Product Spotlight: Tyler Gun Works “Working” Custom Revolver

A high-quality custom firearm isn’t just for the rich folks, nor should it just sit in a display case. Steve and Caleb once again welcome special guest Bobby Tyler, proprietor of Tyler Custom Gun Works in Friona, Texas, who tells us about his new “working” custom single action revolver. The most important nexus between the shooter and a revolver is the grip. One of Bobby’s favorite grip frame patterns is the Elmer Keith No. 5, which he has put on a lot of custom revolvers. But Keith No. 5 isn’t perfect, and Bobby wanted to improve it. He conferred with master grip maker Ronnie Wells of RW Grip Frames. Ronnie produces a huge variety of grip shapes, many of them in brass or lightweight aluminum.

Ronnie did some tweaking on the Keith No. 5 to create a grip that’s a little longer, with a rounded triggerguard, rounded edges on the butt, and a thinner backstrap that sits at a slightly different angle. Turns out this new grip is very, very comfortable for a lot of shooters. Now that he had the new grip design…..

Bobby and his crew started working on a new 4″ barreled Ruger® Vaquero® with weight-reducing cuts in the recoil shield and loading gate area, a dovetail front sight by Andy Larsson of Skinner Sights, and of course the new Ronnie Wells grip frame. The result is a lightweight single-action revolver similar to a handful of beautifully crafted guns made by Hamilton Bowen in the 1990s. But the Bowen guns are scarce as hen’s teeth today. The new Bow-Ty Express (Bowen-Tyler!) is meant to be a robust, reliable WORKING gun, one to be shot, used, and carried on a daily basis.

Some more features of the Bow-Ty Express: all sharp edges rounded off, Bisley hammer and trigger, Belt Mountain base pin, and black Micarta grips. Of course, it will have the full Tyler Gun Works action and accuracy packages, so it operates smooth as glass and racks up targets with neat, tight groups. Plus, each Bow-Ty Express will come with a custom-fitted holster. The production run will be around 60 to 90 guns. The new guns will probably hit the TGW website at about the same time, so keep an eye on their site and social media.

Want to learn more about the original “Keith No. 5” grip? Check out our earlier video, “Round Table Talk: Elmer Keith’s No. 5 Colt SAA Revolver”