True West's Best Cowboy Action Shooting Firearms

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

True West Magazine emailed a link to their website listing the following interesting list of CAS Firearms:

 

Best Cowboy Action Pistol

 

Taylor’s Smokewagon

 

Taylor’s & Co.’s exclusive second-generation, stagecoach-style, single-action revolver, The Smoke Wagon, has a blue finish with a case-hardened frame, and a thin, richly detailed, checkered grip for comfort and improved aim. The Smoke Wagon is an exclusive, trademarked sidearm of the Winchester, Virginia, firearm company. The deluxe Smoke Wagon includes custom tuning, a custom hammer and base pin springs, a trigger pull set at three pounds, jig-cut, positive angles on all triggers and sears for crisp, reliable action, and a wire bolt spring.

TaylorsFirearms.com

 

Readers’ Choice:

Ruger’s Vaquero

Best Cowboy Action Rifle

 

Uberti’s 1873 Winchester

 

Known worldwide as “the rifle that won the West,” the Winchester 1873 Rifle and Carbine is manufactured by Uberti in seven distinctive models, including an Uberti 1873 Carbine, Uberti 1873 Special Sporting Rifle, Uberti 1873 Trapper and Uberti 1873 Half Octagon Rifle.

Uberti.com

 

Readers’ Choice:

Marlin’s 1895 Cowboy

Best Cowboy Action Shotgun

 

Cimarron Firearms‘ 1887 Lever Action Terminator

 

Modeled after an original in the Cimarron Firearms private collection, the five-shot smoothbore 1887 Lever Action Terminator repeating shotgun first went on sale in the spring of 1888. The shotgun quickly became a favorite of law-enforcement officers across the West. Today’s, Cimarron 1887 Lever Action Terminator is available in either a 22-, or 28-inch round blued barrel,
a color case hardened receiver, in 12 gauge and capable of handling 2¾-inch shotshells.

Cimarron-Firearms.com

 

Readers’ Choice:

Century Arms‘ 1887
Lever Action Shotgun

Edited December 22, 2016 by Father Kit Cool Gun Garth

[McCandless]

Readers’ Choice:

Ruger’s Vaquero

Best Cowboy Action Rifle

Uberti’s 1873 Winchester

This must have been heavily influenced by advertisers. The Vaquero and 1873 are the only place I could agree with them... and I own Smokewagons and an 1887.

('87 the best CAS shotgun and Readers Choice an '87 ?? There's a few folks that run it really well... but it's not the overwhelming choice of all shooters)

[Lone Dog, SASS #20401]

ha ha their readers are not as knowledgeable as us'ns are or they would not have chosen the PW87, a gun that can only be made to run by genius smiths like Lassiter hisownself and is basically useless out of the box

[twelve mile REB]

Not a thing against any of the stuff they or you for that matter like but a Ruger, a 73 and a SxS of some sort seem to be the choice of most. The next shotgun would be a 97 at least by volume and then all the other SA's almost everyone would love a colt but few of us have the dollars.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Marlin 1895-

OLG

[El Hombre Sin Nombre]

Marlin 1895-

OLG

It said cowboy action, not sass. There was a cowboy action shoot at a range here that recently closed down that allowed rifle caliber rifles (what a novel concept) and the marlin 1895 was king of the elevator weight knock down targets at that match. Besides, who doesn't love the 45-70?

[Frontier Lone Rider]

I doubt the author ever attended a SASS or Cowboy Match.

[Griff]

Watched a show last nite on the Outdoor Channel... had Midway's Larry Potterfield talking about why the 1873 was the so popular in cowboy action, mentioned SASS specifically... he said it was because of "how smooth the action is... and that's because of the long lever throw." Huh? I bet that comes as news to all those short stroked rifle owners out there!

 

And folks wonder why the experienced shooters recommend that new folks go out to a match before choosing their guns for this sport! Magazines, TV and other outlets all seem so reasonable... until you actually try to compete with their recommendations!

[Boggus Deal #64218]

Watched a show last nite on the Outdoor Channel... had Midway's Larry Potterfield talking about why the 1873 was the so popular in cowboy action, mentioned SASS specifically... he said it was because of "how smooth the action is... and that's because of the long lever throw." Huh? I bet that comes as news to all those short stroked rifle owners out there!

 

And folks wonder why the experienced shooters recommend that new folks go out to a match before choosing their guns for this sport! Magazines, TV and other outlets all seem so reasonable... until you actually try to compete with their recommendations!

Can't tell you how much disinformation I have seen in local gun stores about SASS useable guns, too! 1894 Winchesters in 30-30. 93/97s. Double action revolvers shot single action.

[Pat Riot]

Can't tell you how much disinformation I have seen in local gun stores about SASS useable guns, too! 1894 Winchesters in 30-30. 93/97s. Double action revolvers shot single action.

Man, is that ever true. That is how I ended up buying a Win. 94 in .357 back in 97 as my first CAS rifle. The man at the gun show said "this is the best Cowboy Action rifle out there. You can't go wrong."

 

Since then I see and hear things like that all the time at gun shows, dealers and stores. Just a month ago I intervened at a Cabela's where a well-meaning salesman told a kid that "a Marlin 336 30-30 could be used in SASS matches". I butted in and asked the kid if he meant main match or side match. He just stood there blinking and said "well, I just want to shoot in SASS". I thanked the salesman and led the lad over to the side and gave him all the info I could pull up on my iPhone and the links to the Wire, SASS and showed him where to download the rule book. He was in town visiting from Montana and was going to have a gun transferred if he found a deal.

 

I chastised a salesman a couple of years ago for trying to tell a lady that she had to shoot .45 Colt as "it's the only true cowboy round".

 

If I sat down and wrote all the examples out that I have witnessed I would be here all day...

[Griff]

Can't tell you how much disinformation I have seen in local gun stores about SASS useable guns, too! 1894 Winchesters in 30-30. 93/97s. Double action revolvers shot single action.

Yep... downright discouraging! Now, I'll have you know... the Winchester 94 in .30-30 was legal as a main match rifle right up to the month before I started,

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In 1985!

[Innocent Bystander SASS #24171]

Watched a show last nite on the Outdoor Channel... had Midway's Larry Potterfield talking about why the 1873 was the so popular in cowboy action, mentioned SASS specifically... he said it was because of "how smooth the action is... and that's because of the long lever throw." Huh? I bet that comes as news to all those short stroked rifle owners out there!

 

And folks wonder why the experienced shooters recommend that new folks go out to a match before choosing their guns for this sport! Magazines, TV and other outlets all seem so reasonable... until you actually try to compete with their recommendations!

In that same show, Potterfield said the 38-40 was a 38 caliber cartridge, when it is actually a 40 caliber.

[Cat Brules]

Potterfield is not a good person to ask about this sort of thing.

Now, if you ask him to recommend a plastic surgeon, he's yer man. :-)

[Bad Jeemes Kelly]

ha ha their readers are not as knowledgeable as us'ns are or they would not have chosen the PW87, a gun that can only be made to run by genius smiths like Lassiter hisownself and is basically useless out of the box

I have to say, I was skeptical of how bad they could be, and I saw a PW87 at the local shop, so I bought it. After about a dozen rounds, I polished it up and took it to the gun show, where I was overjoyed to have one of the usual guys outside the front door take it off my hands for about $50 less than I paid.