Caliber advice for a SAA. Help me decide.

I'd personally like the "trail duo" aspect of having a rifle/carbine and a SAA revolver in the same caliber. For me, the .357 Magnum would be an excellent choice due to a wide and readily-available selection in both that caliber and in .38 Special.

Not sure I understand the "progressive" part.

The .357 will be much cheaper to feed. I can get .38 Special brass very reasonably. Hard to scrounge .45 Colt cases.

Keep in mind how versatile a .357 revolver is. You can load light .38s that will have little more recoil than a .22, all the way up to full power .357s.

I understand that cowboy action is not your first priority but the smaller caliber is easier to shoot quickly. I'm betting your resale value would be better as well. I see a lot of cowboy shooters with .45 revolvers for sale because they migrate to the smaller caliber. Not as many folks going the other way.

That said, there is something "just right" about a Colt or Colt-styled single action revolver in a big bore chambering. If the .45 Colt is more fun for you, go for it.

Howdy

First off, please allow me to correct you if I may. SAA stands for Single Action Army, which is a registered trademark owned by Colt. Only Colt makes the Single Action Army. Uberti makes very nice replicas of the SAA, but they are not really a SAA, nor does Uberti claim they are. They are very conscious of trademark infringements, which Colt takes very seriously. That is why Uberti uses names like Cattleman for their single action revolvers



For the record, these days in CAS more shooters are shooting 38s in their colt replicas than 45 Colt. Many new shooters buy 45 pistols, because they love the myth of the old cartridge. But in competition most find that they cannot shoot standard 45 Colt loads as quickly as they would like, because of the recoil. So many then try downloading the 45 Colt cartridge to ridiculous levels, to approximate the recoil of a lightly loaded 38 Special. 45 Colt does not perform very well in that situration.

But that aside, if you want a 45, by all means get one. Be aware though that 45s are considerably more expensive to shoot than 38s. Whether you buy factory ammo or load your own, in each situation 38s are cheaper, because you use less lead, less powder, and there is less brass in the case. Yes, you can shoot full powered 357 Magnums as well as 38 Specials from any single action revolver chambered for 357 Magnum.

Most of my CAS revolvers are chambered for 45 Colt, but I am not interested in shooting light loads. I only shoot them with Black Powder, a full case of FFg under a 250 grain bullet. Real boomers. But full power loads and Black Powder ain't for everyone. You can also shoot 45 Schofields and the new 45 Cowboy Special from any revolver chambered for 45 Colt if you want to cut down a bit on powder consumption and recoil. Kind of like shooting 38s in a 357 Magnum.

WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM! ? ! ? ! ? Everyone else from THIS one sees having a rifle and handgun in the same caliber as a PLUS! ! ! ! I'm yankin' yer chain a little on this but at the core it's the truth.

Having a handgun and rifle in the same caliber makes extreme sense. As you say you can cut down on the inventory by having one caliber, in different loadings to suit each case, from mild to wild and you cut down on the need to buy different size bullets and casings and primers.


When I jumped into CAS events it was a total "no brainer" to go with .357/.38 guns as I was already heavy into K frame S&W's. In the two and a half years since this decision has never caused me even a moment worth of doubt. It was and still is the best option for me as it cuts down on the ammo inventory needs and my loading time by being able to load ammo which I can use in CAS, IDPA revolver category, club level Speed Steel with revolver and general target plinking. I keep a healthy stock of strong to max .357 around as well for end of the day giggles and some longer distance target plinking with my CAS lever gun. The rest of the time I feed the array of guns with .38Spl loaded to a nice stout but less than max general load that is fun to shoot and fits within the CAS rules easily.

A pistol and rifle in the same caliber is only an issue if you're hunting with one or the other. And then only if your state or other local rules or laws have caliber restrictions. Other than that I can't think of a single reason NOT to have a handgun and rifle in the same caliber for many more reasons than simply doubting yourself.

In the end it's obvioiusly YOUR decision. And there's really no "wrong" way to go. But don't cut your nose off to spite your face over some oddly placed doubt over suitable calibers for rifle vs handgun.

Id go with the 357 reasons are 1 cheaper to shoot 2 already have a rifle in that caliber/can share reloading components 3 do you have 45 colt dies/components 4 the versatility comes in handy shooting 38's is nice

The wife and I just got into CAS. In order to get something to shoot quick and relatively inexpensively, I bought a pair of consecutively numbered 4 3/4" Uberti Hombre's in .357 and a Rossi .357's. These rigs are great for starting out and they're fun toys.

After scrimping and saving, I had to decide what I wanted. I liked the 45 Colt because I feel bigger is better, but I'd owned and loaded for the cartridge before and wasn't greatly impressed.

I finally settled on a pair of Uberti single actions on 44 Special; a 4 3/4" and a 5 1/2". To complement them I picked up a Uberti 1873 20" carbine also in .44 Special. Where the 357's are "toys", the .44's are TOOLS. It's my first exposure to the cartridge and I love it. For CAS I had a mould built that drops a 170 gr. RNFP bullet, but for general use, I cast a 250 gr. SWC. I haven't begun to wring the loads out, but easily obtained 900 fps out of the 5 1/2" barrel and 1400 fps out of the carbine with the 250 gr. bullet.

I guess my point is, if you want something to play with, by all means go the 38/357 route. But if you want something to play with that would also work for "business" get a larger caliber.

35W

Magno, one more option for you to consider. You can get the SAA, or clone, chambered for the 45 ACP cartridge. Or get a second cylinder to be able to shoot 45 long Colt and 45 ACP. This would open up a lot of possibilities for you.

