Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Cowboy Action Shooting Looking to get into Cowboy Action Shooting

I guess they worked, never shot one. Back in '68 I worked for an old boy who owned an auto parts store and kept a lever shotgun in the office - in case of trouble, I guess.

doesn't get better than the colt SAA. its a collectible

Saw a New in Wooden Presentation Box Colt SAA today. Made in 1967, never fired in .357 mag. $2200.00. It was presented to a man who kept it locked up in his safe since then. He passed away and his kids were selling it. Too bad his name was engraved on the back strap. Hate to spend that kind of money on a gun with someone elses name on it.

Oh my! Aren't these stand-outs?

I am currently living only 20 miles of country roads from Founders Ranch in Edgewood, NM, where so many of the CAS competitions are held, so I am getting interested. Also, my gunsmith is deeply into it and is a judge at the contests, so I will check with him.

I have a lead on a pair of well-used Colt SAAs in .44 Special that are tempting me. I used to have a 3rd Gen in .45 LC that I always loved, especially the fit, but cashed in when I moved to Japan, so I am very sold on the brand.

I also have another .44 Spl Smith and dies so the pair would be an easy choice for me in terms of reloading. They are definitely more costly than Ubertis and other clones, even with their condition, but then they retain value, too.

Any thoughts, pro or con?

I'd guess recoil. The .357s are so popular, I'm told, because most shoot .38 Special CAS ammo in them which is far more light. Those who know more can correct me.

Colts cost more than Italian clones or Rugers, but they're worth the money in durability and investment value,IMHO.

I shoot a pair of First Gen SAA's with BP cartridges (45 Colt) and I wouldn't go back to the others. Rugers are big and heavy, Uberti's are OK but the guts can be soft and may need work after a while. Colts just plain work and they're a joy to shoot.

I mostly shoot cap-and-ball pistols whenever I can: I have a pair of Pietta .36 cal Navy's, a pair of Uberti .44 cal 1860 Army Colts, and a pair of Uberti 1858 Remingtons. I far prefer shooting the 1860 Army's to the others. I'm considering buying a pair of real Colt 1860's, though, for the same reasons as above. If the times between strings at a match are close, I will shoot cartridge guns. It takes quite a bit of time to reload C&B guns.

In my book, shooting SASS with anything other than black powder guns & cartridges would be no fun. Unlike the hi-speed "gamers", who typically shoot big Rugers with mouse-fart 38 Special loads with no more recoil and blast than an air pistol, I shoot full-power loads in my pistols and long arms, just like the Earp Bros., Doolin-Dalton gang, Pat Garrett, and the Kid did. The blast, fire, and smoke, are a hoot for me, the other BP competitors, and the spectators too. I shoot my BP pistolas with one gun in each fist, Gunfighter style, when permitted by local club rules; where not permitted, I shoot my pistols in series, 5 shots right-handed then 5 shots left-handed. Just like the old boys did it.

I use the same BP or BP substitute load in 45 Colt in both my pistols and my rifles, 35 gr of American Pioneer or 33 gr of Goex FFFg with a 250 gr bullet. American Pioneer is nice for faster loading, as it will meter through a powder measure without risking an explosion.

I use a Uberti 1873 replica for my main rifle, but have a Rossi 1892 for a backup. My primary shotgun is a Hopkins & Allen mule ear coach gun with 20-inch barrels. I load my shotshells with 1-1/8 oz. of birdshot over 65 gr of FFg Goex, and I sometimes mix some red chalkline chalk dust in with the shot so as to paint pretty pictures of red smoke to go with the yard-long flames that shoot outta my muzzles.

Most Darksiders (BP shooters) don't even try to compete with the mouse-fart-Speedy-Gonzalez crowd. We shoot loud and slow, but we aim to shoot a "clean" stage each time we come up to the firing line. Since we can't shoot fast, we strive for accuracy.

Of course, you may prefer to shoot mouse-fart 38 Special loads and ultra-light shotshell loads, and that's just fine. Not all men are called to shoot the Holy Black.

Way to go. The first match I watched, the outfits were far more spectacular, oh those Soiled Doves, than the shooting. As you say, like pellet guns. Gamers get very, very good at whatever the game is but seem to get very boring doing it. To stand and bark in a swirl of smoke and sulfur, disappeared from view and still spitting lead, now that's a show.