Graybeard and HGunner,
It was good hearing your thoughts. I appreciate your time.........
As Graybeard noted, most people these days seem to favor the big bore magnums. As far as the initial purchase, there is zero doubt in my mind the the 454 Casulls, 475 Linebaughs, and the various 50's garner more interest and draw more firearm sales than would a 45 Colt, especially to first time buyers of a large bore revolver. Not everyone knows and understands big bore handguns to the extent that most of the readers of this forum do. For a lot of folks, their first revolver purchase bigger than their 9mm pistol or 38 Special revolver is a 454 Casull, 475 Linebaugh, 500 Wyoming Express or such. While in Cabelas recently, I was simply astonished at the number of kids in their early 20's that were there looking at and handling a couple of long-barreled S & W 460 Magnums. Monsterous looking firearm.....That was their focal point, nothing else.............After handling and shooting their newly acquired beast for a spell, a new understanding and thinking begins to enter their brains. For many experienced, knowledgable handgunners, the rounds from a 357 Mag to a 45 Colt is all they would consider. There are also a good many experienced, knowledgable handgunners that just want cartridges from 454 Casull and up and they know how to safely load and handle them. And there are those amongst us that rightfully so love a 44 Special as I do a 45 Colt. A good 44 Special is a genuine pleasure to own and shoot.
I know and understand that I could purchase a M83 chambered exclusively for a 454 Casull, load it down a tad, and BINGO, I have 45 Colt ballistics. But, since the 454 Casull is approximately .100" greater in case length (depending on what length you trim it) than the 45 Colt, then I am dealing with a higher volume case, which means I must use more powder to get 45 Colt velocities than I would use with a true 45 Colt round. And, as you guys no doubt know, one has to be very careful when reducing a 454 Casull load. This can be safely done only to a point or bad things can happen, especially with the slower powders such as H-110. These big bore cartridges work best when they are loaded with heavy bullets to a full load with slower powders such as H-110 or Win 296. Not a "heavy load" or a "stiff load", but a normal pressure full load. These heavy bullets are the ticket as they allow the slower powders such as H-110 to do what they do best which is to come up to their operating pressure progressively and safely. Which means, for many reasons (safety certainly not the least), I would rather load a 45 Colt to full, normal pressures with a heavy bullet (300-335 Gr.) to get 1100-1200 fps than I would load a 454 Casull "down" to get 1100-1200 fps.
As Graybeard said, I honestly do not think FA will change company policy just for me and offer a M83 in 45 Colt chambering exclusively. But I do believe there exists a market out there waiting for this longer bullet 45 Colt revolver, especially in this fine M83.
As I noted in an earlier post, I have shot my buddy's M83 with his 45 Colt cylinder with a 7½" barrel. This revolver just has that "feel." Anyone that has held some of the many 45 pistols current being made and then holds a 1911 Colt Gold Cup 45 knows what I am talking about when I say "that feel." Same thing with most of the revolvers out there and then holding a M83....."that feel." There is definitely something special about that angle that the grip frame comes down on the M83. Without any doubt, no matter which way you examine it, this is the finest 45 Colt handgun I have ever fired. I am now 60 years old. I have been hunting and shooting since I was five years old when my grandfather first let me shoot his Winchester M-67 single-shot 22 rimfire.
Sure would like to have a 7½" M83 in a 45 Colt.......
RockCreek
