H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

For .38 Short, and Long Colt, i use a .358" 150 grain RNHP from Buffalo Arms. I either load it with Trailboss for use in safe for smokeless guns, or black/sub for guns like this one that require it. The bullet is pretty much pure lead. It of course works well in guns with a .357" bore, and the hollow base "bumps up" to grab the rifling in older guns with a .375" bore.

Addendum... I am not sure how it's doing it, but the New House DOES seem to be able to lock between the cylinders, at least when it's not loaded. But only if the loading gate is closed. If the gate is open, it's not locked. Curious.

I just picked up an interesting small revolver. A Colt New House .38. The .38 in question is .38 Long Colt, which means it can also run .38 Short Colt. It is in excellent mechanical condition and the bore is very clean. According to Colt's Website, it was made in 1882, so it's a black powder only gun. I have recently become fascinated by these smaller sized single action revolvers, of .32 and .38 caliber. They are just interesting guns. Many have a spur trigger, more than a few don't. That many of them are 5 shot with no safety notch limits their usefulness as a main match revolver. You could of course load them with four and load the 5th on the clock, just for the chance to use them, which might be a pain, but might also be fun. Of course, many of them fall into that nebulous area of is it small main match gun, or a large pocket pistol? We'll let that go for now. Between what I have in my collection, and a few recent acquisitions, I am finding myself really interested in these things. Colt, S&W, Merwin & Hulbert, Remington, and who knows who else all made things in this general category. Calibers that I have found things in include .32 Short Colt, .32 Long Colt, .32 S&W, .38 Short Colt and .38 Long Colt. Curiously, I have not found anything in .32 S&W Long, but I did find one modern made gun with a .32 H&R Magnum cylinder that you could rung the S&W Longs in if you want to, and I intend to do just that. If memory serves, the S&W Long didn't come out till the early 1900's, so maybe that's why I don't find anything specifically in that caliber? (I have seen some vintage double action pistols of this size, but no singles.) Anyway, I really, REALLY find these guns to be interesting things to own and collect. Regardless of if I ever use them in our game, I may take them up to an indoor range to test fire them and see how accurate they are. Of course, some of these do need to be loaded with black powder, so I don't know if they allow that. I'll have to call and check, I guess. I will also admit that a couple of my guns of this type are currently with my gunsmith, getting fixed, but I am eager to get them all back so I can share them with you all, just for the fun of it. And finally, a couple of weeks ago, while talking about these types of guns in another context, I brought up the idea of an unofficial shooting style (akin to Josey Wales) where you would use two of these types of pistol, loaded with four rounds each, with the final 2 round being fired from a derringer. It was suggested that this could be called "Gambler Style," and I think that's a good a moniker as any. Shotgun and rifle would be any normal main match type. Maybe, at the very least, it can be a single stage side match at a bigger shoot. Setting aside whatever way, if any, these guns can be used in our game, does anyone else out there find them to be interesting? I know that for pocket pistols, most of us gravitate to DA pistols, but there are a good amount of these interesting SA guns. Let's chat about them. ''

.38 Special and .357 Magnum are about the only 2 SASS Legal calibers that I really don't have any guns for, and that I am not interested in, for Cowboy shooting. I DO have a derringer in .38 Special, but I run .38 Short Colts in it. I also have a couple of revolvers in .38 Long Colt. For .38 Short Colt I run 1.2 grains of Trailboss using a .358" 150 grain RNHB bullet from Buffalo arms. For .38 Long Colt, I run 2.0 grains of Trailboss using the same bullet. It works very well. I do sometimes also load with black, and in that case, I just fill the case so I get the proper amount of compression with the same bullet.

I have the Lee dies for .32 S&W/32 S&W Long. If I get some brass, I'll if I can to Magnum on them.

Depending on the context, either .32-20, 32 S&W Long or .32 S&W. I won't shoot .32 H&R Magnum in it because I am not tooled up to load that caliber. The S&W calibers are what I am most interested in, if and when I use this as a "Small Iron" paired with my Big Iron.

Double checked everything. It's a 4 click gun. Clicks three and four are very close, but still distinct, so that's how I got mixed up. It does have the two position pin. I guess it's "new older stock?" Anyway, as promised, here are some pics. First, a Colt Lightning. I actually have two of these, this one, and a Sheriff's model, but I thought this was a better comparison with the ejector and all. And, the Uberti... As you see, it's a very pretty gun, and clearly inspired by the Colt, but is not just a single action version of it. And the two of them together... Dimensions are very similar, but different in places. In some details the Uberti is both smaller, and larger than the Colt. Anyway, this is gonna be a fun gun to shoot.

