Wheel gun for target shooting?

[Squeaky Wheel]

I got back into shooting about 2 years ago and have been shooting exclusively 45 ACP semi-autos in handguns. I've got a bad back and chasing down and picking up my brass is getting really old (and painful). So, I've been thinking about getting a wheel gun to use for my range shooting. This would be a gun just for target shooting at the range (not intended for SD/HD or hunting). I asked the owner of my LGS for his advice and he recommended something like a S&W 686 with 6 inch barrel.

My concern with 357/38 Special is availability of primers (I reload). Quantity-wise, I load mostly 45 ACP and 45 Colt (for lever carbine). I don't currently load for any cartridges that use SPP. I know that there are some 45 ACP revolvers, but they seem to be very pricey and hard to find. I'm partial to S&W, and 44 magnums are nearly $1000.

I've considered a 45 Colt single action, but I've never shot one and I'm not sure if I would like them.

Any suggestions or recommendations? BTW, please don't recommend 22 LR -- I like having a 'boom' when I pull the trigger. On the other hand, I don't want full house 44 magnum. I was thinking that I would be better off with a cartridge that uses LP primers since I already use them with 45 Colt (and will still have 45 ACP for occasional use). Your thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

[Rush_Fan]

.44 spl

How about a Ruger New Model Blackhawk .44 Special or Bisley-grip Blackhawk? One is on my wish list.

Like this: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=369621949

or this: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=370500588

 

[Squeaky Wheel]

Thanks for the suggestions Rush_Fan. Those look like some nice options. The big question for me regarding single actions is that I don't know if the loading/unloading of the cylinder would annoy me or not. I'm thinking that I would really prefer having a swing-out cylinder of modern revolvers. Otherwise, I imagine that those would be lots of fun to shoot.

 

[Rush_Fan]

Ruger Redhawk, maybe

Less expensive than an S&W 629

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=369978013

 

[Squeaky Wheel]

Not at all familiar with Redhawk. How is the Redhawk different from a 'Super' Redhawk?

 

[Rush_Fan]

Redhawk has a single spring mechanism that allows for a lighter trigger pull. Very strong revolver.
Super Redhawk is probably way overbuilt for target shooting range use. I saw the two compared on TV on "Ruger Inside Out" show. Ruger has long had the Super Redhawk chambered in .44 Mag, but also offers it in .480 Ruger and .454 Casull. Check out Ruger's website:
http://www.ruger.com/products/redhawk/index.html
http://www.ruger.com/products/superRedhawkStandard/models.html

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

As far as I'm concerned, there is no target revolver to compare to the Smith and Wesson K-38, and its successor the Model 14. Here are a couple of K-38s.



Although no longer cataloged by S&W there are plenty of these available on the used market, and you can find a good one for a whole lot less money than a new gun.

Shooting 38 Specials out of a K-38 or a Model 14 will be significantly less expensive than shooting 45s or 44s, and I have not had too much trouble finding small pistol primers locally.

Don't get me wrong, I love the 45 Colt and 44 Special cartridges, but 38s are much less expensive to shoot, and just as much fun to kick over tin cans set on the berm at 25 yards.

 

[Notoast]

I really like my 7.5 inch Bisley Blackhawk in 45 Colt and shoot 200 grain LSWC target loads at 25 yards just fine. The single action is not really a pain because with the Ruger you don't need to manipulate the hammer to rotate the cylinder like the older single actions. All you need to do is open the loading gate and the cylinder can be rotated.

 

[pendennis]

If you're already reloading for the .45 ACP, why not find a S&W Model 625, or older Model 25-2? They both accept .45ACP or .45 Auto Rim. The moon clips are very handy, and are faster than speed loaders. Remington sill makes .45 Auto Rim brass, and you only need a different shell adapter (RCBS #8?) to reload it. The .45 Auto Rim uses the same load data as the .45 ACP.

The only caveat with the Model 25-2, is that some earlier models had oversize throats, and accuracy could be affected. Mine is a mid-70's model, and it's a tack driver. The Model 625-3 I have is a round butt model, with a 5" barrel. It's almost perfectly balanced.

 

[BCRider]

If you intend to keep on reloading and shooting your 1911 along with the new gun then .45Colt in a DA/SA or SA only makes a lot of sense. The .45Colt can share primers and bullets.

With the right technique and a little practice you can shuck and reload a single action pretty quickly. Check out this video;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug5ba3XibCk

In this one he holds the gun very level to let the camera see what he's doing. But in practice I'd hold it like he shows but with the muzzle facing up strongly so the ejected rounds fall onto the table right at my belt buckle. Or into my loading/unloading tool tray or into a dump bag on my waist if there's no table or bench. Reloading takes about as long as the unloading and uses the same hand grip with the left hand to cradle the gun and use the thumb to index the cylinder. By holding the gun at the optimum muzzle down angle you can drop the rounds onto the loading gate cutaway and if the cylinder is in the right position the rounds literally slip forward into the chamber without help. If you pull two or three out of the ammo tray at a time you can load a single action gun darn near as fast as a flip out hand ejector gun unless you're using a speed loader.

If you find that after seeing some videos on how to load them (You Tube with search terms "single action reload" and decide to look at some options consider carefully what sort of ammo you want to use. The much more pretty looking fixed sight guns are great and shoot well. But the lack of adjustable sights makes them VERY ammo specific in terms of bullet weight vs charge. Too light and fast and the bullets print below the POA. Too big and slow and they'll print higher than POA. There's only a few loads that will print right on the POA.

