What is the lure to YOU of the cowboy gun?

357smallbore said:

Nastalga. Grew up on Gunsmoke, John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Clit Westerns.

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My parents wouldn't let me watch these...

What if you saw this one first Driftwood?

When you buy a box of 9mm for a Glock 19 you get 3 mags worth. But you get 50 rounds in a box that is intended for a revolver.

I just like all the smoke that my cowboy guns make.

DR505 said:

My parents wouldn't let me watch these...

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Perhaps he meant "Clint?"

An 1851 navy is about the best looking gun ever made.

Simplicity, Reliability, Power, and pure ecstasy in steel and walnut form

I have 3. A 1851 Copy that I shot maybe 5 times but it gets handled a bunch. Then my two Rugers. A .44 Mag SBH that I had customized and a Lipsey’s .44 Blackhawk Flattop. I got the SA bug a long time ago when my state starting turning a good part of the hunting land from rifle to shotgun. You could hunt with handgun in shotgun zones. It was a no brainer for me. Developed loads for the .44 Mag and practiced making shots to 100 yards. I could clear a metal bowling pin table at 50 yards no problem. It was so much nicer walking the woods with just the SBH. I am still warming up to the Flattop, a bit small in the grip for my hands.

I don’t actually own any big bore singles. I will eventually get a convertible 357/38 with a 9mm cylinder because it’s very practical and fun. With the current cost to reload it’s still almost cheaper to buy 9mm than build 38 or 357. Aesthetically they are pleasing and functionally they are simple. Can’t beat any of that.

I grew up with a Single Six. Shot a bazillion rounds through it. Have always owned SA revolvers. The muscle memory is always there for me. My hands know just what to do.

SA revolvers are great range toys and plinkers. You can hunt with them. I don't CC one or have one in the HD arrangement, but I would not feel unarmed with one.

I really enjoy the look and feel of them, and shooting them. Mine have been robust, also. My Blackhawks in particular have been unreasonably sturdy and reliable.

It's wicked hard to beat the feel of a Colt 1851 Navy....
You can see why Wild Bill loved them.

Mine is a wall hanger now - but - I don't mount it on a plaque since I like to hold it in my hand and point it.

After having it for 50 years, I still can't decide if I like the brass frame all shined up - or - the dark patina it gets when it hasn't been polished.

We tend to forget that if someone had a handgun in the 'cowboy' era it was more likely to be an Iver Johnson, Forehand & Wadsworth, Harrington and Richardson, Hopkins & Allen, Merwyn & Hulbert or Smith & Wesson than a Colt or Remington. There were also lots of Belgian and Spanish imports. Rifles and shotguns were probably the norm for the vast majority of folk.

Click-click-click-click!

In our modern age it's anachronistic to use a single action, same reason I still drive a stick car. I like the mechanical feel and being part of the operation.

You don't get that with a semi auto or an automatic transmission car.

After I have fullfilled my need for plastic, double stack, striker fired pistols for HD/SD I'm not needing extras. Revolvers are pure pleasure these days. Same thing for lever rifles. Emptying mags isn't fun. Shooting revolvers and levers is.

My buddy and I were shooting revolvers and levers at the range next to a range with a three gun competition. All the 3 gun competitors were watching us. Most had never seen a lever.

wcwhitey said:

I have 3. A 1851 Copy that I shot maybe 5 times but it gets handled a bunch. Then my two Rugers. A .44 Mag SBH that I had customized and a Lipsey’s .44 Blackhawk Flattop. I got the SA bug a long time ago when my state starting turning a good part of the hunting land from rifle to shotgun. You could hunt with handgun in shotgun zones. It was a no brainer for me. Developed loads for the .44 Mag and practiced making shots to 100 yards. I could clear a metal bowling pin table at 50 yards no problem. It was so much nicer walking the woods with just the SBH. I am still warming up to the Flattop, a bit small in the grip for my hands. View attachment 1116679

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Howdy. I have a flattop Blackhawk that I have customized by changing the grip strap. I didn’t care for the XR3 grip so I carefully fitted a stainless XR3-red frame. Which is the standard Blackhawk frame and what’s on single six, and short barrels super blackhawks. Dunno if that’s something you might have considered.

You can see pics of the gun here https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-casual-loading-and-adventures-thread.903012/

I didn’t get any pics of all the work require to fit a new grip frame but it’s pretty straight forward, just tedious. It took me about 8 hours or more so far. I still have one area I’m going to do a bit more to.

Anyways. Just informing if ya didn’t know already. Happy thanksgiving!

post script, I just looked a bit closer at your pic and see you have a super Blackhawk grip frame on that short barreled Blackhawk. So unless it was a special run I’m not aware of, then you already know about swapping grip frames.

