Cartridges for Cowboy Action Shooting??

M

MaineColt

New member
I am in the "research mode" for buying a revolver to hunt deer with here in Maine. I was leaning hard towards 44 mag in a SA, but I am also interested in Cowboy action shoots.

Can 44 mag be used in those?

If not, 45 Long Colt is legal for the CAS right?

Is 45 long Colt enough gun for deer hunting? (I know nothing about this cartridge.)

Thanks, Kev
 
You might want to check hunting regs for your state or whatever other state(s) you plan to hunt in to see what calibers are okay for handgun hunting. Might help narrow your choices.

.44 Mag is okay for cowboy shooting, but not at anything even remotely close to full throttle loads. SASS rules list a maximum muzzle velocity of 1,000 FPS out of the revolvers, so they'll have to clock under that.

.45 Colt is more than okay for CAS. If someone tried to ban the caliber from the sport, they'ed likely be tarred, feathered and rode outa town on a rail! If they were lucky. ;) It's okay for hunting, too, although the best results there are from strong revolvers and hotter-than-standard loads (think Ruger Blackhawk, Old Vaquero here).
 
This may help, from a magazine article "All rifles and pistols must be chambered in calibers that are commonly referred to as revolver or pistol calibers and must be from .32 to .45 caliber and encompass such authentic calibers as .32-20, .38 Long Colt, .38-40, .44-40, .44 Colt, .45 Schofield, and .45 Colt, as well as more modern calibers such as the .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .44 Special, and .44 Magnum. However, there are limitations as to the type of bullets that can be used and the velocities at which they can be fired. Revolver ammunition cannot exceed 1,000 fps, while rifle ammunition must have a velocity less than 1,400 fps."
••• I'd bet that a Ruger Vaquero ( not the new vaquero ) would be a great hunter in .45lc if you hand load. You should be able to exceed the power of the .44 magnum with .45lc and it's a heavier bullet anyway. The Ruger is plenty strong to handle most anything. I wouldn't shoot magnum loads in any other SAA clone though.
A full case of BP in .45lc has plenty of power for hunting too.
 
If you get a revolver with adjustable sights you'll be limited to modern or B western classes. Two revolvers are required for CAS.
 
Welcome to another Mainer. Open a Moxie and make yourself at home! :)

I'd opt for the 45 Colt chambering. It'll allow you a wider choice for CAS and still be more than adeqaute for hunting up here. My primary hunting revovler is a Bisley in 45 Colt.
 
CraigC,

Hey man, that's a great article, just read it through twice. Some very good information in that reading.

This article convinced me that I will definitely be getting a Black hawk for the revolver.;)

Thanks, Kev
 
Can you load that 45 LC anywhere close to 44 mag results?
Click to expand...

Sure can, so long as it's for a Ruger, Freedom Arms or T/C. Manuals will have a seperate loadings listings for 45 Colt loads with presures higher than SAAMI specs specifically for these three firearms. You can nearly reach .454 casul specs but it's really not neccessary for all practical purposes.
 
44 mag

You could always shoot 44 specials in your magnum. I do it all the time. I have a Va. Dragoon single action and a Rossi 92. If I am not hunting I shoot 44 specials.
 
I Shoot 44-40 In Vaquero It Shoot Blackpowder Great Or Load 6.0 Unique For 750 Fps Or Shoot 44-40 Rifle Loads Are Around 1950 Fps In A Vaquero 1600 Fps With 200 Gr Bullet .. Cases Are 1/2 The Work Of A Straight Wall And I Have Reloaded Them At Lease 50 Time Without One Case Failure In 10 Years.. Sold My 44 Mag's 8 Year Ago And My 45's Lc Last Year
 
cowboy action shooting reguires a little more lively handling revolver than the hunting style revolvers. the reasoning behind the ruger single action revolvers in the recent past was to have a sturdy six gun to handle hunting loads and just as important adjustable sights. original colts were being blown up with experimental heavy loads.
....now with cowboy shooting light wieght colt copies are back in the limelight again.
.... i attempted to start action shooting with my heavy adjustable sighted ruger and got my azz handed to me. so as a single action fan, i have heavy guns for hunting and light wieght copies for action shooting...bobn
 
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