zxcvbob
Member
I'm not sure, but I think the .45 new Vaquero is a few ounces lighter than the .357. Just something you might wanna check out.
.45 LC Single Action for "defense" ?
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I'm not sure, but I think the .45 new Vaquero is a few ounces lighter than the .357. Just something you might wanna check out.
TallPine
Member
Yeah, probably is - bigger holes in the same size cylinder.
Edit: but the .45 would weigh more loaded, correct ?
But a .357 is plenty adequate and a lot cheaper to practice with and stockpile ammo for.
That, and the "new" .45 Vaquero can't handle the high pressure loads. I don't really want to run the risk of ever mixing up the .45 ammo that I have on hand
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thunder173
Member
I own a few Ruger SA's,...and consider myself quite capable of using them all in a defensive role, though I mostly use them for field carry and hunting. I occasionally strap one of them on and open carry for a defensive carry role in other situations as well. As far as a home defense role,...yes,...my short barrel .44 Super Blackhawk stays loaded with Speer 200 Grain Gold Dot's in .44 Special,....something about that big hole in the end of a short barrel that allows the BG to be able to SEE the bullet.......
As I said in the parallel thread in General Handguns, gateloading makes this a really bad idea. It is as slow as molasses.
Additionally, an older SAA may have to be carried on an empty chamber, which means you are limited to five cartridges before trying to eject and load via the gate.
An SAA beats nothing, but I'd take virtually any other firearm chambered in a legitimate service cartridge over one.
Additionally, an older SAA may have to be carried on an empty chamber, which means you are limited to five cartridges before trying to eject and load via the gate.
An SAA beats nothing, but I'd take virtually any other firearm chambered in a legitimate service cartridge over one.
Matt-J2
Member
For home defense, the ability to reload quickly is the least of my concerns. My apt is so small that if I can see you to shoot you, then you can get to me faster than I can reload if my first set of rounds didn't get the job done.
I'm not even sure I'd have a reload on my person after being wrenched awake by home invader noises, most likely just be underpants and weapon.
It certainly depends, of course, but know the space you're working with and plan accordingly.
I'm not even sure I'd have a reload on my person after being wrenched awake by home invader noises, most likely just be underpants and weapon.
It certainly depends, of course, but know the space you're working with and plan accordingly.
jjohnson
Member
No, but you sure could.
Well, I have a fondness for the big "horse pistols." I'm fairly good with my 7 1/2 Ruger Convertible 45ACP & 45 Colt, but it doesn't stay on the nightstand. That's usually occupied by a 1911.
That being said, if I didn't have any sort of centerfire handgun or shotgun to put under the bed, I'd certainly leave the 45 Colt cylinder in the Ruger stuffed with proper hunting loads - either JHP factory or Keith style SWCs. Just because there are "more modern" irons out there does not mean the big wheelgun is any less effective than back in the days of the "Old West."
Well, I have a fondness for the big "horse pistols." I'm fairly good with my 7 1/2 Ruger Convertible 45ACP & 45 Colt, but it doesn't stay on the nightstand. That's usually occupied by a 1911.
That being said, if I didn't have any sort of centerfire handgun or shotgun to put under the bed, I'd certainly leave the 45 Colt cylinder in the Ruger stuffed with proper hunting loads - either JHP factory or Keith style SWCs. Just because there are "more modern" irons out there does not mean the big wheelgun is any less effective than back in the days of the "Old West."
wheelgunslinger
Member
Well, sure. The buck and thunder of a big bore wheelgun being fired at night inside is really pretty impressive. And, so is the fact that you can see those big bullets inside the cylinder, if you're looking down the business end (if you have enough light).
But try to remember that people used the SAA way back when because it was really the best choice possible. Like the CZ85 of its day.
Jim March
Member
There's a LOT of merit to this approach.
I went with 357 because, well, I'm often on a budget and it's cheaper to feed. I can also get what I need done, done in 357 just fine. Partial ammo compatibility with my 38 snubbie was also a factor.
Really big rocks dropped from a height are also just as effective today as they were 6,000 years ago. That doesn't mean that I plan to suspend really big rocks over all points of ingress to my home...
Realistically, you are better off with a SAA in .45 Colt than a "modern" pocket pistol in almost any situation. Obviously, an SAA is great for big critters that aren't going to return fire.
However, the SAA is outmoded for personal defense. Generally, the sights are crude and hard to see in the dark, and the gateloading is a major liability. When you start comparing a SAA to a DA revolver with a swing-out cylinder, then there's no comparison.
Could a SAA save your life? Heck, yes. As I said, I would take one over a .32 auto any day. Still, just because it works doesn't make it the best tool for the job.
As another poster mentioned, people used the SAA because it was the best tool available for the job at the time. Notice how many infamous gunfighters used S&Ws rather than the SAA as soon as DA became available (i.e. John Wesley Hardin).
I dunno, just some thoughts on this. Seems like for many people, the primary use for handguns is for sport and pleasure. If one enjoys shooting single-action revolvers and spends most of their handgunning sessions shooting such guns, it makes sense to me to then rely on those guns if and when they are necessary to protect life and limb. If one spends most practice time with one sort of firearm, it seems counter-productive to then depend on another type of firearm for home defense. Of course, one could devote the lion's share of practice with a weapon purchased and fired solely for defensive purposes, but then resources of both time and money are spent doing something apart from the particular reason someone got into the pleasurable activity anyway. I used to buy and shoot guns with the idea that they were first and foremost defensive weapons. Over time, I gradually began to buy and shoot those "weapons" that most appealed to me. Ultimately, I began to reason that while a single-action revolver was not the optimum home defense weapon, it would, in fact, serve quite well in any realistic scenario I could envision short of invasion by the body snatchers or Geronimo leaving the reservation. I have single and double action revolvers and shoot them both passably well. For a "truck gun", clearly the double-action is superior because around here the weapon must be unloaded to be legal, meaning regular practice with a speedloader. But in the home, I feel any of my single-actions are more than adequate to give me a chance to get to my shotgun. My personal solution to the caliber issue is a convertible .45 taking advantage of the great selection and much better pricing of .45 acp ammunition. I like my .357s but a 230 grain bullet traveling subsonically at 800-900 fps is a comforting home defense cartridge, IMO. I am not aware of anyone who has a contract out on me, nor of anyone who wants my TV bad enough mount a ninja-style assault on my humble abode. Around here, those who do commit such crimes tend to be punks who don't press the attack when they meet serious resistance. Of course, I could be dead wrong.
That's a good point - I'm no gunslinger, but I've been shooting SA all my life, and I think I'm good enough with one to clear a path to the nearest shotgun. Once I get to that shotgun, the party's all but over... So reloading through the gate is not an issue for me - cause I will be loading the shotgun instead.
I'd add that if there is a problem in my home that five 45 colt rounds can't solve, then it's a bigger problem than I can even imagine - And I would consider retreating at that point anyway - shotgun in hand of course...
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