SS Number 5 Gripframe

[aciera]

A Number 5 Gripframe in SS would solve some problems for me.

Does anyone sell them?

If not, would there be a market?

And since you are making them, Titanium? Or a Bisley in Titanium/

Thanks for any input.

[2 Dogs]

Harton made mine. He says it's just basic blacksmithing.

Good Luck.

[aciera]

Jun 17, 2010 9:24:34 GMT -5 2 Dogs said:

Harton made mine. He says it's just basic blacksmithing.

Good Luck.

Glad it was you that answered. You been around here a while.

I was thinking more of having some cast.

Would there be a market?

[2 Dogs]

It's very difficult to get a stainless Bisley grip frame
right now. Ruger SA sales are but a drop in their
bucket compared to their auto sales so I would say NO.

[aciera]

I don't explain myself very well do I.

I seldom make 1. If I had some cast and machined them, partial or complete, how many folks would want to buy them.

I'd like a Titanium one and since we are pouring...........

[cubrock]

If you made some and they were of high quality, I'm sure the demand would be there. Not sure what the price point would be, but I know a lot of people would want them.

[aciera]

Jun 17, 2010 12:08:26 GMT -5 cubrock said:

If you made some and they were of high quality, I'm sure the demand would be there. Not sure what the price point would be, but I know a lot of people would want them.

Well thats 1!

[bisleyfan41]

A titanium bisley would be interesting, but I'd settle for a bisley in brass.

[2 Dogs]

I dont think you can pour titanium.....

aciera you have a PM.

[aciera]

Jun 17, 2010 14:24:38 GMT -5 bisleyfan41 said:

A titanium bisley would be interesting, but I'd settle for a bisley in brass.

Like I said, once I get the mold made............

I was thinking bronze maybe...........

[aciera]

Jun 17, 2010 14:31:56 GMT -5 2 Dogs said:

I dont think you can pour titanium.....

aciera you have a PM.

Yeah, one of our houses does. I'll check now thanks.

[Fowler]

I know I had a brilliant machinest friend (I work in the industry and he is the sharpest I know) look at a Bisley grip frame of mine and we put our heads together on how to make it a two piece grip frame for a reasonable price for the very same reason as you looking at the same materials.

What we figured out is that to do it from solid billets of steel so you could offer different materials was going to be expensive. We thought it could be sorted out but it would have to be someone doing the programming and prototyping as a side project because they are sick and like challenges and for the love of single actions not to make a lot of money. And you would need a very special 3D cnc mill to do a whole lot of the grip frame.

You could never do it in a cost effective manner if you had to pay regular rates for programming and such. Even then it would probably take a minimum run of 300 to 500 pieces to justify the first runs and put a pretty serious hunk of money on the table for the risk.

Now if you could get a good investment caster to do small runs for reasonable prices and had a good machine shop that could then clean up the cast part into ready to be fitted grip frames you might be able to make the dog hunt. But remember there are a lot of machinest who are gun guys, if it was easy a lot of guys would do it. As it is about the only one to throw his hat and money into the ring is Ron Powers and he makes some very good stuff for very reasonable prices.

I'm not saying it can't be done but you had better really dot your "I"s and cross your "T"s...

[taffin]

I was thinking more of having some cast.

Would there be a market?[/quote]

A MOLD WOULD RUN ABOUT $10,000 (ASK JOHN LINEBAUGH AND MILT MORRISON!) THAT REQUIRES AN AWFULLY BIG MARKET WHICH DOESN'T EXIST.

[aciera]

Ihave checked the cost of molds. They have changed, a LOT. I could recoup half the cost of a mold with my guns alone. We have 2 full time mold men just for design. And one is a gun nut.

We cast from under a pound to around thirteen tons. Stainless, Monel, Hastaloy, you name it.

Do I have an unfair advantage? Call it that if you will. But just for the info.

I'll have the molds made outside the company. Though I would have them cast in house as an outside customer.

I have used thousands of Thompson cast parts. Yeah Thompson was a gun nut before the Thompson/Center Contender.

Can I machine without CNC? Yes, been there done that.

Am I a good businessman? Nope, got a day job, now programming and running CNC.

Have run most metals including exotics from Tantalum to Waspaloy up to 67Rc. Worked a lot of carbide also, so material removal is no problem.

I want to know the Market, not what I can't do.

I've seen the prices, just don't know the quality.

I figure raw casting, machined "fat"to fit for the gunsmith, and fully machined. The first 2 are what I prefer due to the variances in Ruger frames. Same reason you can't make drop in cylinders.

I'll make them if they aren't made. Don't want to make a living, more for trading material and to get what I want.

I may sound rude, sorry bout that, not meant to, just answering all the nay sayers at once.

Just a grumpy ol prototyper who shouldn't, most all work.

The Bisley interests me more than the Number 5, but I need one.

I've done it and can do it. No brag, just fact.

let's get back to subject, who's interested?

Rant over.

PAX.

[2 Dogs]

We're not Naysayers. We just used to have this guy around here who was everything from a rodeo champion to a famous leather maker.....NoBearsYet.

I dont think Ruger is selling the stainless Bisley gripframe anymore so you could likely sell those. As to the #5's most people dont even know what they are.....

And BTW, we dont want that other guy back.....again, good luck. Keep us posted.

And I stand corrected, you can cast Titanium.