considering a 45 Colt revolver

saskgunowner101

saskgunowner101

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I've got it in my head that I want a revolver in 45 Colt. I'm thinking either a Ruger Blackhawk, or one of those Pietta 1873 Millenium revolvers. The Ruger could be pushed harder, but the Pietta is more period correct. The Pietta is cheaper as well. Any thoughts one way or the other? Can I really go wrong with either? And if I could only have one choice of bullet, what would it be? TIA
 
Get the Ruger. My cat has the Convertable Model in .45 ACP/.45 Colt. The Ruger can be pushed harder; however, you want a nice load at about 950 fps with a 230 grain bullet.

Here is my cat's revolver. It has grips made from walrus ivory.
008-6.jpg
 
Don't get either get a Uberti. Period correct and better quality than the Pietta. Nothing wrong with the Ruger but if period correct is important then Uberti is the way to go.
 
I prefer the more traditional looking rugers, have had a few new vaqueros in .45. Doesn't bother me one bit if they aren't 100% faithful reproductions. Its a great cartridge, and although I'm new to loading my own, I'm getting decent performance out of various cast bullets and a mild charge of trailboss. With the cheapies, I'm loading for less than half what it costs me to buy factory ammo.
 
Ruger revolvers are the strongest on the market. They're also the least complicated and the easiest to work on. There is no shortage of factory and aftermarket parts for repairs, upgrads and modifications.
Ruger should be your first choice.
 
The fixed sights found on the Pietta, Uberti or Ruger Vaquero will limit you to a few choices in ammo. For each bullet weight you'll need to reload up to a power level which matches the muzzle rise to the POA to shoot well.

On the other hand the Blackhawk has fugly looking front and rear sights which do mess up the classic lines. But these sights let you shoot anything from the lightest poofy loads up to some fairly serious wrist wreckers and still hit the POA once adjusted.

So all in all for the most versatility the Blackhawk is the way to go. On the other hand if you don't mind loading and shooting only a couple of different rounds to use in a fixed sight gun then by all means get one of the old style replicas.

Re the Millenium model. Yes they are a little cheaper. But to my eyes the matt overall black finish looks less than stellar. THis applies to the Uberti Cattleman model with the same sort of finish as well. I far prefer the glossy colour case hardening polish and the bright shiney blue barrel and cylinder. But as the old saying goes YMMV.

Tbooker, at one point Uberti was a clear leader in terms of quality and finish. But the gap has closed a lot in recent years. I've got a pair of Uberti C&B guns as well as a pair of Pietta cartridge guns. The inside machining of the parts is so close to being of the same quality for both fit and finish that there's simply no clear winner. And outside they are similarly a close match for the level of detail in the finish. The only small nit to pick is the better quality of wood used with the Uberti grips.
 
the ruger is a good shooter. as for bullets just lead round nose is what i use in my .45. but one of the best bullets on the market and comes in .45 colt is the hornady leverevolution.
i use them in my desert eagle and they are fantastic. the only thing is you might have to trim off the pointed rubber tip to fit proper. i need to trim them off or i cant fit more then 5 shots in the magazine. but the bullets still perform awesome!
 
The only problem with the Blackhawk is the ajustable sights. If you plan on shooting cowboy action they are not allowed.


saskgunowner101 said:
Well, no one talked me out of buying a Ruger, that's for sure.:D The new model Blackhawk is the tough one, right? As long as I don't get a Vaquero or a flattop?? I can load it up, correct?
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Then dare I say one could consider an actual Colt SAA, they are pretty good too.

Picture of my dog's model 1873, it's chambered in 45 Schofield and has an additional cylinder timed for 45acp. It's antique(circa 1890) so no range, pal or silly att requirements :)
colt1.jpg
 
tbooker said:
The only problem with the Blackhawk is the ajustable sights. If you plan on shooting cowboy action they are not allowed.
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That has never been true, you could always shoot adjustable sights in cowboy... A few years back it put you in "modern" class, but SASS has since dropped that category...

The OLD model Vaquero was built using the large frame and it was just as strong as the New Model Blackhawk and could handle the heavy loads...

I have a pair of 45 New Model Blackhawks (5.5" blued convertable and 7.5 stainless), a pair of Uberti's and an original Colt from 1913... They are all great revolvers, but the Ruger's will most likely give a lifetime of trouble free enjoyment... If the Uberti's and Colt are pounded hard in frequent fast cowboy style shooting they will most definitely need some tune ups... They seem more prone to spring failures and locking bolt wear than the Rugers...

I will never get rid of my 45 Rugers or the orignal Colt, I may trade the Uberti's in order to get a pair of New Vaquero's soley for cowboy shooting...
 
I would get the Ruger New Vaqueros or the Pietta's. I have both. The Pietta quality is fine. I like the Ruger New Vaqueros as they are more traditional in size. The old Vaqueros, of which I have a pair, are fine too but have a larger non traditional size. I would suggest though, that you buy a matched pair of whatever you want in case you get into cowboy shooting. It is better to have the gun and not need it, then to need it and not have it (just like condoms and space craft).
 
tbooker said:
The only problem with the Blackhawk is the ajustable sights. If you plan on shooting cowboy action they are not allowed.
Click to expand...

SA revolvers were not intended for target shooting. This is why not many of them come with adjustable sights. If they come they look odd and ugly (at least according to my taste). Most factory ammo is accurate enough for cowboy shooting. If you reload you can work a load which is dead on from your Vaquero and stay with it. But if you really want target shooting you will be much better with DA revolver.
 
A convertable would be nice from the ammo standpoint. But anyone that wants to shoot .45Colt should really be looking at getting set up for reloading even if just in a modest way. The cost of .45Colt factory ammo makes this an easy choice.

A modest single stage press, dies, hand primer and digital scale can be put together for around $150 to $180. A little time spent making a wood case loading block and some powder dippers from spent casings and copper wire soldered to the casing completes this modest budget setup. Cases can be cleaned by soaking and agitating in a mix of liquid laundry detergent, vinegar and water. With a setup such as this you can reload for around $9 or slightly less per box of 50 compared to up around $30 a box where you can find it. At this sort of price difference it sure doesn't take long to pay off the reloading setup from the difference.

Enjoy your new Blackhawk when you get it. They really are a nice gun. And there's massive amounts of upgrade and tuning tricks along with aftermarket parts to slick it up to any degree you like.
 
If you want to reload on the cheap, try one of those "Lee Classic Loaders".
They are fun, slow & a good way to learn about the reloading process.
YouTube has many great videos to see how they work.

Being portable, it may even come in handy around the camp or out in the boonies if you needed more ammo for that special rifle, as long as you keep your brass & have extra components.

I take mine to the range sometimes.....
 
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