So I just picked up my new Ruger Bisley Super Blackhawk Hunter this morning, and ran it through it's paces this afternoon.

I wasn't impressed with the fit of the gun and after shooting everything from 240gr HP's to 340gr +P+ Hardcast, I was even less impressed with it.

There was alot of little things like a gouge on the grip frame, loose cylinder, loose cylinder pin, loose cylinder pin locking pin, loose rear sight, and worst of all the barrel is slightly canted to the right as your looking down the barrel.

I plan to use it hard in the woods, so cosmetics didn't bother me to bad, but compared to my Blackhawk 45 Convertible, (which is fit like a custom gun from the factory) I was surprised how bad some Ruger products can be and still pass quality for the price we are paying now on revolvers.

I decided to shoot it hard today, and I was expecting poor results. I was pleasantly surprised at how accurate it is.

First I changed out the sights to fiber optics, and did the poor man's trigger job. Then started with 240gr rounds and ended with the Underwood 340gr +P+ rounds. Very little sight adjustments were made, and I connected with everything I aimed at.

I don't know how that happened, but I'll call it my miracle gun and run it this season just the way it is.

I had simalr issues with the 44 mag SBHBH.

The hole for the base pin was about .060" to the port side.
My smith was able to clean everything up change the base pin ream the bores change to pawl and springs. Fix the barrel and lap the scope rings that we're all jacked up.

Gun never shot super.

My standard Bisley with the Leupold base and rings was under 3" @ 100

Don't think I ever got the hunter to shoot better than 6" @. 100

http://www.handgunhunt.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=972

I love mine. Had it for about 15 years, though.

I forgot to mention that all the grip frame screws came loose while I was shooting it. Fixed them all with lock-tite. There is what appears to be a deep pit in the top strap above the B/C gap that appears to be deep flame cutting, but it it is actually a barrel thread from being tapped to far. There are also rub marks above each chamber on the forward end of the cylinder where the cylinder hits the top strap under recoil from the looseness of the cylinder pin. I will say though, the top strap is extra thick in that area and only has .001" separation between it and the cylinder.

Kinda wishin I went with the BFR instead.

I might try a Belt Mountain Base Pin and a Bowen Rough Country rear sight soon.

MY EXPERIENCE AND OBSERVATION IS THAT LATELY RUGER REVOLVERS ARE LEAVING THE FACTORY AS ROUGH AS A WASHBOARD. MY 4 INCH 327 SP101 IS REAL ROUGH, THE FRONT SIGHT COMES LOOSE, AND YOU CANNOT RAISE THE REAR SIGHT ENUFF TO SIGHT IN WITH THE COMMON 100 gr. FEDERAL EAGLE LOAD. I CALLED THE FACTORY AND THEY DID NOT OFFER HIGHER REAR SIGHT BLADES NOR SHORTER FRONT SIGHTS SO I PUT THE GUN UP. TO MAKE IT WORK RIGHT I MAY HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF $$$$ TO SMOOTH IT UP AND CORRECT THE SIGHTS SITUATION, OR HUNT UP A SHORTER FRONT SIGHT, OR ............... BUT THE RUGERS ARE NOT CHEAP AND WE SHOULD BE GETTING BETTER GUNS FROM THE FACTORY FOR THE MONEY.

P.S. ANY SUGGESTIONS OUT THERE FOR A REPLACEMENT FRONT SIGHT THAT IS LOWER THAN THE FACTORY. IT IS DOVETAILED SO THERE MAY BE SOME OPTIONS.

My Bisley Hunter was basically pretty nice cosmetically, but had a LOT of creep in the trigger and had a wide .011" BC gap.

I put a Bowen rear sight on it and a lighter trigger return spring(which seemed to amplify the creep). It was reasonably accurate, but not a tack driver.

After shooting a 14 point buck my first year hunting with it I decided to send it to David Clements for a trigger/action job, a Belt Mountain pin, had the barrel set back to close the BC gap, re cut the forcing cone and crown and a free spin pawl. He also made a new front sight from a Bowen blank and a few other things to sort it out.

Accuracy was still not amazing, and I bought a set of pin gauges and found that it had a slight constriction under the screw hole for the ejector housing or the front sight (not sure which), and a .0015 or more constriction at the threads.

Lots of fire lapping rounds later, accuracy is MUCH improved (4" at 100 yards with my hunting load).

Then earlier this year I sent the grip frame to Jack Huntington with two drawings of my hand for some grips and his frame modification. The gun shoots much 'softer' now, and is easier to get a consistent comfortable hold of.

The gun is finally starting to come around and I even like it a little now (insert sarcastic grin).

I wouldn't have stuck with it this long and put as much time and money into it if I didn't really like the overall concept of the Bisley Hunter.

It has been worth it to me, it's just too bad they don't come out of the box a little nicer on a consistent basis.

The New Vaquero 45 I bought a year before the Hunter had a simply wonderful trigger and tight BC gap and a great overall finish right off the bat which gave me high expectations for the Hunter, though the Vaquero throats needed reaming.

Yetiman, your post is like my future being told. I had the same notion with the custom work. There is always the option of selling it and getting a BFR or FA83. I just find myself enamored with the Hunter though. Time will tell. Thanks for the pic too, very nice.

My old Hunter had some issues. But I got it for a song. Sent it off to Jim Stroh and that thing is a tackdriver. He did say that my barrel didn't have a constriction but opened up towards the muzzle, not an issue.

THERE IS AN OLD SAYING: IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON, FOLLOW THE MONEY. BOWEN, CLEMENTS, TO NAME A FEW, MAKE A LIVING "FINISHING" RUGERS WITH "BASIC" PACKAGES, BUT DO NOT OFFER SIMILAR S&W SERVICES. NOW, FOR HEAVY DUTY CONVERSIONS, YOU CAN'T BEAT A RUGER AS A BASE GUN. I AM NOT SELLING MY RUGERS, NOR HAVE I BOUGHT MY LAST RUGER, BUT WHEN I BUY 1 I KNOW WHAT I MAY BE GETTING INTO.

In my original post I had a paragraph that I deleted about how I generally consider Ruger revolvers as a kit that will need finishing and modification to be what I really want. I buy a lot less of them than I might when I consider the cost up front of what it will cost to have work done (or do it myself where I can)

This was also true of 1911's which I shot nearly exclusively for 25 years or so. The only two out of a dozen of those I didn't modify were an Ed Brown and a Wilson that were built pretty much to order.

When the BFR's come up... I bought one of those used this summer, and it was an absolute bargain for the $650 I paid. The build quality and accuracy are excellent. I did put a new rear sight on, and will have grips made and maybe the grip frame modified down the road. I would like a different shaped hammer spur too... Ugh, here we go again !