i'm toying with the idea of getting a western style single action revolver in 45 colt and have some questions i hope someone familiar with them can answer. are all the newer revolvers able to handle higher pressures from more modern loads or are there gonna be makes/models that are restricted to lighter cowboy action loads? also, i was just browsing rugers website and looking at what they offer and the only difference i could see between most of their models (bisley vs sass vs a standard stainless model) was the hammer. what advantages/disadvantages do different hammer styles have? i appreciate any direction and comments y'all have. thanks!
western style single action revolvers
- Thread starter ak-fang
- Start date
Basically with the 45 Colt you have 14,000 20,000 and 32000cup/psi loads. Rather than me trying to retype what has been written 100's or 1000's of times over the years. I'll point you to a good primer article by Brian Pierce. He talks about the loads and guns. But suffice it to say that any full size Ruger Blackhawk and Vaquero are capable of shooting the "Ruger Only" loads that are listed in load data. The mid-frame flat top Blackhawks and the New Vaquero are not! Neither are any of the Colt clones. Freedom Arms, Colt Anaconda and Redhawk double action revolvers can all handle the Ruger only loads. And of course any 454 Casull gun can handle them as well.
https://www.riflemagazine.com/magazine/PDF/HL 246partial.pdf
For the high end Ruger Only loads most guys, including myself, prefer the Bisley. The design of the grip frame handles recoil much better. But, there are some that don't care for it. Most, if not all the high end custom gunsmiths that do big bore conversion like the 475 and 500Linebaugh will only do them on the Ruger Bisley's for that reason.
Here's is the best Single Action site on the web. Come on over sometime: http://singleactions.proboards.com
https://www.riflemagazine.com/magazine/PDF/HL 246partial.pdf
For the high end Ruger Only loads most guys, including myself, prefer the Bisley. The design of the grip frame handles recoil much better. But, there are some that don't care for it. Most, if not all the high end custom gunsmiths that do big bore conversion like the 475 and 500Linebaugh will only do them on the Ruger Bisley's for that reason.
Here's is the best Single Action site on the web. Come on over sometime: http://singleactions.proboards.com
Snyd is an expert on this topic. Just be careful of going out of the brands like Ruger and FA if you are planning to do the hotter loads in general in that style gun. Many of the "Western gun" makers are really aiming (no pun intended) at the cowboy action crowd with severely lower pressure requirements.
The German
Active member
ak-fang; Just curious, the title of your thread: ie....[western style single action revolvers] kind of implies that you might be interested in -[Cowboy Single Action Shooting]-, or -[SASS]-,,,,, and the .45 cal. Single Action Revolver is Very Popular for those type of events, but the Loads are much Reduced, with respect to what snyd has listed above, and also if this is the way you are thinking of going,,,,, then there are a lot more choices in Revolver Manufacture's for this type of shooting, if I'm mistaken here in my assumption, then forget this Post.
TG:topjob:
Oh Yea,,,, and here is my Ruger .44 Bisley. View attachment 97206
you're right in that i am interested in that cowboy action type shooting so my purpose with the gun(s) isn't for hunting or bear/moose protection. snyd's post was super helpful for me in being able to see the differences in frames that can accommodate the hotter loads vs the ones that can't. i haven't look it up yet but my next question would be what pressures standard (non-ruger only) loads create. so that's my next step in learning about this platform. secretly, i wouldn't mind if these smaller framed pistols could only shoot light cowboy action loads but i would like to have the option to be able to load up some bullets that are a little hotter than that; like i said, i need to look into what pressures are created with 'standard' .45 colt reloads.
you mention manufacturers for this type of shooting; which ones would you say are more valued over others? i've had such good luck with rugers that i've started my looking there. also, i've seen different options for finishes (blued vs stainless steel vs nickel-plated steel) and i haven't had much experience with nickel plated firearms so if anybody has any experience or opinions on that i'd appreciate the feedback.
The German
Active member
Ok,,,,, that was a Very-Concise answer, and to that end, if it were me,,,, trying to do what you have said above, there would be only One-[1]- choice, ie.... Start looking for an Old-Style Ruger Bisley-Vaquero, in the .44 or .45 Cal., as the New Style-Vaquero can not handle the Hotter-Loads, that you may want to shoot, at some point down the road, I'll attach a Photo of my Old-Style .44 Bisley-Vaquero below.
Good Luck on your Journey,,,,, and have fun, I'll be watching for your Posts going forward, and keep us up-dated.
TG:topjob:
View attachment 97207 View attachment 97208
Good Luck on your Journey,,,,, and have fun, I'll be watching for your Posts going forward, and keep us up-dated.
TG:topjob:
View attachment 97207 View attachment 97208
The German
Active member
The German
Active member
i definitely love the performance you can get out of a redhawk! my current search is pointing me to something a little more period specific though and less performance driven; however, if i could get similar performance it would be a plus. as i'm learning about these 'colt clones' i'm realizing more of what their limitations are. that's one of the things i enjoy more than purchasing a new gun - i think the researching/learning part of shopping is almost more fun than actually purchasing (and it's cheaper!).
Well, that won't really work. He's looking for a "Western style single action". The Redhawk is far from that. Not a good recommendation for the OP.
A guy over at the rugerforum as one of the Lipseys special run Bisley Blackhawks with Turnbull CCH, nice grips, etc. I don't know anything about the seller but I've heard these are pretty sweet shooters. 1 of 500 special run.
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=275535
http://www.lipseys.com/itemdetail.aspx?itemno=RURBN-455-TURN
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=275535
http://www.lipseys.com/itemdetail.aspx?itemno=RURBN-455-TURN
