puma 92 lever action 45lc,44mag,357mag

What cal makes most sense? C.A.S. plus some hunting

  • Total voters
    195
The 357 Mag over the 44 Mag and 45 Colt? The only reasons I see are "cheaper and easier to find ammo". Does no-one handload? The 357 Mag is not in the same league as either of those other two, and in the strong M92 Puma action, the 45 Colt will do everything that the 44 Mag will and a bit more. BTW - did Cowboys use 357 and 44 mags?

You can load the 45 Colt down to 800 fps with light for caliber bullets and have an easy going Cowboy gun, or load it up and have a legit deer guns. 45 Colt - hands down.
 
45 Colt and 44 magnum I'd use on anything in NA except grizzlies. I'd have no problems pointing a 357 at a deer at reasonable distances.

357 is probably better for range shooting, cowboy shooting etc.
 
Since you live in ontario I'm going to say the .357. dirt cheap to shoot, and plenty of power for deer and bear from typical Ontario treestand ranges.
 
My Winchester 1892 is in 44-40. I've taken deer with it at less than BP velocities. (215 grains at 900 fps to be exact)
If you're close enough, any of those choices will work fine.
At one time, the 45 Colt was regarded as a bear stopper, out of a handgun, and in BP.
The old slow cartridges get a bum rap from the gun rag boys. Speed isn't everything.
Big holes still get the job done.

my current 44-40 deer load is the same bullet at near 44 mag speeds.
 
Any one now somewhere that carries the 44magnum that is near Ottawa. Preferably the short barrel length. 16" to 20" .
If I had a reloading set up now I would just go for the 45colt but now I don't think I can get the best of this caliber until I am able to reload for it
 
Puma lever gun

I have a Puma with 16" bbl. in .44 Mag......and now that the Hornady Leverevolution ammo is available it is a potent if short range rifle for deer and black bear.
Virtually all lever guns do not like the sharp bullet shoulder on semi jacketed lead bullets...but any of the jacketed ammo works great.....
Doc Rowland has them and they are priced right....google him
 
twistedbrilliance said:
Any one now somewhere that carries the 44magnum that is near Ottawa. Preferably the short barrel length. 16" to 20" .
If I had a reloading set up now I would just go for the 45colt but now I don't think I can get the best of this caliber until I am able to reload for it
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If you have a Canadian Tire that carries firearms, have them ship the one from Kingston to your store, or come to Kingston and check it out. I think it's a 20" version they have.
 
Sort of a side note, I've been reloading for a few years now, but for rifle/bottleneck cases only. I bought a set of dies and some powder/bullets for .44 mag and was surprised how fast a) to get the 3 dies set up and b) how fast the operation is compared to more 'precision' rifle. Did 50 rounds in the time it would take me to do half or less of, say, real precise .223.
 
I like the .45 Colt because of the opportunity to hunt fairly large game here. Having said that, i think the .357 should be fine for deer sized game. IIRC Paco Kelly had some 180gr loads going 1800 fps out of a 16" barrel. That is comparable to a 170gr bullet's velocity out of a .30-30 in the same length barrel.
 
Thanks for the great responses. Really helps to hear from guys that have owned and used them for multiple uses. I have shot them recently in CAS and loved it so now I must find one for myself. I will check some of the suggested spots. Doc Rowland's site looked good but I do not wish to do a mail order as the canada post here is god awful and they always loose mail on me, so I don't trust them with a firearm in my name.
May be a dumb question but is the quality of a firearm at Crappy tire gonna be the same? I hear a lot of horror stories about quality of rifles people have bought at labaron and one fellow told me that he knows a manufacturer and that labaron buys low quality rifles that have previously been rejected from the good dealers..
 
The 357 in 24 inch Winchester loaded with 158 grain Hornady XTP 296 POWDER or 2400 WILL scream out at well over 1600 fps.

MY 44 Marlin 20 inch and my Winchester saddle ring 44 mag are wonderful. The 240 grain Winchester or Hornady with 23 grains 296. Good kick real accurate. Have not tried H110 yet.

Bullet Barn has 300 grain cast in 44. Will gas check them . But for plinking the 44 special in a 44 is like shooting a 38 in a 357.

Don't rule out 45 Colt in a 20 inch Marlin or Winchester using IMR 4227 AND Hornady 250 grain xtp.
 
Buck45 said:
The 357 in 24 inch Winchester loaded with 158 grain Hornady XTP 296 POWDER or 2400 WILL scream out at well over 1600 fps.

MY 44 Marlin 20 inch and my Winchester saddle ring 44 mag are wonderful. The 240 grain Winchester or Hornady with 23 grains 296. Good kick real accurate. Have not tried H110 yet.

Bullet Barn has 300 grain cast in 44. Will gas check them . But for plinking the 44 special in a 44 is like shooting a 38 in a 357.

Don't rule out 45 Colt in a 20 inch Marlin or Winchester using IMR 4227 AND Hornady 250 grain xtp.
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thanks for the tips
 
Buck45 said:
Have a 45 Colt like the idea of the Puma in 454.

Not to high jack this thread but has anyone had dealings with Chaparral Lever actions ?

Have a 44 mag and it also handles 44 special. best of both worlds.
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I have the Chaparral "66 in .357 and love it for CAS. At the last shoot, the fellow shooting after me had a Chaparral '66 in .45 and he also likes it. He also uses Chaparral revolvers and likes them, whereas I use Piettas. They are a lot cheaper than Uberti.
 
Google Chapparal rifle reviews and you'll get lots of feedback............Uberti is expensive because you get what you pay for..................Harold
 
Cowboy Shootist said:
I have the Chaparral "66 in .357 and love it for CAS. At the last shoot, the fellow shooting after me had a Chaparral '66 in .45 and he also likes it. He also uses Chaparral revolvers and likes them, whereas I use Piettas. They are a lot cheaper than Uberti.
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Excellent thank you.
 
I just purchased it in the 45 Colt as I use it for CAS and in my opinion a more authentic caliber even though they did not have a rifle in that caliber back then Also my hand guns are in the same caliber
 
Buck45 said:
The 357 in 24 inch Winchester loaded with 158 grain Hornady XTP 296 POWDER or 2400 WILL scream out at well over 1600 fps.
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Take a look at this write up:

http://www.gunblast.com/Winchester-Ranger357.htm

They have the Buffalo Bore 180gr cast lead factory ammo clocked at 1812fps out of a 16" barrel. Handloaded 180gr Hornady XTP boogies along at 1831fps out of the same 16" tube. That gives a +/- 2.5" point blank range of 150 yards. Not too shabby, imo.
 
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