old wild west style revolver model question?
you know all them old wild west movies. young guns, clint eastwood movies, john wayne. movies, any old action/drama wild west style movies. well i have a .357 revolver. its a bigger gun, with more power i know. what are some of the common gun model(s) and caliber(s) that the “cowboys” used back then, and in the moves? i want to get a single action or bouble action revolver but not a huge bulky hand cannon. i want something that a common “gunslinger” would have used back then. im somewhat familiar with pistol calibers. but not an expert, if you know what i mean. i want to get the whole “cowboy” thing going on. gun, belt, holster, and even the skills. (no i dont need the boots, hat and spurs- lol) they always seemed to have plenty of take down power for “draw matches” but at the same time they were smaller and easier to control. anybody have some info or suggestions? thanks.
The Colt Peacemaker is still available but pricey. The calibers include 32-20, 38 spl, 357 mag., 44-40, and 45 Long Colt.
Clones of these famous guns are available through Ruger, as the Vaquero; Taurus, as the gancho. These are the ones I have, all in 45 Long Colt. I like the .45 Long Colt. One of my guns is blued the other three are polished stainless steel. Looks like the old nickle finish but much more durable.
I do a lot of cowboy action shooting. This is what I am using:
Ruger Vaquero, .45 Long Colt, 3 1/2 barrel, birdshead grip.
Ruger Vaquero, 45 Long Colt, 5 1/2 barrel, standard grip.
Marlin lever action, 45 Long Colt, Octogon barrel.
Marlin lever action, 45-70, Octogon barrel.
Stoeger, 12GA, double barrel shotgun (coach gun).
Holster rig is a Triple K “Wyoming Belt”, #110 and a Cheyenne Holster, #114 (for the 5 1/2 inch gun) and a Keegan Crossdraw holster, #115 (for the 3 1/2 inch gun)
My two Taurus gun are going to a engraver and will later be paired up with a Mernickle holster rig.
Costs: If you want to stay with a Colt Peacemaker, expect to part with over $1000 for the gun. New Ruger Vaqueros are selling for about $450. The Taurus guns are going for about $400. The Marlin lever action in 45 Long Colt will cost you near $500. The big Marlin 45-70 will ding you for over $650.
The holster rig, which I bought through Midwayusa, cost about $50 for the belt, $50 for Cheyenne holster. I had to get the Keegan Crossdraw from Triple K, cost $67. That is about as cheap as it gets for a decent quality holster rig.
All of these guns are pretty much the same design and look of the old west guns. Better steels and internal workings, but the same look and feel.
Bullets for the guns are readily available in “smokeless’ powder loads. There are some companies that make Black Powder loads for these guns if you really want the old west experience. Be warned that these old loads require you clean the gun as soon as you are done shooting. Black Powder can be pretty dirty to shoot. I stick with smokeless powder. Same bang for the buck, but easier to clean.
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