SAA caliber choices?

Two Colt SAA 3rd gen. both 44 spl. One 22 lr. Also have a Vaquero, in 44 spl.

I’ve had a 6 5/8 .357/9mm for 40 plus years and a 7 1/2 .44 mag for less than a decade. Both RUGER BH. Both serve well for hunting and range. Love them both.
357 has fired hundreds of thousands of 158 lswc reloads, 44 less than 1 k reloads mostly 260 gr lswc.
If I could have only one, I would stick with .357

Corpral_Agarn said:

I prefer the balance of the 45.

That ended up being my choice, but I have to admit, for plinking and such, putting out 38s from the SAA of a hoot.

Click to expand...

That's something I had forgotten, IMHO the large frame Rugers in 357 handle like a 60s muscle car. The mid frames are better in 357 but a 4 5/8" big bore balance like a mid engine sports car.

Slamfire said:

If you are firing 0.452" bullets down a 0.455 or 0.456 diameter chamber mouths, your accuracy will be horrible in any 45 LC.

Click to expand...

I'd say it has that potential but it's not an absolute. My New Frontier has massive chamber mouths but shoots into one ragged hole with .452" bullets.

Everyone has a different view and favorite caliber in single action revolvers. The single action, in the right gun can handle anything from mice to elephant. It's just a preference of what one wants and needs at the time. My favorite caliber in any revolver is the great .44 special. It can be loaded for anything from plinking to a woods bumming simi hot to a excellent medium big game hunting round. It will just about cover the spectrum. Keep in mind it is not a magnum and it is best to not try to make it a magnum in a true .44 special revolver. I grew up reading Elmer Keith, Sheriff Jim Wilson and the likes. I had a special love of the .44 special from a very young age. The single action and double actions that are true .44 special revolver are unique in their on way. Single actions are usually a bit thicker in the cylinder and are a bit stronger because of it. I prefer the shorter barrel length, nothing is as pretty as a 4 3\4" single action. It balances and points very nice. The Freedom Arms model 97 has a 4 1\4" barrel and is my favorite .44 special. In an El Paso Saddlery Three Person cross draw holster, it is a dream to carry. What every revolver and caliber you choose, will be a joy to use and shoot, now matter if it's .45 Colt or .22 Long rifle. This is just my opinion. Just get what you like, in the caliber you like, that meets your needs and you will be happy because a single action revolver in any caliber is great.

Everyone is different. I have owned a few SAA clones with short barrels. They were nice enough. They balance well. However, my middle-aged eyes and occasionally trembly hands don't allow me to shoot fixed-sight shorter-barreled revolvers very well.

I shoot the Ruger Blackhawks and Super Blackhawks much better. Not only are the sights adjustable, they're also big. With the longer-barreled versions I can imitate a pretty decent pistolero.

To me, 44 specials, 45acp, and "normal" 45colts shot out of big SA revolvers all feel pretty much the same. IIRC, they all shoot similar weights of bullets at similar velocities. The 45acp is cheapest and easiest to find. If you have a Blackhawk or Super Blackhawk, you can shoot "Ruger Only" loads in 45colt (and I would assume 44 special) that get close to 44 magnum in power. Or you could just get a SBH in 44 magnum and shoot 44 special most of the time. (That's what I do.) My FiL shot actual 44 magnums out of his SBH Bisley for the first time the other day, and that crotchety old guy actually smiled. He never smiles.

38/357 is probably more sensible, though. If you're not shooting giant wild hogs or trying to shoot through engine blocks, a hot 357 will do pretty much anything you need to it to do. Mild 38 specials shot out of a SA revolver are inexpensive and pleasant.

I got this used 357 Blackhawk for a $299 auction on GB a few years back. It's from the early/mid 70's (early New Model) and had been shot a lot before I got it. It still shoots just fine and is tight as could be. It is IMHO sturdier than an actual SAA clone and seems unimpressed by hot 357 loads. My kids will likely still be shooting it when I am long gone.

ontarget said:

45LC or maybe 44 Spc. Which caliber would you go with?

Click to expand...

I myself would go with the .44 Special for a couple of reasons: First, I have a particular fondness for the .44 Special. And second, when I bought my one and only Colt SAA (not a "clone" BTW) I had a choice between a .45 Colt and a .44-40. I went with the .44-40, because if I would have gone with the .45 Colt, I was afraid one of my "Ruger Only" .45 Colt loads might somehow find its way into my beautiful Colt SAA someday.

If you are going to stick with smokeless powder, 44 Special is the way to go. If you are willing to venture into the historic and wonderful world of black powder, the 45 Colt is the perfect choice.

Dave

my vote is for the 45 long colt. it does everything well.

murf

I like 45 Colt, but I reload so that makes it affordable. I have 2 new model vaqueros in 45 Colt with the 4.62 barrels and a Uberti 1873 rifle in 45 Colt with a 24 inch octagonal barrel. I have them for cowboy shooting and for plinking. I find something so satisfying about the 45 Colt cartridge. However, most of the competitive shooters all use pistols and rifles in 357 and shoot light 38 special loads. Also their rifles are usually 20 inch barrels, again shooting light 38 loads. Depends what you want and enjoy. If as some here suggested you want to go blackpowder then of the two calibers you mention, I would go with 45 Colt. (lots of blackpowder shooters go with 44-40 WCF in their rifles and handguns).

When I got interested in CAS, I was able to trade a foreign automatic for (most of the price of) a Colt .44 Special.
I got a deal on a Winchester '92 .44 WCF, so the Colt got a .44-40 cylinder.
CAS went to two sixguns, so I bought a Cimarron/ASM .44-40.

I don't like the balance and weight of the smaller calibers in a full size Colt or Ruger.
I do have a Single Six .38 that is about right for the bore. (Gunsmith project.)

Barrel length; my Colt came with a 7.5" barrel which shot well. But I had to have the gunslinger look, so I had a 4.75 put on. It looked good, it felt good, but not only was accuracy not as good, it did not shoot .44-40-200 and .44 Special 240 gr to the same point of impact. So I had the 7.5 put back on.