Advocate a caliber for my OT

[Deadeye Douglas]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about picking up an OT in a few months and I'd appreciate any advice or suggestions as to what caliber I should look at.

At the moment I'm mainly considering .44 special vs .38 special, however, if you think I should take something like .45 colt instead, let me know.

So, what should I choose based on price, availability, ease of reloading and bang (I like something with a bit of punch). As far as I can tell, .38s has .44s beat for availability and price but .44s isn't too hard to find + I imagine it packs more bang. Both are ~750fps but .44s is larger and heavier.

Another consideration would be which will wear out the gun more quickly.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have.

[Deadeye Don]

The price will be the same no matter what caliber you choose.  I have an open top in 38sp/38 colt,  but if I had to do it over again I would probably get 44 colt which is the same caliber as my RM and Transitional models.

http://www.taylorsfirearms.com/products/cfOpenTop.tpl

[Fox Creek Kid]

.44 Colt.

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[Deadeye Dick]

I'm real partial to 44 Colt. You might want to consider what you're shooting in your rifle. Rifle's didn't come in 44 Colt. Shooting the same thing in your revolver as in your rifle has some benefit. Don't have to worry about mixing up rounds and only having to load one cartridge for both rifle and revolver.
Deadeye Dick

[Pappy Hayes]

I suggest the 44Colt. That is what I shoot in my RM and Open Top and I got my Type II last month in the same. I shoot 44-40 in my 66.  I do not find it that difficult keeping them seperated.

[Sod Buster]

.44 Colt

[Coffinmaker]

I'm a particular fan of the Open Top.  For the first Open Top, I'd suggest .44 Special.  Chambered for the special, you can shoot .44 Russian, .44 Colt and .44 Russian interchangeably.  If you desire, on down the road, you can opt for cylinders and barrels in the different Open Top calibers, ie: .45 Schofield and .38 Special.  I don't really recommend the .45 Colt for the Open Top.  Chamber walls are too thin.
You can change caliber on the Open Top for about $200 a caliber, per gun, with a little fitting.  Very versatile.

Coffinmaker

[litl rooster]

.44 Colt

I suggest the 44Colt. That is what I shoot in my RM and Open Top and I got my Type II last month in the same. I shoot 44-40 in my 66.  I do not find it that difficult keeping them seperated.

.44 Colt.

ditto

[Long Johns Wolf]

.44 Colt. Regarding the very valid (period correct) logistic issue of a rifle in the same caliber your mAy strive to obtain an Uberti Henry or 66 (or 73) in .44 Special. They which will usually work with the .44 Colt cartridge or require only minor fitting of the carrier.
That's what I did. Just my 2 cents.
Long Johns Wolf

[Deadeye Douglas]

Well, it seems pretty unanimous so far. It looks like I'll try a .44 colt. I've heard this can also chamber .44 russian and/or .44 special, is this correct?

[Lefty County]

Dog pile!

.44 Colt as well.   I load with 200 gr lead.  You can also run it in .44 Special 1866 rifles with little or no modification.  One of mine worked out of the box.  The other needed the extractor cut on the barrel deepened so it would get a better grip on the rims.

Reloading is easy on a Dillon 650XL.  Uses the .45 ACP shell plate, and buttons.  I use the .45 colt guide for the case drop.  You can use .44 Russian/Special dies (.44 Colt is between them in length).

County

[panhead pete]

Howdy all,

I agree the 44 is a correct caliber and will render bigger bangs.   However, I handled a friends 51 Navy conversions and they fit my hands perfectly!  Since I shoot double duelist, they are a good match for me. They have the bead front sight, octagonal barrel and are beautiful guns.  They are only available in .38 Colt/.38 Special.  If you are comfortable with the Army frame, 44 is the best choice. 

Best Regards,

Panhead Pete

 

[Tuolumne Lawman]

Earlier Uberti Open tops and RMs were limited to 44 Colt and Russian.  Recent production will also take .44 Special.

[Lefty County]

The .44's are also avilable in the navy grips!

Between the calibers, barrel lengths, OT vs 1860 RM vs 1851 RM, this is one of the most diverse range of pistols for finding one that will fit your hand and style.

County

[Abilene]

As for myself, I went with '51 conversions (.38) because I dig the octagonal barrel and the longer sight radius.  If I was to get an OT I'd go with the 44 since I have a 44 Spcl yellowboy.  44 Special, cause like Coffinmaker sez you can shoot the Russian, Colt, or Speciial in it.  Cimarron still carries them in both 44 Colt and 44 Spcl; if the model you want is only in stock in 44 Colt you can ask them to ream the cylinder to 44 Spcl before it ships.

The OT in 4 3/4" and 5 1/2" barrel lengths is only made with Navy grip.  In 7 1/2" barrel it is made with both Navy or Army grips.

[Dusty Morningwood]

My OTs are marked .44 SPL, but will chamber .44 Colt and .44 Russian equally well.  The originals were chambered in .44 RF (I know the dimensions were different), so that is why I matched the pistols with my 66 and Henry, also in .44 Spl.

[Pony Racer]

I Have 1851's converted to 38 spl with R&D kits and barrel liners

I have a pair of 5.5 44 Spl 1872 OT's in 44 spl (you can shoot 44 spl, 44 colt, or 44 russian).  I will be shooting 44 russian mostly.

The 1851 Convresions are very ell suited for my USRCS outfit and shoot great.  However the OT's shoot nice as well and actually due to a little less weight buck just that right amount for good target acquisition and the sights are just a mite better than the 51's who still sport the original brass front sight.

I do not have a rifle yet in big bore caliber and may not since I like my two 38spl 1873's (carbine and 24" rifle) but if I did - I would probably get a Spencer or Henry to go with the OT's.

They sure are sweet.

PR

[Grapeshot]

Well, it seems pretty unanimous so far. It looks like I'll try a .44 colt. I've heard this can also chamber .44 russian and/or .44 special, is this correct?

If the pistol is chambered in .44 Spl, it will chamber and shoot safely .44 Colt, .44 Russian and .44 Spl.

[Long Tall Texan]

No, the .44 Special will not chamber in the .44 Colt chambers.  If you want .44 Special (and if they are available - they were not when I got mine) then order the .44 Special.  You can then use .44 Russian, Colt, and Special.  However, the .44 Colt hods plenty of BP to bang a knockdown with no trouble.  I shoot 180 grain bullets in mine because the front sight is a little short for even 200 grain bullets; they tend to shoot high.  The .44 Colt needs a shellhoder for .45 ACP to work well and keep from pulling the cases out of the shellholder.  The Russian is the same as the Special (and the Magnum) rim. 

Another little detail - my .44 Colt open top has tight chambers and bore, and I have to use bullets that are .427 or .428 to keep pressures reasonable.

[Flint]

A 44 Colt will chamber the 44 Russian (in an Uberti made Opentop), but not the 44 Special.  A 44 Special will chamber all three.  (A 44 Magnum will chamber all four).  The 44 Colt is about 1/16 shorter than the 44 Special, the 44 Russian is 3/16 shorter than the Special.

I bought my OT's in 44 Special and 44 Colt, but never tooled up to reload 44 Colt, so I use 44 Russian in both.