it felt more friendly to the mod shooter, in our view. It is non as swept under as information technology is on an original Colt, so in hand, the Ruger Bisley felt much similar a modern semi-automatic pistol. Shot one- or two-handed, the Ruger felt comfortable. We plant it delightfully addictive to shoot with mild 38 Special loads, and quite comfortable and easy to manage with hot 357 Magnum loads.

The grip panels were an off-white polymer that looked similar ivory. The Ruger medallion was inset in each grip panel. The panels were non flush with the frame like on the Uberti, but the edges were polish, then no chafing occurred during alive-fire testing. In hand, the Ruger had a bit of heft to it — 45 ounces — compared to the 7.v-inch barrel Uberti that weighed 47.7 ounces. The Ruger was a natural pointer that nosotros institute comfortable to hold, grip, and cock, due to the Bisley'south lowered hammer. Testers did non have to interruption their grips to cock the piece like with a traditional SAA.

Features found in the Vaquero series are incorporated into the Bisley, such the transfer safe-bar system, which allows the Bisley to exist safely carried with all chambers loaded, unlike the Uberti, which must be carried with the hammer on an empty chamber. The Ruger also uses a reverse indexing pawl to brand loading and unloading the Ruger Bisley easier. If you pass the bedchamber, and so just rotate it backwards a bit to marshal the chamber and loading gate. With the Uberti and other traditional SAA revolvers, if you rotate the cylinder past the bedroom, the cylinder needs to be completely spun around to become dorsum to the missed sleeping accommodation and re-aligned with the loading gate.

The other features that make the Ruger a Bisley is the rounded trigger guard, curved trigger, and lowered hammer spur. The ejector rod caput is crescent-shaped and does non pin abroad from the butt in use. Scout out for singed finger tips after extensive shooting heats up the barrel. The front of the cylinder is beveled to assist holstering. Loading the Ruger Bisley is as well modernized. The hammer and trigger must be fully frontward, and with the loading gate opened, the cylinder rotates freely. There is no one-half cock on the hammer equally in a traditional SAA and in the Uberti Bisley. The Ruger'south hammer took slightly more than endeavour to cock than the Uberti, and nosotros aspect that to the Ruger'due south coiled mainspring. The Uberti has a traditional flat mainspring.

The Ruger's trigger consistently broke at iii.8 pounds, which nosotros thought was fine for this revolver. The Bisley likewise shot to point of aim, an important attribute for whatever SAA-style revolver with fixed sights. At 25 yards, we found shooting a 2-inch group to exist easy, even if the sights were hard to run across in some light conditions. At 7 and 15 yards, the Ruger showed its stuff with good accuracy at fast speeds. Loaded for bear with the Federal Tactical 158-grain Hydra-Shok JHPs, recoil was quite manageable since the grip is wide and spread felt recoil to more than area of the palm. For near shooters, the middle finger did not go whacked, which tin happen on traditional SAA revolvers when firing magnum loads.

Our Team Said: The Ruger shot to signal of aim, had a very serviceable grip, and its heft made shooting hot loads tolerable. Testers felt more confident with the Ruger due to the modern Bisley-esque grip shape. The sights needed to be blackened to perform amend. The transfer bar organization gave it a leg upward on the Uberti in terms of safety — so with all that considered, we'd purchase it ahead of the Uberti Cattleman.

Written and photographed by Robert Sadowski, using evaluations from Gun Tests team testers.

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Source: https://www.gun-tests.com/handguns/revolvers357/bisley-revolvers-revisited-2/

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