Author Topic: CAS revolver/ Levergun (Read 648 times)

Marlinshooter · « **on:** November 15, 2003, 03:34:14 PM »

Hi All--

I'm currently accumulating guns for the spring CAS meets. I'm pretty new, though I've observed matches at my local club a couple of a couple of times. I'm thinking of shooting 45LC, though I'd like a revolver /rife pairing that will allow me some l,imited deer hunting potential with thre levergun, maybe out to 75 yards or so. Any suggestions for calibers / gun models? BTW, I will be using factory ammo for hunting, reloading for the CAS matches.

Thanks,

MS

Cuts Crooked · « **Reply #1 on:** November 15, 2003, 04:37:29 PM »

Howdy Pard 'n welcome to the corral! :-D

Hmmm? Good match ups in .45? Well pard ya got a wide open field there! I currently shoot .45 in Remingtons for my main match revolvers and a 92 Rossi in the same caliber. As to the hand guns I'd halfta say that's purdy much up to y'all! Almost every manufacture of CAS handguns makes one in .45 Colt. The Rugers are "hell fer stout", and "nuthin feels quite like a Colt"! So you gotta decide there!

Regarding the lever gun though, I'd have to recommend a 92, either a Rossi or other reproduction. The reason? Well pard, the 92 is the strongest of the lever gun actions originally designed fer a pistol length cat'ridge! (Rossi even makes it in .454! :eek: ) It will stand up to full house hunting loads and laugh...mebbe even giggle! :wink: A close second place would be the Marlin lever guns, and I somehow suspect you'd really like a good Marlin. Be mindful though about the dreaded Marlin Jam, when they happen it's always at the wrong moment and it can't be cleared at the line like a 92 can. And don't even look at the toggle link actions like the Henry, 66, or the 73s. They won't handle stout loads at all!

Might even consider one of the Rossi Puma guns in .454 Mag...you could shoot .45 Colt in it fer matches, and full house .454 fer huntin! (That would be good short range Bear Medicine too!

Now all we gotta dew is git ya thinkin like a Darksider, and yer life will be complete!

Dakota Confederate · « **Reply #2 on:** November 16, 2003, 02:25:32 AM »

I agree. The Wincehster 1892 is the strongest lever action rifle that can also be used in our games. I got a Rossi .45 Colt carbine years ago and just this fall, I got the wife a Rossi rifle in .357 magnum. I don't think there's any way you are going to damage this design (it's a scaled down 1886 rifle that was designed to handle the .45-70) with even the stoutest +P loads.
Now as far as revolvers go, there's really only one choice here and that's Remingtons. :grin: Yeah, you can go with Colts that are weaker with their multi-piece frame or Rugers that are tough as nails but no style at all or you can go with God's gift to shooters of the 1800's that were all made by Remington or their modern copies made by Uberti. :wink:

Marlinshooter · « **Reply #3 on:** November 16, 2003, 03:11:01 AM »

Gracias, Hombres--

It sounds to me that .45 Colt is not, in your opinion, a ridiculous hunting cartridge. I'm a fairly experienced deer hunter, and would tend to think of it as much like huntin with a good shoitgun slug, i.e., no shots beyond about 75-80 (for me, since I'm only a fair shot). I will look primarily at the Rossi 92's (I'm on a budget, since I don't got no gold!).

I don't know what a Darksider is yet, but it sounds cool to me. Let's ride!

Jesus Raza, SASS #54624

PS, I may repost this over in Deer Hunting, just to get ther opinion on the .45 as a close-range deer cartridge. No offense.

Cuts Crooked · « **Reply #4 on:** November 16, 2003, 03:38:26 AM »

Howdy Agin Pard.

.45 fer deer is superb! I've used it in a 58 Remington conversion, loaded at standard velocities to take a deer at 30 yards! And if you look in most current reloading manuals you will find .45 loads for Ruger and T/Cs that will exceed anything you can do with the .44 mag! ...and a Rossi 92 will stand up to those loads and then some!

BTW, I used to use my .357 Rossi as a Mizzoura Brush gun fer deer!

Almost fergot, A Darksider is a pard who shoots black powder (or subs) in his CAS gunz!

Raza · « **Reply #5 on:** November 16, 2003, 05:57:38 AM »

Ah, thanks for the info and the definition on "darksider." Learn something every day:)

Cheyenne Ranger · « **Reply #6 on:** November 16, 2003, 06:35:11 AM »

Just a quick reminder that blackpowder requires the gun be cleaned "that day." Can't wait a bit like you can with smokeless powder. Nothing wrong with that--just be aware of it. BP sure makes a lovely sound and the smoke is something else.
That's what I love about CAS--something for everyone no matter which way you want to go.

Cheyenne

Dakota Confederate · « **Reply #7 on:** November 16, 2003, 05:24:39 PM »

Actually, you can hold off on cleaning BP guns for up to a week (at least that's how long I tested mine for) without any damage. The trick is to season them with bore butter first and never clean them with any solvents with a petroleum base.
The way you do this is to first degrease the gun (be it long gun or handgun) completely. Next is to rub bore butter into the bore, chambers and all exposed metal and heat it up a little. This way the bore butter melts and gets into the pores of the metal. I found two ways to do this. First is if it's a handgun, pop it in the over for a couple hours at 200 degrees. If it's a long gun, I wait until a good hot day in August and set it out in the truck cab out in the yard where the sun can heat up the inside of the truck pretty good. After that, take them out and shoot them. The extra heat helps season the metal like you would season a cast iron skillet. :wink:
Now for cleaning, like I said, don't use anything wtih a petroleum base to it. If you do, it will destroy the seasoning on the metal and you have to start all over again. I prefer to use either Thompson's #13 bore solvent or Balistol as a solvent to get the residue out. After it's cleaned, use bore butter again like you would use gun oil and you'll never have a bit of rust. :-)
Like I said, I let a giunea pig revolver go for up to a week with no damage and it might have gone longer too and while you still should clean them or any gun fairly soon, seasoned guns at least give you a little breating room if you can't get to it right away.

Silver Creek Slim · « **Reply #8 on:** November 26, 2003, 10:11:25 AM »

With an alias like Marlinshooter, why would you consider anything but a Marlin?

For hunting loads in .45 Colt or .45-40 in a Marlin. .45 Colt 250gr Hornady HP/XTP with 26gr of H110.
This is where I got the loading data from.
http://www.sixguns.com/range/45redhawk.htm

I got a big doe at 7am on Saturday with this load in my Marlin 1894. It was at 15 yards when I shot and it went about 75 yards. I hit it right behind the front leg and made hamburger of the shoulder.

Here's a link to more .45 Colt heavy loads from Hodgdon.
http://www.hodgdon.com/data/pistol/45coltlil.php

Slim

williamlayton · « **Reply #9 on:** November 26, 2003, 04:27:04 PM »

i'm thinkin that .45 will reach out better'n many folks can shoot good with open sights.
blessings

Raza · « **Reply #10 on:** November 27, 2003, 02:08:42 AM »

Thanks to all for your help and comments! I'm sure the remark about range with open sights is true. My current Marlin 336CS, in .35 Remington, is rock solid out to 100 yards; I have a lyman#66 peepsight on it, and I'd take a 100-yard shot given a decent angle on the deer and good light / clear shooting path. With open iron sights though, I'd scale that back to about 75 yards. I found the peep sight makes quite a bit of difference, at least to me.