Hi Everybody,
I am looking to buy my first 45 LC and get into cowboy action shooting. I have a lot of questions and apologize if some of them are old topics. I have been looking at buying a Ruger or Beretta or Cimarron in the bisley style with a 5.5" barrel. What are the pros and cons of the bisley and a 5.5" barrel as opposed to a regular grip and a 4.75" barrel ? Any recommendations or opinions on brands and models. Any and all suggestions are welcome and I would like to hear anything you can tell me. By the way, I am not new to guns and shooting -- just trying to break into this sport and want to get started off in the right direction.
A few comments:
1) The "Bisley" is a relative term. The original "Bisley" was a Colt SAA product made at the end of the 18th Century. It was a popular target gun in it's day. It had a unique grip angle and larger trigger guard. The only company making a correct reproduction of the Colt Bisley is Uberti (that woud include all the guns imported by Cimmaron, Beretta, EMF, etc...) The Uberti is a very close reproduction of this revolver.
2) The Ruger "bisley" is not a reproduction of the Colt design. The Ruger product is a closer approximation of a revolver made famous by the late Elmer Keith in the 1950's. All that said, the Ruger "bisley" is a very comforatable gun for shooting the larger caliber, heavy recoiling rounds. It has NO HISTORIC PROVENANCE to any pre-1900 firearm.
3) Will you like the Bisley Grip? That is a question only you could answer. Some folks love the grip, some don't. I have a pair of Beretta (Uberti) Bisleys and I do like the grip. Need to handle one before you buy.
4) Barrel length: For main match guns in Cowboy Action Shooting, I'd recommend staying with barrels that are 5.5" or shorter. The shorter barrel will clear your leather faster. The longer barrels can be slower to draw, but do give a longer sight radius. Again this is something of a personal preference.
Pancho