Brass grip frames by Ronnie Wells

[Odin]

Wow! I like that A LOT! Very nice indeed.

[randyzzz]

I’m in process of fitting a Dealer and a Bradshaw Bisley that I purchased on the super swinging deal. Amazing machining, and the brass is so easy to work with. Thank you, Ronnie!

I see mention here and there of stainless frames. Is stainless available to order? I have a New Vaquero that’s polished stainless and I want a Bradshaw Bisley to match-

[bearskinner]

I spoke with Ronnie a month ago, about the availability of Stainless grip frames. They are working diligently getting the equipment on line, and hopefully will be in production possibly in August.
I’m sure the incredible heat and weather make it fun to move, install and program those huge pieces of machinery.

[randyzzz]

Aug 1, 2022 7:25:28 GMT -5 bearskinner said:

I spoke with Ronnie a month ago, about the availability of Stainless grip frames. They are working diligently getting the equipment on line, and hopefully will be in production possibly in August.
I’m sure the incredible heat and weather make it fun to move, install and program those huge pieces of machinery.

I had considered Aluminum- and I would prefer the weight savings on this Vaquero. It’s a New Model in .45 Colt and already feels pretty light- and I am enjoying that. Honestly, if there was a way to get aluminum to look like polished stainless I would call it a done deal. Polish and clear? PVD coat? Any suggestions?

Also- I looked through all 72 pages, and can’t find a line drawing of the Dealer over the Bradshaw Bisley. I tried to make my own using various print sizes and all I accomplished was wasting a lot of paper. Help! I have both frames currently and love them both- but I would like to see the difference on paper. And swapping grip frames in the cab of my truck out In the boonies is a sure recipe for lost parts.

[bigbore5]

If you want aluminum to match stainless pretty well, consider brushed or polish hard chrome. Very durable.

Another possibility is clear powder coat. Not as durable as hard chrome, but should still take some use to wear through. I did mine with a harbor freight powder coat kit and Eastwood clear.

[bradshaw]

Aug 1, 2022 21:22:54 GMT -5 randyzzz said:

Aug 1, 2022 7:25:28 GMT -5 bearskinner said:

I spoke with Ronnie a month ago, about the availability of Stainless grip frames. They are working diligently getting the equipment on line, and hopefully will be in production possibly in August.
I’m sure the incredible heat and weather make it fun to move, install and program those huge pieces of machinery.

I had considered Aluminum- and I would prefer the weight savings on this Vaquero. It’s a New Model in .45 Colt and already feels pretty light- and I am enjoying that. Honestly, if there was a way to get aluminum to look like polished stainless I would call it a done deal. Polish and clear? PVD coat? Any suggestions?

Also- I looked through all 72 pages, and can’t find a line drawing of the Dealer over the Bradshaw Bisley. I tried to make my own using various print sizes and all I accomplished was wasting a lot of paper. Help! I have both frames currently and love them both- but I would like to see the difference on paper. And swapping grip frames in the cab of my truck out In the boonies is a sure recipe for lost parts.

*****

Grip Axis
In discussing nuance, I refer to Ronnie. My hand adjusts well to permutations of good design, and as I really liked Bill Ruger’s Bisley----aesthetically & in recoil distribution----pushing the original rearward 3/16” to protect the middle finger seemed a natuarl move. Ronnie looked at the AXIS of grip frames configured for hand protection and came up with a 4-degree modification to further reduce impact while maintaining IMPACT CONSISTENCY on TARGET.

The look of aluminum
Like other metals, aluminum has its own HUE (quality of color) in the metal spectrum. Silver and nickel are visually warm in the “silver” spectrum; stainless and chrome appear cool. According to Ronnie, the billet aluminum alloy he uses does not rub off to stain cloth and skin black (a deficiency of softer alloy). As we read color in the wavelength of its reflected light, duplication of wavelength is difficult. Even though powder coating has come a lone way, it’s off-putting on a revolver. Ronnie bronze-anodized the aluminum grip frames on some of his sixguns, with visual depth a coating lacks. If a some dose of bronze anodizing could be mixed with silver anodizing, it might increase visual depth.

