A Question of Balance...Single Action in .357 vs. .45 Colt.

J

Joe_Pike

New member
Sometime back I decided I wanted a SA revolver and landed on a Cimarron in .45 Colt. I didn't have it long before I decided to sell a bunch of guns because the job I had became unstable (I was eventually laid off) and it was one of the many guns that was sacrificed.

I still want a SA, and will have to sell another gun to get one, but I think I want one in .357 because I have a Marlin lever gun in .357. Recently I was able to put a New Vaquero in .45 Colt and one in .357 in my hand and was surprised at how much better the .45 Colt balanced (they were both 5.5 in barrels).

My question is how much does it affect shootability of the .357? I'm guessing you just get used to it over time and it ends up not making a lot of difference. Am I correct or would a shorter barrel be the way to go?
 
You need a 357 pistol to go with that rifle. Keep looking. I recently sold one of mine, a 6" s/w 486 with nickel finish. balance is great. and the trigger was so smooth it made my heart go ummmmmmm.
 
The .357 is muzzle heavy because it has the same diameter barrel as the .45 Colt but has a smaller bore. You will get used to it and not notice it but the .45 will always feel better.
 
I have an Uberti El Patron in .357 with a 3 3/4 inch barrel and it is the perfect packing pistol size for me.
 
I think the term "good balance" originated in the movie "The Outlaw" and I vaguely remember someone examining someone else's sixshooter and remarking that it had "good balance." Of course, in that movie Jane Russell was somewhat distracting. Later a similar comparison is made in "Red River."

Balance is overrated. The attribute you want is the ability of the gun to "hang" on target as you grip it and bring it to eye level to align the sights. Sure, it can be too muzzle heavy, or too heavy in the grip. But balance is realy a bunch of ballyhoo.

The difference you felt is weight, a .357 Magnum and .45 Colt of the same frame and barrel length will find the .357 heavier, since less metal is removed.

Bob Wright
 
I shoot .38/.357 New Vaqueros with 4.6 inch barrels in cowboy action. Before I bought my own revolvers I borrowed a pair of 5.5 inch guns from another cowboy shooter. I think the shorter barrel has a better feel. When I handle similar revolvers chambered in .44 or .45 caliber, they seem to have a little different balance.

It's obviously subjective and you could shoot either barrel length equally well.
 
I realize you are referring to single action only revolvers, but my comparison is between 4" barrel double action S&Ws. One is a Model 686-1 in .357 magnum and the other is a Model 25-13 Mountain Gun in .45 Colt.

They can be fired from the single action mode. Please remember the Mountain Gun is a slightly different animal from the typical Model 25. The Mountain Gun handles better to me than the 686; although I do like the 686.
The N size Mountain Gun is actually slightly lighter than the L size 686. It does change though when you load them since the heavier .45 Colt ammo make the Mountain Gun heavier than the 686 but just slightly heavier.

In my view the .45 Colt is a better all the way around load. It is also more enjoyable to shoot. This is not intended to speak negatively about the Model 686 or the .357 Magnum.
 
Sorry, Bob, but I heard the term "balance" in reference to guns, especially handguns, before Howard Hughes got into designing bras.

As to SAA type revolvers, IMHO calibers less than .38-40 make the gun just too darned heavy for ease of handling. Balance has more to do with barrel length than caliber, but the more steel there is in the cylinder and barrel (for a given length), the heavier the gun is. Of course that will depend on the user's size and experience with a given gun, but my personal preference is for a .45 or .44 caliber. I once fired an SAA converted to .22 and later handled an original .22, and they were very heavy; Bill Ruger was smart to scale down the Single Six.

Jim
 
I have a Ruger Montado in 357, the barrel is just shy of 4" and it balances and feels great in the hand. Check one out if you can.
 
I agree with James K- weight plays a big part in the perception of balance. I have a Remington 1875 Uberti and it's NOK the 1890 Police. The '75 has a 7.5" bbl and that web thing beneath the bbl. What I feel is a 'snout heavy' pistol. Don't get me wrong- it's a joy to shoot because of it's historicals... if I was to get into CAS I wouldn't even show up with that pistol. I'm very grateful it isn't a .357.
 
Howdy

'Proper balance' of a revolver is all in the eye of the beholder. One man's 'just right' will feel uncomfortable to another. I have never heard 'proper balance', or 'well balanced' actually defined. Just what do you mean? Does it nestle down in your hand? Some actually prefer a revolver to be a bit muzzle heavy. It is all in how you define it and what you like.

