DB Photos Vol. 116 - RW grip frames, pt. 7: brass BB

[Lee Martin]

This gun may be high up the mountain, but it's still on a cliff. Ruger 03 with Ronnie Wells brass Bradshaw Bisley with pop-on, perfectly machined cocobolo scales. Grip contour in process. Note "square" shoulder of cocobolo panels. Abrupt curve concentrates recoil at base of thumb, a no-no. Squarish contour may work for some hands, not David's. More work to be done….



Two RWGF brass grip frames in process of fitting to Bradshaw's hand. L-Bradshaw Bisley, R-Bison Hunter, to which David has cut finger grooves. The BB is basic Ruger Bisley set back 3/16-inch. Backstrap of the BH is sloped for Ronnie Wells' hand, a meaty bear paw. David added finger grooves to arrest acceleration of roll of recoil. Both grips have impervious black micarta by Wells. David contouring the RW pattern, Flawess match of panel to metal. Grips still in process: sand... shoot... sand... shoot.



Another view of grip shoulders: L-Bradshaw Bisley: thick, blunt radius. R-Bison Hunter: standard width, with "square" shoulders. Palm swell favored by Wells, continued here by Bradshaw



From top: brass Bradshaw Bisley, brass Bison Hunter.





After panels with blunt-radius shoulders jabbed bone at base of shooter's thumb, shoulders were "softened" on belt sander. Effect, so far, dramatically reduces felt recoil.



Brass & cocobolo about to be sanded with wet/dry 400 emery----slaked with water. Resin in cocobolo strongly resists water. Would not use water to sand a porous wood, such as walnut. Finish touch-up is done with scales off grip frame to prevent embedding brass particles. If brass polish is used, first remove scales.



Heel-to-toe taper is personal. Factors in pointability only if it works on target. Hip shooting and aerial shooting----especially from sunset to dusk as sight visibility falls off----are a harsh critic of point shooting. Five days before Christmas the Ruger 03 with RW brass Bradshaw Bisley & cocobolo scales flushed 7x8 thrown water jugs as darkness shut down fiberoptic sights. This is where tritium wins. More to the point, you shoot as though you see the sights.



RW brass Bradshaw Bisley with dense Cocobolo panels weighs just under----1.5 ounces under----1 pound. Puts Ruger at 3 lbs, 1 oz. One ounce more than Ruger 03 with factory faux irovy. Folks may not want to think about AMMO. Six rounds ,45 Colt with 330-335 grain bullets rings up gross weight of 3 lbs, 7.5 oz. (56 ounces/3.5 pounds). David has more miles with this kind of weight than lighter guns, and continues. Note fit of panel to trigger guard. No power tool is used on panel with it off grip frame!



Green fiberoptic sights: 5-shots offhand @ 32 yards, 20 minutes after sunset. Black sights invisible; fiberoptics becoming so. Fiberoptics add a bit more sighting time at the end of day.



Coming off the mountain, the Ruger 03 .45 Colt with its adopted Ronnie Wells brass grip frame. One shot to check ZERO, offhand 43 paces: 330-335 SWC plain base Powder Coat, deep seated over 10.9/HS-6; bullet lands on front sight.



The Ruger 03 is a factory one-of-a-kind. It is not a “custom” in the traditional sense. Yet, wearing a brass Ronnie Wells grip frame raised the question, why aren’t all, or nearly all, custom single actions fitted with one of his beautifully machined grip combinations? Jack Huntington and Hamilton Bowen modify grip frames. John Linebaugh has brass made for his creations. If I may risk a prediction, seems only natural that from now on a custom single action may neither look nor feel complete without one of these custom handles. Now. to their names we must add the new instigator of PERSONAL FIT, Ronnie Wells. The ghosts of Sam Colt and Bill Ruger are watching....
David Bradshaw

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"

[bradshaw]

Lee.... beaucoup thanks for posting.

The RWGF brass Bradshaw Bisley continues to grow on this shooter, which means it pains me to swap it out for another Ronnie Wells experiment. Since the Ruger 03 spends most of its life in a holster, and a fair amount in hand, I want to know how other grip frames by Ronnie Wells compare. The RWGF aluminum Bradshaw Bison Finger Groove is producing favorable results with some stout loads.

Shooting the brass, also the aluminum, grip frames caused me to forget the pain of having my middle finger smacked by a Ruger trigger guard on recoil. Even the aluminum has not tapped my finger. The beautiful thing about physical pain: when you don’t have it, you don’t feel it. I had forgotten that aspect of the Ruger’s Blackhawk, Super Blackhawk, and Bisley factory grip frames.
David Bradshaw

[dhd]

I've been watching these threads David and appreciate you showing the pictures (or Lee that is). I've got a PJjr in brass with Cocobolo on the way and look forward to the fitting. These pictures and other's experiences will be a help. First time is always the hardest...

