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Post by Alaskan454 on Dec 21, 2015 20:39:34 GMT -5
I picked it up today and was quite impressed by the overall fit and finish, much better cosmetically than the last Bisley I bought. The forcing cone is longer and smoother than all of my other Rugers were from the factory, a welcome change. It looks more like the ones I recut to 11 degrees. Throats are all .477 and very smooth. Only real complaint was the rusty hinge action. Took it apart and oiled/cleaned up a few areas and all is well. Tons of creep on the trigger pull but I'll take care of that later. Aside from swapping out the rear sight with a Bowen unit and putting a working prototype in the front I'll be shooting it as is for a while. I think after an action job and a Belt Mountain pin it'll be just about perfect. I'm taking it out tomorrow for the test drive and will post some pictures in better light. First test rounds are 335 gr Penn over 13gr of Longshot. I'm waiting on an order of 420gr GC to load up the slower powders.
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Post by BigBore44 on Dec 21, 2015 22:01:58 GMT -5
Good for you... Glad you got a good one and I hope you enjoy it. Can't wait to see the range report and some pics  BigBore44 |
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Post by Alaskan454 on Dec 21, 2015 22:56:30 GMT -5
I'll make sure to take a few decent ones to post. With any luck I'll dial in the sights and get to shoot a few decent groups.
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Post by Encore64 on Dec 22, 2015 0:34:28 GMT -5
Congratulations and glad to hear you're happy with your purchase. Sounds like you were describing mine as well.
Just got mine back from Reeder getting an action job, interchangeable front sight and other upgrades.
Also bought Penn's 335 grn Thunderhead Bullets. Plan on working up some loads with Unique, Longshot and HS6.
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Post by theoldredneck on Dec 22, 2015 7:06:54 GMT -5
I have a custom 454 and interested in the 480 Bisley. Looked at a 454 and like the gun but not the fit. Grips are too small and fit so sloppy you can see through between grips and frame. The 1/16" gap at the frame is equal on both sides and you can literally see all the way through. The dealer is unhappy to say the least. Even with the sloppy fit I'm thinking about buying it and sending it back to be corrected. The 480 is the gun I'm really interested in. I have an older bisley vaquero I was going to get Gallagher to convert to 480. Put it off till I could see one of these guns. After seeing this one I'm leaning more towards having Gallagher build one. I own several he has built and extremely well pleased. My question is for those that have bought and sent back. Is the fit and finish right when you get them back? Is the action and trigger pull any better? When you get it back are you satisfied with the gun and accuracy? I'm going to do a 5 shot Bisley in 480. The thing I'm trying to decide is custom or buy the Ruger. I would rather go custom than have to deal with going back to factory and then still have to have Gallagher fix it. It would be really nice to buy factory and get lucky. For those with the 480's both good and bad what do you say?
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Post by magman on Dec 22, 2015 8:07:20 GMT -5
My 480 came though looking great. Everything except grip fitment has been outstanding. The grip thing is a nonissue for me. I have Zane working on a set for me right now.
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Post by whitworth on Dec 22, 2015 8:13:37 GMT -5
I have a custom 454 and interested in the 480 Bisley. Looked at a 454 and like the gun but not the fit. Grips are too small and fit so sloppy you can see through between grips and frame. The 1/16" gap at the frame is equal on both sides and you can literally see all the way through. The dealer is unhappy to say the least. Even with the sloppy fit I'm thinking about buying it and sending it back to be corrected. The 480 is the gun I'm really interested in. I have an older bisley vaquero I was going to get Gallagher to convert to 480. Put it off till I could see one of these guns. After seeing this one I'm leaning more towards having Gallagher build one. I own several he has built and extremely well pleased. My question is for those that have bought and sent back. Is the fit and finish right when you get them back? Is the action and trigger pull any better? When you get it back are you satisfied with the gun and accuracy? I'm going to do a 5 shot Bisley in 480. The thing I'm trying to decide is custom or buy the Ruger. I would rather go custom than have to deal with going back to factory and then still have to have Gallagher fix it. It would be really nice to buy factory and get lucky. For those with the 480's both good and bad what do you say? What's the wait time on a Gallagher custom now? Guys, I know that the fit and finish on these guns obviously leaves a lot to be desired, but maybe my expectations aren't as high some others. That said, both my .480 and .454 SBH are absurdly accurate. So much so that I am willing to overlook some of the obvious visual flaws. But, that's just me. However,but when I pull my FA 83 out of the safe and feel the tight lock-up, the perfectly fit grips, etc. and then I handle the sloppy .454 SBH (lots of endshake), it's a bit disconcerting. That is, until we head the range and that SBH shoots circles around the FA (mine at least). I would recommend shooting these guns first, before scrutinizing them really heavily. Yeah, they should come to us with better attention to detail, but I'm just thrilled Ruger gave us a five-shot .454 and .480 single-action revolver! Good times! |
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Post by Alaskan454 on Dec 22, 2015 9:18:10 GMT -5
Whitworth hit the most important points, I'm not too concerned with any shortcomings in terms of fit or finish if it shoots well. I can clean up the internals or have a set of grips made exactly the way I want. Even if you have to spend a few hours working it over to get the details just right it still costs 2-3X less than a Freedom Arms or custom build would. I honestly didn't expect mine to look as good as it did right out of the box. The last two guns I bought were NIB Rugers and their fit and finish is better in recent years than the price point would suggest. If you factor in the cost of machine time and labor these 5 shots are a seriously good deal. We have custom parts made at work all the time and if I quoted the required amount of machining to build a single one of these guns it would be thousands of dollars. Shoot em' a bit before you start to pass any judgement.
