Lever gun caliber choices.

L

lcpiper

New member
Guys I have been looking at lever gun calibers and I have even been thinking of suppressing a lever gun and I just haven't decided on what caliber to go with. To complicate things I think I want a wheel gun or two in the same caliber so I can double up with the same ammo.

Therefore we have lever gun, wheel gun, and a suppressor all using a single caliber.

Now there are some lever guns that take more then one caliber like .357MAG and 38SPL. So these might offer flexibility where needed.

Anyways I already have a nice Blackhawk in .357MAG, but 45Colt sounds promising and might be the best choice. Any thoughts on this?
 
Well, I'll lay out the order in which I am leaning and why.

1st .45Colt because there are loads right off the bat that are naturally subsonic and there are some hotter loads for more performance when not suppressed. I would still need a couple of revolvers in 45Colt to match it up, but there are plenty of nice DA and SA revolvers in .45Colt to choose from.

2nd .357MAG, not sure about subsonic loads in this caliber and it would loose much of it's punch dropping it to subsonic but I am not sure that it's actual performance at subsonic velocity would be that much less then .45Colt. I already have the Blackhawk in .357MAG so this one would move to number 1 depending on what I find out about .357 loads and suppressing the .357MAG.

3rd .44MAG, much the same as the .44MAG in that it is intended as a high velocity round and subsonic loads would greatly change it's performance. I don't have any .44MAG handguns, might be a good excuse to get one. But .44MAG is a little potent on the recoil side in many handguns, I remember it being just a bit uncomfortable shooting a Model 629 4" and I was much younger then. Today I don't have near the arm strength I had back then.

So at the moment I lean toward the .45LC as fitting all performance requirements and .357MAG for economical reasons, and .44MAG seems to take back seat to both. It is certainly possible that I haven't considered everything or placed more importance on something then it deserves.
 
I only own a lever action in rifle caliber, but if I was leaning toward a pistol caliber, I would have to say the 45 LC is the direction I would go.

But the 357 Mag will generally take 38 Spls as well and would work suppressed and is a less expensive plinking round.

Just a thought.
Jim
 
Get one of each, .44Mag/Special, 357/38, and .45Colt.
Then you'll have little trouble in finding suitable ammo.
And also satisfy the first rule of gun owning -
You can't ever have too many guns.
 
@lcpiper: I agree with what jim243 said. However, given your current line-up of a .357 blackhawk, a mdl 19, and a mdl 27, a .357 rifle would make more sense. But your heart seems to be set on a .45 colt, and so do what will give you the most enjoyment. The .45 colt is a great cartridge and there are no wrong choices here.

Some thoughts are:
1. I haven't seen a new double action revolver in .45 colt on the dealer's shelves for a long time. I think your choices are limited to a ruger redhawk 4 inch barrel, or a S&W model 25. I don't think the S&W can take .45 colt hot loads.

2.I have seen a few blackhawk convertibles in .45 colt and .45 ACP lately. Since you already have a 1911, that might be a nice option.

3. .38 special and .44 special cartridges don't always feed reliably in the respective magnum chambered rifles. That's usually particular to the rifle and bullet style.

4. Fiocchi and black hills make subsonic ammunition (158 grain lead @ 800 ft/sec) for the .357. It just may not be that easy to find.

5. Of course you can handload any of these cartridges to any velocity you want (within safe parameters). If you choose a .45 colt, the economics will make handloading an attractive option pretty quickly.

EDIT: I just saw gwillikers' post. It's the best so far. As my dad always said, "If you know how many guns you have, then you don't have enough."
 
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Thanx guys, I have seen some of the newer lever guns listed as handling .357MAG and .38SPL and after looking I see it is certainly subsonic, but I don't think a 38SPL is going to be nearly as useful hunting as 45Colt is.

I am leaning very hard towards a Rossi Ranch Hand in .45Colt which is a pistol, and I saw something about some work you can do to really smooth up the action on the Rossis. Then do the SBR thing which means paper work and some cash, but the actual modification of adding a rifle stock to the pistol should be cheap and so easy, much cheaper then buying a rifle and cutting it down would be. Lastly is adding the suppressor, more paperwork and money.

