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Post by Lee Martin on Dec 21, 2020 19:22:53 GMT -5
David carved finger grooves in brass Bison Hunter, which set Ronnie Wells to make the Bradshaw Bison Finger Groove in aluminum. Thick front & back straps provde material to whittle.  Front strap is thin where David removed brass with 60 grit drum on Dremel tool. A RW grip frame ordered to this dimesion will have a thicker front strap.   Three Ronnie Wells grip frames (l-to-r) brass Bisley +4 Degrees w/ black micarta; aluminum Bradshaw Bison Finger Groove w/ walnut; brass Bradshaw Bisley w/ Cocobolo. 6"x24" belt sander, with disk, is handy size for rough-contouring grip frame and panels.  Ronnie cuts scales precisely to grip frame on CNC milling machine. David introduced a bit of Medieval angularity to these walnut panels. Ronnie machines panels to exactly match grip frame. Grips panels interchange exactly between a given grip frame configuration because each is machined to exact same profile. You will have to be awfully good to match the RWGF fit. Exterior finish by owner is best done with scales attached, right down to fine sanding. The danger of working on panels off grip frame is to go to far, or have a contour which doesn’t blend.  Dremel tool with drum sander will contour trigger guard. Aluminum cuts faster than brass and both cut much faster than steel. Dremel sanding drums come in 60 and 120 grit. Finer 120 grit preferred. Trigger guard may also be finished with sand paper on finger, sanding sponge, or dowel.   Finger grooves cut directly into front strap differ from add-on grips in that more finger gets around grip and smaller hands index without choking up.   Bradshaw Bison Finger Groove Large by Ronnie Wells in aluminum weighs just 3.9 ounces.  Addition of walnut scales brings RW aluminum finger groove grip frame to 5.3 oz.  Ruger 03 with RW aluminum finger groove & walnut comes in under 2.5 pounds (2 lbs, 7.6 oz.), perhaps the best way to go for POWER on a DIET.  -Lee www.singleactions.com"Chasing perfection five shots at a time" |
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Post by bradshaw on Dec 22, 2020 9:06:39 GMT -5
Again, huge thanks to Lee Martin for hosting the continuing DB photo essay series.
As for Ronnie Wells, were it not for Lee’s Singleactions, we may not have met. The benefit of his grip innovation registers and grows as I shoot his creations. Told Ronnie this would not be quick, whorehouse review of product, the trip must involve TIME on the MOUNTAIN. I’m shooting two RW grips at this time, the brass thing Ronnie dubbed Bradshaw Bisley, and an aluminum handle he calls Bradshaw Bison Finger Groove L (large). The brass BB fairly leaped onto the Ruger 03, and I’ve had a hard time prying it off. Even for a couple of uphill treks, the lighter aluminum came off and the heavier brass went on. Some call this research, or comparative study. I call it LIVING.
When Ronnie saw that I had butchered his Bison Hunter by carving finger grooves into the front strap, he lept with joy. Seems I touched an itch he had years ago. Fingergrooves in front strap. I called it the Butchered Bison, which may not be the best way to promote it. While it’s not especially attractive, it does index the hand. The intention of this grip is to mange recoil, and thereby enhance consistency on target.
There is something I nearly forgot while living with these grips....
PROTECTION of the HAND
1) middle finger
2) base of thumb.
The great thing about physical pain is, you don’t feel it when you don’t have it. Over these past months, bullets sailing downrange, I forgot about the trigger guard and my middle finger. Even while shooting stout loads one-hand. This radical departure from decades of abuse amounts to an escape from pain. When I swing a splitting maul or sledgehammer I wear gloves. When I dig and rake I wear gloves. Found myself wearing gloves more & more for mag loads in sixgun. Now I shoot a pair of Ronnie Wells grip frames quite often without gloves. Oh, I threw some water jugs the other day, it was ZERO out; had on deerskin gloves, and it wasn’t for the recoil. But, at 20-degrees I shot bare-hand.
