Matt; Its all about "oneupmanship" with the manufacturers!!! Besides, I just dont see where high capacity firearms are needed for anything but fighting a war, law enforcement use, or high volumn plinking...which I dont do....For my purposes that one or two extra shot capacity is not needed, besides, even loading the "sixes" for my DA's confuses me...empty holes in loading blocks, left over cartridges...its mind boggling! LOL!!!......The aftermarket grip frames, I have heard, require the same "fit and finish" work that the factory supplied parts do, and if I remember, the Ruger OEM part cost less. It just made more sense to me to go with the factory product, and over the years Ruger has been very good to me. The only time I buy other than OEM parts, is if the manufacturer does not supply the part I need (or I cant talk them in to making a part)....then its off to Brownells, Midway, Numrich, or in the case of my Marlin work, WWG, Longhunter, etc. In the past, I have actually made replacement parts for some of the guns I have worked on. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do!
MikeG; Thats it...just rub it in!!! LOL!!! Five shot revolvers would not bother me in the least...matter of fact, being the "old school" guy that I am, and with old habbits hard to break, I still carrry my New Model SA's with the hammer down on an empty chamber. I have shot the 44 Mag for most of my shooting life, and have never found a need for anything more powerful, and now that I am entering my "twilight years" and suffering from the infirmities that accompany that, I find that the 44 Mag would be about all I can or would care to shoot anymore. I am not the man I once was!!!! For you guys that can hold on to those "really big boys"...more power to ya!!!!