I would expect that I could get buy for under $1,200 total. I might have to add some sort of sights to get up and over the suppressor and that could cost more.
Still, overall it could work out quite well.
 
I think that if you go 45C then reloading is a must but if you reload then any of the calibers could be loaded to subsonic levels so....
 
44mag lever guns are very, useful, snakes to big hogs at close range, this would be my choice and I don't even own a 44magnum.
 
I like the options a .357 allows and have been looking for a lever action for myself. What I consider to be good ones, for the money, are much harder to find than any of the other calibers you have mentioned.
 
my vote would be for the 45-70. Even at subsonic speeds a 540 grain bullet still takes a deer with ease and I would not hesite to use it on elk or moose (with in the proper range, there is a lot of drop) With a suppressor my 45-70 sounds like an unsuppressed 22lr shooting subsonics.

I also have a wheel gun in 45-70. It is an IMI BFR.
 
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I'd go for the .44mag/special, personally. A 340 grain .429 bullet packs some punch, even at subsonic speeds. Don't quote me on this, but I think a 340 grain .429cal bullet @ 1080fps would be suitable for game up to buffalo, with good shot placement. A non expanding bullet that heavy, should have more than adequate penetration to take reasonable sized game. Again, if you put the bullet in the right spot. A .45 would only have an advantage if you use heavier bullets with a higher sectional density at an equal speed.
 
45 colt was my choice, because, I hand load for it and already had a Ruger New Vaquero and a Ruger SBH Hunter chambered in it both in stainless. When I went looking for a lever action, I picked up a Rossi R92 20" round barrel in SS as well.

Nothing like pushing 325gr bullets fast out of a 20" barrel, or my New Vaquero softer loads pushing 250gr bullets which feel like a .22lr darn near!

IMAG0174_zps79d00975.jpg

2011-12-05105142.jpg

IMAG0607_zps0eec4351.jpg
 
Suppressors on wheelguns only work in the movies.

In real life, the barrel/cylinder gap produces a good deal of noise.

This is why you only see revolvers with a silencer in old movies, and in old detective stories.
 
Suppressors on wheelguns only work in the movies.
Click to expand...
They'll work on gas seal revolvers. I had assumed the OP was talking about suppressing his lever gun, not a revolver, as it's pretty common knowledge that the cylinder gap causes gases to escape and render a suppressor much less effective.

From the original post
and I have even been thinking of suppressing a lever gun
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I don't see any mention of attempting to suppress a wheelgun
 
suppressing a lever

Can't help it guys, forgive me.

The Duke says a suppressed '92 is gonna take a big scabbard and a tall horse.
 
.45 Colt is the best choice

You are already limiting yourself to subsonic velocities. To take full advantage of ballistics you will want to deliver the heaviest bullets at that speed.
It's easy to find 350+ grain cast bullets for the .45
The .44 special/mag will be a little less at 320-330 grains.
The .357 will hinder you with 200-220 grains.
 
What about a .454 casull? Can also shoot 45 LC... I think rossi or puma made a .454 lever, and there are some judges that shoot the .454/.45lc/.410 rounds.
 
Can't help it guys, forgive me.

The Duke says a suppressed '92 is gonna take a big scabbard and a tall horse.
Click to expand...

That's funny. It seems what I am wanting to do has been done here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXc0rm6dzVs

This one is in 357MAG/38SPL.

Yes I want to suppress the rifle, not the wheel gun.

One of those revolver type rifles would likely have the same problem a revolver usually has with suppressors.

And as Colt46 is saying, the .45LC is already typically at subsonic velocities and I can buy ammo for it right off the shelf. I have never reloaded and don't shoot enough to make it worth while. I am thinking I'll find a pretty Ruger in .45LC and begin my rifle build from a Rossi Ranch Hand in .45LC just like this one in the video above.

This way I might be able to get by with average sized horses :D
 
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