Mostly Long Guns

Tyler Gun Works offers a variety of gunsmith services, custom work, custom handgun stocks, engraving and retail sales. Most recently, owner Bobby Tyler has teamed up with Ronnie Wells of RW Grip Frames to offer a very unique, limited edition, custom Ruger New Model single action known as the Brasshawk. Production is limited to 250 units, and as these words are written, the very first guns are just beginning to ship. 

Ruger single-action revolvers have a very colorful place in history that dates back to 1953 when Mr. Ruger (as he was known by his associates) introduced the first .22 Single-Six, and in 1955 the 357 Magnum Blackhawk was offered. Sales soared, and by late 1956 the Blackhawk 44 Magnum with a larger cylinder and frame was in production. In 1973, Ruger updated the design to become the New Model Blackhawk that featured a transfer bar system to allow the gun to be safely carried while fully loaded with six cartridges, rather than the traditional five rounds with the hammer down on the empty chamber that was characteristic of the original Blackhawk revolvers for safety reasons. New Model Blackhawks are widely known for their unusual strength, durability, safety and ultra-reliability. 

The Tyler/Wells Brasshawk is based on the large New Model Blackhawk 44 frame; however, all 250 units will be chambered in 45 Colt and come standard with an extra cylinder chambered in 45 ACP. This sixgun is much more than just a pretty package; rather, it features a McGowen barrel with a smoothly cut 11-degree forcing cone, which is a proven combination to obtain great accuracy. All guns come standard with a 5-inch, tapered octagon barrel that has a modestly raised serrated rib with an integral front sight base. The barrel cylinder gap is maintained at .003 inch, which minimizes gas loss and powder spitting, and generally increases velocity. The custom steel ejector housing is more or less flush with the muzzle, resulting in a truly handsome sixgun. The longer housing also accommodates a longer ejector rod that kicks empty cases out of the chamber further than a standard length rod. The Brasshawk also features a Keith No. 5-style base pin, as offered by Belt Mountain. The empty weight is 2 pounds, 12 ounces (44 ounces). 

Incidentally, the front sight is a semi-Patridge style, with front serrations for a desirable non-reflecting surface, but it is also interchangeable for additional sight options. The rear sight is a Ronnie Wells 2 Dogs Rear Sight #1 that offers a clean sight picture and is fully adjustable.  

Many custom guns require the customer to provide the base gun for conversion; however, the Tyler/Wells Brasshawk is a complete gun and does not require the owner to provide the base gun.  

Ronnie Wells’s credentials are extensive, but suffice to say that he is an advanced engineer with a background in explosives and mechanical engineering, etc. He is one of the most knowledgeable sixgunners that I have ever known, and I have known the best of the best. With Ronnie’s passion for big-bore sixguns, combined with a high level of science, his products boast design and high-quality features that few can match. His products are engineered to meet the needs of discriminating shooters. 

One of the most outstanding features of the Brasshawk is the Wells grip frame that he refers to as the Boty, pronounced bow-tie, and named after Bobby Tyler, who also worked on the development of its design. At a glance it appears to be a standard Wells-manufactured Ruger Bisley brass style, but with a uniquely rounded butt. However, it is much more and needs detailed discussion. 

First, the original Ruger Bisley grip frame was developed and first produced in 1985. While period Ruger engineers claim that it was not a copy of the Keith No. 5 design (which it is not), it was without question influenced by the No. 5. Regardless, it is a remarkable grip frame that handles and disperses heavy recoil from big bore cartridges with ease. I have used it extensively in test guns and in many custom sixguns, including 475 and 500 Linebaugh revolvers, and hold its design in high regard. According to Ronnie Wells, it is angled at 100.25 degrees. 

This brings us to the Ruger Super Blackhawk grip frame that dates back to 1959. It is large and offers substantial “roll” in the hand during recoil. While shooters with smaller hands often report comfort with its design, other shooters are often gouged by the square back trigger guard when it hits the second finger during recoil and ultimately causes injury during extended shooting sessions. According to Ronnie Wells, the Super Blackhawk grip frame is angled at 108 degrees. 

When designing and developing the Boty grip frame, Ronnie Wells used a high-speed camera that takes an incredible 2,400 frames per second to perfectly record what is actually happening during recoil with various grip frames. In spite of being an outstanding grip frame for handling heavy recoil, the Ruger Bisley initially comes back towards the shooter fairly hard, heavily impacting the wrist bones. As expected, the Super Blackhawk rolls significantly in the hand to soften felt recoil, but along with the previously mentioned design features, the wide flare at the bottom makes it less than perfect in terms of control and comfort. 

