45LC rifles

swatts · April 27, 2008, 09:04 AM

I am new at this forum and have a question or two.
Just starting to get into the cowboy action type shooting, am not sure that I will get heavy into the competition but want to start out right and slow.
I just got a U.S. Firearms 45lc cowboy and will get another when the $ come around. I am really looking for the right choice for a rifle in the 45lc. Please give me any experiences you have had both good and bad that will help me pick the right one without several mistakes.
Thanks
Louisiana

Hawg · April 27, 2008, 09:52 AM

I have no experience with .45 Colt rifles but the Rossi 92 is a good one in 44-40. Kinda rough out of the box but slicks up nice.

swatts · April 27, 2008, 10:46 AM

I thought that the rifle had to be the same as the pistol in the CASS shoots. That was why I was asking. I need to find the rules dealing with those shoots before I commit to a rifle I guess.
Thanks for the rifle caliber.

Thanks to the gentleman from Mississippi

Stiofan · April 27, 2008, 12:48 PM

Most of the replica companies will chamber their leverguns in .45lc. Here's EMF's page for comparison.

http://www.emf-company.com/1860-1866...1892-rifle.htm

Hawg · April 27, 2008, 02:25 PM

No you don't have to have the same caliber rifle as pistol. You can even have three different calibers if you want the hassle of keeping up with them. Rossi makes a .45 Colt as does Uberti. I'm just familiar with the Rossi 92 in 44-40 is why I said that. The Marlin 94 is popular you just can't use magnum loads.

Here's the rule book. http://www.sassnet.com/Downloads/RO/...ndbook(14).pdf

This is a good place to get information but you might need a thicker skin than what's required here.
Mods there aren't as picky as the ones here. http://www.sassnet.com/forums/

CherokeeT · April 30, 2008, 11:07 AM

Hawg - I have a Marlin 1894 in 45 Colt, works great, accurate and no leading with cast bullets. Also have Uberti 1866 in 45 Colt, same experience as Marlin but its a little smoother. 1892 Win designes are good also, I just have more trouble with myself using them. Rifle round can be different from pistol round.

James K · April 30, 2008, 11:28 AM

For years, rifle makers shied away from the .45 Colt because its small rim can cause both feeding and extraction problems. Today, as noted, there are several make of leverguns chambered for .45 Colt; they generally work OK, but sometimes there are still problems with extractors reliably handling that tiny rim. In general, the .44-40 may be a better choice.

Jim

Plum Loco · April 30, 2008, 04:58 PM

swatts you are selecting some really nice revolvers , US Firearms 45 Colt , so why not stay in the same quality area , and pick up a Uberti 1866 or 1873 rifle in 45 Colt , to go well with your revolvers .

Try to go watch a CAS shoot in your area , and see what is working well .

Goodluck

FL-Flinter · April 30, 2008, 09:15 PM

I had a Marlin, never had a problem with feed/extraction, very accurate too, all I shot was 260gr cast bullets. For CAS you're not going to be loading heavy like I did for hunting - 5.0 grains of Alliant Red Dot under a 255-260gr bullet is a nice easy shooting load. If you're going to run black powder and want to reduce the load a little, remember the .45 colt cases are tapered, you need some give in the filler wad - NEVER LEAVE ANY AIR SPACE IN THE CASE WITH BLACK POWDER LOADS! A bullet not fully seated on the powder can ring or rupture the chamber - make sure you know what you're doing because black powder is way different than smokeless.

a454me · May 1, 2008, 06:26 AM

I also have a Rossi in .45Colt ,I don't think you can beat it for the money .

sundance44s · May 1, 2008, 07:04 AM

I started out with a Marlin 1894 Cowboy in 45 LC ..it was a good shooter with all the smokeless powder loads I put through her ...BUT ..when I tried my Black Powder loads ..it was lock up jam up problems never ending ..So I traded up for a Uberti 1860 Henry ..Much happyer now ..it handles Black Powder loads just fine , like it was made for them ...A+++ to Uberti on the Henry ...and it`s sooooo dang Purdy.

bluetopper · May 1, 2008, 02:11 PM

Taurus Thunderbolt 45LC pump?

swatts · May 1, 2008, 02:53 PM

Just found out that an old friend that I had not seen in several years won 2nd overall at the CASS Winter Match in New Mexico and I called and talked to him. I knew he was shooting but didn't know he was really into it. He uses a Marlin and suggest that I think about .38 cal., much cheaper ammo to practice with and do what you need to.
His rifle of choice is Marlin.
I think he goes by Duece Stevens at the shoots.
Thanks to everyone

Hawg · May 1, 2008, 04:23 PM

I know Deuce from the SASS Wire. .38's are cheaper but you were asking about .45 Colt.

swatts · May 1, 2008, 04:30 PM

The 45lc was what I thought that I really wanted but after talking to Jason (Duece) he suggested the other. My son is at Duece's shop right now talking ot him about all the do's and don'ts. He is a good guy. Guess I will trade or sell the 45lc if he is real convincing.

tomh1426 · May 1, 2008, 04:35 PM

If you reload .45C aint that spensive

tplumeri · May 1, 2008, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Kinda rough out of the box but slicks up nice.