John Linebaugh asked me about the grip frames of Ronnie Wells. Precisely made, extreme quality, I said, simply because the guy puts real integrity into his work and he knows what he’s doing, and respects those qualities in others. Linebaugh has brass grip frames for his own customs. The difference is, you cannot adjust a casting. The RWGF is adjustable by data input. Ronnie wells is not just a master of programming, he is a machinist, a machine tool mechanic knowledgeable in metallurgy, process, tooling & cutting. He invented a knife to separate nerves in the human hand while minimizing the trauma of procedure. Now he is at work to add years to our handgunning. To be a guinea pig in this exploration is a privilege.
In light of my shooting, it seems a custom revolver is incomplete without a RW Grip Frame. I just wish I could hand the Ruger 03 to Bill Ruger and Bill, Jr.
David Bradshaw
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Post by contender on Dec 22, 2020 10:14:32 GMT -5
Once again,, honest,, direct, solid info. It requires experimentation,,, to get a final project "right" and make more folks happy. And if a tester isn't honest with evaluations,, the builder can't fix anything that may not be the "best." I do like the Bradshaw Bisley looks,, and patiently await one for an Old Model Ruger,, and with this,, I have to think about the finger groove design for my Super in 480 as a place to think hard upon.
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Post by RDW on Dec 22, 2020 11:09:11 GMT -5
Thanks Fellas.
It has been my privilege so far.
And yes critique, critique, CRITIQUE!!!!!!!!! WE WILL NEVER GET TO WHERE WE WANT TO BE IF WE DONT EXPERIMENT AND ELIMINATE WHAT DOES NOT WORK BETTER!!!!!
We have been there already for a number of years havent we?
Keep em coming guys (ideas) and i will keep makin em!
R
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Post by RDW on Dec 22, 2020 11:11:48 GMT -5
By the way SuperDave.
Love the sharp break on the panel in the middle longitudely or length wise.
Gonna have to program that now for the BFG.
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Post by bradshaw on Dec 22, 2020 14:26:28 GMT -5
Tyrone.... thank you for the kind words. As for selecting a grip frame, Ronnie studied the human hand while designing knife for surgery of the hand. A Bradshaw Bisley set back 1/8-inch----instead of 3/16”----should give you knuckle clearance while preserving the form of Ruger’s Bisley. Or, tae a close look at the Bisley +4-degrees, which I think holds serious promise. Can’t talk about the Bisley +4 until I put mileage on it.
Ronnie.... the spine up the middle of each panel is an experiement in LATERAL INDEXING. Needs more time on the mountain....
David Bradshaw
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Post by highplains on Dec 22, 2020 18:44:30 GMT -5
I saw what you guys did .... A 1970'S Super Bee shifter as intended !
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Post by 41freak on Dec 22, 2020 20:24:55 GMT -5
Looks like I have found the grip frame for my 480 and 41 mag... Guess I need to start a layaway account and start sending you money....
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Post by domino300 on Dec 23, 2020 10:58:36 GMT -5
I saw what you guys did .... A 1970'S Super Bee shifter as intended ! LOL. Looked at the picture again and realized it looks like the shifter I had on my 1970 Dodge Challenger. |
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Post by bradshaw on Dec 23, 2020 11:22:08 GMT -5
I saw what you guys did .... A 1970'S Super Bee shifter as intended ! LOL. Looked at the picture again and realized it looks like the shifter I had on my 1970 Dodge Challenger. ***** In this case the idea is to keep the gun from squirming. When I butchered a RWGF brass Bison Hunter by carving finger grooves, it revived an old theme in of Ronnie’s experimentations. My search with the finger grooves is to see whether a person with low recoil tolerance can handle more power with accuracy. Ronnie is a huge man with ham hands and sausage fingers. Very different from my hands. Location of finger grooves should match the shooter’s hand. A small hand tends to index high on the grip, a blueprint for more recoil and knuckle-tap. To add more recoil increases chance of damage to hand. Over time we get accustomed to a grip, whether it is correct or not. A new grip brings something of an alien feel, even when it pans out to be an impriovement. The Redhawk is a classic example of a grip which feels great until I fire it with magnums----smacking the bone at the base of my thumb. To board this train is a ticket to injury. David Bradshaw |
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Post by domino300 on Dec 23, 2020 11:30:11 GMT -5
I have 3 Redhawks, 2 41 mags and a 44 mag. All three wear Uncle Mikes rubbers. Had a Super Redhawk in 454, traded it due to recoil on thumb.
