Thread: Wheelguns!

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

It has much to do with the loading of the powder in the cartridge. The 45 long colt is a very tame round. Try a 45/70-har har.

The 45-70 out of a Contender is a piece of cake, my old 450 marlin out of the encore was a bit stiffer lol. My usual shooter is the 375jdj, after shooting this for 20 years a 44mag feels like a 38spl out of an N frame smith

Recoil is all about the relationship between you and the weapon being used. Getting a system that is fitted to you and adjusted to your shooting style can make even hard hitters seem mild. This has to be taken with a bit of understanding and practice, but not everyone is interested in pushing big lead down range and there is nothing wrong with that. Heck I sold off the 450 Marlin because my 375JDJ out shot it and did the very same job at the same ranges, no need for 2 Bbls in the cannon reaches

My Ruger Bisley is now just a back up that may get cut down to around 5" so it stays out of the way. The larger handle on the Bisley really changed how I look ar the blackhawk line, my larger hands made the buckhorn style grips slide to much and made shooting them a problem. That extra half inch has made a huge difference in how that gun feels in mid recoil.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

It has much to do with the loading of the powder in the cartridge. The 45 long colt is a very tame round. Try a 45/70-har har.

My friends used to handload a lot, so the 45 LC were often juiced up quite a bit. I think they got them pretty close to Casull muzzle velocity. They were shooting them out of a Ruger SA frame (I'm not certain which) but they assured me that the cylinder could take it, and clearly they did. We shot a lot of rounds through those pistols.

I think a lot of factors determine felt recoil. One is the gun and grip. The SA Rugers and the Freedom Arms SA in 454 had a very good gun/grip geometry. The recoil of the gun seemed to work with your arm instead of against it. The gun kicked up in a very smooth arc without any jolt. All the .44 mags I've shot seem to want to kick straight back into the wrist and elbow and that's where it hurts. I have a pretty relaxed shooting stance and have never had any trouble managing recoil with any of the large caliber pistols I've shot ( I've never shot the .45/70, though I suspect I wouldn't like it out of a pistol ).

The other big factor in felt recoil is the powder used. faster burning powder tends to have a much greater impulse. With pistol rounds like the .454 and .44, the barrel length determines the upper limit on how slowly you can burn the powder (obviously, the powder that's still burning once the bullet leaves the barrel is wasted) and I suppose it's possible that the .44mag ammo off the shelf uses a faster burning powder because the manufacturer assumes that the buyer has the shortest production barrel for the caliber. The handloaded stuff and the Casull are both made for a gun with a 6 inch barrel, so maybe that was a factor?

My first hand gun was a Ruger Security Six, 6" barrel in stainless. It is the only wheel gun I have other than a black power pepper box. The rest of the hand guns are semi auto's. I used to do a lot or reloading but I really can't remember the specifics. Had to sell a bunch of the lon guns and reloading gear to make ends meet after the divorce.

I believe I was using 158 gr jacket hollow points for the 357 loads. Lead rounds just fowled up the barrel too fast for me w/ hot loads. All of my shooting was at targets. As time went by the regulations at the local gun club just got out of control. Other than an occasional shoot at a friends farm I don't get out shooting much. Now that I need to wear bi-focals my accuracy went way down. For a reloading press I used a Dillon Precision 550B. The pictures below are borrowed off the web.

S&W 686+( 7 hole) by TALO.

So nobody owns a Chiappa Firearms Rhino? I've wanted to try one just to see if the design makes much of a difference of a normal wheelgun.

My dad gave this handgun to me years ago. It's a .38 S&W Special. On the box it says it's a Model 60, but the owner's manual says it's a .38 Chief Special, Model 36.

Sorry the image is so dark - I've not mastered low-light photography

Originally Posted by Joed

My first hand gun was a Ruger Security Six, 6" barrel in stainless. It is the only wheel gun I have other than a black power pepper box. The rest of the hand guns are semi auto's. I used to do a lot or reloading but I really can't remember the specifics. Had to sell a bunch of the lon guns and reloading gear to make ends meet after the divorce.

I believe I was using 158 gr jacket hollow points for the 357 loads. Lead rounds just fowled up the barrel too fast for me w/ hot loads. All of my shooting was at targets. As time went by the regulations at the local gun club just got out of control. Other than an occasional shoot at a friends farm I don't get out shooting much. Now that I need to wear bi-focals my accuracy went way down. For a reloading press I used a Dillon Precision 550B. The pictures below are borrowed off the web.

One of the strongest revolvers ever made. A great gun to have.

Originally Posted by LinacMan

My dad gave this handgun to me years ago. It's a .38 S&W Special. On the box it says it's a Model 60, but the owner's manual says it's a .38 Chief Special, Model 36.

Sorry the image is so dark - I've not mastered low-light photography

My favorite snub nose, I have one with a flat latch.

Originally Posted by LinacMan

My dad gave this handgun to me years ago. It's a .38 S&W Special. On the box it says it's a Model 60, but the owner's manual says it's a .38 Chief Special, Model 36.

Sorry the image is so dark - I've not mastered low-light photography

When you open the cylinder the model should be stamped in side on the frame. The Mod. 60 is probably the most carried CCW weapon I know of... but i have been out of the game for MANY years. Used to cut them down a bit, bob the hammer and cut the single action notch away. Popular back up.

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

When you open the cylinder the model should be stamped in side on the frame. The Mod. 60 is probably the most carried CCW weapon I know of... but i have been out of the game for MANY years. Used to cut them down a bit, bob the hammer and cut the single action notch away. Popular back up.

That is if it was made from 1957 and on. Before that Smith didn't use model numbers. Hence the "Chief's Special" nomenclature.