Is there really a significant difference between the bisley grip ans the "standard" SBH grips in terms of recoil management/comfort? I'm going to be getting my first 44 mag with my refund this year and have heard the standard v=can be a knuckle wrapper with heavier loads. Any advice is much appreciated!

the standard plow handle is designed to roll in the hand, reducing "felt" recoil.  the part that is a knuckle biter is the square rear dragoon style trigger guard. FWIW,  the 5.5" super and 4 5/8" have a round trigger guard.

The Bisley grip frame works much better for controlling recoil.  It allows your entire hand to fit on the grip (no pinky wrapping) which really helps with recoil as well as the design causing the recoil to come backwards instead of flipping up towards your face.  The plow handle does a good job for standard cartridges all the way to warm cartridges but when shooting heavy loads the Bisley makes a big difference.  Some folks prefer the plow handle style with strong recoil cartridges/calibers but most use the Bisley.  Check out articles on the subject by John Linebaugh and others. Like everything else, opinions differ.  Best case scenario is to shoot both a plow handle and Bisley in .45 Colt or .44 magnum with heavy loads and see which appeals to you.  I've tried both and I prefer the Bisley by a large margin.

And, yes, the worst knuckle busting come from the dragoon style trigger guards.

I have a bit of experience when it comes to single action grip shape and types.

I have been shooting big bore single\double action for over 20 years.

I have several custom single actions by Bowen, Linebaugh, Clemons ect,

Metioned above is the square back on the 7 1/2 ad 10 1/2 Super Blackhawk being a nucklebuster. I have never

had this problem. I fact it was designed not to. However it does this very thing to a certian percentage of people.

I know someone who will have a bruise after on cylinder full. John Taffin complains of the same thing

I have several 45/454, ,475 ad 500 five shot conversions. All of them have the Bisley grip frame, trigger and

hammer. I find them more comfortable to shoot. Anything above a heavy (6 shot) 45 Colt are much more

enjoyable. To me it doesnt matter at the 44 mag and lower end 45 Colt if it has the standard Super Blackhawk

grip. I say Super as currently the 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 inch Supers have a standard Blackhawk frame with a round

trigger gaurd. They are slightly shorter in length.

The first thing I did to my first Super Blackhawk was tocut the barrel to 5 1/2 jnches and round the trigger gaurd, It

wasnt to save my knucle. I just thought the square back trigger gaurd was kind of ugly.

All of my non Bisleys have round trigger gaurd Super length grips. Two came that way and the rest where bought

from Brownels. I beleive the where from the Super Blackhawk Hunter. They no longer sell them. I dont know

anyone else that does

I have a birdshead 44 Super with 3 inch barrel that I find comfortable to shoot.  II made it up when I found a grip

frame and grips at a gushow. I actually like it and find it easy to shoot.

About 2003 I found a 454 five shot conversion a standard Blackhawk.  Back then the conversion ran about 900 to

1000 plus the price of the Blackhawk. I think you could find one for 250 to 300 for a used stainless. I paid 375 out

the door including tax. A box of 454 came with it. There where 4 rounds missing, You could see on the cylinder face only four of the five chambers had been fired.

Its a handfull with the short grip and 4 5/8 barrel. I need to put a Super length grip, I would love to have a Bisley but not sure if the hammer and trigger would need to be fitted. It has the free wheeling cylinder that rotates both directions.

To  me the best looking and handling is a 5 1/2 with a front sight band with a Bisley grip,

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I'm trying to find some locally to try out to see which will work best for me.

OK, So this weekend I plan to take the plunge and get a Bisley SBH in 44 mag. My one concern is, I really am enamored of the Lipsey's model they have,,,but it's a 3.75" barrel. It looks perfect for a pack gun in that size.   That may be a bit much for a 1st 44 mag, but it still weighs 43 oz. ... Thoughts?

Personally I like longer barreled guns but that Bisley SBH shouldn't be too much to handle.  It'll be a handful no doubt but pretty much every .44 magnum is to some degree.  If you can handle a .357 magnum without getting all flinchy you should be fine with this one.  I started out my first .44 magnum (a 4" barrel) with standard pressure loads and it was a handful but wasn't nearly as bad as I expected.

If you start out with a longer barrel you will find smaller groups easier.
The short barrel can deliver small groups but most people have a harder time getting consistent sight alignment.
The RCBS 250g Keith is a good mold and bullet design.
Buy them or cast them yourself, they give good results.