Same for the Rossi in 45.
much more affordable than the real 1892's which are $1500-2000 for anything decent.
JMHO
tom

Hawg · May 1, 2008, 05:15 PM

I think that goes for all Rossi's

grymster2007 · May 2, 2008, 05:48 PM

I still have me a hankerin' for a lever gun in 45 Colt and it didn't help that last week when my brother bought his step-son a Marlin in .357.

Both my son and brother are lobbying my wife to get me a new motorcycle for my 50th. I don't think they'll be successful, but I'll be quiet about wanting the lever gun while they work on her. I told my son that if she don't buy me the bike, it would be nice if he could talk her into the gun. Then I told him that 'speaking of guns; what a wonderful Father's Day gift one would make for some lucky guy!".

Funny thing is that I'd be almost as happy with the $500 gun as I would a $20K motorcycle!

Oilburner350 · May 13, 2008, 07:01 AM

I have a model 94AE Cowboy Winchester that my girlfriend dearly loves. I have never had any trouble with it extracting, leading, etc. I have had it now for 10 years and it gets used pretty regularly. I prefer the pre-64 model 94's so it's her gun.

PineyWoodsPlace · June 12, 2008, 09:12 PM

I've shot many CAS matches and the top choice among shooters for a levergun is the 1873 (best for raw speed, but big buck$), followed closely by the Marlin 1894 (best all around levergun for the money IMHO). Further down the ladder is the Rossi 1892, which almost always needs a good gunsmith to make it reliable, and at the very bottom is the Winchester 94, who's action was designed for rifle length cartridges - it doesn't do well at all in pistol calibers.

Quote:

I have a model 94AE Cowboy Winchester that my girlfriend dearly loves. I have never had any trouble with it extracting, leading, etc. I have had it now for 10 years and it gets used pretty regularly.

The 94AE was offered in rifle calibers only. It's not allowed in CAS except as a long range side match gun.

mykeal · June 12, 2008, 10:03 PM

Quote:

The 94AE was offered in rifle calibers only.

Not so. I have a 94AE in .44 Magnum. I believe that's a pistol cartridge.

And it feeds every time.

That's of little use for CAS, however.

Ralph Allen · June 14, 2008, 11:18 PM

swatts,
Refer to the post I just posted in the rifle section. I have both a 45colt and 45-70 Marlin cowboy rifles. I don't shoot CAS, but these are 2 FUN rifles.
Ralph

Hawg · June 14, 2008, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Not so. I have a 94AE in .44 Magnum. I believe that's a pistol cartridge.

And it feeds every time.

That's of little use for CAS, however.

They also come in .357. They're ok for CAS, just have to load the magnums down or use specials which from my understanding don't feed well out of 94's.

Wleoff · June 16, 2008, 08:20 PM

I've shot SASS since 1996. Even though the rules don't restrict using different calibers in the rifles and pistols, I would recommend that you stick to using one caliber for the rifle and both pistols. It's easy to mix up shells during competion. I shot a 44 Special in a 45 colt Ruger Vaquero once. Makes unloading interesting. I shoot in competion with 45 Colt. There were problems with extractors in rifles with 45 Colt in the 1800s. I don't know if it's the dimensions of today's 45 colt brass or the design of the rifles available now, but i've never heard of anyone, currently, having trouble extracting 45 Colt. 38 Special is also an excellent round to use in competion. Both 45 Colt and 38 special are straight-wall cartridges so are easy to reload. If you compete for long, you will start reloading. 38 Special is a little cheaper to reload and has a lite recoil in cowboy loads. All cowboy rounds are downloaded to velocities much less than 1000 fps so recoil is light. Other rounds, such as 38-40 and 44-40, are also used but they're harder to reload and to find pistols and rifles in the same caliber. Go to a couple of matches and there'll be several people who will gladly let you try their guns and loads. Check http://sassnet.com/forums/index.php?showforum=12 which is the SASS forum where all this is covered in detail. Have fun.

