Bisley Clones?

Dixie Gun Works and Cimarron catalog them in .44Spl. You'll have to find out if they've been soiled with the retractable firing pin. I used to have one from DGW but sold it to finance a wedding.



Now I have a Cimarron .357 with factory (Persinger) ivory.



And a flat-top .45Colt. Both are destined as project guns.

CraigC said:

I used to have one from DGW but sold it to finance a wedding.

Click to expand...

I've heard of a shotgun wedding, but a Bisley wedding is a new one on me.

CraigC, how old is that Bisley Flattop and does it have the hammer block safety?

I seem to recall it's from the late `90's. Don't remember about the hammer block. Until the retractable firing pin, I never paid much attention to Uberti safeties.

Howdy

The most authoritative answer to your question seems to be the answer you got over on the SASS Wire.

It appears Uberti has not begun to install their retractable firing pins on their Bisely models.

If they are shipped with the two position cylinder pin, that is easily replaced.

If I was you I would call up Taylors and ask them the question directly.

They should be able to give you a definitive answer.

Taylors are very good people to do business with.

https://www.taylorsfirearms.com/han...e-action-revolver-series/bisley.html?___SID=U

Deanimator

Just saw a Cimarron Bisley with a 7.5" barrel in .357 on Bud's Gun Shop website for $553 (cash discount price). According to Bud's there's less than 5 left at that price.

The 2018 Dixie Gun Works catalog had a bunch of Uberti Bisley's. I'm not sure what they have now but if they have any left from 2018 there's a chance those don't have the retractable firing pin.

A fixed firing pin with 3-click action seems like a contradiction. I think all 3-clicker's would be a retractable firing pin.

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CraigC, thanks for the info.

Deanimator

Sorry about that. Had to go back and read your post again and saw the .44 Special requirement.

Howdy

A couple of things.

Are you aware that when you have your earplugs in you cannot hear any clicks at all?

I'm playing around with this nice old 38-40 Colt Bisley from 1909 right now, and with my ear plugs in I can't hear any clicks at all. I can feel them through my hand, but I cannot hear them at all. Same thing when I shoot it. All I hear is a loud boom as my Black Powder 38-40 rounds go off. So what the heck is the point if it has three clicks or four? The only time you can hear the clicks is when you are playing around on the sofa shooting bad guys on the TV. You can't hear them at the range.





You might find it interesting to know that Colt never chambered the Bisley model for 44 Special. I'm not sure why, perhaps because the 44 Special did not appear until 1908, and Bisley production stopped in 1915. Perhaps there was no demand. So if you want your Bisley to be as historically correct as possible, 44 Special is the wrong cartridge anyway.



This Bisley is chambered for 44 Special, but it has a 2nd gen cylinder and barrel on it. No idea what the chambering was when it left the factory in 1908. Obviously the grips are not original either.






Now, regarding that post over on the SASS Wire, I suspect that guy is confused about how many clicks his new Bisley has.

Let's review the clicks for a moment.

First Click: Hammer goes to 'Safety Cock'.

Second Click: Half Cock. The cylinder spins freely.

Third Click: The bolt pops up against the cylinder.

Fourth Click: Full Cock. If the revolver is timed perfectly, the bolt will pop home into its locking slot on the cylinder at precisely the same time as the hammer goes to full cock. More often, the hammer will go to full cock slightly before the cylinder locks up. In this case, pulling the hammer back a little bit further will allow the cylinder to rotate a couple of more degrees until the bolt pops into place. In fact, if you put some drag on the cylinder with your thumb in this case, you will actually hear five, not four, clicks. Frankly, most of my Colts are timed this way. It is not a problem, when you are shooting the gun you give the hammer a firm yank anyway, and the hammer usually has a little bit of over travel to allow the cylinder to go to battery. This condition is more desirable than the condition where the bolt locks up before full cock. Yes, I had a Ruger once that did that. The cylinder locked up and the hand prevented the hammer from going all the way to full cock.

Anyway, I suspect the guy over on the SASS Wire is mistaken. The reason the current crop of Uberti Cattlemen only have three clicks is because Uberti removed the 'Safety Cock' notch on the hammer. Not necessary with the retractable firing pin. I suspect he just isn't hearing all the clicks.

Or maybe he has his ear plugs in.

By the way, you just missed out on a rare Bisley Target Model chambered for 44 Russian. There were 62 of these made. I inspected it a week or so ago. Beautiful revolver, but I knew it was going to go for big money so I did not bid on it.

https://live.amoskeagauction.com/m/.../308?url=/m/view-auctions/catalog/id/7?page=4

Perhaps my point was lost on you.

#1, I suspect the current crop of Uberti Bisleys still have a four click action.

If you phone Taylors, rather than email them, and ask the question I am sure you will find out.

#2 What the heck is the difference if the thing clicks 3 times or 4 times?

I have Ruger Vaqueros that I have added the half click hammer to so I can load them the same as I load a Colt. They only click 3 times. I could care less.

I had a chance to try one of the new Uberti Cattlemen last year, the ones with the retractable firing pins. Yes, they only clicked 3 times. I couldn't have cared less, the important thing was seeing how well they performed and if they hit the target and if the trigger was smooth. They did and it was.

As I said, the only time you can really count the clicks is when you are shooting bad guys while watching TV. Then you can thumb the hammer back nice and slow and count the clicks.

If you pull the hammer back briskly, it is impossible to count if there were 3 clicks or 4. All you hear is the ratchet sound, you cannot differentiate how many clicks there were.

At the range, if you can hear the clicks at all, you cannot count them.

That is why I keep telling shooters how silly it is to be concerned with how many clicks there are.

They don't all click four times either. The last two are the cylinder locking and the hammer hitting the full cock notch. Those often happen simultaneously. I love the traditional action but don't really care if it clicks three times or four.

CraigC said:

They don't all click four times either. The last two are the cylinder locking and the hammer hitting the full cock notch. Those often happen simultaneously.

Click to expand...

That is incorrect.

As I said earlier, the last two are the cylinder locking and the hammer going to full cock, but those two are the 4th and 5th clicks.

No matter.

To the original poster:

You seem to have painted yourself into a corner.

You want four clicks, but it appears that none of the current Bisley models made by Uberti has four clicks.

So what are you going to do?

My 2 cents, that are likely not worth 1. I have a Taylor Drifter. 3 clicks with a retractable firing pin. 2K+ rounds and still going strong.

I like single actions because I can shoot them well, they feel good in my hand and they are beautiful. Four clicks don’t mean a thing to me.

If the Colt experience is super important, then my suggestion is to wait for a Colt. You’re gonna get one some day anyway, and you’ll save money in the long run by just going straight to a Colt. A Uberti with 4 clicks, as good as they are, is still just an imitation.

Get an Interarms Virginia Dragoon, and put a bisley grip and hammer on it. 4 clicks, 2 position cylinder pin safety, 44mag/special, 8" barrel and Colt SAA styling. They are nice American made firearms for a modest price way below a working Colt.

I have two Colt SAA's and they're nice guns but I've never been enamored of the Colt name on a newer gun. IMHO, USFA's and Uberti's are a better value. Not to mention that Colt hasn't made a Bisley in 100yrs. The newer Uberti's are very nicely fitted and finished.