The Wells Boty grip frame is angled at 104 degrees, but it still shares much of the same design features as the Ruger Bisley. However, it offers a blend of rolling in the hand to soften recoil. Essentially, upon the gun being fired, it immediately allows the muzzle to turn upwards while still dispersing the remainder of the recoil energy over a large area of the palm of the hand, similar to the Bisley. This blended design offers a high level of comfort when shooting heavy loads. There are additional benefits to the changed grip angle that include a more natural positioning of the trigger finger, a more relaxed and natural positioning of the wrist, and a gracefully rounded trigger guard. The trigger guard is positioned to increase the distance between the second finger and the guard to help prevent it from hitting shooters during recoil, even those with large hands and fingers when shooting heavy recoiling loads. 

As indicated, the bottom of the grip frame is gracefully rounded (see photos), while the fancy walnut stocks are custom fit, gracefully rounded, and feature a small amount of flare towards the bottom. Each Boty grip frame is carefully polished and fits perfectly with each cylinder frame for a truly custom look, or a quality look if you prefer. Finally, the grip frame is tastefully hand engraved with a scroll and dotted background. 

For final finish, the frame and Bisley hammer are case colored in house by Tyler Gun Works; however, the methodology used is low temperature when compared to more traditional bone and charcoal methods that heat the frame to over 1,200 degrees. By using this method, the chance of changing the metallurgy of the pre-hardened 4140 Chrome-moly steel, or warping a frame, is substantially reduced. All remaining parts receive what Tyler Gun Works refers to as a “polish in blue” finish. Basically, it is neither a high gloss nor a low polish finish; rather, it is a medium polish that is attractive and practical in the field. This gun is not only unique, but it is also handsome. 

All Brasshawks are tested for accuracy prior to shipping and are sighted in from an offhand shooting position at 25-yards. 

In working with the Brasshawk it became immediately apparent that this custom sixgun is especially comfortable to shoot, as felt recoil was minimal, and with an excellent trigger pull, was easy to shoot well. The sights had to be adjusted slightly, but I was soon hitting the steel rams on the 100-yard range with ease using standard pressure 45 Colt handloads that consisted of my hand-cast 265-grain bullets from RCBS mould 45-250-FN pushed to 860 feet per second (fps) using 7.2 grains of Accurate No. 2 powder, CCI 300 primer and assembled in Starline cases with an overall cartridge length of 1.648 inch. 

Changing to +P style handloads and moving out to much longer distances, the Brasshawk remained comfortable and gave the kind of accuracy expected from a custom sixgun. For example, three handloads were tried that generated up to 32,000 copper units of pressure (CUP) pressure. All loads were assembled in Starline cases that are strong and usually produce less pressure than other brands.

The first load consisted of the 285-grain Keith-style bullet from RCBS mould 45-270-SAA pushed to 1,330 (fps) using 22.0 grains of Alliant 2400 powder and capped with a CCI 300 primer with an overall length of 1.660 inches. This load was accurate and is a great general-purpose 45 Colt load that is suitable for most big-game hunting. Testing conditions made it impossible to shoot groups on paper, but experience suggested that it was grouping around 1 inch at 25 yards. 

The next load consisted of 330-grain cast bullets from Lyman mould 452651 with a Hornady crimp-on gas check, pushed with 24.5 grains of Hodgdon H-110 powder, and capped with a CCI 350 Large Pistol Magnum primer for 1,354 fps, with an overall length of 1.662 inches. Once again, accuracy was outstanding. 

Moving on to a heavyweight bullet, the 360-grain Oregon Trail TrueShot WNFP-GC bullet was loaded in conjunction with 24.0 grains of Alliant Power Pro 300-MP powder with an overall length of 1.670 inches, which yielded just over 1,300 fps. At extreme long range, this bullet did not fare as well as the above Lyman bullet, but at distances of 200 yards or less, it was equally as accurate and capable of taking any big-game animal that an iron-sighted sixgun will be used on. 

Considering the cost of a fully custom-built sixgun and that it can have a waiting period of several years, the Tyler/Wells Brasshawk is a bargain at $3,799 and is available immediately. As indicated, production is limited to 250 guns and is expected to sell out fast. Regardless, it is handsome, accurate and a most worthy sixgun with intriguing design features and quality. For more information, contact Tyler Gun Works at TylerGunWorks.com or call (806) 344-8395.