Completed my cowboy arsenal!

[iamkris]

Well, I finally completed it! I've been cowboy shooting for a couple of years (and have loved westerns my whole life). I've always had and affinity for big bore rifles so this year I put a feeler out for a 1874 Sharps to see if I could find one within my price range.

Well, on the 3rd offer that came through (within about 5 hours of originally placing the WTB on several boards) I got an offer to sell a beautiful Cimmarron-imported Pedersoli Billy Dixon Model 1874 Sharps in .45-70. The former owner had put several hundred rounds through it, added a globe front sight and looks like he took good care of it. He even gave me his pet smokeless and BP loads to try. Plus the purchase price was about 60% of a new one.

Picked it up this morning and couldn't resist taking the following picture (sorry for the bad lighting...I spend my spare time shooting and not learning much about photography)

Oh, that's my matching set of Ruger Vaqueros in 45 Colt and a Rossi clone of a Winchester 1892 in 45 Colt too.

 

[Dave R]

Very nice. Great choice on the Sharps. Way to round out the collection. When you say "matching" Vaqueros, did you get the sequentially serialized set?

 

[Braz]

Lookin' good pard,

Where's the coachgun or '97?

 

[iamkris]

DAGNABIT!!

Didn't even think to put my grandpappy's 1913-manufactured Winchester 97 E model takedown. Now am'a gonna hafta take another picture. Grumble-grumble.

Nope, not sequentially numbered (ouch, on the price of those! I'm cheap -- eerrr, frugal -- and have bought every one of those second-hand. Lessee, $300 for the first sixgun, $325 for the second, $275 for the Rossi and $800 for the Sharps. Inherited the scattergun.)

 

[iamkris]

OK you shamed me into it...

...another picture, this time with the scattergun included

I call this "SHTF 1890's style"

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

Very nice.

 

[Grayrock]

How do you like the Rossi clone? I am looking for a reliable, light, maybe cheap, lever in either .44 mag or .357 to pair with a single action pistol in same caliber. Any suggestions? The lever I'm thinking to make a truck gun out of it. The pistol to use for handgun hunting.

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

Breathtaking!
In Ill too, you sneaky dog you. Way to stick it to them, Iamkris! First class job!

KR

 

[iamkris]

Grayrock

I bought the Rossi on the cheap used after seeing some pretty good comments of the folks in Cowboy Shooting.

I've used mine for 3 solid seasons so it has probably about 2400 rounds of my own load through it. Never missed a beat. It is uber reliable and as accurate as I need for CAS. I'd not hesitate using it with heavy 45 Colt loads for 50-75 yard deer hunting (if Illinois allowed that sort of thing...which they don't) I would however be happy to take it down to TN or somewhere to shoot hogs with it.

Here's what I did to mine:
* Purchase price - $275 used on Auction Arms (although I've see people get them as cheap as $200 for the blued version, carbine barrel)
* Bunkhouse spring kit - $25 -- abosolutely butter like action and nice crisp trigger
* Plug the bolt safety - $40 (Steve Jones gunsmith work)
* Marbles rear full buckhorn and blade front with brass bead -- $30 (the stock sights are not that good -- these are used as ghost ring)
* Extra power mag spring and steel follower -- $15 (replaces the plastic follower which is known to bind)
* Old rawhide cord to wrap the lever -- $0
* Elbow grease, steel wool and a bottle of Tru-Oil -- $6 (got the ugly black finish off and now its like a golden walnut)

Rossi also makes the imports for EMF and Navy Arms. That's another option if you want what I did to mine but didn't want to go to the trouble.

 

[dmftoy1]

That's pretty cool! Where in Illinois are you shooting? As soon as I get a rig together I'm going to start myself. I'm still about 3 guns short though.

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[iamkris]

I live in the suburbs north of Chicago (behind eneemy lines) and shoot at Bristol WI www.bristolcowboyaction.com/

The club also has an Urban Cowboy 3-gun shoot which is a hoot. CAS rules but use autoloading pistols/DA revolvers, modern pumps and pistol caliber carbines. Too bad we don't have the room to use centerfire rifles or I'd break out the STG58 for the meet

You can check out the SASS website (if you haven't already) and check out clubs close to you. I believe there are several down Peoria way www.sassnet.com

 

[Braz]

Heheh,

Nice rig Kris. Enjoy that Sharps, it's a beauty. I've gotta a stainless '92 as well, and love it. Hope we cross trails someday. EOT is just around the corner here in SoCal. Have fun, keep safe.

 

[dmftoy1]

Thanks! Once the weather warms up a bit i'm going to go watch the Bloomington club shoot. I'm interested to see how fast they are. I watched this years End of Trail shoot on video and I'm definately not in that league!

Have a good one,
Dave