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What caliber to use for cowboy action shooting?

redice
Has to be interchangable for both lever rifle and revolver.

I had been thinking .45LC and still am however factory ammo is around 30 cents a round. And there isnt that many bulk manufacturers for it actualy only saw one of course I do plan to start reloading soon.

Is .45LC a good accurate caliber? For a revolver how much should I expect it to kick? I have shot .45 auto and .357 mag for compairison.

Thanks for replies im trying to figure out what my xmass present to myself is going to be and im leaning toward a SA revolver in the classic cowboy style, and maybe a saddle ring carbine to go with it :)
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Comments

11 comments

Date Votes
  • Wehrmacht_45
    Well I know there are a few lever actions that shoot .38 Special, and they make .38 special cowboy loads from what I see. It would be a good caliber and if you have a 357 revolver you can usually shoot 38 through it as well. I would browse through one of the gun buyers guides for 2005 and see exactly what is made in what calibers. ZI know alot of guys go for the 44-40 in their SAA pistols and a couple lever actions are made in that as well. I would be willing to guess that your cheapest ammo would be the 38 special though.
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  • redice
    quote:Originally posted by Wehrmacht_45
    Well I know there are a few lever actions that shoot .38 Special, and they make .38 special cowboy loads from what I see. It would be a good caliber and if you have a 357 revolver you can usually shoot 38 through it as well. I would browse through one of the gun buyers guides for 2005 and see exactly what is made in what calibers. ZI know alot of guys go for the 44-40 in their SAA pistols and a couple lever actions are made in that as well. I would be willing to guess that your cheapest ammo would be the 38 special though.


    That was my thought as well, however theres not a lot of rifles made in .357 mag so I figured the ones that would take both .357 and .38 or just 38 for that matter would be quite small.
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  • dg101win
    I think most of the lever actions chambered in 357 might not feed 38's. Since the 38 is a shorter round.

    Retired Air Force Msgt--NRA Life Member since 1971
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  • mauser_central
    i'd go with a .357 lever and a cimarron .357 model p . black hills makes .357 cowboy loads.

    "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe
    ~ Jesus Christ [Luke 11:21.6]

    Mauser Central

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  • perry shooter
    Hello go with 2 second gen saa in 38 special and a marlin 38/357 lever gun It will feed 38 special fine. and if you want to go classic go with 2 first gen saa and a colt lighting in 32/20 however most lightning rifle bores are 314 so to get them to shoot at longer ranges you might need to hand load
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  • gskyhawk
    Ruger has completely redesigned their Vaquero line of cowboy 6 shooters , you should take a hard look at them , I believe alot of people use the 38sp , less recoil , makes for quicker fololow up shots , ,
    Marlin , Rossi and Winchester all make lever guns in 357/38 so you should be able to find some thing you like
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  • Xracer
    There are a lot of combinations of lever rifles/revolvers that will fire the same round, but if you want to be historically correct to the cowboy era, the only combination should be .44-40.
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  • rsnyder55
    I chose 44 spl, only because I am already setup for reloading the caliber and thousands of cases and bullets. I use Vaquero's and a Marlin lever action I got from Big 5 when they were on sale. The 357/38 is also available on sale at the same time.

    You don't need to have the same caliber rifle and pistol. I am thinking about gradually changing over to 44-40 or 45 Colt. You just have to make sure you don't mix the ammo up when loading.

    Check out sassnet.com, there are alot on knowledgable shooter there and each with their own opinion about caliber and loads.

    I understand some shooters to avoid recoil are using the 32 H&R.
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  • Throckmorton
    If you're out to win ribbons and braggin' rights,.38 or .357 is the route to go.If ya want to make steel qiver,load up some 255 grain .45's with Unique and let 'er buck!!
    It seems to be hit or miss as to whether a particular .357 rifle will handle .38's.If the one you pick won't,just load up some mild .357's and blaze away.Life is MUCH simpler when ya narrow it down to lone laod for rifle and hand guns. Ubertis' yellowboy comes in .38 only as I recall.
    .38's are cheaper to reload,and readily availble from custom relaoding shops,as are .357's.ALL ammo must be lead bullets.You'll save a ton by reloading your own.Not so much savings on shotshells,btw.
    I shoot 165 grain bullets in my .45's and they are ice creamcats.Recoil is contollable when you reload as the bullet/powder combos are almost enless.

    Throckmortons' the alias,cas is the game.
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  • 44caliberkid
    If recoil is a concern, you don't want 45 Colt in a handgun. Most CAS repro arms come in 38/357, which, with 45 colt are the two most popular CAS calibers. However, if you think you might ever want to shoot black powder in your cartridges (the most fun) get a 44-40 or 38-40. Gunbroker has lots of rifles and pistolas in both calibers, plus , it makes you special. You can get Hartford SAA'a in 44-40, 44 special, 38-40, 32-20, and Uberti or Winchester 92 & 73 replicas in all the same calibers. Plus, you can get 2 pistols and a rifle, for what one , genuine Colt SSA wouls cost you.
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  • fishermanben
    I'd go .45 colt. The cowboy action rounds kick way less than a .357. The hunting rounds have more power than a .44mag(if your gun can tolerate the pressure).

    Ben

    "The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."
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