Opinions on a WESTERN style 45 Long Colt Six-Shooter Please

Uberti isn't +P rated either.
There us no such thing as a SAAMI +P 45 Colt. "Ruger only" is another non SAAMI rating. The Uberti and Pietta cartridge revolvers in 45 Colt will easily handle any commercial SAAMI rated 45 Colt ammo. Both Pietta and Uberti also offer 45 acp guns, and like their 45 colt guns, are just as strong as Ruger New Vaqueros.
 
There us no such thing as a SAAMI +P 45 Colt. "Ruger only" is another non SAAMI rating. The Uberti and Pietta cartridge revolvers in 45 Colt will easily handle any commercial SAAMI rated 45 Colt ammo. Both Pietta and Uberti also offer 45 acp guns, and like their 45 colt guns, are just as strong as Ruger New Vaqueros.

Who said anything about SAAMI approved?
 
Who said anything about SAAMI approved?
So, what is the upper pressure limit for a 45 Colt +P, and what authority establishes and maintains those specifications?
 
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So, what is the upper pressure limit for a 45 Colt +P, and what authority establishes and maintains those specifications?
There are four established tiers of .45 Colt loads.

Tier I - 14,000psi standard pressure
Tier II - 23,000psi (equivalent to .45ACP +P)
Tier III - "Ruger only" loads of 32,000psi (or 30,000CUP)
Tier IV - +50,000psi loads for Redhawks and custom five-shot guns

SAAMI is overrated.
 
So, what is the upper pressure limit for a 45 Colt +P, and what authority establishes and maintains those specifications?

How should I know? Buffalo Bore sells a .45 Colt +P that they list with a 225 grain bullet at 1,500 FPS.
 
Beyond my ken but I do believe the metallurgy must be weighed
against the pressures of a particular load level.

But I don't think one can assume that the metallurgy of modern
SAAs are all the same for manufacturer to manufacturer.

Anyone here guaranteeing that the metallurgy for Colts, Rugers
and foreign imports such as Uberti are all the same for a given
frame size or frame design.
 
Mike, will the slightly longer Kirst Pietta .45LC cylinder fit and time OK in a Uberti if you shave the forcing cone to provide clearance?
Yessir!! That's what I put in all mine and my customers (unless they send what they already have).

What muzzle velocity should I expect with 230gr .45acp out of a Uberti 8" 1860 Army?
+P ?
The +p's I shoot for verification are Hornady Critical Duty. They say on the box 990 fps ( that's with a 5" bbl) . . . I'd expect them to be a little quicker out of the 8" bbls.

Mike
 
Uberti isn't +P rated either.
Uberti cyls are larger in dia. ( same as Ruger (not saying it's as strong as . .)) than Colt, Pietta and probably others.
Brian Pearce has done extensive testing with these revolvers, constructing ammo for them. According to him, the Colt and Pietta ( and others) shouldn't be used with +p. My own shooting verifies this. Before shooting +p's in my '60 Army I brought my Pietta Mod P copy with its 45 acp cylinder to get an idea of what to expect ( I'd never fired +p's before). So, the first 5 were shot in the Pietta. The rest were easily handled in the '60 ( Walt's cylinders will easily handle them as well . . . my build will keep the cyl in place!! 😄).
Back at home I swapped back to the 45C cyl in the Pietta and that's when my cheesy smile left. The cyl wouldn't rotate with the 45C cartridges in it. Those 5 shots had moved the frame enough to take away the headspace needed for the 45C!! In all honesty, I hadn't necessarily checked it before but the point is that it shot fine before with the same 45C ammo and now it wouldn't cycle. So, even if it was .001", .002", .003" overall movement, that was just with five 45 acp+p's !!
6 months later, Mr Pearce's article came out and it all made since. No +p's in Piettas for me !!!

Mike
 
If I understand you correctly, Uberti with Kirst .45acp cylinder will handle +P OK.

As an aside. My Uberti 1860 with standard pressure .45acp is noticably perkier than my Remington 1911 Commander.
 
If I understand you correctly, Uberti with Kirst .45acp cylinder will handle +P OK.

As an aside. My Uberti 1860 with standard pressure .45acp is noticably perkier than my Remington 1911 Commander.
Yessir, as long as you take care of the short arbor and reduce endshake to at least. 003". Mine are .002" as I shoot lead some, mostly plated or jacketed. Have not tried a Pietta sourced '60. The 1:18" twist of the Uberti seems more appropriate than Pietta's 1:32". Also, check for loose arbor in a vice. They can have movement right out of the box. On a conversion, I always remove and reinstall the arbor under heavy torque.