I like your point that no tools touch the grips unless they're on the frame. Your mating of the frames together looks pretty darn good too. The idea of "softening the shoulders" is also a good looking modification. One thing I noted talking to Ronnie is that he really likes it when people do their own modifications on his frames and will understand why. Is it fun? Well, I'll know soon enough....

[magnumwheelman]

BRADSHAW... I always thought you must be an old curmudgeon

you're not nearly as old as I thought, & actually have just a hint of a "Mona Lisa" smile going in that last picture... following along on your grip shapes, as I find a lot of the same true... keep up the good work, & happy New Year...

MAG

[bradshaw]

dhd.... to shape with grip panels attached blends contour of scales to grip frame. A real grip maker might do it independent. Panels cut by Ronnie on his CNC match grip frame plattens like the sideplate on a vintage S&W. Nevertheless, the grip screw is fastened to insure no chance of a panel flying off from belt sander or Dremel. Avoid too coarse a grinder or sandpaper when approaching what may be a finished grip. Aggressive cuts or sanding requires more stock removal to blend. Having carved ebony in art school, I was ready to approach the strong, tight grain of cocobolo. Besides beautiful, mature cocobolo sports a very tough resins which, as Wells told me beforehand, sparks a jump of orange to compliment red & black in the wood. I suspect the resins is analogous to the resin in mature, old-growth cypress----which causes the Formosan termite to prefer chewing a creosote telephone pole.

Cocobolo----wet sand
Ronnie was leary of my wet-sanding the cocobolo, despite the near-instant plugging of dry 400-grit emery with resin. By running the 400 wet/dry under water every few strokes, the paper flushes, sanding goes faster, and the wet paper lasts & lasts. Toward the end, I pull the scales to finish off of grip frame (prevent chance of embedding brass dust in wood). As I did not have any boiled linseed or Trueoil on hand, cocobolo for the Bradshaw Bisley received a light finger touch of matt polyurethane. The wood appears bare, save for the powerful protection of resin.

Walnut----dry sand
Walnut is much lighter than the resin-laden cocobolo. And unlike cocobolo, walnut absorbs water like a sponge. I tried wet-sanding walnut once; took too long to dry, while raising concerns the walnut might warp. Light, finger application of matt urethane----front & back----sealed the walnut.

Brass polish
Metal polish, whether by hand or buffing wheel, makes brass jump to the sky. To go whole hog on the polish makes a beautiful statement, but it invites the flare of sunlight. High polish also announces imperfection. 400-grit brings finish to a beautiful state, with just a dull mirror.

Aluminum
Aluminum cuts & sands faster than brass. Aluminum looks & feels fine, sanded with 100 to 220 grit. Haven’t tried fancy wood on an aluminum grip frame and feel no need. It might work and sooner or later someone will try it.
David Bradshaw

[bradshaw]

MAG.... thank you. Half a day between now and 2021, time to throw lead.
David Bradshaw

[contender]

For some reason,, I missed this thread until tonight.

ANOTHER excellent pictorial, and following information with the details we all should study. Excellent.

[bradshaw]

Tyrone.... thank you. An aluminum RW grip frame, in this case the Bradshaw Bison Finger Groove carries easier on a bike ride. I.m conditioned to packing a 3-pound revolver on the trail, especially on a wide belt, with some territory as nuts as your Appalachian hollers. Suspenders help spread the load to the shoulders. I’ve pretty well switched to a hydration pack for water, which I don’t even notice and with two or three times the water is quiter than plastic bottles. The old days of drinking out of any stream in the mountains tapered off more moose and beaver moved in.

Balance
Butt-heavy doesn’t feel right. Muzzle-heavy is easier to adjust too. A Super Blackhawk style flare at the heel helps offset muzzle-heft. Especially with aluminum. A birdhead----or at least a round butt----should offset butt-heavy.