I have a 45 Caliber Colt with a 7 1/2" barrel and another with a 4 3/4" barrel. I have 45 Caliber Rugers with 7 1/2", 5 1/2", and 4 3/4" barrels. I have a couple of 357/38Sp New vaqueros with 4 5/8" barrels.

It is a given that all other things being the same, a smaller caliber revolver will be heavier than a larger caliber revolver, simply because the holes are smaller. What feels 'right' is completely up to you. And yes, you will eventually become used to something new.

Of all my single action revolvers, the one at the bottom of this photo, 45 Colt, 4 3/4" barrel, is my favorite. It feels just right to me. But that is highly subjective.

colts_05.jpg
 
As others have commented, the "right" balance is subjective. What's not subjective is that a .357 barrel has a smaller hole through it than a .45 barrel, so for the same length the .357 barrel will be heavier.

In .45 Colt, I have fired one SAA clone with a 7-1/2" barrel and another with a 5-1/2" barrel. I much prefer the balance of the 5-1/2". I have also fired a replica 185 Remington with the 8" barrel, and one of Cabela's historically inaccurate 1858 short-barrel models with the 5-1/2" barrel. Again, I much prefer the 5-1/2" barrel for the way it balances in my hand.

Since I like the balance of a 5-1/2" barrel in .45 Colt, I expect that I might prefer a 4-5/8" barrel in .357.
 
10-96: What, pray tell, is an "NOK?"
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I beleive in this case it's "next of kin"

Since I like the balance of a 5-1/2" barrel in .45 Colt, I expect that I might prefer a 4-5/8" barrel in .357.
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I wouldn't bet against that.
Shooting a "gunfighter" length big bore to me is like driving a sports car it's nimble and quick handeling in tight quarters.
Adding a little weight to the nose by shrinking the bore or going to the artillery length, makes them more like the American Muscle car they still work pretty good in tight places but require a bit more finess.
wWhen you get to the cavalry length now your talking smoothness in the when the road opens up and there's more open spaces.
Just one length and caliber leaves you either cramped up on a road trip or frustrated trying to weave a land yacht through bumper to bumper traffic
 
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Hawg explains it very well . . . .

I have a Ruger NV - 5 1/2" barrel in 357. I have also handled the NV in 5 1/2" 45 Colt so am well aware of what you are thinking . . . .

I love my NV in 357 and I would also agree, that a SA in that caliber is the perfect thing to go with your long gun.

The only thing that I never liked about the NV is the #$%%^@ grips that it comes with. The cast in checkering was very pointed and sharp - after a couple of hundred rounds (I only shoot 38 spl - I cast my own and reload) my hands felt like I had rubbed them with 80 grit sandpaper. I took steel wool to the grips and rubbed the points down - it was an improvement. My hands are smaller and I like the way the pistol felt and balanced for me - but I switched out the stock grips and put on a pair of Eagle "gunfighter" (wood) grips. They are a little thinner and I find them very comfortable. On of the things I noticed after doing it is that I can come back on target much quicker and fire the next round - for me they work.

You will get used to the feel/balance of the NV in 357 after shooting it for a while and it will begin to feel "natural" in your hands. It's a great SA and I wouldn't part with mine for love nor money.

Good luck and have fun! :)
 
'Proper balance' of a revolver is all in the eye of the beholder. One man's 'just right' will feel uncomfortable to another. I have never heard 'proper balance', or 'well balanced' actually defined.
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+1. Have to agree.

Since I like the balance of a 5-1/2" barrel in .45 Colt, I expect that I might prefer a 4-5/8" barrel in .357.
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True in my case. My medium frame Ruger 50th Anniv .357 4 5/8" feels good in the hand. Just a reminder this gun has a steel grip frame and ejector rod housing too. My 6 1/2" .357 BH feels muzzle heavy in comparison. 5 1/2" is my favorite length and all my Ruger .45 Colt revolvers in this length feel just right in 'my' hands. However, My .45 Colt medium frame Flattop 5 1/2" revolvers (and New Vaqueros) feel even better. I suspect probably because of the steel grip frame. My 7 1/2" .45 Colt Bisley feels muzzle heavy. But again this is in the eye of this beholder :) . Just like grip panels ....
 
James K:
Sorry, Bob, but I heard the term "balance" in reference to guns, especially handguns, before Howard Hughes got into designing bras.
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Aha! You predate me by a few years! Think I was only six or so when I saw that movie, and my experience with the Single Action was yet a few years away!

That bra, as I understand it, was the basis for the Pennyrich line.

One of the first gunshops I remember was a husband/wife affair. They dealt in watches, jewelry, guns and ammuntion, and ladies' foundations, especially the Pennyrich line.

Bob Wright
 
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