Antihero said:So....is there any cool Black Friday deals out there? I haven't seen much yet
That link above for PSA by Rodan is pretty good. I've got all the 1911 I need but I'm thinking a Turkish 1911 for $300 is a price I can't turn down. I could convince myself I need two more for the kids...
The only 1911 I still would like is a commander.
My local FFL has a very nice S&W 1911 in all stainless. Problem is it is $1,500. The fit and finish is excellent. The action is extremely smooth and light and the trigger is on par for a pistol like this. I am probably going to pass for now. Maybe after the holidays if it is still around.
In reply to dean1484 :
That seems pricey, but I don't follow S&W 1911s all that closely. Brand new Colt Gold Cup Trophy in stainless is in that price range...
Verdict is in. I'm just not an AR15 guy. So it's on the block.
Now, what do I replace it with?
I like cowboy guns. I know levers are the hotness right now and are thusly expensive. But that's a small complaint. More important is the question of caliber.
The sexiest option is 45 colt. Bonus, I can load with bp. And if I keep it relatively cold, I can get a lot of miles out of the brass. Other bonus (shared with 357) is the eventuality of a future side piece in the same chamber.
The more practical option is .357 mag.
cheaper boxes. And superior by every measurable point. Still sexy, just a bit less. Bonus, I have a bunch of 38 I'm sitting on already.
The big option is 45-70. A little more up front for the stick, and a LOT more for the first few boxes, but loading bp drops the cost of repeats by a lot. There is something special about this level of overkill. And the shoulder abuse means I won't be plinking my bank account t away too fast.
Both 45s have the possibility of home casting projectiles, too.
The goal is just plinking and laughing. Maybe small game.
OPEN IRONS! This isn't negotiable.
thoughts?
In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :
I know a guy who is getting ready to divest all his 44 Mag stuff. I'm sure he has a lever gun but don't know make/model. Depending on what your intended use is, I'd take 44 Mag over 45 Colt. I had a 16" 1892 Rossi in 357 that I still kick myself for selling...
Lever guns...
First - don't expect great accuracy out of a pistol caliber lever gun. Think 2-4 MOA best case. .45 Colt has terrible ballistics... think rainbow trajectory. 25-50yd zero means serious holdover for 100 yard targets. .357 is better, and very capable with hot .357 loads, but you'll have a huge variance of POI with varying loads. Loads optimized for carbines won't work that well in handguns (and really hot stuff may be dangerous/damaging in revolvers).
All that said, lever guns are fun. My .357 Rossi 92 with .38s and a suppressor is a hoot. I also have an R92 16" in .45 Colt... I'm having trouble getting that one to shoot well, but it's only been to the range twice. I also have a mid-1970s Marlin 1894C that doesn't get shot as much, but it's a great shooter with hot .357. .45-70 is a little more abuse than I want at this point in life.
Lever guns are fun to shoot, but slow to load, and they'll chuck your brass into the next county. I prefer receiver/peep sights like Williams or Skinner, and I really like the handgun red dot on my .357 R92, though it's not very traditional. It is compact. The original barrel mounted 'buckhorn' sights suck. 92 Winchesters and clones are sleek and quick handling, and light. 1873s are heavy, and 94s have a clunky lever through. The new Henrys are nice, but just don't look right to me. Aftermarket for Rossi 92s is pretty good.
In reply to stroker :
Yeah almost everyone I talk to says something along the lines of "why choose .45 when .44 exists?"
Its a valid question. I don't have a reasonable answer aside from sexiness. And as I said, .357 makes even more sense. And it's on the table still. Mostly because those rounds are readily available for $.40 or so.
Rodan, the punishment of 45-70 is part of the appeal. It's an event. It's the thing you can take out with one box of 20, and three buddies, and everyone gets their fill. Honestly, if I had the cash/space right at this moment, I wouldn't even hesitate. But I do have time to think, so I'm trying to get input.
If I had to have one lever gun in a revolver caliber it would be 357. For self defence, you can't beat a 125gr and with heavy stuff it'll hit near 30-30 level out of the longer barrel plus it'll hold 10 rounds with a full length tube and a 20" barrel.
I plan on picking up a 454 lever one day soon, I have a Blackhawk in 45colt that I load heavy and I did get a box of 454 in the New Years box so I need a gun that shoots it.
the good thing I found on BF (besides a 3 day hospital stay from norovirus) was 200-rd packs of white box .45acp for $80 each at my local Rural King.
In reply to bobzilla :
I just discovered that a whole bunch of Speer .45ACP ball I bought back in Covid times has small pistol primers... WTF!??
