Hammered Stagecoach Shotgun and Cowboy Action

The shotgun is a Russian built 2 3/4" 12 Ga Remington hammered double barrel with screw in chokes and the top grade walnut stock. It is a very nicely made breakdown shotgun, the fit is excellent and the finish is very nice. The chokes are full, improved modified, modified, and improved cylinder. The gun is quite light, subsequently it kicks like a mule, there comes a point when you've had enough fun with this beast.

The setup shown is for cowboy action shooting, the revolvers are SAA Colt patent Uberiti's in 3 1/2" barrel .45Colt, the rifle is a Marlin Model 1895 Lever in 45-70 Govt, 400 gr flatnoses with 57 gr of IMR 4895 pushing them means it shoves a shooter around. There is nothing in North America that has not been hunted with that rifle and round. The dollar bill is for scale, the rounds are next to their guns.

Cowboy Action shooting involves a course of fire that is set up as a scenario, typically Old West, many competitors dress in period dress. I don't plan to. The part of the set up that is not shown is the double holsters for the revolvers and scabbards for the shotgun and rifle, the part that I have not yet put together.

All the pieces perform excellently, the shotgun is quick on the point, the revolvers are a pure delight to shoot, the lever action is very accurate and hits like a freight train. Once I start to compete I'll put up some photos of competition, better ones than these taken with dying batteries. The idea probably seems a little like playing cowboys and Indians with real guns, yes there is that aspect, but it also involves becoming very proficient with these guns in near real world practice and every one of these firearms is a very serious piece.

My Blog has been hit several times per week with Google searches for coach gun because I mentioned the shotgun once, I have now put up a result for those searchers. I consider this particular shotgun a very good buy for the price.

Remington Coach Gun , Bisley Vaquero

Way Politically Incorrect

I'd previously mentioned something about fast cars, guns, and way left politics, so not to leave any doubts about whether I meant it or not, here's a couple of my favorites in the second category.

These are a matched pair of 3 1/2" Uberti Single Action Army Colt .45s with bird's head grips. They have all the virtues of the SAA, great balance and simplicity and point to aim, and they don't have the "hitch" of the transfer bar since the firing pin is on the hammer. That does mean an empty chamber under the hammer for safe carry.

The fit and finish is exemplary and the accuracy for a short barreled revolver is outstanding. I am building a set up for Cowboy Action Shooting Competition, thus the pair. The rest of the set up is a hammered short double barrel in 12 ga (stage coach shotgun) with screw in chokes and a .45 Colt 1873 Winchester lever action (Chaparrel), at this point what I'm missing is the rigs (holsters, scabbards) and what I'll keep missing is pointy toed boots.

The revolvers shoot nicely with 240 gr lead Cowboy Action loads, the recoil is managable for faster shooting, but they get pretty hairy with 300 gr rounds. Those will make you real sure you just fired a powerful handgun. P+ rounds and higher are not recommended and though I'm sure the guns wouldn't explode, I have no desire to beat them, either. Not to mention that trying to get an accurate second shot off would be highly unlikely.

For those who know little about guns and nomenclature, a single action is a handgun which requires cocking before firing, pulling the hammer back with your thumb cocks these, squeezing the trigger will not cock the hammer. The .45 Colt was the most powerful handgun built, until the .44 Magnum came along. It was the gun that inspired the saying, "God may have created men equal, but Sam Colt made them equal," and the .45 SAA Colt was the "gun that tamed the West." The bird's head grip in these revolvers was not a feature of the SAA Colt, it is a Uberti modification to the patent, it is in fact an old S&W feature.