The Ruger Bisley grip frame is famed for it's ability to handle major recoil well. Since SASS/CAS shooting doesn't involve big power, that advantage is basically meaningless. Some people with VERY big hands like them for SASS/CAS shooting...other than that, not very popular.
I lurk on the SASS Wire forum looking mainly at their technical discussions. They tend to disparage the Italian stuff in comparison to Ruger, including some of the best Italian stuff out there such as the Berettas.
Now. If you're buying two, I have to strongly recommend a sweet factory setup, the "SASS special" NewVaqs:
http://www.longhunt.com/ruger/ruger-sass-vaquero.htm
They've tweaked the sights a bit to maximize 'em for the rulebook, and they've installed the Montado hammers, which are the same as a SuperBlackhawk hammer except a different thumb-pad checkering pattern. My 2005-era NewVaq357 was quickly swapped to the SBH hammer - and here's why:
In both these shots the hammer hasn't yet started moving. Note how I'm able to throw my thumb completely over the top despite using my usual "pinkie under" hold. (You can also see that my gun is NOT legal in SASS, it's my street CCW piece. See also:
http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,30439.0.html)
I've compared the "thumb reach" extensively between my gun, real late-19th century Colt SAAs, post-WW2 Colt SAAs and the USFA Rodeo (another good gun if you don't want Ruger's transfer-bar safety). The pre-war Colts have hammer reaches identical to my gun now. The post-war Colts had longer reach hammers similar to the stock hammer on my NewVaq that I replaced long ago in disgust. The USFA surprised me - it matched the pre-war Colts.
Since most people shooting SASS are using the "long hammers" borrowed from the post-war Colts, it's led to a shift in shooting practice. Shooting two-handed, they usually do off-hand cocking. I don't think off-hand-cocking is a good idea - it's not period correct and if you're stuck on it too deep, it hoses you for one-handed shooting. And since it puts the off-hand thumb across the back of the gun (on top of the strong hand thumb web) it can't cope with big power, only the "mouse phart" loads found in SASS.
Anyways. Point is, the SASS special NewVaqs or the short-barrel version (Montado) or a hammer-swapped NewVaq like mine won't look exactly like a pre-war Colt but it does handle like one, close enough anyhow
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Oh yeah. About "Longhunter" as linked above: he's a combination gunsmith and gun dealer. He sells at a small premium, but he's a hell of a good deal considering the extras you get. Getting the same or similar gunsmithing done later would mean adding shipping costs and wait back and forth. He has a very good reputation. Browse around his site - look at what he does to USFAs that start out with the traditional flat springs. He also weeds out any "factory birth defect cases", sending them back to Ruger or whoever before anybody else sees 'em - which can be useful with Rugers once in a while. Esp. in this last year of land-rush gun sales and rushed production.