Recoil control: grip shape vs weight
Immediate relief came in fitting a couple of Ronnie Wells grip frames to the Ruger 03, followed by a pair of Super Blackhawks. Compared to Dick Casull’s .454 or the .500 Linebaugh, a full-stoke .45 Colt or .44 Magnum is mild. Nevertheless, experiencing recoil through Ronnie’s innovative grip frames removed any interest in shooting another big boomer without a RW grip frame. By extension, I would rather shoot one of the cannons with a RW RECOIL DESIGNED aluminum grip frame than a steel Ruger Bisley. Notably, a properly configured aluminum handle spares the middle finger; whereas the steel Ruger Bisley exposes the middle finger to im[pact. A giant marksmanship factor.
David Bradshaw

[randyzzz]

David- thank you for your well thought out reply. My hand is quite large, I wear XL gloves, but my fingers aren’t overly long or plump. I abandoned the single action many years ago as I could not get a proper grip on stock Ruger grips, and the oversized Pachy and Hogue grips didn’t feel right either. I learned on 1911’s and Browning High Powers, and developed a relationship with H&K handguns as my go-to. There was an old Vaquero Bisley at one point, and I was pleased with how it handled. But it got traded off like so many others… Age tends to get you to become introspective, and the “running and gunning” didn’t seem to be as much fun any more, not to mention my body plain old hurts. I almost hate to admit it, but a few libations while watching “Tombstone” led me back to the single action, and earlier this year I found myself buying a .357 Blackhawk, and a 1968 Super Blackhawk shortly thereafter. The 3 Screw was too pristine to hot rod, but the .357 wasn’t. ( Speaking if hot rods, I used to have a shop that built ‘em, but my love has always been classic Jeeps with big engines.) Anyways, I still couldn’t hit squat with the factory grip, so I bought a stainless Ruger Bisley grip frame and parts and fit it up. Accuracy was up there with what I wanted, but the dang thing still swatted my middle knuckle. I installed some thicker Badger grips, and even made some 1/16” spacers to fill my hand. Better but not great. Then, somehow the internet led me to this thread and introduced me to the magic of Ronnie Wells.

I purchased a Dealer and a Bradshaw Bisley on the Super Sale, and also brought home a Super Blackhawk Bisley and a New Vaquero in .45 Colt. I love the classic lines of the Dealer, and I am fitting it to the .357. The Bradshaw Bisley is going to replace the knuckle cracker on the Super Blackhawk Bisley. I have contoured the grips on both and really can’t tell which one feels better in the hand, although I’m leaning towards the Bradshaw Bisley.

The Vaquero is polished and as pretty as a prom queen. I want to keep it pretty, but I also want to keep it light. Recoil doesn’t bother me too much, but weight does. I think I figured out the line drawing- I just traced one grip over the other. Duh… I can see why the Bradshaw Bisley seem to fit a bit better- it’s fatter at the top and more like an auto. I think I’ll order an aluminum Bradshaw Bisley in the next couple of weeks, and see what I can do to make it look like stainless. If I’m not pleased wit the look, I’ll proceed with the stainless. Thank you for the tips on anodizing and color match.

I can see this becoming an obsession- Jeeps are getting a bit too strenuous for me, but I love a good workbench project!

[rocdoc]

Thanks RWGF for the discount brass offerings, have the chance to experiment with a couple of versions I probably would not have otherwise purchased.

[sj6g]

Got my brass Potato Judge today. It’s headed to TGW with a box of parts and a 45 Colt Blackhawk ASAP.

[messybear]

Put Dealer with macarta on a 500 Linebaugh. Liking it so far. Only fired 50 rounds so far but really seems good. Lots of knuckle room and length for whole hand on grip.
Thanks to RW for making this stuff available!

