If I could find a four click Bisley clone, I'd probably get it in. 44 Special.
Did somebody say Bisley?
This one left Hartford in 1909. Chambered for 38-40. Lots of wear on this old girl, almost no blue left and the grips have a lot of wear too. But I really like her with the 4 5/8" barrel.
This one left the factory in 1907. Also chambered for 38-40. Quite a bit more finish left on this one.
This one left the factory in 1908. It is chambered for 44 Special, but that is not the original caliber. A 2nd Gen barrel and cylinder were added at some point chambered for 44 Special. No idea what it was originally chambered for.
The grips are replacements too.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I like my Single Action Armies chambered for 45 Colt. Although I have some Rugers chambered for 357 Mag, I prefer the lighter weight of a 45. Because the holes are so much smaller in a 357/38 the gun weighs significantly more.
This pair of 2nd Gen Colts are my Main Match CAS pistols. The top one left the factory in 1973, the bottom one in 1968. The one at the bottom was a real bargain, $680 out the door. Of course that was almost 20 years ago. Somebody had stripped all the finish of that one, I didn't do it. Years of shooting nothing but Black Powder through it have given it quite a patina.
This pair of 2nd Gens are almost pristine. The one at the top left the factory in 1973, the one at the bottom in 1963.
I'm not sure when this Uberti Cattleman shipped but I bought it used, probably around 2002.
Anyway, I like 45 Colt. 45 Colt will put you in the poorhouse unless you reload it. Last time I bought factory ammo it was about $22.00 for a box of fifty. Those days are long gone, looks like factory ammo is going for more like $35-$40 for a box of fifty these days. Yup, you can shoot 38 Specials all day long much cheaper than 45s, but it ain't the same.
Of course I have not shot any Smokeless 45 Colt ammo in years. I only shoot it loaded with Black Powder.
44 Special vs 357 Mag vs 45 Colt?
44 Special factory from HSM:
Grain Weight 240 Grains
Muzzle Velocity 845 Feet Per Second
Muzzle Energy 381 Foot Pounds
Bullet Style Flat Nose
Black Hills 357 Magnum:
Grain Weight 125 Grains
Muzzle Velocity 1500 Feet Per Second
Muzzle Energy 625 Foot Pounds
Bullet Style Jacketed Hollow Point
HSM 45 Colt Cowboy Loads:
Grain Weight 250 Grains
Muzzle Velocity 860 Feet Per Second
Muzzle Energy 411 Foot Pounds
Bullet Style Flat Nose
You be the judge.
By the way, that 45 Colt 'cowboy load' is no pipsqueek. A 250 grain bullet going about 800 fps was the standard loading for a long time.
Also, lots of guys start out in CAS with a 45, because they just have to have a 45. But for shooting really fast many find out they can shoot pipsqueek 38 Special loads with almost no recoil, which allows them to shoot really fast. So many who start out with 45s eventually trade them for 357/38s.