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Post by bigbore5 on Jan 15, 2021 19:05:58 GMT -5
I have 3 Redhawks, 2 41 mags and a 44 mag. All three wear Uncle Mikes rubbers. Had a Super Redhawk in 454, traded it due to recoil on thumb. And Ronnie can fit 6 new frames in 6 different styles in 1 shipping box! |
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Post by bradshaw on Jan 15, 2021 22:55:37 GMT -5
I have 3 Redhawks, 2 41 mags and a 44 mag. All three wear Uncle Mikes rubbers. Had a Super Redhawk in 454, traded it due to recoil on thumb. And Ronnie can fit 6 new frames in 6 different styles in 1 shipping box! ***** Having squeezed a fair share of rounds through double and single action revolvers with synthetic stocks, I hold various Pachmayrs in high regard (and like the Uncle Mike’s copy for the Super Blackhawk.) Limiting this discussion to full size revolvers. The grip frames of Ronnie wells open new territory in several ways, with personalized fit, by adjusting recoil characteristics... while conserving the SINGLE ACTION AESTHETIC. If an analogy can be made to the safe continuation of an athletic passion into the later years, I see these grip frames doing that for big bore revolvers. Good rubber handles were a step. Various of these Ronnie Wells grips frames represent another step, without yielding beauty. David Bradshaw |
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Post by bradshaw on Jan 24, 2021 22:56:35 GMT -5
As of now some of the shooting is done at ZERO fahrenheit. It’s not a good temperature to grab hold of aluminum with the bare hand. In other words, wear gloves or don’t shoot. To the Glock fan who jumps with joy at the chance to add another limitation to the revolver we caution, “not so fast!” Try sticking a gloved finger inside a Glock trigger guard without locking the trigger. Glock makes an excellent pistol, but it doesn’t cover all bases. For me to make a Glock reliable under the conditions I presently shoot, I’d have to cut away the trigger guard. I don’t even like a cutaway trigger guard on a Colt or S&W belly gun , as practiced before WW II and uo into the 1950’s. The cutaway trigger guard would spell unmitigated disaster on a Glock, along with its numerous imitations.
No, in this kind of weather the single action shines. And the double action shines as a SINGLE ACTION. Between leather and eye there is time to COCK a double action. The challenge of a Glock against this hard cold is to un-set the trigger. The challenge od a DA revolver fired double action is to RESET the trigger.
So far, the RW Bradshaw Bison Finger Groove is doing fine on a Super Blackhawk Bisley Hunter in this cold, which has frozen over a river in two days. The Bisley-loop trigger guard is welcome under adversity.
David Bradshaw
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Post by bradshaw on Mar 13, 2023 19:14:44 GMT -5
Ronnie Wells and this shooter recently discussed various hand-to-grip indexing features of single action FINGER GROOVE grip frame. This shows my first experiment, whittling on a couple of Ronnie’s grip frames. Ronnie pushed his PALM SWELL idea, and while it’s not shown here, I have come to see potential for a finger groove grip with palm swell. For those who have a problem with vertical stringing in heavy recoil, both finger groove and palm swell may aid consistency.And I believe the same will apply to those with difficulty transitioning from the double action grip to a single action grip.
David Bradshaw
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