[longoval]

[longoval]

Really happy with Ronnie's work. He fitted both of these pictured above on my 44 special Flattops. The 5-1/2" has a Wells #9 and the 4-5/8" has a Bradshaw Bisley.

I am 6'6" with long fingers. Both frames are a huge improvement. I love the looks of the #9 and appreciate Ronnie's advice to choose that over the classic #5. Fermin Garza recommended that I try the Bradshaw Bisley as soon as he watched me shoot. I have to say, it is perfect for me. It is my favorite of the two.

Ronnie does great work at a great price if anyone is interested in having him fit your grip frame. I had considered doing it myself and honestly, the trigger guard is what scared me most. That blocky trigger guard needs to be worked to look right in my opinion. I'm glad I sent mine to Ronnie.

[bradshaw]

"Really happy with Ronnie's work. He fitted both of these pictured above on my 44 special Flattops. The 5-1/2" has a Wells #9 and the 4-5/8" has a Bradshaw Bisley.

I am 6'6" with long fingers. Both frames are a huge improvement....

Ronnie does great work at a great price if anyone is interested in having him fit your grip frame. I had considered doing it myself and honestly, the trigger guard is what scared me most. That blocky trigger guard needs to be worked to look right in my opinion. I'm glad I sent mine to Ronnie.”
----longoval

*****

Thomas.... having Ronnie do your fit-up is a good deal. Especially for those without the tools or touch to dive in. “Touch” is a cover word for talent & experience. For me, contouring trigger guard is the easiest aspect. My primary trigger guard tool is a Dremel with 1/2” drum sander. Whereas, blending backstrap to frame requires the most patience and careful eye, with many grip frame to frame fit-ups. All my work, or nearly all, is done with grip frame off. In the case of fitting RWGF’s to the one-of-a-kind Ruger 03, or the first-production .357 Maximum, or a couple other Ruger single actions, I will not alter the original frame to accommodate a grip frame. Thus, no filing or refinishing of frame.

Grip panels (scales) are sanded on grip frame. Walnut or other porous, non-stabilized wood is dry sanded. Impervious panels, such as Ronnie’s Cocobolo on the Ruger 03, is wet sanded, with continuous flashing of the very fine wet/dry paper.

The blend the Bradshaw Bisley----or several other RWGF backstraps----to the hammer trunnion or “frame ears” requires stock removal along the top of the back strap. Ronnie can only go so far to CNC backstrap contour without risk of coming in below frame ears. Unlike Bill Ruger’s exact maintenance of bottom & rear frame flats, the hammer trunnion or frame ears show considerable variation between models and production runs. Bill Ruger wanted to achieve a consistent radius, especially to interchange Blackhawk, Super Blackhawk, and Bisley grip frames in production, but it didn’t happen.

Thus, the very careful file work done on frames by the likes of Fermin Garza and others to blend grip frame to frame. To keep a special gun original limits contouring to grip frame only.

Ronnie and I compared hands. His hand is more like a catcher’s mitt, and I can see Yogi Berra wanting to borrow it. Even though Ronnie’s fingers are not very long in proportion to girth, his hand reaches around the backstop in a way which mates to a flatter backstrap spine. A flat backstrap punishes the base of my thumb, calling to memory a lifetime of magnum shooting (no small amount with double actions). Over a period of shooting the RW brass Bradshaw Bisley on the Ruger 03, I sanded more radius on the top of the back strap. This removed recoil from the base of my thumb.

You have a good looking pair of flattops, with grip frames for your hand which belong on the revolver, as well as in your hand.
David Bradshaw

[Thunderjet]

Have two Bisley BFR’s. Was going to have both modified by JH until I called him today and he told me he couldn’t convert the factory bisley grip to his style grip.
Help me avoid reading through a 72 page thread.
What grip does RW offer for a BFR? What do they cost and how much to fit? Grips?
Thanks

[pleadthe2nd]

I believe he us only doing Ruger right now