In the comments to this post last week, Staff Martin mentioned that the glorious .45 Long Colt cartridge was “revolver-only” — meaning of course, that it couldn’t be chambered in a semi-auto pistol because of its rimmed cartridge case.
Of course, that only applies to handguns because there’s a plethora of rifles chambered for the .45 LC.
Which needless to say triggered one of my longtime fantasies of owning a rifle and handgun as “companion” pieces (i.e. with a shared cartridge chambering), such as these two exquisite offerings from Uberti: the 1873 “Sporting” rifle and the “Stallion” single-action revolver. Note the matching case-hardened finish, as a bonus:
Note too the octagonal barrel on the 1873, and the long tube magazine which holds twelve rounds. Now for the Stallion revolver:
Now I know that the purists are going to complain about my inclusion of reproductions rather than the original Winchester ’73 and Colt SAA , but have you seen the prices that the aforementioned are demanding these days?
And frankly, I love the case-hardened finish on these guns. They are drop-dead gorgeous.
Great to see the Gratuitous Gun Pics resurrected from times past, Kim.
I share your enthusiasm for wood and blue steel, while acknowledging that modern metals and composites have produced some superb firearms, wood and steel just seems right in the great scheme of things.
If funds were unlimited, I would be tempted to do a .460 Magnum pairing with a S&W revolver and the Big Horn Armory Model 90 rifle. I could use cooler .45 lc out of the revolver if I didn’t want the abuse on the hands.
I have the rifle in .357 – it’s a superb shooter, with it’s weight about like a .22 on steroids, and drop dead gorgeous to look at. I think I’ll have to install a tang peep though; the stock buckhorn sight is annoying.
No reason you can’t run rimmed cartridges through an automatic– DE does it well enough with .357 and .44 for example.
For me, the only reason to not have a rifle in .45 LC is that most all of them are also made in .44 Mag, which is superior in every measurable way, especially in a rifle. I do enjoy shooting .45 LC, but it’s hard to justify when there are much better chamberings in a given boom stick.
I went .44 mag (Henry and SW). I must look at Umberti rifles. Thanks Kim. I have the Umberti Walker Colt which gets hand stuffed BP or the Howell drop in cylinder depending on how I feel. I invite the unfamiliar to hold that heavy bastard at arm’s reach for six shots and try to actually hit something.
I want a Colt Patterson Umberti but they stopped making them a few years ago. If I were not by nature lazy and indolent I could likely find one.
Correction: I want four (4) Pattersons so I can got armed like the early Rangers.
IIRC, the original 1873s weren’t chambered in .45 Colt much. The hotrod combo of choice was .44-40. I’d like to have a pair in .45 Colt, though.
Put those originals away! Those guns are not yours – they belong to future generations. We are just care takers!
I have the Uberti 1876 in .45-75 bottleneck. I’m probably the only guy in this corner of the world actively shooting it with actual brass for it. These guns are one of the few that look as good in person as they do in the pics of the gun rags.
I have a SAA in .357. It is fun, but I’m not super fond of the sights, as my eyes are starting to lose the sharpness of my youth.
For a matched set, I’d take the rifle and the previously mentioned S&W M25.
Right with you on the color case hardening. Most gorgeous finish ever!
I like and appreciate the lever guns, I’ve always had a yen for the pump action Colts. I don’t think they made the originals in 45LC (could be wrong though), the repros do come in that caliber. That is the one that would make me pick up another caliber to collect.
Agreed on color case hardening. As much as I love a deep blue finish, it is in second place to color case hardening.
I fell victim to the same temptation Kim, but in my case it was to the ubiquitous 44WCF:
1873 Sporting Rifle (love that 30″ boom-stick);
SAA, 7-1/2″; and a 3-12″ Thunderer “belly-gun” –
all from Cimarron Arms, and in Charcoal Blue.
So, is there a class in CAS that uses full power loads? These would be lovely for that. I gave it some thought in the day, but I’m not interested in competing with squibs. And full power against squib shooters would definitely leaving me sucking wind most, if not all, the time.