Cowboy Action questions?

[Ohio Rusty]

Can I ask questions or start a thread about cowboy action shooting, or is that a topic reserved for elsewhere on the 'net since there is no C.A. forum here?
Ohio Rusty

[Springfield]

I wouldn't mind it, I shoot CAS almost exclusively.

[waksupi]

Start it wherever you like. Black powder? BPCR? I don't know where would be best. Don't worry, post it, and folks will find it.

[Ohio Rusty]

I've not done C.A.S. before, but I'm no stranger to wearing funny clothes and shooting. I've been involved with 18th century re-enacting, living history and historical trekking for more than 10 years ..... maybe closer to 15. There came a time when Daniel Boone, George Morgan, Simon Kenton and Lewis Wetzel started to give up being a longhunter and decided maybe they should hang up their buckskins. I'm about near that point, but I enjoy the clothes and shooting. The Good Wyphe has an interest in C.A.S. and I could enjoy the sport also as it would fall right into place with my enjoyment of casting and making my own boolits. Since I'm the prowd owner of both a .38 and .44 wadcutter moulds, would cast wadcutters be acceptable to use at shooting matches? Will wadcutters cycle in lever action guns or do you need a round nose or RF type?Being most matches seem to favor light loads and light recoil, using wad cutters would work well for targets in a pistol. I would encourage the wife to shoot .38 special, but I'm leaning toward .44 special for my personal choice, also because my CCW gun will be a .44 special, so that means dual purpose ammo and money savings. I like the open top style revolvers (no top strap), like the C&B Colt. They have a look or a style to them ..... They have that gunfighter look !! Cimarron Arms Co. makes an open top revolver that comes in different barrel lengths and is also chambered for the .44 special. Has anyone held one of these pistols? Does it have an opening and closing loading gate like the Ruger Blackhawk or Vaquero has? I don't want to worry about an unfired shell backing out of the cylinder and jamming without a loading gate to hold the shells in. That open top revolver also has low sights that are close to the plane of the barrel. How accurate are these revolvers with their low profile fixed sights? There is a new rifle introduced to C.A.S. recently, and it is a pump action rifle made by Pedersoli Co. Anyone used one of these yet and are they acceptable at all matches? I see an advantage to a pump action rifle ..... I hope to attend my first CAS shoot this year to see what it is like and pick up some personal experience about equipment and guns. Anyone with CAS experience, please chime in ....even the lurkers as I look forward to the CAS discussion to follow.
Ohio Rusty

[Ricochet]

I'm not particularly interested in dressing up like a cowboy and all that, but I do like lever action rifles and single action revolvers. If I can figure out where my wife hid it, I've got an old Lawrence Gunslinger II rig for my Super Blackhawk. And lately I've been GASsing for one of those Uberti replicas of the old Third Model Smith & Wesson .44 Russian. Having moulds and dies for .44 Magnum/Special, I could handle loading the Russian, too. It's not going to fit in the budget for a while, though.

(GAS is a popular term with guitarists nowadays for "Guitar Acquisition Syndrome" or "Gear Acquisition Syndrome." But I'm sure I first saw it used years ago for "Gun Acquisition Syndrome.")

[Throckmorton]

wadcutters can be used if not seated below the case mouth..must be visible.
Not all leveractions will cycle them,so it's trial and error there.
The new pump actions are reciveing mixed reviews as to working well at fast speeds.I see way more Pards having problem with them than not on the firing line.
there are 'affordabble' ones and expensive ones,not sure if price plays into the functioning or not.
Hope ya join up ,it's a lot of fun.

[floodgate]

Ricochet:

" And lately I've been GASsing for one of those Uberti replicas of the old Third Model Smith & Wesson .44 Russian."

A couple of years ago, I bought one of those from a friend who wanted to upgrade to one of the S&W Custom Shop Schofields. It is a very handsome piece and beautifully finished, but I find the sights to be too fine to use except in the shadow of the range roof overhang, against a well-lighted background (and my 76-year-old "bionic" eyes are not THAT bad!) Worse, he had shot some pretty heavy (upper .44 Spl. class) loads in it, and the hinge shows a bit of looseness; not enough to be a problem, since the sights are all on one chunk of metal, but a tad worrisome - I'll be sticking to .44 Russian target-level loads. I wish you weren't 'way across the country from Northern California, or I'd be happy to let you check it out.

"Guitar Acquisition Syndrome": yeah - been there, done that!

Doug

EDIT: OOOPPPS! The sights are NOT on the same piece of metal! The rear sight is on the locking latch, and it, too has a tiny bit of wobble.

[Ricochet]

The fashion in those days seems to have been for very fine sights. I've got a replica Colt Walker with a very skinny blade and pretty nearly nonexistant notch in the top of the hammer. Can't hit a thing with it, but I enjoy shooting it.

Top break revolvers have never been known for great strength. Uberti recommends it for black powder only. I'd think smokeless loads need to be on the mild side.

[Springfield]

Ohio: the Colt Open Top revolvers, most commonly the 1872 Colt Open Top, are fine revolvers in 44 Special. I have a pair in 45 Schofield. They do have a loading gate similar to regular 1873 Colt. If you really need some info you might want to go to www.sassnet.com or www.theopenrange.net. They are dedicated Cowboy Action shooting sites.

[Ohio Rusty]

Thanx Springfield. I've discovered there are several companies making them. Being there is no top strap to mount a rear sight to, is the rear sight mounted on the barrel or is the hammer notched with a 'V' like the black powder cap-n-ball revolvers? Civil War C&B revolver were notorius for shooting high, as they were designed to shoot people on a battlefield a long way off. The sighting system on the open top is Point of Aim at close range? It doesn't appear from pictures there is much you can file off the sights to change the point of impact. I looked at Buffalo Arms open top revolvers and it makes a man want ... What barrel length do you use and why? Lastly, what 44 caliber cartridges are interchangeable with the 44 special? I noticed there is the .44 special, .44 russian and the .44 colt. Is the differences just the case length?
Thanx ...
Ohio Rusty

[floodgate]

Ohio Rusty:

The .44 Special is a lengthened version of the .44 Russian, and the latter can be used in the Special, just as the Special can be used in the .44 Magnum - so long as you clean the chambers up after using the shorter cases. The .44 Colt, an older design, is something else altogether; the cases are approximately the same OD, but the bullets are of full case diameter (more or less), with a reduced heel crimped into the case and exposed lube grooves, like the .22 rimfires. These cases are also available from various specialty makers, but you either have to have a special mould made, or use undersized bullets and hope they "bump up" to fill the grooves.

floodgate