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Post by Encore64 on Dec 22, 2015 9:52:47 GMT -5
I think this debate could go on forever due to the inconsistencies that are obvious from gun to gun.
The only fit issue I have encountered is grips and the barrel gap on the 454.
I had some Hogue grips that fit the guns fine, but Reeder put grips on the 480 anyway.
The finish on my 454 is pretty good. I touched up a couple places with bore lap compound. It came out so well that I am skipping that on semi custom work.
I have to agree with Max on this issue. I bought both these guns and had/having some custom touches applied to them. The two finished products will cost me less than one FA with an extra cylinder.
Just my opinion and admit that I may feel differently if I had the issues some have reported.
Even with all the issues reported, I really appreciate the Lipsey's/Ruger team offerings.
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Post by whitworth on Dec 22, 2015 9:52:48 GMT -5
Whitworth hit the most important points, I'm not too concerned with any shortcomings in terms of fit or finish if it shoots well. I can clean up the internals or have a set of grips made exactly the way I want. Even if you have to spend a few hours working it over to get the details just right it still costs 2-3X less than a Freedom Arms or custom build would. I honestly didn't expect mine to look as good as it did right out of the box. The last two guns I bought were NIB Rugers and their fit and finish is better in recent years than the price point would suggest. If you factor in the cost of machine time and labor these 5 shots are a seriously good deal. We have custom parts made at work all the time and if I quoted the required amount of machining to build a single one of these guns it would be thousands of dollars. Shoot em' a bit before you start to pass any judgement. Amen brother! |
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Post by bulasteve on Dec 22, 2015 10:07:23 GMT -5
My SBH480 falls into the grips kinda goofy, and a little crustyness in cocking category.Also the shoots like crazy ! category. I was warned of the possible grip thing, the crusty part will wear in or I'll take it apart and go in search of burrs, grit, etc.. The rest of the gun is as good as the NM FT BH 44spec I have here, and a Lipseys polished SS Sheriff. Jason received two PM's from me, both heavily laced with thank you's, one saying his money is no good in NE Oh, the other saying Merry Christmas !
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Post by theoldredneck on Dec 22, 2015 11:07:04 GMT -5
Gentlemen, I'm not knocking the guns, just asking if when sent back are they any better when you get them back?  For example if I buy the 454 and/or a 480 and Ruger does a great job of correcting things I would send them back. If they didn't I would save that step. As to the wait time for one of Gallaghers customs I don't know. They have been worth the wait. Even if I buy a gun it will go to him for some work like free spin and action smoothing. The last Ruger black hawk convert able I bought was as perfect as factory gets. Had a free spin and pin put in it and action smoothed some. Very happy with gun. Thankful Ruger is making the 454 and 480's. Just asking what the guns are like when returned from factory. |
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Post by bulasteve on Dec 22, 2015 12:13:06 GMT -5
Each, to our experience is answering as best we can. In my case, no plans to send back. You'll have to throw all of the responses into the mental blender and see what comes out for you. Luck.
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Post by Alaskan454 on Dec 22, 2015 12:35:47 GMT -5
If my past dealings with Ruger CS they will correct issues and make it right, they are a great company and have made a loyal customer out of me. But what they determine as out of spec will be the leading factor for justifiable repairs. Occasionally you hear of people getting a thoroughly worked over gun in return, other times just the noted issue was corrected. Just depends on the person doing the warranty work I suppose.
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Post by theoldredneck on Dec 22, 2015 15:01:04 GMT -5
Thanks I'm giving serious thought to buying the 454, shooting it and then decide on sending it back or having Gallagher fix it. How it shoots and cleans up will be what I use to make the choice on the 480. I'm glad to see Ruger finally build the 5 shots. It is nice to have the option. I don't think they will replace the custom guns but for the price will make having a good hunting revolver easier to afford.
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For example if I buy the 454 and/or a 480 and Ruger does a great job of correcting things I would send them back. If they didn't I would save that step. As to the wait time for one of Gallaghers customs I don't know. They have been worth the wait. Even if I buy a gun it will go to him for some work like free spin and action smoothing. The last Ruger black hawk convert able I bought was as perfect as factory gets. Had a free spin and pin put in it and action smoothed some. Very happy with gun. Thankful Ruger is making the 454 and 480's. Just asking what the guns are like when returned from factory.