It is new. Yes, it has the two position pin. I assumed the so called transfer bar when I saw the pin, and the manual describes it. Maybe it's not there? It occurs to me that since mine is a .32, they should have called it a Rainmaker... Will post pics later today.

What's a meter?

I don't mean to imply that I think that's how it SHOULD be, just that I find it plausible that this is how it would be.

Well, yeah. But that's a shotgun sport. Shotguns have not been exoticasized by the Olympics the way rifles and pistols have. And Trap and Skeet as games are done the same way.

I picked up one of those Cimmaron "Lightning" revolvers made by Uberti with a dual cylinder, .32-20 and .32 H&R Magnum. It's got a 3.5" barrel. Basically a 3/4 size SAA, I assume they call it the Lightning because it's roughly the same size as the Colt 1877 Lightning revolver with the same birds head grips as that old DA revolver. Yes, it has the much complained about 3 click hammer and frame mounted firing pin. But you know, while I have not yet live fired it, it seems to have fairly nice action and good, crisp trigger. While I generically miss the 4 clicks, it's really not all that noticeably different. I think this will be a fun addition to my collection, and is a good candidate to become my "Small Iron" when I finally finalize that concept. Now I just have to decide if I should get a third cylinder and have it sleeved for .32 Long Colt. I can already run S&W's in the Magnum cylinder.

I don't know why I wonder about things like this, but here goes. If Cowboy Action Shooting was an event in the Olympics, what would it look like? I have a feeling that the event would be rather simplified, and that the rules would mandate the following for Olympic style shooting... 1. Everyone is shooting .38 Special with a very specific load. 2. Everyone is shooting a Winchester 73 with a specific style of short stroke and barrel length, probably 20 inches. 3. Everyone is shooting adjustable sight Rugers with 5.5 inch barrels. 4. Everyone is shooting a specified make/model of hammerless SxS, 12 gauge, 20 in barrel. And here's the kicker... All stages, are "stand and deliver." At most, 1 large target for pistols, another for the rifle, and 4 larger knock downs for the shotgun. Movement will be minimal, if not non existent with all targets engageable from the same position, or at most 2 positions that are only 2 or 3 paces apart. I base this on how most Olympic shooting is done these days with very specialized guns that have little no relation to ones used by everyday shooters, And, I just don't see the Olympics allowing for the wide variety equipment that we see in our game. Conformity will be imposed to "level the playing field," so that it's shooter skill and not the equipment. The only thing I am unsure of is if one or two handed pistol shooting would be mandated. I assume no cross draw, meaning the "off" hand will have to be drawn and moved to the other hand, or the shooter will have to learn to shoot both left and right handed. I have seen some very fast shooters do the draw with one hand shoot with the other style and win a buckle so doing. Most of them are two handed shooters, but some are one handed. I know I'm giving this way too much thought, but might I be on to something?

.45-70 creates some unique issues that no other round has. First of all, there are basically 3 versions of it. 1. Trapdoor safe loads 2. Winchester 1886 loads 3. Ruger #1 loads. While I don't own a Ruger, I do own a Trapdoor and a Winchester. ALL of my .45-70 ammo is loaded to Trapdoor safe levels. I just don't want to risk a problem. Unless you have one of those Rugers, I'd get out the bullet puller and pull the bullets, dispose of the powder, and reload them to known levels. You just have no way of knowing what the reloads of have been reloaded too. As far as Factory ammo goes, believe it or not, SOME factory ammo is rated as being "Trapdoor safe." There will be a note on the box, "For use on all rifles" or something similar to indicate this. If that note is not on the box, you must assume it'll blow up a Trapdoor, and not fire it in one. And that assumes that the factory ammo is really factory ammo, and in its original box. Just too many variables, in my opinion. Pull 'em apart, discard the powder and do up your proper load. By the way, there are of course other guns that fit into the above categories. A Remington Rolling Block needs Trapdoor safe loads. A Marlin or other lever gun can handle Winchester loads, but I'd still only give 'em Trapdoor level stuff. (Partly for the recoil!) I do not know if anything other than the Ruger can handle those kind of loads, and I'd have no desire to find out. Good luck!

Lotsa interesting comments and opinions. For that, I thank everyone who spoke so far. (I hope more will.) While the idea of putting a new loading gate on it is intriguing to me, the idea that leaving it alone due to it's very unique nature also has much merit. Also, I have to agree that "as is" it does have some fascinating character, and even a very nice refinishing would erase that, even if I left it 100% in its present configuration. The barrel is not a reline of a larger caliber. It looks very much like it was made as a .32, yet another reason why I know it's not original. Or, if it is a lined barrel, it's so well done that I can't see the evidence. The more I think about it, the more I think that I am just gonna leave it alone and enjoy it. I'll still give it some more thought, but I am leaning more in the leave it alone direction than I was when I started this thread. It occurs to me that have an unusual configuration gun like this, is in and of itself, a nice thing to have. If I really want to create a fancy custom gun, I can start with a modern made Uberti or Pietta and then crazy config it to my heart's content. In fact, I have started thinking about taking my Big Iron and having it refinished and perhaps even engraved. But that's another story.

