It'll be exclusively for CAS. I have Blackhawks for hunting.
Howdy
Now that we've got that out of the way, despite the name of this forum, this is not the best place to come to ask these questions. Not very many actual Cowboy Action Shooters visit this page.
This is the place to ask these questions, the Single Action Shooting Society forums. Click on the top choice, that is labelled SASS Wire.
http://www.sassnet.com/forums/index.php?showforum=22
The next bit of advice I will give you is do not even consider spending a dime on Cowboy Action Stuff until you have actually attended a match or two. To see how things are done, and to get a chance to handle the firearms, and maybe even shoot some. You don't want to run out and spend your hard earned cash on equipment only to find out it is not really what you needed, or worse yet to find out you have bought stuff that is not legal to use in a CAS match.
Attend a couple of matches. Use the SASS links to find a couple near you. Call up the match director and introduce yourself and express your interest. Show up and express interest. You will find that CAS shooters are only too happy to let you handle their guns and you will likely get a chance to shoot some. Much better than spending money on something you have not actually held in your hands.
What is your budget? You are aware that you need TWO pistols, a shotgun and a rifle to compete in a CAS match, right? On top of that you will need a gun belt and a pair of holsters to carry your pistols in. You cannot show up on the line holding them in your hands.
Do not despair. You do not need to be completely equipped for your first match. That is why you call up the Match Director, to see if he can pair you up with somebody who will loan you what you need until you are completely equipped yourself.
I know I want .45 caliber. I'd also like 5.5" barrel. I do prefer the larger Army grips. That still leaves plain or checkered grips, lowered hammer or regular, short stroke or regular, widened sights or regular, and do I want it tuned or just stock, and if tuned - do I want 2.5# or 3# pull, Wolff or Taylor wire/coil springs......
And only searching Taylors completely leaves out any of the El Patron lineup. That practically doubles the choices.
You are getting way ahead of yourself.
Everybody and their brother wants a 45 for CAS. Until they find out how expensive the ammo is. Are you going to be reloading or buying factory ammo? Buying factory 45 Colt ammo will quickly put you in the poor house, unless you have an unlimited budget. 38 Special is by far the most popular caliber in CAS. Guys who buy 45s, then find out how light most CAS loads are, are forever trying to load the 45 down to light 38 Special power. That big 45 Colt case does not take kindly to mousefart loads and problems happen. That is why 38 Special is the most common round in the game. Consider what cartridge you want your rifle chambered for. Most CAS shooters choose the same cartridge for both rifle and pistols, to keep things simple. A rifle and two revolvers chambered for 357 Magnum will solve the problem. (Do be aware that some rifles are Cartridge Overall Length sensitive, and you may need to customize your 38s to feed properly in your rifle.)
5 1/2" barrel? That's easy. That was the most common barrel length the Colt Single Action Army, and is probably the most common barrel length in CAS.
Army grips? The standard grip for the SAA was the Navy grip. I do not know anybody who shoots pistols with the Army grip on them. The only reason to buy the larger Army grip is to try to cram your entire hand onto the grip. The 'best' (in my not so humble opinion) way to hold a SAA or clone is to curl your pinky under the grip and allow the gun to roll slightly in your hand in recoil. Trying to cram your entire hand onto the grip of a SAA or clone may result in the trigger guard slapping the knuckle of your middle finger in recoil. Trust me on this. Curl your pinky under the grip and you open up about 1/4" of space between the trigger guard and your knuckle, eliminating the 'knuckle whack'.
After attending a couple of matches, and only after attending matches, give some thought to how you intend to play the game. Do you just want to go out and shoot cowboy and have fun, or do you want to compete with the big boys to end up in the winner's circle at End of Trail. Or something in between? This will answer your questions about what kind of options, lowered hammers, short stroked hammers, etc, you will need. You don't need any of that stuff if you are going to just go out and shoot without trying to be the top shooter of the day.
Widened sights? Most Italian replicas of the SAA come with the traditional narrow V groove for the rear sight. This can be a little bit tough to see. Second Generation Colts came with a squared off rear sight that was easier to see. Some of the models you are looking at may feature that.
I like a 2 1/2 pound trigger on all my pistols. You will not much notice the difference with 3 pounds. A coil hand spring is nice because it is less likely to break than the traditional leaf type hand spring. Same with a wire trigger/bolt spring, although I have revolvers that are over 100 years old and still have their old fashioned leaf springs.
With all due respect, I have been playing cowboy for over ten years, and this is the first time I ever heard of an action stop or a bolt block. How necessary can they be?
Check out the SASS Wire. Read up on the rules. Attend a couple of matches before you spend any money.
P.S. Don't sweat the clothes, spend your money on your guns and leather. Jeans and a workshirt are fine. No ball caps and no sneakers.
P.P.S. Consider Ruger Vaqueros. Very popular in CAS.