Which .45 LC to buy? Help me spend $$

^^Thanks for that info Jim, I didn't realize that. That does change a few things for me. Details like this I don't know I appreciate being explained to me. If Winchester never made a .45 LC in America I'll be in for a LONG search! :)

In that case, being never made, I'd have to be happy with a Japanese manufacture. Going to call a LGS tomorrow and see about a local price on the blonde maple version. Maybe I'll get lucky.
 
Done some digging and found what you mentioned. Please explain revolver cartidges in a 30-30 action not working well a bit more. Was this a problem child chambering the .45 LC in the 94?

Peculiaraties of the 94AE??
 
The only one I shot may have been an oddball, but it was tricky to load.
I load my 92 as Aquila Blanca said with the added item of not pushing each round all the way through the loading gate. A Winchester will accept a round about 3/4 of the way for you to push it the rest of the way in with the next cartridge. This reduces effort and keeps you from pinching or cutting your thumb on the gate.

On that AE, which was a .44, not a .45, if you got a round all the way in and let the gate close behind it, that was your last round; it would not let you start another in through the gate. Would the next one behave the same way? I don't know, but you should before you buy.
 
A good friend recently bought one of those Miroku Mod '92's in .45 Colt. I believe it has the 24" barrel, round. That rifle is top notch in all regards. Those would certainly be worth a look.
 
Take a good look at modern .45 Colt cases, compared to the pre-1900 ones.

Modern case rims are more ...robust than original ones. Nobody made .45 Colt lever guns back in the 1880s, 90s, etc, because it was believed the thin case rim (fully adequate in an SA revolver) would give problems in a lever gun.

Today's brass seems up to the task, but the original case design wasn't.

As to issues with the .45 Colt and the Win 94, you can see some of the same thing in the Win 94 and Marlin 336 in .44 Mag.

Essentially, taking an action designed to feed a 2.550" round (.30-30) and fitting it to work with a 1.600" round (.45 Colt, 1.610" .44 Mag) can work, if everything is done right. But there is nearly an inch of "empty" action so there's lots of room for things to be a tiny bit off.

This is the big reason why you see most 1.6"-ish rounds built using the shorter Win 93 or Marlin 1894 action.

I'm not saying there aren't any good .45 Colt Win 94s only that there is a potential there that isn't found in the shorter actions.
 
IMHO: You would be hard pressed to beat a New Model Ruger Blackhawk or a Ruger Vaquero in 45LC. And I have several of them and I have never had the slightest problem with any of them. That I use for just about everything. As far Lever Action Rifles go, I shoot a Rossi, Marlin, Winchester, and an Old 1873 Model 30 inch barreled Navy Arms all in 45 LC. And for the life of me I can't tell you which one of those rifle is my favorite. I have been shooting and reloading for the 45
LC Cartridge for almost 50 years. And it is without one of my favorites.
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The day has arrived gents. Bicentennial Flat top Blackhawk convertible. .45 LC plus a .45 ACP cylinder. Not pictured is the original owners manual with the "send in postcard" filled out by the original dealer located in VA. It has been shot but very well cared for. Grips on it are blond maple.

I greatly appreciate every ones advice, help, and guidance here. This was one of those things that "I'll know when I see it", but just didn't really know what I was looking for. Having the "200th year of liberty" roll mark gave this some uniqueness and I liked it. I'd still like to have a SAA or some such in my safe, but this one popped up and I like it.


https://flic.kr/p/255RBp2 https://www.flickr.com/photos/90916045@N02/

https://flic.kr/p/255RBhZ https://www.flickr.com/photos/90916045@N02/
 
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That looks like the full size Blackhawk to me. I had one just like it many years back except mine had the 7-12" barrel. But it was also a Liberty Blackhawk convertible. I miss it and want to get another.
 
Very nice.
I've got a couple friends that pooh-pooh the conversion cylinder because they only use .45 Colt (they are avid reloaders) but I like the versatility and if you ever decide to sell it I think it'll get you a better price.

Looking forward to your range report.

Also, as I've mentioned before, I got to shoot a Ruger Blackhawk with Pachmayer grips once and really preferred them although I agree they kind of spoil the traditional look of the gun.
 
If $4k is too much, Freedom Arms is a bargain.

Yes, it’s expensive but quality and accuracy are second to none and you can have it built exactly for you.

It will hold its value, too.
 
Before I bought this there was an 83 Premier .454 Cassul on gunsamerica $1700, money order only, zero feedback. A bargain, if you could look past the 'too good to be true' and the fact the seller would not respond to any messages. I really wanted that one to work out.
 
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I got one of these last year. This sucker just shouts the old west in .45 LC. This is from an Italian company called EMF. The model is the Alchimista III from their Great Western series.
 

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