That gun sure has spawned a lot of trouble. It was my first centerfire single action and, of course my first Bisley. I fell in love with the Bisley gripframe and have since acquired three of the Acusport Bisleys, a .44 Magnum stainless Bisley Vaquero 4 5/8" and a second .45 Bisley Hunter.
From a collector's standpoint I like my first one because it is a very low numbered .45 Bisley Hunter. It is a Southport gun with the warning on the side of the barrel, green laminated grips, SR grip emblems and an unmarked rear sight. The test fire date is 3/14/05.
The three shot target was made with 300gr. Cast Performance gas check bullets being pushed around by a healthy charge of H-110. I know the group doesn't look like much but I guess the only saving grace is that I was using iron sights (the ring bag has never been opened, scopes are for rifles) and the target was a hundred yards from the muzzle. Yes, this dog will hunt! The first three shots looked so good through the spotting scope I didn't want the fourth messing it up and began shooting rocks in the berm. Rocks are more fun anyway.
The second revolver came from the same place. I was actually in there to pick up something else but saw it in the case. The first thing I noticed was the lack of the warning on the side of the barrel. It has the warning on the bottom along with a Newport address. The other changes include a rear sight marked with an eagle with an R, black laminated grips with R marked medallion instead of SR like on the first one. The grips are noticeably smoother and wider (thicker) in the medallion area. The test fire date is 8/18/10. Both guns came in the same type box, with the SR in the eagle on the front.
According to the last information I have from Lipsey's, 278 .45 Bisley Hunters were delivered between '05 and '06, then between '08 and '10-46 guns, '11-68 and '12-27 guns for a total of 419.
I figure there are probably 95 Newport guns. There could be more depending on exactly when the change took place. I would appreciate any feedback on numbers, dates and addresses of fellow member's .45 Bisley Hunters.
Oh! By the way, I didn't notice the white sticker someone in the supply chain had put on the box until I got home. Maybe it had something to do with the price. After posting I see that my pictures are narrower than expected. The sticker I referred to lists this gun as a blue .45 Blackhawk 4 5/8!
CottonBayou