The gun is very tight with no play. Everything seems to be as is should be. The bore is very clearly a .32 caliber one. I've not slugged it, but just looking down the bore, it very much seems to be the the same size as other guns I have in .32 S&W. It shoots well, and is nice and accurate.

While the stage was set for the downfall during Peter Capaldi's tenure as the Doctor, the show was still watchable and at times quite clever. As far as I am concerned when it came time for him to give up the role, the Doctor failed to regenerate and he died. That was the end of our favorite Time Lord. The ONLY way I will ever return is if they do a scene where as the outgoing Doctor regenerates, the new one is standing in the Tardis where Capaldi's version was, is dressed in Capaldi's suit, and it is clearly stated that he had some sort of weird regeneration hallucination, thus ERASING everything that came after Capaldi left, giving who ever the next Doctor is a clean slate to start his time as the Doctor. Sadly, it'll never happen. So, as far as I can say, the Doctor has died.

As I said, "The barrel is not original, nor is the cylinder, which seems to be of modern manufacture."

Okay, in my collection, I have this gun... This a real Colt 1860 revolver that has been cartridge converted to .32 S&W Long. The barrel is not original, nor is the cylinder, which seems to be of modern manufacture. The ring I am not sure of, and it seems to be more or less not removable, That silverish colored filler suggests to me that there was once a loading gate there, but that it was eventually removed and filled in. Could it have been a .44 cartridge conversion at some point in the distant past? I have no idea, but it is interesting to speculate about. The gun functions flawlessly, and the innards have been extensively rebuilt by my favorite gunsmith. (When I got it, it was barely functional) He had to fabricate some of the parts, but it now works. With all of that as background, I thin you can all agree with me that as interesting as this gun is, it has no "collector" value. Unless of course the pending Colt letter comes back saying that it is an unusual factory conversion ordered by Buffalo Bill, but I tend to think that will not be the case. Anyway, I basically am considering three options. 1. Leave it alone and shoot it as is. 2. Have a loading gate installed, and maybe an ejector. 3. Have it refinished to look really pretty. I know that this gun will never command any kind of a premium on the used/collector market, but as a personal "heirloom" I may as well enjoy it. I know, "it's my gun, I can do whatever I want with it," and that is very true. But I am curious as to what people think of my options. I have a handful of "no real value" as collector pieces guns that are as ugly as all get out that I am considering having redone to make them more enjoyable. This is one of them. This is also more of a long term project. And by "refinished" I mean Turnbull like quality, not just having it reblued. (Turnbull may be the most famous, but they are not the only ones who do that level of work...) To be honest, Option 3 is in my mind contingent on the ability to do option 2 first. If I can't get the conversion "finished" I don't see any point to having the finish refinished. And, even if I do pursue option 2, 3 may not automatically follow. The guns still looks pretty good, although I suspect the existing finish is not origianl. Anyway, I thought this might make for an enjoyable conversation. I'd like to know what people think of my options. Oh, no. I have already decided that I will not shorten the barrel for use in another context.

So what is "Shootist?"

That's a good sounding change. I know that loading both an AWA and a Colt can be a tedious process!

Good question about the extractor being bent before the problem. I suppose it is possible, but it was definitely made worse. Before the jam, spent cases were extracted and ejected. Now with it bent the way it is, it does not extract from the chamber. When I take it to my gunsmith, I'll be sure to ask him to check the timing and everything. Did not take a picture of the stove pipe. Best I can do is imagine an unfired cartridge pointing straight down into the action the primer almost perfectly positioned under the extractor hook. I was not a comfortable thing to look at! I had to use a screw knife to push the next cartridge back into the magazine and then gently pull the lever closes to get the bolt to push the cartridge out from under the extractor. Once it was free, working the action did cycle rounds from the magazine, but had to hold the rifle straight up so they would fall out of the chamber upon opening because the extractor was too bent upward to extract.

With regards replacing the bolt with a non safety bolt, it would probably be easier to find a complete pre-safety gun. My own Rossi is an older one that does not have the safety, I usually see at least one at most gun shows I go to.

MIM?

200 Grain RNFP bullets, over 5.5 grains of Trailboss. Sounds like the extractor is a known issue. But I am still at a loss as to how it reverse stove piped to get under there to bend it.