If you want to shoot a variety then the only answer is the Ruger Blackhawk or perhaps the Uberti 1873 Callahan target model with adjustable sights. The sights take away a little from the smoother look of the fixed sight models but they are far more what you would need if your goal is to shoot a wider variety of ammo loads and to use various sighting options be they center aimed or 6'oclock to put the lead in the X ring.

Another point is that you already shoot the 1911 for speed. I would have thought that the revolver is intended to slow down a little.

 

[The_Next_Generation]

squeaky, you might find the single-actions actually MORE enjoyable to shoot! There's just something about slipping some big 'ol 45 Colts into those gaping chambers, one at a time

Plus, you can get a Ruger Blackhawk 45 convertible which will shoot both 45 acp (no moonclips needed) and 45 colt with easily-switchable cylinders. The Ruger Blackhawks are VERY strong and you can load the 45 colt to its limits with "Ruger-only loads".

Here's a video of one of my favorite youtube-ers (hickok45) with a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44mag: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C965aF0y3EU

 

[tomrkba]

I got back into shooting about 2 years ago and have been shooting exclusively 45 ACP semi-autos in handguns. I've got a bad back and chasing down and picking up my brass is getting really old (and painful). So, I've been thinking about getting a wheel gun to use for my range shooting. This would be a gun just for target shooting at the range (not intended for SD/HD or hunting). I asked the owner of my LGS for his advice and he recommended something like a S&W 686 with 6 inch barrel.

This is your solution:

 

[buck460XVR]

In the last component shortage, I found SP primers easier to find than LP primers. I always could get SP magnum primers. The availability of SP primers and .45acp brass using SP primers was the reason I was able to continue to go to the range with my 1911 without worrying about finding LP primers . I would not let the primer size affect my decision to get a firearm I wanted. When reloading, bullets for .357 are less expensive than those for .45acp. One reason I shoot more .38/.357 than I do .45acp. The owner of your LGS gave you excellent advice for a practical range handgun. The 6'' 686 is accurate and pleasant to shoot, even with legitimate magnum loads. With reduced loads it like shooting a .22mag. They have excellent triggers and can be made even better with relative ease and if you buy new, your new gun will be covered by a lifetime warranty from a company second to none for customer service.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I had to look that one ^ up (post #12).
http://www.dawsonprecision.com/CategoryProductList.jsp?cat=RELOADING
Dawson Precision Company
Ammo Brass Collector "Pick Up Your Spent Cases Quickly and Easily Without Bending Over!" $49.95

 

[sixgunner455]

A K or L frame S&W revolver, or a GP-100, are where I would go in your case. But I am also partial to my Single Six; I like both types, the centerfires, rimfires, double actions, and single actions are all good in my book!

 

[BYJO4]

The S&W 686 is indeed an excellent range gun and shoot mine on a regular basis. If you want a large primer case, I suggest the model 25 or 625 in
45 ACP/45 Auto Rim. Again, this is an excellent range gun with great accuracy. Again, I shoot mine all the time.

 

[StrawHat]

If you are looking for a target revolver and 45 ACP, the S&W 25-2 was designed as such from the start. Mine is a great revolver and has the advantage of brass is convenient to find.

If you want to go to the 38 Special, the S&W M14 is the standard by which all others are judged. With target loads, brass is nearly everlasting.

 

[SFsc616171]

I believe that you can acquire a SandW Model 14, or earlier K-38 with a 6-inch barrel, chambered for .38 Special, for a LOT less than an LGS-suggested M686.

I own a Model 15, which was borne from a bit of engineering and the Model 14. It is a SWEET gun, for target, or for HD/SD.

A marriage of the Model 14/K-38, and either factory or handloaded target ammunition, will do quite well.

 

[Sam1911]

You really need look no farther than S&W's model of 1950, .44 Target.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/2836862/1

 

[Buck13]

Not at all familiar with Redhawk. How is the Redhawk different from a 'Super' Redhawk?

It's slightly lighter and enormously less ugly. I picked up a 7.5" Redhawk in great shape on Gunbroker last spring for $515 plus shipping and FFL.

The trigger on mine is OK. There are revolvers I could shoot more accurately due to the weight and balance. YMMV, but I'm pretty certain that I would shoot the 5.5" Redhawk better, despite the reduced sight radius, since it's a little less of a monster.

Since you are planning to reload, the issue of "full-house .44 Magnum" is a non-issue. You can make them any level of boom that you like. But unless you really want a revolver that weighs 3 pounds, I'd go with the K-frame 6" in .38 or .357. Again, you can load target-level power in .357 brass, so either caliber will do. I've been looking for a 6" Model 19, and passed on one a while back since it was a 3 hour drive away. I regret it, as I've not been able to find one locally at a reasonable price since.

 

[PO2Hammer]

38/357 might add some versatility.
Small primers have been more available lately than large.
My target gun is a Freedom Arms 97 357, but I'm also looking at a S&W model 67 as a pure target gun in 38 spl.

 

[Queen_of_Thunder]

S&W model 610.

 

[Smith357]

As far as I'm concerned, there is no target revolver to compare to the Smith and Wesson K-38, and its successor the Model 14. Here are a couple of K-38s.

+1
They were named the "K38 Masterpiece" for a reason.

 

[tomrkba]

If you want to go to the 38 Special, the S&W M14 is the standard by which all others are judged. With target loads, brass is nearly everlasting.

Not to mention these guys used it:


Officer Malloy with his S&W Model 14

 

[wyo drifter 1947]

I am not sure why one must settle for only s&w revolver . I love all my k frames (5 or 6) at last count and the model 25-5 is also wonderful ! The 38/357's are a ball but there is a lot to be said for the hole the 25 leaves in the paper (45 colt). My favorite load is about 7 grains of unique with 250gr cast bullet very mellow and inexpensive