Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Cowboy Action Shooting perfered caliber?

That's not a bad thing.

I have reloaded quite a few 44-40 and 32-20 rounds and do find that the thinner cases make it somewhat more challenging.

I do, however, get a fair amount of blowback in my Marlin lever action .45 Colt if I shoot mild loads. My 32-20 Marlin does not have that problem. I don't know if it is the thin cases or the necked down design of the case that cause a better seal in the chamber.

I am going all .45 Colt at the match tomorrow and am taking some slightly heavier loads for my rifle to see if I can reduce the blowback.

A Grunch will crunch a bunch of cases, but a careful reloader can do quite well and just about as fast. So, I guess it's confession time...

We're listening...

DF

Good point from experience. Blowback with light loads is exactly why my .45 Colt Marlin Cowboy is now a dedicated 'diller gun. I loaded 300 gr. jacketed and cast bullets over max loads of 4227 and I can assure you, there is NO blowback. Bad medicine for 'dillers.

I went from that gun to a tricked out Uberti 1873 Carbine in .357. I use .38 Spec brass and Moulton lead, 140 gr. long ogive lead bullets to achieve the .357 COAL. Works great. Check Moulton lead on line.

BTW, those bullets lead the forcing cone on my .38 spec. Colts, so I don't go there with them.

I was trying to have one load that fits all. Didn't work out quite like that. But, that's OK, too.

DF

My standard.45 Colt Cowboy load is 6 grains of Trail Boss behind a 200 grain RNFP bullet. It does give a fair amount of blowback. I tried 8 grains of Unique behind 255 grain SWC bullets this weekend just in my rifle and did not have a problem. Those loads are a little stiff for fast and accurate shooting in my revolvers. Since I was using two different loads I might as well have been using .45 Colt revolvers and my .32-20 rifle.



Are these the type of 'dillers you shoot?

The ones we have aren't as colorful as that one...!

By the time you get the .45 Colt loaded hot enough eliminate blowback, you have a load that's a bit hot for fast CAS action. Certain CAS categories require .40 cal and larger. The 38-40 is actually a .40 cal. and qualifies. Other than for those specific categories, I see no practical use for the .45 Colt in CAS. I'm sure that steps on a lot of toes, but that's the way I see it, having been there and done that.

IMHO.

DF

I started with .45 Colt because that what was locally available in both revolver and rifle. I continue to shoot a lot of .45 Colt because I do some Wild Bunch shooting that requires large rifles. I am getting rigged up for .357 and will probably use it more and more to see if I can get a little faster. I have used .357 revolvers and a 32-20 rifle for several meets. The difference the lower recoil makes is significant when you are looking for speed.

If I had to start over buying a minimum number of firearms for what I shoot I could get by real nicely with a brace of .38 Special revolvers, a .38 Special rifle, a 1897 Winchester, a .45 ACP 1911, and a +.40 caliber rifle. That would take care of CAS and Wild Bunch.

I think most of us in CAS go through guns until we get out "keepers". Mine are a pair of Colts in .38 Spec, a fullhouse race ready Uberti Carbine in .357 in which I load Moulton bullets in .38 Spec. cases and a Browning BSS highly modified for CAS. I have an '87 Coyote Cap full house lever gun and a Coyote cap '97 with full action job. I have a '38 vintage original '97 rigged for CAS. I'm using the double, but have used the other shotguns in the past.

DF

What's practical got to do with it?
This is supposed to be a fun game, what's more fun than making the steel rock and roll?

But then I'm biased (as are all of us) so I'll keep knocking the stuffing out of the targets with my .44-40 loads.
My opinion is that loads are only too hot when you have to go reset non-reactive targets.

Well, Marty. I see your point. But, from a practical standpoint, winning is even more fun, at least for me. So, a caliber choice giving maximum advantage for fast, accurate shooting makes sense.

Those that complain about 38-40 and 44-40 cases must not be careful, experienced reloaders. With my Dillon 550B, I set the powder die/expander so that I have just enough bell at the mouth of the case to allow the bullet to slip right in. If not enough bell, the bullet will grab the rim and the seating die will crush the case. Set up correctly, loading bottle neck cases is just about as fast and easy as loading straight wall cases.

IMHO,

DF

You're right DF, it comes down to what gets you going. Doesn't matter if it's going fast and winning matches or just blowing the stuffing out of everything you hit and coming in last, just as long as you're having fun and staying safe. If it becomes a one horse race and only light loads are allowed or the other way round the sport will suffer, diversity is what keeps so many people all coming together and shooting. The fact that we all have fun and maybe give our fellow shooters a bit of good natured ribbing for their choices, misses and other faux pas attracts others to the sport.
I know I chose this particular game as much for the people and the attitudes as the shooting.

I also agree about the reloading, and I'm not exactly experienced at it, as long as you take time to get it right to begin with you'll have no problems loading .44-40
I was almost put off shooting .44-40 by a few peoples comments about how many cases you ruin etc then an older guy told me the only time you ruin cases is if you're too rough or when you set up your dies for the first time. I think the first time I loaded .44-40 I ruined four cases, since then I load at least 250 a fortnight and don't ruin any.

The only person I compete with is me, I go to have FUN and clean stages mean more than fast ones to me.

maarty and T Lee,

You guys are both right on. It's about fun and CAS people are top notch. To me, they're the most friendly, most helpful group in all the shooting sports. I'm sure there are exceptions, I just never encountered one. They'll let you shoot their guns, burn up their ammo, just to show you how much fun they're having. Not many shooting groups are as generous, IMHO. Could have something to do with CAS being the fastest growing shooting sport.

DF

When I was looking into getting involved in some sort of pistol shooting sport I went to a bunch of shoots for different disciplines, the CAS shoot I went to was the only one where people went out of their way to talk to me,gave me a chance to handle their guns, explained what was going on and how things were done and let me shoot their guns.
That's what sealed the deal for me, the way people made a new guy feel welcome. From what I hear that's a common thing world wide in any CAS group be it NCOWS, SASS, or whatever.

And I hope it stays that way, hell I will even load my cap & ball guns and let newbies try them out and I am always trying to convert folks to the darkside!

I guess I am one of the weird ones. Like Terry, I compete against myself. Unlike most guys, I mostly compete against myself while I am by myself at the range. For me, and I may be a different dude, the whole game is focus and hitting the target consistently. One of the things I am working on right now is draw and shoot from the hip -- not speed draw, just safe draw from an 1880's holster and shoot at a bobber target. Trying to keep 5 shots inside a 4-5" disc at 7 yards after drawing and shooting 5 separate cycles. Gets me grinning like a silly cat that swallowed a mouse.

That and knocking the 6" plates around at 25 yards with the Vaquero and fixed sights. Love to see them get driven away with a 255 grain bullet even at a meagre 650- 700 fps.

Shooting is first abou safety, and then about fun, honing some skills and pretending you are Doc Holliday or Billy the Kid.

I started out using .45. Bought two Colts and a Marlin in that caliber, back in about 1997. I've never switched. Most people I shoot with seem to prefer the .38 for lower cost of reloading, and just lighter loads, and that's fine. I have one friend who loves the .38-40 and shoots original Winchesters in that caliber, but his Rugers are .45.

That's another good thing about CAS, it's a big tent with room for everyone. There are numerous categories with the classifications being continually looked at for improvement. It's a user friendly set up.

DF