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Any thoughts on which choice of caliber is better for a Colt Single Action Army type handgun, .45 Long Colt or .357 Mag.?
I'm hoping to find out your thoughts on the catridges as opposed to specific guns. (Clearly the debate about traditional Colt vrs. Ruger vrs. Taurus Gaucho, etc. are well know. Just not sure which caliber I think is the better all around choice and why.)
Well, what do you want to do with it, and do you handload? I have SAAs, 2nd gen, in both .357 and .45LC - I will comment that the .45 cylinder is *very* thin at the notch where the latch locks up on it, while the .357 has a lot of meat all round. The .357/.38 has a lot more options on factory loads and you will find them cheaper, I think. The .45 does have bullet mass and diameter going for it, and you can get some pretty good factory loads, but the most common "traditional" 250-grain Minnie-ball looking bullet is not that good for hunting or self-defense.
If you are trolling the gun shows for a good SAA, I'd say buy either one depending on condition and what kind of deal you can get on it.
Neither caliber really comes into it's own till you start handloading IMHO.
You could split the difference and get a .44 Special.
You didn't ask but you need to figure out which barrel length - 4 3/4, 5 1/2, or 7 1/2 you want too. The shorter, the handier, the longer, generally the easier to shoot accurately, and, typically, more velocity for the same powder charge (but if you hunt around you will find some shorter guns that due to tolerances and particularly cylinder gap will give higher velocity than the longer barrel..)
The modern clones give you more gun for your money of course, but the Colts are (mostly) worth more. But everybody already knows that.
I'm a purist as to the old SAA, and I'm a .45 Colt fan from way back. I handload and that's the kicker. For the SAA and clones you have to keep your loads pretty tame, (if you consider 900 fps and 500 ft#'s of energy 'tame') . I love the old Colt. It just has ...style.
if you buy a RUGER VAQUERO you can make some pretty strong loads, the Vaquero can easily handle hotter than normal loads, it looks like a Single Action Army externally but it's more robust and built heavier.
Well, I'll throw my 2 cents in here. Your caliber choice should be made based on what you plan to use it for. NV says he's a purist and loves the SAA and .45 Colt. This is fine, and is probably as close as you'll come to the original. Others like the easier (until recently, at least) availability of .38 Special and .357 Magnum ammunition. A popular place to purchase ammo is Walmart, which, in my area, at least, does not carry .45 Colt ammo. This alone could be enough for someone to make the decision. After all that, I will let you know what I chose and why. I chose the .357 Magnum caliber in a pair of stainless 5 1/2" Ruger Vaqueros. The primary reason was that I would be using these guns for Cowboy Action Shooting, along with a couple of lever action rifles. I already had a rifle in that caliber (and bought a second one), so it made sense (to me, at least) to stick with it in the revolvers. Another reason was that for the targets I would be shooting, I didn't need the stopping power of the .45 Colt, or the extra expense of shooting it. To sum it all up, my reason for making the choice I did was purely economic. The benefit, besides lower cost to equip my guncart, was that I am a decent shot with the .38 Specials that I use. I don't know, but I doubt that I'd be able to shoot a .45 Colt as well.
Well, sounds like .357 is going to be the more flexible caliber. Especially in Ruger. No doubt a Blackhawk is the way to go if you want the strongest most reliable gun. That's been true since they came out.
I'd say the one exception to that rule might be the New Vaquero, which was scaled back down to Colt dimensions and can't handle "Ruger Only" pressures. But at least it still has coil springs.
My personal favorite is the old 3 screw Super Blackhawks, the earliest ones with cylinders drilled to accept the rim of the cartridge. But now they're collector's items. 2nd best choice, SS Super Blackhawk with 7.5 inch barrel.
But they are hovering around what, $800 new these days.
Was thinking Taurus Gaucho or Cimmaron SAA of some sort and trying to split the hair between .357 and .45.
The traditionalist in me screams ".45... it starts out big and doesn't have to expand much." Which is fine for it's original purpose... killing men at relatively short distances. OTOH the .38/.357 can be handloaded over a range that would cover everything from small game to deer.
The envisioned role for the gun is as a pack gun. Easy to carry, reliable, only used for survival purposes. Of course with that description, somes SS double action .357 is probably the real tool. Preferably something with adjustable sights and all coil springs.
But, having grown up with a Super Blackhawk, have to admit a certain attraction to the SAA form factor. Not being a gunfighter type, nor envisioning shooting Cowboy matches, the quick draw angle isn't of interest. Basically was just thinking along the lines of "reasonable cost pack gun with flexibility."
Of course if concealment or easy packing weren't an issue I'd just say, "Double barrel shotgun" and be done with it, LOL!
Well, if it matters to you, at least in some states you can hunt deer with a .357 with a 6" or longer barrel. I don't think the .45 LC as normally loaded qualifies, although, neither one is an *excellent* deer caliber, just that the .357 is legal.
If you are going with a Ruger, not sure why you are leaving the .41 and .44 Mag off the table - if you kick around gun shows a little the .41 has always been somewhat less popular, but if you handload it's a very versatile round.
Or, just to muddy the waters a little more, how about a Freedom Arms .454 Casull? With the 5-shot cylinder they are more compact than you would think, you can always shoot regular .45 LC factory or hand loads.
I like single actions and while they are inefficient for any task that takes more than the 5 or 6 rounds you have in the cylinder when the fun starts, compared to a DA with a swing-out cylinder, for many purposes they work very well. And if you just like the way they feel in the hand, the way the plow-handle grip moves a little under heavy recoil, why not pack one?
To muddy the waters more. Ruger has released the 44 special in a 357 frame. So you get a lighter gun than the 44mag frame and a great round.
These days I prefer lighter loads as I broke my thumb 10 years ago and the mags are hurting me. I like the pistol/carbine combos. I have my 94 in 44 mag and a Ruger as well.
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