Now let's talk caliber

[daddyeaux]

    Ok, I'm in the market for a six shooter....I have had a Ruger Single Six before. Looking for a modern replica of the old guns....any suggestions on Maker and caliber??

[Shotgun Franklin]

Go to a gun shop and handle some guns, go to a gun show and handle some more guns, go to a SASS local club shoot and ask to see some guns, if you take some ammo you'll likely get to shoot some guns. Now you'll have a foundation for making a decision. I like Colt replicas; I like Taylor & Co, Cimarron and Navy Arms replicas in that order.

[St. George]

Rather than asking this in a leather forum - give the 'Shooter's Meeting' or 'Gun Reviews' forums a try.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Massive]

When you ask this question you should add a little about what service you have in mind.  There is no good advice without some use in mind.

[Bugscuffle]

If you handload,it doesn'y really make a hill of beans difference what caliber you pick. You can load them up hot or mild for any situation. Got knockdowns? load 'em hot. Got plain steel? load em mild to keep the recoil and muzzle flip down. Oh yeah, you'llsave a ton of money too.

[Jefro]

   Ok, I'm in the market for a six shooter....I have had a Ruger Single Six before. Looking for a modern replica of the old guns....any suggestions on Maker and caliber??

Howdy daddyeaux, you're gonna have to give us a little more info. What ya gonna use it for?? SASS, NCOWS, CFDA, target shooting Rugers are built like a tank and hard to beat. The Uberti, Pietta, USFAs are like a Colt, I prefer the Colt style. The most popular is 38/357 with 5-1/2" barrel. The .38 cost less to reload and has less recoil. If you plan on shooting both SASS and CFDA then yer gonna need the  .45 with 4-1/2" barrel. The .45 can still be loaded with reduced recoil and some cost savings by using the Cowboy .45 Special brass. We shoot both so we have a pair of both, however Heather using the same .45 for both.
   Before you go to a gun shop, or a gun show, or spend one thin dime for any CAS gear........STOP!!....and start going to as many local matches as you can find. Most of us are more than willing to let you try out our gear, go to some matches, introduce yerself, handle the different firearms, try before you buy. The number one mistake new shooters make is buying a bunch of guns and leather...etc.. without ever having gone to a match, try before you buy. Call the MDs, most of the time they can set it for you to shoot the match or a few stages, bring a belt big enough to hang two holsters on. Good Luck
Cowboy .45 Special Brass


Jefro Relax-Enjoy

[Springfield Slim]

Now if you want to shoot Blackpowder you might want to consider 44-40, especially if you want a rifle to match your revolvers. I prefer Uberti guns myself, especially the 72 Opentops.  Taylor's, Cimarron, Navy arms are all importers, they don't MAKE anything.

[El Jefe]

Just one man's humble opinion but I'd recommend Cimarron's Model P (Evil Roy) in .38/.357 for competition or in .45LC if you just want to shoot a classic 1873 without paying $1600 for a new Colt. I own three Evil Roy's from Cimarron right now. Two in .38/.357 for practice and competition (since ammo is much cheaper and the recoil is much more manageable) and one in .45 LC for pure FUN.

I love taking the .45 LC to the range, loading up five cartridges from Black Hills and shooting single handed duelist style. It's fun to see the look on the younger folks' faces when that .45 bullet smacks that target from 7, 10 or 15 yards, shot by an old man single-handed. It just don't get better than that!

Jeff Lynch
aka: Colonel Benjamin Terry (Texas)