Except for competition, I do not see the advantage of a pistol cartridge in a rifle. I much prefer a decent revolver cartridge in a revolver and a good rifle cartridge in a rifle.

StrawHat said:

Magno, one more option for you to consider. You can get the SAA, or clone, chambered for the 45 ACP cartridge. Or get a second cylinder to be able to shoot 45 long Colt and 45 ACP. This would open up a lot of possibilities for you.

Except for competition, I do not see the advantage of a pistol cartridge in a rifle. I much prefer a decent revolver cartridge in a revolver and a good rifle cartridge in a rifle.

Click to expand...

The advantage? Almost 100 yards.

35W

I went with .45LC when I got my Beretta Stampede mainly because I really like the cartridge and it has a traditional feel to it in a SAA.

I finally settled on a pair of Uberti single actions on 44 Special; a 4 3/4" and a 5 1/2". To complement them I picked up a Uberti 1873 20" carbine also in .44 Special. Where the 357's are "toys", the .44's are TOOLS.

Click to expand...

I have to agree with this. The .44Spl is THE perfect cartridge for the Colt SAA and its replicas. Unless you're shooting blackpowder, the .45Colt is a lot of wasted case capacity. Yes, there's a lot of mystical legend surrounding the big .45 but practically speaking, the .44Spl is a better choice.

I have an EMF New Dakota (cattleman) and a Taylor's & Co. Birdshead; both in .357. I chose the .357 for both the cost factor as well as the ability to vary the cartridge with the 38 special. I can't say anything but good things about the Uberti manufactured singles actions and the choice of .357. Plenty of ways to shoot them cheaper than the 45, and plenty of power for sd purposes IMO.

Looks like you've made your choice. Now get you a good one and enjoy the hell out of it!

The only correct answer is both.

Magno said:

- I like the added firepower of the .45. I enjoy shooting .45 more than .357.

Click to expand...

I think you have already decided to get the 357, but I just wanted to point out that the 357 is actually a lot more powerful than the 45.

I just wanted to point out that the 357 is actually a lot more powerful than the 45.

Click to expand...

I don't think so.

56hawk said:

I think you have already decided to get the 357, but I just wanted to point out that the 357 is actually a lot more powerful than the 45.

Click to expand...

CraigC said:

I don't think so.

Click to expand...

If you go just by energy numbers then the .357 Mag is often 1/3 more powerful than .45 Colt. That being said, a 250 grain Hard Cast bullet at velocities approaching 1000 FPS will go through just about anything in North America... what else are you going to do once you've accomplished that?

With regards to energy figures where they relate to bullets, let's not forget: bullet energy is simply a way to compare the power of bullets of similar diameter.

If energy were all that mattered, Elmer Keith would have switched from a 45 Colt to a .357 Mag and never looked back.

As an extreme example, a .243", 100 gr. bullet @ 3000 MV has WAY more energy than a .458", 405 gr. bullet @ 1400 MV at any distance. But guess which one has greater killing potential? The one that penetrates the deepest and makes the largest hole.

35W

I don't know about other planets with a different gravity, but on this planet, an SAA in a small caliber weighs a whole lot more than one in .45 Colt. .38/.357 is about on the edge (to me) but .32 or .22 is just too darned heavy, which is why Ruger was smart to scale down the Single Six.

IMHO, the best rifle/SAA combo is not .45 Colt, but .44-40, like the old days. The .45 Colt is not a good rifle round today for the same reason it was not a good rifle round in 1873 - the rim is too small for really reliable extraction and ejection.

Jim

Jim K said:

I don't know about other planets with a different gravity, but on this planet, an SAA in a small caliber weighs a whole lot more than one in .45 Colt. .38/.357 is about on the edge (to me) but .32 or .22 is just too darned heavy, which is why Ruger was smart to scale down the Single Six.

IMHO, the best rifle/SAA combo is not .45 Colt, but .44-40, like the old days. The .45 Colt is not a good rifle round today for the same reason it was not a good rifle round in 1873 - the rim is too small for really reliable extraction and ejection.

Jim

Click to expand...

From a ballistic standpoint, I agree with your assertion regarding the 44/40. I was tempted to buy 44/40's, but they're a bottleneck case which means reloading them would require lubing the cases prior to sizing them. The .44 Special on the other hand is a straight-walled case so they can be sized with carbide dies. From a standpoint of power, they're pretty much peas in a pod.

35W

So, anyone care to explain how a SAA clone in 45 Colt is more powerful than one in 357 Magnum?

56hawk said:

So, anyone care to explain how a SAA clone in 45 Colt is more powerful than one in 357 Magnum?

Click to expand...

Don't get hung up on energy numbers and re-read post #19. Remember: Energy doesn't kill, holes through vital organs do and .45 caliber projectiles make larger holes than do .35 caliber projectiles.

I'd suggest you read Handloader magazine...specifically articles and columns by Brian Pearce and Dave Scovill. They both are ardent handgun hunters and while Pearce relates he has used the .357 quite a lot, he leans toward larger calibers.

35W

35 Whelen said:

Energy doesn't kill, holes through vital organs do and .45 caliber projectiles make larger holes than do .35 caliber projectiles.

Click to expand...

I don't think that's entirely true, especially when talking about expanding bullets. I was hoping to find some quantitative ballistic gel tests, but 45 Colt doesn't seem to be popular enough.

Find an example of each caliber and shoot them. Buy the one that gives you more giggles. We're not talking about a work weapon. The happy factor is a much more important criteria.