April 27, 2008, 09:04 AM	#1
swatts Junior Member Join Date: April 27, 2008 Posts: 5	45LC rifles I am new at this forum and have a question or two. Just starting to get into the cowboy action type shooting, am not sure that I will get heavy into the competition but want to start out right and slow. I just got a U.S. Firearms 45lc cowboy and will get another when the $ come around. I am really looking for the right choice for a rifle in the 45lc. Please give me any experiences you have had both good and bad that will help me pick the right one without several mistakes. Thanks Louisiana

April 27, 2008, 10:46 AM	#3
swatts Junior Member Join Date: April 27, 2008 Posts: 5	45LC Rifle I thought that the rifle had to be the same as the pistol in the CASS shoots. That was why I was asking. I need to find the rules dealing with those shoots before I commit to a rifle I guess. Thanks for the rifle caliber. Thanks to the gentleman from Mississippi

April 27, 2008, 02:25 PM	#5
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,193	No you don't have to have the same caliber rifle as pistol. You can even have three different calibers if you want the hassle of keeping up with them. Rossi makes a .45 Colt as does Uberti. I'm just familiar with the Rossi 92 in 44-40 is why I said that. The Marlin 94 is popular you just can't use magnum loads. Here's the rule book. http://www.sassnet.com/Downloads/RO/...ndbook(14).pdf This is a good place to get information but you might need a thicker skin than what's required here. Mods there aren't as picky as the ones here. http://www.sassnet.com/forums/ Last edited by Hawg; April 27, 2008 at 02:30 PM. Reason: added links

April 30, 2008, 11:07 AM	#6
CherokeeT Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2008 Location: Medina, Ohio Posts: 273	Hawg - I have a Marlin 1894 in 45 Colt, works great, accurate and no leading with cast bullets. Also have Uberti 1866 in 45 Colt, same experience as Marlin but its a little smoother. 1892 Win designes are good also, I just have more trouble with myself using them. Rifle round can be different from pistol round. __________________ God Bless America US Army, NRA Endowment TSRA Life, SASS

April 30, 2008, 09:15 PM	#9
FL-Flinter Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2007 Location: West Central Florida Posts: 207	I had a Marlin, never had a problem with feed/extraction, very accurate too, all I shot was 260gr cast bullets. For CAS you're not going to be loading heavy like I did for hunting - 5.0 grains of Alliant Red Dot under a 255-260gr bullet is a nice easy shooting load. If you're going to run black powder and want to reduce the load a little, remember the .45 colt cases are tapered, you need some give in the filler wad - NEVER LEAVE ANY AIR SPACE IN THE CASE WITH BLACK POWDER LOADS! A bullet not fully seated on the powder can ring or rupture the chamber - make sure you know what you're doing because black powder is way different than smokeless. __________________ "Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything." Harry S. Truman [email protected]

April 27, 2008, 09:52 AM	#2
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,193	I have no experience with .45 Colt rifles but the Rossi 92 is a good one in 44-40. Kinda rough out of the box but slicks up nice.

April 27, 2008, 12:48 PM	#4
Stiofan Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2006 Location: Panhandle, Idaho Posts: 714	Most of the replica companies will chamber their leverguns in .45lc. Here's EMF's page for comparison. http://www.emf-company.com/1860-1866...1892-rifle.htm

April 30, 2008, 11:28 AM	#7
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	For years, rifle makers shied away from the .45 Colt because its small rim can cause both feeding and extraction problems. Today, as noted, there are several make of leverguns chambered for .45 Colt; they generally work OK, but sometimes there are still problems with extractors reliably handling that tiny rim. In general, the .44-40 may be a better choice. Jim

April 30, 2008, 04:58 PM	#8
Plum Loco Junior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Posts: 1	swatts you are selecting some really nice revolvers , US Firearms 45 Colt , so why not stay in the same quality area , and pick up a Uberti 1866 or 1873 rifle in 45 Colt , to go well with your revolvers . Try to go watch a CAS shoot in your area , and see what is working well . Goodluck

May 1, 2008, 06:26 AM	#10
a454me Member Join Date: September 1, 2002 Location: KY Posts: 21	I also have a Rossi in .45Colt ,I don't think you can beat it for the money .

