Newbie Needs Advise on a Couple of Rifles
Have begun to buy a few guns since retiring. Joined a local indoor range and will be joining an outdoor as well soon.
2 rifles have caught my eye as "fun to shoot" and possibly hunt wild hogs with my son.
1. Taurus thunderbolt- comes in 357 and 45 colt. Love the unique western style. Have found nothing but good on review as far as shooting, feel, mechanical, etc. I have found only one 357 for sale and they are pretty proud of it. However in 45 colt the prices are much more reasonable like over $150 difference. I already have a 357 S&W trooper special which I LOVE to shoot. That said the 357 taurus would seem more practical but the 45 colt is much cheaper and probably has a better kill range.
2. 357 or 45 Colt Lever Action- Have considered the Cimarron , Puma, Rossi, and Marlin. Would be for the same uses as mentioned above.
Which rifle would you guys choose?????
I am a 62 yr old Coot so please take it easy on me![:D]
Was raised in the country with a 22 and shotgun hunting rabbit, and squirrel which we ate if we killed it.
Input appreciated.
Curt
2 rifles have caught my eye as "fun to shoot" and possibly hunt wild hogs with my son.
1. Taurus thunderbolt- comes in 357 and 45 colt. Love the unique western style. Have found nothing but good on review as far as shooting, feel, mechanical, etc. I have found only one 357 for sale and they are pretty proud of it. However in 45 colt the prices are much more reasonable like over $150 difference. I already have a 357 S&W trooper special which I LOVE to shoot. That said the 357 taurus would seem more practical but the 45 colt is much cheaper and probably has a better kill range.
2. 357 or 45 Colt Lever Action- Have considered the Cimarron , Puma, Rossi, and Marlin. Would be for the same uses as mentioned above.
Which rifle would you guys choose?????
I am a 62 yr old Coot so please take it easy on me![:D]
Was raised in the country with a 22 and shotgun hunting rabbit, and squirrel which we ate if we killed it.
Input appreciated.
Curt
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quote:Originally posted by leftyboy
Have begun to buy a few guns since retiring. Joined a local indoor range and will be joining an outdoor as well soon.
2 rifles have caught my eye as "fun to shoot" and possibly hunt wild hogs with my son.
1. Taurus thunderbolt- comes in 357 and 45 colt. Love the unique western style. Have found nothing but good on review as far as shooting, feel, mechanical, etc. I have found only one 357 for sale and they are pretty proud of it. However in 45 colt the prices are much more reasonable like over $150 difference. I already have a 357 S&W trooper special which I LOVE to shoot. That said the 357 taurus would seem more practical but the 45 colt is much cheaper and probably has a better kill range.
2. 357 or 45 Colt Lever Action- Have considered the Cimarron , Puma, Rossi, and Marlin. Would be for the same uses as mentioned above.
Which rifle would you guys choose?????
I am a 62 yr old Coot so please take it easy on me![:D]
Was raised in the country with a 22 and shotgun hunting rabbit, and squirrel which we ate if we killed it.
Input appreciated.
Curt
do you reload? If so it wont make much difference. if you do not reload that .45 colt will cost you a ton more if you actually shoot it and enjoy it. I would say hold out for the .38/.357 if you don't reload, and plan to use it a lot.0 -
I don't at this time. How much of a deal is it to get into reloading?
I have the time that is for sure.
Curt0 -
I"ve seen lots of cowoby shooters' posts on Taurus Tbolts,and my friend has one.
make a good fencepost.They are very finciky ,with lots of moving parts..and very finicky.
I"d go Marlin because all the others are imports and my kmported sixshooters have much softer metal in the innards.I'm psotive the Marlin will outlast the other. imho,ymmv0 -
quote:Originally posted by leftyboy
I don't at this time. How much of a deal is it to get into reloading?
I have the time that is for sure.
Curt
honestly I do not track my cost or investment in it, but I have 3 progressive loaders, and two single stage rcbs. If I had to guess to start from scratch would probably cost you around 600-1k depending on how elaborate you went.0 -
Agree with Mort. From what I have READ, they do not have the bugs out of any of the Lightning pump reproductions. For your use I recommend the plainest Marlin lever action. 0 -
Hands down, the Marlin is the rifle of choice in either caliber. You've got to try mighty hard to wear one out or break it.
A good low volume reloading set up can be had on a budget. An RCBS 5-0-5 or 10-10 scale and Uniflow measure coupled with a Lee hand tool, some good load manuals, a case length gauge and case trimmer can get you started.
Some may knock that set-up, but I got by for many years with just that when I was young and poor.0 -
The 357 mag hitting power in a rifle would be about 1,100 to 1,200 ft. lbs.
The 45 colt would be about the same or slightly less.
But the 45 colt ammo would cost more.0 -
I'd go with the 357.
Having commonality with your pistol is a big advantage, and the ammo is both cheaper than .45 Colt, and generally easier to find.
Figure $30-35 per box for .45 LC ammo (if you can even find any) vs $25-30 a box for .357 (or even $20-25 for .38 spl), and you'll see it won't take long to come up with $150 savings with the .357 gun.
Because of the longer barrel and relatively inefficient cartridge, .357 out of a RIFLE is actually quite a bit more powerful than the same round out of a pistol, and with maximum loads can approach 30/30 levels.
For a hog, you'd want hard-cast heavy (eg 180 grain) bullets, which are somewhat of a specialty load, but that's another story.
In terms of reloading, while it certainly is possible to spend $500-1000 on a sophisticated progressive setup, that sort of setup would probably overwhelm a beginner, and really isn't necessary to make good ammo.
A simple beginner press/reloading kit with a few extra tools to simplify things can be had for $200, and its possible to reload quality ammo for even less than that. The problem with getting into reloading NOW is that primers and powder are in short supply.0 -
You can get started in reloading anywhere from 25(Lee Loader) - 300 RCBS Rock Chucker)USD. 0 -
Sorry if my estimate on reloading was way off, I really do not track what I spend on this stuff. I was just figuring a rcbs, dies, scale, trimmer, polisher/media, priming tool, etc. I guess one really can go "bare bones" after I did some reading. Sorry [B)] 0 -
A friend of mine has a Uberti 1873 sporting rifle in 45colt and it shoots great and handles good.. If i am not mistaken they also offer one chambered in .357/38spcl.. They are imported by stoeger. 0
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