Which caliber for lever and six gun?

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Lupinus

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If you were going to get both a six gun and a lever gun both in the same caliber, which would you go for?

.357 magnum seems to be a well rounded round for both and both (least the lever guns I have looked at in .357) can use .38 specials for less punch plinking. .44 mag adds more punch.

Though a six gun and lever gun combo to me screams cowboy, and .357 or .44 mag do not. What does scream cowboy round to me is .45 long colt. Only problem with it is that while it is a good man stopped and was the preferred handgun round for a good stretch, I know next to nothing about its hunting capabilities.

So what caliber would you go with to be used in both a lever and a six gun?

Note I put it here because since it contains both questions on a rifle and a revolver it didn't seem right to me to put it in either of their respective forums, mods feel free by all means to move it if you feel the need.
 
Go with the .44mag combo.

You can use .44specials or even .44russian for reduced power loads.
If you need it you can stoke them up for serious work.

.357 is okay but can't reach the horsepower of the .44's

.45Long Colt is okay as long as you get a marlin and a ruger.
Don't buy an SAA clone if you want to use full power loads.
 
There was a reason why the .45 Colt was never offered as a levergun chambering in the Old West. The cartridge was designed with a very thin rim, so that extraction from anything other than an SAA cylinder was "iffy". Some modern .45 Colt cases have a wider rim, to make extraction easier in S&W revolvers and in long guns, but these sometimes won't fit next to one another in the cylinder, due to the extra width.

I don't know what the current state of play is, but given this design handicap, I'm afraid I wouldn't recommend .45 Colt as a combo caliber. I've got a combo in .44 Magnum (Marlin 1894C and Ruger Redhawk), and another in .357 Magnum (Marlin 1894CS and S&W Model 65). Both are great choices. For personal defence, the .357 is more than adequate. For hunting purposes, the .44 has it all over the .357, though - much more energy, ability to take larger animals, provide realistic protection against larger predators, etc. I'd hate to take on a large hog with a .357, whereas I'll do so in comfort with a .44.
 
I know that using .45 Colt in .454 is not advised. Since the case is shorter on the .45, deposits can build up in the chamber and raise pressure when the longer .454 cases are used. I assume the same is true for .44 mag/.44 Special and .38/.357

If you don't handload, the .44 mag seems the obvious choice. Since I handload, I've got a Rossi Puma .45 LC and a Ruger to match. While I have no reason to doubt the reply about the rim of the .45, I've never had any problem. I suspect it was more prevalent when BP was used.
 
I have a Dan Wesson and a Marlin 1895 in .357. They both function flawlessly, so that's my two cents.
 
When I was doing SASS, I used .45 Colt. I had two Vaqueros and a Marlin in that caliber, and used a Stoeger SxS in 12-ga. I also had two Uberti Remington '58 replicas with the Taylor's conversion cylinders. Those Remmies were so nice I kept them and got rid of the Rugers.
 
If you want to shoot mostly factory ammo, you'll find far more high powered choices in 44 Mag than in 45 Colt.

If hunting isn't on the agenda for this pairing a whole lot, I'd go with the 357 combo. If you're looking to use the rifle for hunting deer or hog or something, I'd recommend the 44 Mag.
 
There was a reason why the .45 Colt was never offered as a levergun chambering in the Old West. The cartridge was designed with a very thin rim, so that extraction from anything other than an SAA cylinder was "iffy".
Click to expand...
Maybe - but this ain't the old west.

My personal experience with a Win 94 chambered in .45 Colt has been NO PROBLEMS except those caused by me (gotta work the action like a man not a sissy). In 3 years I've had two failures and both were because I pussyfooted around working the lever and the empty dropped down below the (I'm not a gunsmith so I don't know the term) lifting platform piece that the cartridge rides on.

That said: If I was going to get another lever gun chambered in a pistol round it would have to be .357 Magnum. With H110 you can push a 158 gr jacketed bullet out the end of the barrel at close to 2000 FPS. That's some serious firepower for a pistol round.
 
I think I would go for the .357 just because I prefer the .357 revover offerings on the market over the .44. The .44s I have tried (all but one being a 29) have all been uncomfortable in my hands. Admittedly, I have never had one of my own, and I may change my tune after careful selection of some aftermarket grips. I do find the .357s that I have tried (mostly S&W but a few Rugers and Tauruses now and then) comfortable with aftermarket rubber grips, hard plastic, and even the gigantic wood grips on the 686.

Something in .41 magnum might be neat. I tried a Blackhawk in .41 once, and found it to be a nice balance between the power of the .44 and the comfort of the .357. Alas, I hear that .41 isn't a popular round, so I don't expect to see much in that chambering.
 
I love my marlin model 1894 SS. .44 mag, drops a deer with no problem. my choice for the revolver would be a .45 SAA with a 4 3/4 in. barrel.
 
The .45LC does indeed have a small thin rim compared to the .44mag/special.
It only becomes a problem when rapid firing like the CAS guys do.
Keep the rifle chamber clean and your ammo clean and you'll never have a problem. CAS uses low power loads that don't tend to expand the case against the chamber walls and blow back deposits crud along side the case and chamber walls. Many shots cause a real funky nasty chamber. The .45LC rim will tear off when extracting.
Shooting the .45lc in a .454 isn't verboten, you just need to keep the cylinder clean. Same thing for a .44spec in a magnum chamber.
Deposits will build in the chamber so when the longer case is inserted, it sort of jams the case into the deposits and causes a difficult extraction or at worst a high pressure situation.
Just remember to clean the chamber thouroughly.
A Ruger S/A in .45LC can be loaded up to pretty dramatic pressures.
I'd be real careful with a Marlin 1894 rifle when stoking up .45LC in it.
The SAA's and clones are NOT recommended for any loads other than low to moderate power. They can and will let go. Seen it me self.
If you're not a handloader the .44mag is the way to go. Lots of decent factory loads out there. A .45LC will have to be handloaded.
 
I have .41 mag hoglegs and leverguns. I also reload so I really don't care about factory loads.
 
Ditto what Majic said, 41 mag.
But mine right now is 357 because a K frame or L frame does not come in 41 mag. I have a Marlin 1894C and a S&W 13 3" HB and a 65 4" pencil barrel.
 
I have a 45 LC in lever, I love it. I don't have a six shooter but I do shoot my brother's and my hubby's .357 magnums and they are great. So I would go with .357
 
Just out of curiosity what about recoil.

Compared to a lever gun in 30-30 what is felt recoil like from the .357, .44, and 44-40?

I'm guessing each one would be less but having never fired a lever gun in any of these I can't say so for a certian fact.
 
Recoil in a full house .44mag is stout but not really that bad.
The .44-40 is a joy. A full power .357 isn't bad at all.

Forget to tell you: if you go with a .45LC and you intend to load it hot DO NOT buy one of the toggle action repro rifles(1866/1873).
These will NOT handle full power .45LC.
Stay with an 1892 or Marlin type rifles.

If you can find one, the Browning B92 in .44mag is a neat gun.
Mate it with a Ruger Vaquero and you've got a great set.
Check the CAS websites for all types of holsters, scabbards, etc.

Although I too love the old calibers like .38-40, .44-40, etc they really can't be loaded hot.
 
.45 Colt:

Rossi 1892 and a pair of Taurus Gauchos for CAS.

.357 Magnum:

Marlin 1894C and S&W 19 for general woods rambling.

.22 Long Rifle:

Marlin 39A and Ruger Single-Six for pure fun!

For hunting:

Marlin 336 in .30-30 with a .357 magnum S&W 686, this combo does the job against hog, dog(coyote), or deer.
 
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