May 1, 2008, 07:04 AM	#11
sundance44s Senior Member Join Date: February 6, 2006 Location: Hernando , Ms. Posts: 579	I started out with a Marlin 1894 Cowboy in 45 LC ..it was a good shooter with all the smokeless powder loads I put through her ...BUT ..when I tried my Black Powder loads ..it was lock up jam up problems never ending ..So I traded up for a Uberti 1860 Henry ..Much happyer now ..it handles Black Powder loads just fine , like it was made for them ...A+++ to Uberti on the Henry ...and it`s sooooo dang Purdy.

May 1, 2008, 02:11 PM	#12
bluetopper Senior Member Join Date: December 16, 2005 Location: Northeast TX Posts: 1,197	Taurus Thunderbolt 45LC pump?

May 1, 2008, 02:53 PM	#13
swatts Junior Member Join Date: April 27, 2008 Posts: 5	45lc Just found out that an old friend that I had not seen in several years won 2nd overall at the CASS Winter Match in New Mexico and I called and talked to him. I knew he was shooting but didn't know he was really into it. He uses a Marlin and suggest that I think about .38 cal., much cheaper ammo to practice with and do what you need to. His rifle of choice is Marlin. I think he goes by Duece Stevens at the shoots. Thanks to everyone

May 1, 2008, 04:23 PM	#14
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,193	I know Deuce from the SASS Wire. .38's are cheaper but you were asking about .45 Colt.

May 1, 2008, 04:30 PM	#15
swatts Junior Member Join Date: April 27, 2008 Posts: 5	45lc The 45lc was what I thought that I really wanted but after talking to Jason (Duece) he suggested the other. My son is at Duece's shop right now talking ot him about all the do's and don'ts. He is a good guy. Guess I will trade or sell the 45lc if he is real convincing.

May 1, 2008, 04:35 PM	#16
tomh1426 Senior Member Join Date: September 17, 2005 Location: Youngtown Arizona Posts: 1,135	If you reload .45C aint that spensive

May 1, 2008, 05:15 PM	#18
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,193	I think that goes for all Rossi's

May 2, 2008, 05:48 PM	#19
grymster2007 Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: In the oak studded hills near Napa Posts: 2,203	I still have me a hankerin' for a lever gun in 45 Colt and it didn't help that last week when my brother bought his step-son a Marlin in .357. Both my son and brother are lobbying my wife to get me a new motorcycle for my 50th. I don't think they'll be successful, but I'll be quiet about wanting the lever gun while they work on her. I told my son that if she don't buy me the bike, it would be nice if he could talk her into the gun. Then I told him that 'speaking of guns; what a wonderful Father's Day gift one would make for some lucky guy!". Funny thing is that I'd be almost as happy with the $500 gun as I would a $20K motorcycle! __________________ grym

May 13, 2008, 07:01 AM	#20
Oilburner350 Senior Member Join Date: February 29, 2008 Posts: 102	I have a model 94AE Cowboy Winchester that my girlfriend dearly loves. I have never had any trouble with it extracting, leading, etc. I have had it now for 10 years and it gets used pretty regularly. I prefer the pre-64 model 94's so it's her gun.

June 14, 2008, 11:18 PM	#23
Ralph Allen Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2007 Posts: 436	swatts, Refer to the post I just posted in the rifle section. I have both a 45colt and 45-70 Marlin cowboy rifles. I don't shoot CAS, but these are 2 FUN rifles. Ralph

June 16, 2008, 08:20 PM	#25
Wleoff Senior Member Join Date: June 6, 2008 Location: North AL Posts: 380	I've shot SASS since 1996. Even though the rules don't restrict using different calibers in the rifles and pistols, I would recommend that you stick to using one caliber for the rifle and both pistols. It's easy to mix up shells during competion. I shot a 44 Special in a 45 colt Ruger Vaquero once. Makes unloading interesting. I shoot in competion with 45 Colt. There were problems with extractors in rifles with 45 Colt in the 1800s. I don't know if it's the dimensions of today's 45 colt brass or the design of the rifles available now, but i've never heard of anyone, currently, having trouble extracting 45 Colt. 38 Special is also an excellent round to use in competion. Both 45 Colt and 38 special are straight-wall cartridges so are easy to reload. If you compete for long, you will start reloading. 38 Special is a little cheaper to reload and has a lite recoil in cowboy loads. All cowboy rounds are downloaded to velocities much less than 1000 fps so recoil is light. Other rounds, such as 38-40 and 44-40, are also used but they're harder to reload and to find pistols and rifles in the same caliber. Go to a couple of matches and there'll be several people who will gladly let you try their guns and loads. Check http://sassnet.com/forums/index.php?showforum=12 which is the SASS forum where all this is covered in detail. Have fun.