Ohhh I will play. I love shooting my Henry Goldenboy. (note to self to take it out before the end of the year) It is in 357. So much fun to lob 38 special at a target at 100Y. With the sun at your back you can see the bullet arking into the target. Everyone should have one of these. A great rifle. You bring one of these to the range and you will get a lot of people asking questions.
I had a beautiful Winchester 94 in 30-30 for a while. Sold it for a little profit to fund another project. I'd love a Winchester 1873 in .357, rifle length (not carbine) but even the repros are silly money.
I enjoy shooting my Winchester 94 in 45 Colt that I bought from a family member years ago. As noted earlier, not fast, not powerful but easy shooting and feels right. I bought an older SA stainless Ruger Vaquero last year in 45 Colt from a friend. Nice having one caliber for a range trip.
I think I've ruled out 45 colt.
a 357 Henry or Rossi would be awesome and allow for future snubby things. I don't REALLY want to get into loading them, but I'm sitting on some 158gr HPs I don't know what to do with....
45-70 would be more involved, what with casting and having to roll up more BP. But what a thump.
There's a Davidson's exclusive R92 that you can still find that was pretty cool. Stainless with laminate stock, Skinner sight on a rail and threaded for suppressor. 16" barrel in either .357 or .44 mag. I probably would have bought it over my 'Triple Black' .357, but it came out about a month after I bought mine.
https://www.familyfirearms.com/product/brz-rossi-r92-357-16ss-rnd-de
In reply to Rodan :
The R92 is the likely candidate if I land on 357. Though I'll probably try to find a 20" unit. Velocity being fun to brag about if nothing else.
Rodan said:There's a Davidson's exclusive R92 that you can still find that was pretty cool. Stainless with laminate stock, Skinner sight on a rail and threaded for suppressor. 16" barrel in either .357 or .44 mag. I probably would have bought it over my 'Triple Black' .357, but it came out about a month after I bought mine.
https://www.familyfirearms.com/product/brz-rossi-r92-357-16ss-rnd-de
This is literally the next gun I'm buying!
I have a thing for .22 TCM. It's such a neat cartridge; I love the combination of extremely high velocity out of a pistol cartridge combined with low recoil. Lately I've been wondering about the dark horse of 5.7x28 and had mentioned the same to a buddy of mine.
So of course last Saturday this guy sent me a text telling me that the LGS had Tisas 5.7s on sale for $250, so now I own one of those too. I didn't spring for the optics cut (I can do the cut myself if I want) or anything else, but for the price I couldn't pass it up. Now I need to pick up some ammo, I guess.
brandonsmash said:Now I need to pick up some ammo, I guess.
The cost of 57 has been keeping me out of that caliber. Has the price come down? It has been getting more popular.
It is why I love taking one of my 10/22 rifles out every now and then as I can spend an entire afternoon shooting and it is less than $10 in amo.
In reply to dean1484 :
I'm a big fan of my 10/22. It's nice to plink and not spend a ton.
Looks like 5.7 right now is about 50cpr after shipping - weirdly, cheaper than 7.62x39.
Rodan said:In reply to bobzilla :
I just discovered that a whole bunch of Speer .45ACP ball I bought back in Covid times has small pistol primers... WTF!??
This has been going on for quite a while. Apparently no significant difference from a ballistics standpoint.
https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/small-vs-large-pistol-primers-45-acp/99626#replay
On the topic of lever guns--among the stuff my uncle left me is reloading dies and a little brass and a box or two of reloaded .38-55 Win.
I've looked around for a gun that will shoot this round, and I've found they're not plentiful and a bit out of my price range.
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
Not at all worried about any ballistics differences, but it's definitely added work to my reloading regime to segregate the brass. Potentially dangerous if a small primer case gets into the mix and seating a large primer is attempted...
I just hadn't seen it before with loaded ammo (I don't buy a ton of .45 loaded). I'm assuming it was a decision based on primer availability/scarcity.
Also, 38-55: Nice cartridge, especially with black powder. Smokeless loads are generally reduced from the original specs to keep pressures in check for the older guns. I had an 1893 Marlin made in the 1920s in .38-55 about 30 years ago, and they weren't cheap, even then. Hard to find one with a good bore. Mine wasn't good, though the rest of the rifle was nice, and I didn't have the time/money/inclination to have it rebarreled or relined so I sold it. Honestly, it's a very niche caliber to be shooting these days, and unless you're really into the period stuff, not worth the trouble.
Just throw it away and standardize on large primers. I run into this regularly with 10mm. I'd rather have the press set up for a single primer and not have to worry; it's not worth the hassle to separate SPP from LPP brass.
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