Love me some Rugers

and my Colts

But really like shooting my Remingtons the best.

I was always a big fan of the old TV westerns and western movies, so that is probably where I became enthralled with SA revolvers.
I own a large number of SA and DA revolvers as well as a few autoloaders as does my son. We generally take quite a few to the gun club when we go shooting along with ammo cans full of cartridges.

Other people at the handgun range seldom have much interest in our modern Glocks, M&P or Beretta handguns.
Their interest really perks up as we start shooting our SA revolvers. Pretty soon they are asking questions about my Schofield and Remington 1875 and I generally offer them the opportunity to fire a cylinder full of rounds. Pretty soon they are asking about the Vaqueros, BlackHawks and Virginian Dragoons along with the 1873 clones in various calibers. The lever actions in pistol calibers always get a lot of interest as well.
Same goes for my DA revolvers.

It seems most of today's younger shooters have never owned or shot a SA or DA revolver or a lever action carbine.
All they know are plastic fantastic handguns and AR pattern rifles.
They never fail to end up with a huge grin on their face after shooting my SA and DA revolvers or lever action rifles and I regularly hear them say that they need to get one of those revolvers. Most of them remark that they never heard of a .41Magnum or .44Special but almost all of them will say that their Dad has a .357Magnum or a .38.

FWIW, they generally have the same reaction when they shoot my Luger.

Hokkmike said:

What is the attraction to these western style 6 shooters for you? Thanks for sharing...

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They have soul.

A six gun versus a poly striker gun.
It's like comparing a '65 GTO to a Camry.
They both go to the grocery store. There are positive and negative aspects to both.
Which one are you going to get up in the middle of the night to go out to the garage and just stare at?

Speedo66 said:

Click-click-click-click!
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Yep! There’s nothing else like it.

my first, new in box, handgun purchase was a ruger single six. i cannot explain why other than it spoke to me. now i also have ruger blackhawk convertibles in 45lc/acp & 357/38/9, and wrangler and bearcat, plus bond arm derringers.

rugged, simple, solid, reliable. i could “get by” with just one of any of the rugers but i love them all.

Bazoo said:

Howdy. I have a flattop Blackhawk that I have customized by changing the grip strap. I didn’t care for the XR3 grip so I carefully fitted a stainless XR3-red frame. Which is the standard Blackhawk frame and what’s on single six, and short barrels super blackhawks. Dunno if that’s something you might have considered.

You can see pics of the gun here https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-casual-loading-and-adventures-thread.903012/

I didn’t get any pics of all the work require to fit a new grip frame but it’s pretty straight forward, just tedious. It took me about 8 hours or more so far. I still have one area I’m going to do a bit more to.

Anyways. Just informing if ya didn’t know already. Happy thanksgiving!

post script, I just looked a bit closer at your pic and see you have a super Blackhawk grip frame on that short barreled Blackhawk. So unless it was a special run I’m not aware of, then you already know about swapping grip frames.

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Thanks, I didn’t want to mess with it much as it was one of the special orders. I understand that there are several oversized grips available in wood. It’s on the list for exploration. Happy Thanksgiving

With as many people here love single actions, I wonder if any actual carry one? I carry one daily, my Blackhawk 44 special.

Why yes, yes I do

Generally, it is the .41 Mag. But, depending on what I am doing, it could be .357, 44 Mag or .45 C and, on occasion, .22LR or .22 Mag, rairly .30 Carbine (7 1/2" barrel) i do carry it when hog hunting.

If I'm hunting, a double gun rig, with a rimfire and centerfire.

A cross draw holster and 4.6" barrel is fairly easy to conceal and accessible when seated.

Bazoo said:

With as many people here love single actions, I wonder if any actual carry one? I carry one daily, my Blackhawk 44 special.

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Hi...
When hunting or hiking I typically carry one of my revolvers. Which one and what caliber depends on how I feel that particular day.
In upstate Pennsylvania, that generally means one of my .41 or .44Magnums or a .45Colt with a near maximum handload because of the black bears.
I south central Pennsylvania where I live it is usually a .357Magnum or .44Special.
Sometimes I carry a SA BlackHawk or SAA clone and sometimes I carry an N frame S&W.

Shootability. At the moment I have five single action revolvers in 45 Colt and two other 44 cap and ball revolvers. For me, it’s the shootability of these revolvers. They fit my hand well, point well, and handle recoil brilliantly. And pack a punch. Even standard pressure 45 Colt delivering 250 grs at 850 fps is a helluva potent round.