Recoil
The hand adapts to a many grips----in the absence of recoil. Recoil changes everything. Amp up to heavy recoil, a grip which feels fine----until you shoot it----is now intolerable. A sharpshooter on the Firing Line doesn't say, “I’m immune to recoil.” Macho talk doesn’t impress the sharpshooter. It works the other way: a grip which spreads or delays the shock of recoil warrants a look. A grip which moderates heavy recoil should improve consistency with light loads.
David Bradshaw

[contender]

You are correct about the mountains & carrying a revolver. I too like to carry a good solid handgun,, no matter where i go a trompin. These hills & such around here do impress upon folks the idea of lightweight stuff to carry.
Especially when bear hunting. The bears do not take the easy trails. Heck, this season, I got a glimpse of a 350-400 lb bear as it crossed a road. It came up a very steep bank,, and climbed almost straight up the other bank,, without slowing down. Never gave the gun in front a chance at a shot,, as it was moving fast.
I carry a 7-1/2" revolver for hunting them, and I use a Barranti NW Hunter holster,, and it rides easily. So,, I'm good on carrying. I prefer to carry a little heavier handgun, as opposed to cutting weight because of recoil.
As for the recoil, again, you are correct.
Long ago, I learned that heavy recoil & how you handle it is all in the physics of handgun weight, the grip fit, and your abilities. The loudenkickinboomers are fine IF,,, IF,, you can hit accurately with them. Accuracy trumps all other things,, and as noted above,, it takes several things coming together for serious accuracy. I just wish I'd been able to study this stuff at a much younger age. But knowledge like what's shared here wasn't as easily found back when,,,,,,! I made a lot of mistakes.

The finger groove grip has me intrigued. In general,, I've felt the finger grooved panels seem to cause problems for many people. Yet,, I (my hands) have always seemed to enjoy them, and allowed me to shoot a bit better. I just always told myself, exactly what I preach to others,,; A handgun must fit your hands,, not necessarily anybody else's hands. Still,,, this bisley design,, with the finger grooves has me paying close attention to things.
Keep it up.

[bradshaw]

Tyrone.... Bill Ruger, Jr., saw the Ruger 03 as a commemoration of trophy hunts on the Firing Line. I saw the Ruger 03 as an homage to his father’s passion to conserve the single action. The Ruger 03 could not have come about without the Old Man’s Blackhawk and his support for disciplined marksmanship.

When Ronnie Wells asked me to configure a grip frame, my mind went straight to the Ruger 03. To make my love of Ruger’s Bisley grip unqualified, I asked Ronnie to pull the handle back 3/16-inch. Preserve original grip contour, pull it rearward. Three immediate things happen: 1) saves middle finger from trigger guard, 2) hand doesn’t block hammer spur at full cock, especially with glove, and 3) hammer spur doesn’t bite the web of my hand under the roll of heavy recoil. To this end a brass----and probably an aluminum----RW grip frame becomes part of the kit of the Ruger 03.
David Bradshaw

[contender]

Noted,, and understood.

Just put my name in your will for that Ruger 03 kit!

[bradshaw]

Reviving Vol. 116 to show the flat-across backstrap, as machined by Ronnie Wells, with my later sanding to create a left-right arc at the top of the backstrap. This arc continues across the Cocobolo scales. Not everyone needs this treatment, but the LATERAL ARC spreads recoil into my hand, removing recoil impact from the base of my thumb. Shooting in the cold, including today at Fahrenheit -19, bare hand and gloved with insulated deerskin, stiffen skin, muscle, wrists & elbows, which amplify any jab from recoil. Under this weather, recoil of stout loads would bash the base of my thumb----even with a single action grip. The effect is far worse with a double action hump.

For my hand, the lateral arc seems to aid tracking of a moving target, specifically aerial water jugs. If so, this aspect has more to do with pointing that recoil protection.
David Bradshaw

[messybear]

David
Interesting pix and observations!
Wondering about the arc left to right at top that you mentioned. Do you have any other pictures of that? I don’t see much of it but I know it would be hard to see and I suppose very minimal.
Thanks

[bradshaw]

Jan 27, 2022 16:13:47 GMT -5 messybear said:

David
Interesting pix and observations!
Wondering about the arc left to right at top that you mentioned. Do you have any other pictures of that? I don’t see much of it but I know it would be hard to see and I suppose very minimal.
Thanks

*****

Grip progression in Vol. 116 wasn’t finished. Contouring done in last photos; not yet wet sanded with emery 400 under running water. May have used brass polish at the end, but I sand finer than 400 grit wet/dry. Water flush keeps paper from plugging; dry paper plugs almost instantly. SAll shaping is done with GRIP FRAME OFF GUN. scales are sanded on grip frame----except for final touches, when scales receive final polish separately to prevent brass embedding.

Ronnie made Cocobolo for the Ruger 03, which live in the revolver, despite my attraction to his nearly indestructible black micarta. Cocobolo is dense and probably evolved over millions of years impregnated with resins to resist termites, fungi, etc. Ronnie stabilizes other woods, which greatly increases weather-proofing and durability.

Most of my grip frame shaping, including the lateral arc on the backstrap, is done on a belt sander. There aggressive the tool, the more skill and care are required.
David Bradshaw

[messybear]

Thanks!