Range report

[jb]

Seeings as this is a hunting and fishing site, vs a f#%&!@g baseball pussy people chat board I though I'd post something that goes along with what we are here for.
In the past month I bought two Colt SAA revolvers, one is a first generation 1920 38/40, and the other is a third generation NIB 2004 45 colt.
Today I had a chance to see how both of them shot and if there was a big difference between them vs. the 84 years apart they were made.
Using factory ammo and shooting off a bench and sandbag I really wanted to see how they shot vs. my marksmanship. They both shot pretty much where they were aimed, but the 38/40 was much easier to shoot vs. the recoil from the 45 colt.
The target you see for the 45 were the first 5 round that gun ever shot, may need to break it in a little.
The 84 year old 38/40 must have a few thousand rounds through it but never missed a beat.
I also have a second generation SAA (1961) that has the 7 1/2" barrel, I"ve shot that one already so I didn't bring it along.
May have to bring one of these along on opening day just for the fun of it.
45 Colt.jpg38-40 Colt.jpg

[Big Skyz]

Looks to me like you shoot that sidearm better than you do a rifle. Might have to have you bring that out here next time. All kidding aside that is a sweet looking pistol!

[Captain]

Dang good shooting with both them hog-legs! I think I got several boxes of ammo for both those revolvers. I know I've gotten rid of my 38-40 and .45 colt.
Congrats on some mighty fine hardware and shootin'
Take Care, Captain

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

[Bwana]

Looks like you found yourself a couple of sweet-shooting sidearms JB.

[BarryBobPosthole]

There's pistols and then there's shootin' irons. That there is a shootin' arn.

BKB

[Gunther]

Love that big Colt case. Are you loading for them? The RCBS 270 Keith style is way good cool. Weighs about 285 with my alloy. That .40 cal can be fun, ain't messed with it a lot but stay away from hard cast, stay 16:1 or so.

[Captain]

There's pistols and then there's shootin' irons. That there is a shootin' arn. BKB

Posthole! I swear you are starting to talk like you from Arkansas or sumpin'
Them handguns have a revolving cylinder and thus are revolvers...
A Pistol has a stationary cylinder that is feed by a magazine or in rare cases a "clip"
So all Pistols are handguns but NOT all handguns are pistols.....
Take Care, Captain

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

[Gunther]

It's actually hand RIFLE since they gots them there spinny spirals in the barrel.

[Buckrub]

You bought two SAA's?

You bought TWO SAA'S?

TWO?

Christmas. We celebrate Christmas here. just sayin'........

Geez.

[Buckrub]

And Posthole IS from Arkansas.

If you hold it in your hand and shoot cartridges, it's a pistol. If you mix it in your drink, its a coke. If you blow your nose on it, it's a kleenex.

Deal with it.

[jb]

Gus, I bought a Dillion RL550B to reload for my handguns. Have not had a chance to use it yet. What's a good load for a 45 Colt that's lighter than factory spec's

Bucky, I got the 1920 SAA by trading a trap gun that I never use, the 2004 came a few weeks later when I traded a Ruger Challenger that I won at a gun show and never used.
I really wanted to get three SAA so each son would end up with one.
So I have all three generations of SAA with each one having Colts difference barrel length.
3 Generations of Colts.jpg

[Buckrub]

get one more

[Gunther]

I got a couple Rugers in .45 Colt so I guess I don't load that light. That RCBS 270 mould is designed to fit the SAA and is a hell of a bullet from 700 to almost twice that. If, IF, you have mismatched chambers and barrels like Colt was wont to do at times it's awful hard to beat the original RNFP hollow base with pretty soft alloy so it can bump up and squeeze down. Penetrates like no tomorrow. The big meplat on the 270 RCBS smacks a lot harder though. Most commercial cast are way too hard for the pressures you're wanting. I have heard some good things about this company if you don't pour your own. http://www.montanabulletworks.com/ You'll probably want to stay at 15 Brinell or less. NO FRIGGING GAS CHECKS! EVER! I would stay with Unique, maybe Power Pistol range of burn rate for lighter loads. Unique is pretty bulky and you are filling a good sized case.

If you load to far down from factory specs I'll bet those SAA's will shoot high. If you still want lower than factory pressures and want them to shoot where you look you're gonna have to drop bullet weight, probably 230 or even 200 grains. Be careful if you're buying .45 ACP bullets because they will be hard.

If you wanna run formal bullets (the ones with jackets) you're kinda on your own. Just find the biggest diameter softest suckers you can.