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45 Schofield for Vaqueros


Phineas Colt

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I have an order for 357/38 Ruger Vaqueros but am thinking about switching it to 45 long colt. Anyone out their run .45 Schofield during matches? Would that be an ammo choice to keep you competitive with all of the people shooting .38 special?

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I think I remember some reporting that Schofield rims were too big to fit in the Vaquero cylinder and this was on the original size Vaqueros. Was sort of hit or miss. Most had no trouble. I don't know that I have seen it discussed on the New Vaquero. 45 Cowboy Specials would be a good option for reduced recoil loads, though. Their rim is the same diameter as the 45 Colt. As for competitive I feel it comes down to the individual shooter on that matter.

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11 minutes ago, Phineas Colt said:

I have an order for 357/38 Ruger Vaqueros but am thinking about switching it to 45 long colt. Anyone out their run .45 Schofield during matches? Would that be an ammo choice to keep you competitive with all of the people shooting .38 special?

If you want to be competitive with all the people shooting .38 Special why are you getting a .45?  Basic physics.

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Having shot .45 Colt revolvers for 20 years, and shot Cowboy .45 Special cartridges with light loads for 10 years, I'll tell you that you can't outshoot folks shooting 65 PF loads in their .38 Special guns.   Even with that small cartridge case (C45S), about the lowest reasonable PF is 80 to 90. 

 

If SASS will be all about competition for you, take the easy route and keep your .38 order in place.  If SASS is all about feeling like a real 1880's gun slinger, then go with .45 Colts and enjoy.   But you don't get the best of both worlds all at the same time and from the same guns.

 

good luck, GJ

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Well . . . . maybe yes . . . . maybe no.  With 45 Schofield cases, you still talking a lot of case volume when trying to shoot light loads.  that case volume can cause problems.  IF you just want to shoot 45s, consider the Cowboy 45 Special case, with 130Gr Barnstormer bullets.  Really really close in recoil to 38s.  But, simple physics will show the 38 will always be somewhat easier shooting than  45 anything.

 

By the Way, there is no such thing as 45 "long" colt.  It is simply 45 Colt.

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I shoot OMV .45 & have always used Schofield cases with 160 bullets..I do get a lot of split brass but that's because I do a hefty crimp, other than that I have no problems.

Yes agreed the .38's on average are probably faster to use , for myself I like the challenge of the .45's..I may not be the quickest but I'm happy with my shooting & that's what counts.

If I'm in the top 10 or 20 at a big shoot & usually the only one  using over .38 then that brings a smile to my face. !

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Yes.  I loaded them for my wife since she didn't appreciate my .45 loads.  Something with red-dot powder and a light bullet (185?).  Starline Scofield brass worked fine in her old-model Vaqueros.

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I'm shooting Cowboy .45 Spl. in my Vaqueros and rifles.  If you mean competitive from a recoil perspective, I'm sure someone out there can reproduce the the energy levels and tell you there is a tad more recoil in the C 45 SPL.  In the real world, I don't think there is an advantage with the .38. I would even say there is a very tiny advantage with the C 45 SPL because of the larger diameter of the bullet. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you for the responses everyone. I guess I should have phrased my question different. I understand that a 45 will never compete recoil wise with a 38 with top tier competitors. A more properly formed question would be how well do 45 colt shooters do in SASS? How high do they climb in the rankings at End of Trail for instance. I have one 357 Vaquero but there is definitely something attractive about using a more historical caliber of the day. Actually using a caliber as that of a "1880's gun slinger" as Garrison Joe mentioned. Not to mention the 45 Vaqueros feel better balanced along with the look of the barrel/cylinder in a larger caliber. @Garrison Joe, SASS #60708

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Real calibers start with 4.

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Some years ago I shot a pair of  original Vaqueros in 45 Colt , tried using Schofield cases , some would not chamber , they would hang up on the ratchet. Not every case  , but enough to make it impractical for me. 

Just my experience,

Rex :D

 

PS: This was before C45S was even a thing.

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There are many, many cowboy shooters faster than me, my duelist/GF experience is that I prefer the revolver to recoil enough to bring the hammer back a bit so that I can catch it and cock the hammer with pressure from the ring and pinky fingers.  A revolver that has little recoil and mostly lays flat might be preffered for two-handed shooting.

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Howdy

 

The problem with 45 Schofield in the 'original model' Vaquero was the shape of the ratchet star. It was a simple cylinder with teeth cut into it. Notice there is very little clearance between the Schofield rims and the ratchet teeth 'cylinder' in the Vaquero cylinder on the left. With the 2nd Gen Colt cylinder on the right the teeth are scalloped, leaving more clearance. In point of fact, I had two Stainless 'original model' Vaqueros. of the two, there was one chamber that would not quite accept a Scofield rim because of the slight amount of interference. A few quick swipes with a file solved the problem.

 

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Not a problem with a New Vaquero, the ratchet teeth have been slightly scalloped. Not as much as a Colt, but there is plenty of clearanced.

 

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The .38 Colt was around back during the Old West. That's what most Colt M1877 Lightnings were chambered in. The .38 Colt is the original length case before the .38 Special and the .357 Magnum.

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I shot Schofields in a pair of Ruger OM Bisley for 17 years before the "ritis" set in. 160gr 4.2gr TG. Won a few titles along the way.

 

JM

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