birds head handle vs regular

redman.com1

March 19, 2012 17:43

wondering what is the signifigance of the birdshead handle and the pro's and cons's. of such? other words, quick draw style is great, why the birdhead? thanks

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  v35

  March 19, 2012 22:19

  To me its subjective depending on size, weight and style of handgun.
  These are some personal conclusions. As some others say "Your mileage may vary."
  A Colt Lightning is an example of the right grip. The birdshead grip on the larger,heavier SAA is slower to get on target than the plough handle style.
  Some modern S&Ws also work out very well with a similarly rounded backstrap. The revolver doesn't ride up in recoil as it does with conventional grip.
  In experimenting with grip shape on a Charter 44 and all available grips, I ground a set of Charters' (not Pachmyr) rubber grips in the backstrap area, ending up with the birdshead style. The shape afforded a more secure grasp and handled Keiths' heavy loads best.
  The common tiny suicide specials of the 1870-1900 period fit the hand well with their curved backstraps nesting in the palm. On the other hand,the Remington Derringer seems too heavy, clumsy & easy to drop while giving up some grip to cock against a heavy hammer spring. The lighter HiStandard 22Mag d.a. a lighter but similar sized pistol works out better.
  Baby Hammerless double action 22s stay in place in the palm well.
  These impressions would seem to conclude, smaller and lighter pistols and revolvers with birdshead grips can be single or double action while larger repeating handguns are handier having double action capability.

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  machine gun moran

  March 20, 2012 08:56

  quote:Originally posted by v35
  ...while larger repeating handguns are handier having double action capability.
  
  
  I found that to be about gospel. When I was young I bought one of the 4-inch barreled Webley birdsheads in .476. No ammunition was available, but I had the gun opened up to accept .45 Colt rims, and loaded it with modified .45 Colt using a Keith bullet and a modest charge of Unique. It was the most phenomenal double-action gun I have ever owned. Some friends and I used to do the usual off-the-wall type of shooting, and once, the challenge was to shoot at a hand-tossed one-gallon paint bucket, and to not allow the bucket to come to a stop while shooting, 'Hollywood' style. I hit mine all six times while moving, the 4th shot propelling it into the air and the fifth hitting it in flight, knocking it down again and off to the right. I'll never do that again in a million years, but that gun was designed for defensive DA shooting right from square one, by somebody.

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