[Coldfingers]

Gads! The search for the holy grail of packin pistols goes on (and on, and on....)

My .357 carries well but lacks the heavy smack that Interior Grizzlies or Mad Moose may present.

I went "way up" to a RSRH .454 but found I could carry my Marlin 45/70 almost as easy. The fact that I could not handle the recoil did not help with that particular handgun endearing itself to me. I would imagine that with porting and a scope, I can make it into a hunting handgun, but again, there is "magic" in the 45/70 ;*)

Ohh the dilema!

A month and a half ago I had the great pleasure of shooting one of Bill Rugers Bisley/Vaquero's chambered for the .45 LC

I must have read Linebaughs article on discovering the potential of the .45 a dozen times while tossing and turning and hammering myself trying to tame the .454.

My feminin side must have won out!

I aquired the very slightly used gun for a song (and a short dance AFTER the deal closed I might add!)

She shoots a nice group but needs some work. I have a friend and metalsmith that will TIG weld a bead on the front sight to allow me enough sight to hit well with the heavyweigh bullets and we will also open up the rear notch to allow a better sight picture. I figgure a little gun blueing or paint will stick to the TIG weld to solve the mystery of the dissapearing silver sight.

Amazingly, the gun fits a handmade flap style holster that I had made up for my Ruger SS .22...Packable, definately packable!

The 4 5/8 barrel points well for me, the laid back hammer is easy to thumb, and the minimal amount of moving parts all add up to a "Gun to ride the river with"

Well, at least for me, and for now ;*)

Blessings All.

Scotty

 

[Marshall Stanton]

I'll agree, the Bisquero's are great packin' guns!  Mine is in .44, but still a great companion in the woods here in N. Idaho where we too have bears and lots of moose.

About that front sight.  You might consider having the barrel dovetailed for a front sight.  Then you can not only change sights for elevation if you change loads later on, but also adjust for windage!  It makes for a mighty rugged and servicable setup.  Just a thought!

For running the river or ridin' the puckerbrush, there's no substitute for a good flap holster!  I sure do like them, and all this "quick draw" malarky that we hear and read about is totally foriegn to me while out in the puckerbrush.  Perhaps there are places where absolute immediate access to your sixgun might be a must, but I've never been there... unless you count the two-legged type predators, and then it's a whole different scenario.  Out and about, I like the security of the flap holster, as I'm positive where my sixgun is, regardless of what I go through, or the tumbles I might take.  And, the gun is protected completely through such mishaps.

Sounds like all the pieces of your "river runnin" gun have come together.  It's a great feeling!  But now.... no more excuses for searching for the "right gun".

God Bless,

Marshall

 

[Coldfingers]

Marshal

Very good point about the front sight. Thank You!

Since the gun is not even what one would consider "broke in" the TIG weld will do for this season ( Caribou hunt north of Brooks Range and three weeks of guiding moose hunters to follow) and allow me to settle in on a proper height when loads and such come together.

This winter, I will follow up your suggestion and have my metalsmith take care of that, cylinder throats (if necessary) and perhaps rounding the gripframe a bit. I will then get some Osage Orange to make a set of grips that will match the new longbow that is in the final tiller stage.

Life is Good!

Scotty

 

[Alan]

Hmmmmmm.....seems a certain pistol packin' preacher I know has a bit of the handgunitis hisownself!!  :biggrin:

She sounds beautiful Scotty.  Good show.

Marshall - you bring up a great point regarding dovetailing Bisquero barrels.  I've talked to Ruger folks about this and I'm telling ya....they are good people but man are they stubborn!

 

[Coldfingers]

(Scotty heads off to re-read portion of scripture pertaining to the throwing of stones)

 

[J Sanders]

I have a Ruger 4 5/8 stainless in 45 colt. Its a very good mix of power and portability. If I was to do it again I think I would go with the 5 1/2 inch tube.
I'd love to see Ruger come out with a 45 colt with the     10 1/2" heavy barrel model like they make in 44 mag.
I'm toying with the idea of buying me a 5 1/2 inch and having my 4 5/8's rebarreled with a longer and heavier tube.
The long barrels ain't very easy to tote but them son of a guns will shoot. J Sanders