The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The North Corral > Black Powder and Cowboy Action Shooting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old November 13, 2018, 12:50 AM   #1
cdoc42
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 13, 2005
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,674
Good choice?

I just bought a Thompson .45 Colt as opposed to a Uberti or Pietta. Any opinions?
cdoc42 is offline  
Old November 13, 2018, 02:38 AM   #2
arcticap
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 15, 2005
Location: Central Connecticut
Posts: 3,166
Is that an Encore or Contender?

Is it rifled, and does it also shoot a .410?
arcticap is offline  
Old November 13, 2018, 04:52 AM   #3
Hawg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 8, 2007
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 16,177
I'd say it depends on what you want it for.
Hawg is online now  
Old November 13, 2018, 06:35 AM   #4
cdoc42
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 13, 2005
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,674
I must apologize....it was a long day and age must be interfering with my cerebral circuitry. It is not a Thompson. It is a Taylor's & Co. 1873 model single action in .45 Colt.

I was after a Uberti "Grizzly Paw"and after visiting 4 retailers, none of whom had a "Grizzly Paw"I settled on the Taylor's. I just wondered if anyone out there might offer an opinion.

I do, by the way, have a Thompson Contender in .410/.45 but I've only ever used the .410 for pheasant and chuckar hunting.
cdoc42 is offline  
Old November 13, 2018, 08:50 AM   #5
Hawg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 8, 2007
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 16,177
They're good guns. It's either a Uberti or Pietta. Taylors imports both of them.
Hawg is online now  
Old November 13, 2018, 10:18 AM   #6
cdoc42
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 13, 2005
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,674
Thanks!
cdoc42 is offline  
Old November 14, 2018, 09:33 AM   #7
drobs
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 17, 2015
Location: South Central MO / Africa
Posts: 1,111
The Uberti Grizzly Paw has a longer 1860 grip on it.
There were a bunch of them on Gunbroker.
__________________
NRA Life Member
drobs is offline  
Old November 14, 2018, 02:39 PM   #8
cdoc42
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 13, 2005
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,674
The Taylor's "Gunfighter" has a grip that is 1/2" longer than a standard 1873 and it's checkered rather than smooth. Made by Uberti.
cdoc42 is offline  
Old November 14, 2018, 04:27 PM   #9
Sure Shot Mc Gee
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 2, 2012
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 3,876
With those older 1873 cartridges anything other than a 45 colt was a want-a-be.
Sure Shot Mc Gee is offline  
Old November 14, 2018, 07:46 PM   #10
Hawg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 8, 2007
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 16,177
Quote:
With those older 1873 cartridges anything other than a 45 colt was a want-a-be.
I wouldn't say that. The 44-40, 38-40 etc were very popular because you could have a rifle and pistol in the same caliber. With the .45 Colt you had to carry two different sizes of ammunition.
Hawg is online now  
Old November 14, 2018, 08:38 PM   #11
Sure Shot Mc Gee
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 2, 2012
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 3,876
Quote:
With the .45 Colt you had to carry two different sizes of ammunition.
Why is that? (two different sizes of ammunition?)
Sure Shot Mc Gee is offline  
Old November 14, 2018, 09:57 PM   #12
drobs
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 17, 2015
Location: South Central MO / Africa
Posts: 1,111
cdoc42, I believe there is a rule - when you acquire a new gun you need to show it off. Let's see a pic of what you have.
__________________
NRA Life Member
drobs is offline  
Old November 15, 2018, 11:28 AM   #13
Pahoo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2006
Location: IOWA
Posts: 8,783
Had me going there for a little while

Pull the loading lever down and see if there is any information stamped on the bottom of the barrel. …..

Be Safe !!!
__________________
'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.
Pahoo is offline  
Old November 15, 2018, 12:11 PM   #14
Hawg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 8, 2007
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 16,177
Quote:
Taylor’s makes much better guns than either Umberto or Pietro.
Taylor's doesn't make anything. They're importers.

Quote:
Pull the loading lever down and see if there is any information stamped on the bottom of the barrel. …
Ummm 1873's don't have loading levers Pahoo. My Uberti/Cimarron has the Italian markings under the ejector rod housing.

Quote:
Quote:
With the .45 Colt you had to carry two different sizes of ammunition.
Why is that? (two different sizes of ammunition?)
Back in the day lever actions didn't come in .45 Colt.
Hawg is online now  
Old November 15, 2018, 07:47 PM   #15
44 Dave
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 24, 2013
Posts: 583
Colt .45 original case rims were not designed for ejectors.
44 Dave is offline  
Old November 15, 2018, 08:33 PM   #16
bedbugbilly
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 19, 2009
Posts: 3,283
Taylors doesn't "make" guns - they import Uberti and Pietta - nothing wrong with either one.

Some of these posts are a little confusing - a loading lever to pull down and check under the barrel? On a '73 SAA? Don't think so

Different cartridges? I have a 45 Colt Uberti Cattleman - the 46 colt is a great cartridge.
but, so are the 44-40 and 38-40 as well as other cartridges. You can use 45 Colt and 45 Schofield in a revolver chambered for 45 Colt - I reload both and do it all the time and you can also use the 45 cowboy rimmed that starling sells.

