Abe E.S. Corpus SASS #87667

Good point; I overlooked the 50th Anniversary .44 Magnum which is a flattop but it uses the large cylinder frame (which it must to handle .44 Magnum). I read that the .41 Magnum flattops were assembled on frames from the 50th Anniversary .44 Magnum production run. We need a wall chart to keep up with the different Ruger single action variants!

The New Model Flattop is also available in .45 caliber. I think all the ones I have seen are convertibles. I agree, though, no “Ruger only” level .45 Colt loads in the Flattop.

I cleaned out my local SW’s stock of Black MZ. I use it for shotshells; 3F APP is reserved for metallic cartridges.

I’m going to give you my “cheapskate” advice. There’s no need to spend a bunch of money for a Wild Bunch holster. Many holsters designed for a single action revolver will serve for a 1911. It only stays in the holster from the LT until the pistol is drawn. We don’t reholster the 1911 at the end of the string. Spend the money on ammo.

A friend gave me a Frankfort Arsenal Vibra Prime when he found it would not work well with large primers (I mostly use small primers). It works very well with small primers. I contacted the company and they sent me a new tray for large primers but it still doesn’t feed well even after some sanding. I found the Hornady 1911 style tool on sale. It does a better job loading large primers but I find it more fiddly than the Vibra Prime.

That would be a Hornady product. I have one myself.

This used to be stated in the Shooters Handbook. I didn’t realize until I looked for it that the language was eliminated in about 2017. Probably as a result of eliminating rules that don’t carry a penalty. I can recall one spectator who showed up with a revolver. Instead of barking rules at him, I welcomed him to the match, explained that the rules (at the time) allowed only registered participants to carry firearms but we would treat him as a participant for the day. I explained that our revolvers stay unloaded until we are at the LT and had him “show clear” at a table. From there we gave him an orientation and lent him guns to shoot a stage or two. My home club is a “cold range”. Insurance requirements being what they are, I’d be surprised if a club allowed guests who are not participants in a match have a loaded firearm.

Miroku in Japan made the rifle sold as the Browning B92. A friend has one in .44 Magnum; they made a smaller number in .357. Very nice Carbine. Miroku also makes the 1892 sold as a Winchester; those have a tang safety and a rebounding hammer.

Ruger’s website says there is one ounce difference between a .357 Blackhawk (the one with the aluminum grip frame) and a New Vaquero in the same chambering and barrel length.

And who was it again who asked you to start carrying APP? You and Tommy are doing a great job bringing us good products.

The grip frame is small but the cylinder frame is the large size. The “medium size” cylinder won’t handle .44 Magnum.

There are two cylinder frames available in the New Model Blackhawk. The Flattop variant is shares the New Vaquero's medium sized frame. It began as the 50th Anniversary .357 Blackhawk, later as a .44 Special, and more recently as a .357/9mm or .45 Colt/.45 ACP convertible.

When I started shooting cowboy I ordered a rig from Paul after seeing one in my home club. The owner had ordered two rigs from Reddog. Paul made a rig for my wife. It's excellent. I also bought a Wild Bunch holster and belt from him. The eBay Store shows samples. He can do many other types.

B-Western does not require a Buscadero rig. There are other belt/holster styles that comply with the requirements of that category.

Another recommendation for Scarlett’s “Cowboy Cartridges”. Once you are ready to load your own cartridges Scarlett can provide you with the same bullets used in her cartridges and the label of the cartridges provides you with the load data so that you can duplicate the ammo! Some thought went into that.