I have both Pietta and Uberti - in fact five Ubertis - all ordered from Ubeerti USA. Some prefer to buy them through Taylors and some through Cimarron - ad each dp pffer different configurations/calibers. The LGS that order my Ubertis through also have ordered from the other two and they claim that they can see no difference in quality - YMMV/

Enjoy your 45 Colt - of all the cartridges I reload, both pistol and rifle , the 45 Colt and Schofield are two of the easiest to do. Whether new brass or rangers I F< size the first tie and then just neck size -it doesn't get any easier than that.
__________________
If a pair of '51 Navies were good enough for Billy Hickok, then a single Navy on my right hip is good enough for me . . . besides . . . I'm probably only half as good as he was anyways. Hiram's Rangers Badge #63
bedbugbilly is offline  
Old November 16, 2018, 11:08 PM   #17
cdoc42
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 13, 2005
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,674
drobs, this is as close as I can get to a picture of the "Gunfighter" 1873 Colt .45that I obtained:

https://www.taylorsfirearms.com/hand...er-series.html
cdoc42 is offline  
Old November 16, 2018, 11:19 PM   #18
ms6852
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 3, 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,394
Did you check this guys out? They have a pretty extensive inventory . I know you already bought one from Taylors but maybe in the future if they don't have what you want these guys could.
__________________
ONLY TWO DEFINING FORCES HAVE GIVEN UP THEIR LIVES FOR YOU. ONE IS JESUS CHRIST FOR YOUR SOUL AND THE OTHER IS THE AMERICAN SOLDIER FOR YOUR FREEDOM.
ms6852 is offline  
Old November 17, 2018, 12:13 PM   #19
Sure Shot Mc Gee
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 2, 2012
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 3,876
Quote:
Back in the day lever actions didn't come in .45 Colt.
Huh!!. _Tried to slip that one by and got caught again.
Sure Shot Mc Gee is offline  
Old November 18, 2018, 07:19 AM   #20
cdoc42
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 13, 2005
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,674
ms6852, I don't see who you have reference to in your post.
cdoc42 is offline  
Old November 18, 2018, 09:01 AM   #21
horseman308
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 3, 2009
Location: Maryland
Posts: 526
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sure Shot Mc Gee View Post
Why is that? (two different sizes of ammunition?)
Orginal 1873 Winchesters came in .44WCF (.44-40), .38-40, and .32-20 ( I think). Later, other cartridges were introduced, but in the initial years, it was only those, and .44-40 was the most common.

However, the Colt SAA came in .45 Colt. So, the two single most common - or at least most famous - guns in the Old West didn't share common ammo, and if you had both, you had to have 2 different types of ammo.

A couple years later, Remington patented the 1875 in .44-40, as well as some others, but you could then buy a Winchester '73 and a pistol (1875 Rem) in the same cartridge. Much easier to source ammo. Too bad the Remmy never really took off like the Colt (personal opinion there).

I'm not certain, but I don't think Winchester ever made rifles in .45 Colt, and the availability of lever guns in .45 Colt today is the result of demand from the Cowboy Action sport.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
horseman308 is offline  
Old November 18, 2018, 10:59 AM   #22
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,486
Colt picked up the .44-40 in 1878 as the "Frontier Six Shooter" and made 64000 of them, vs 150000 .45s. But if you deduct Army contracts and add in the 38000 .38-40s and 29000 .32-20s, it shows the popularity of dual purpose calibers was very high.

Real 1873 Winchesters were made only in .44, .38, and .32. Except for the .22 Short and .22 Long versions, not common and you can see why, expensive and heavy when you could get a Stevens for four bucks.

There are a couple of stories of dual purpose calibers.

A Texas Ranger had to clear a jam caused by hastily loading a .45 into his .44 carbine. This required unscrewing the sideplate with the point of his Bowie knife, extracting the jammed .45, returning the sideplate, and loading properly. Almost a "hair raising" experience while under fire.
When he got back to civilization, he traded for a .44 sixgun.
I have seen this happen on a CAS range. It is not a simple fix even with a table and screwdriver.

Also, if you load a .44 into a .45 revolver, you get a "Bloop" and not much effect on the target. Seen that one, too.

Another western lawman had the opposite problem. A .44-40 case split and tied up his revolver. He got a .45.

Last edited by Jim Watson; November 18, 2018 at 11:08 AM.
Jim Watson is offline  
Old November 18, 2018, 02:24 PM   #23
Hawg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 8, 2007
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 16,177
Quote:
I'm not certain, but I don't think Winchester ever made rifles in .45 Colt, and the availability of lever guns in .45 Colt today is the result of demand from the Cowboy Action sport.
Nobody made a lever action in .45 Colt until Uberti did it in 1984.
Hawg is online now  
Old November 18, 2018, 04:22 PM   #24
Rachen
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 10, 2006
Location: Weekend cowboy
Posts: 542
Quote:
Taylor’s makes much better guns than either Umberto or Pietro.
Taylors do not actually make guns. They import all repro guns from the Italian firms. They might do some gunsmithing on them and accessorize them per customers' orders but they do not manufacture firearms.

Quote:
Nobody made a lever action in .45 Colt until Uberti did it in 1984.
At first, I wondered if Winchester really did make their 1873's in .45 LC, would it make their already successful rifle even more successful? But then I realized that they did not have to. The .44-40 was a very capable cartridge and have dropped many bad men, good men, and game alike, much like it's predecessor, the .44 Rimfire. Though I suspect many a cattleman would have liked to carry the exact same cartridge for their rifle and sidearm.
Rachen is offline  
Old November 19, 2018, 12:01 AM   #25
Hawg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 8, 2007
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 16,177
The original balloon head case rim on the .45 Colt was too small and weak for an ejector to work with. I suppose Winchester could have made a .45 cartridge with a wider rim that would have worked in Winchester rifles and Colt pistols but invariably there would have been a lot of people try to use Colt cartridges in Winchester rifles and getting jams and blaming the rifles which would have been bad for business.
Hawg is online now  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:56 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.12787 seconds with 8 queries