I forgot to mention, I did measure the difference in top strap width and thickness between the Pietta Mod P and my Pietta '58 Rem. The '58 is wider/ thicker by a pretty good amount so I may try some +p's ( or close to) in the '58.

Mike
 
I used your recommendation of grinding down a stainless panhead screw to make an arbor spacer for my Uberti. From memory, the spacer made from the screw head was about 0.072".

I also shoot mostly plated or jacketed, but haven't tried +P yet (can't find any in Memphis).
 
I used your recommendation of grinding down a stainless panhead screw to make an arbor spacer for my Uberti. From memory, the spacer made from the screw head was about 0.072".

I also shoot mostly plated or jacketed, but haven't tried +P yet (can't find any in Memphis).
Definitely makes it easier!! I've never measured the thickness cause I don't think Uberti controls anything in that department to within an 1/8" tolerance 🤣!! Some can use an almost full width spacer and some make you remove some material off the arbor just so you can have a decent spacer ( if a spacer is too thin it won't hold up so once in a blue moon you have to make the short arbor a little shorter!! SEE they can't even quality control a too short arbor!!!!).

Mike
 
Here’s my choice for an authentic old west SAA clone. Uberti 1873 7th Cav .45 with the 4 click blackpowder frame and bullseye ejector. I only load with black powder cartridges to keep it real.

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Great choice, that's the exact same one I have as well! I like the extra details of the '7th Calvary' model, like the US stamp on the frame, the OWA military inspection stamp on the grip, and various replica inspection stamps on the parts, also how the barrel doesn't say "45 Colt" on the side (they hide it under the ejector on this model to keep it looking authentic). Mine too has only ever seen black powder rounds through it, which is truly the best way to fully appreciate such a replica.
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Hello gents. I am a HUGE Western and Equine fan. I horseback ride, and my favorite movies and TV shows have always been Westerns. I have a home theater decorated in Western and Equine theme. Just a sample to convince you;

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As an avid reloader and gun owner, I am (believe it or not) JUST getting into the 45 Long Colt. Better late than never. I am considering many different six-shooters. I would like the opinions of members here, because I have come to respect the opinions of our members.

First, what do the members here think of the Pietta 1873 US Marsall? I do not know much about Pietta. My local gun store owner is fond of this gun.
As a bonus, it comes with a 45 ACP cylinder, and I would like that. I have a large amount of 45 ACP components and sold my 1911 a long time ago, so that would give me another cartridge to load along side the 45 LC, with components and dies that I already have.

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I am also considering the Ruger Vaquero and a few others from another thread I started on loading 45 LC. And, of course, I will consider any others that the members here may think are excellent WESTERN style guns.

Thanks in advance. I look forward to your opinions.
 
The first thing you should remember is there is no such cartridge as a 45 Long Colt. There is only 45 Colt.

I have a lot of revolvers in 45 Colt. None of them are single action! I have several single action revolvers, and I have had several that are no longer with me. Ruger single actions are not part of my collection any more. They are sort of crude, the finish is not good.

I have a couple Colt SAA's, some Cimarron / Uberti SAA's, all of which I am happy with. If I were you I would probably buy a Cimarron / Uberti first and plan on saving up to buy a Colt. You won't be unhappy with either.

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The first thing you should remember is there is no such cartridge as a 45 Long Colt. There is only 45 Colt.
“The .45 Colt, sometimes called the .45 Long Colt to distinguish it from the short .45 cartridge historically required by the S&W Schofield revolver, as well as the .45 ACP (also sometimes, incorrectly, referred to as the .45 Colt), is the oldest service cartridge still in use today.”

whatever, this naming convention sometimes crops up in ammo discussions. i like to use 45lc as the distinguishing, less confused, name, ymmv. so do most ammo makers, per their box labels. i keep multiple boxes of 45lc, 45schofield and 45acp (automatic colt pistol) commercially-made ammo in my stash. when i wish to buy 45 ammo, saying or searching for “45lc” renders my specific wish crystal clear to all parties, without need of further explanation. there are generally no returns of incorrectly purchased ammo.
 
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“The .45 Colt, sometimes called the .45 Long Colt to distinguish it from the short .45 cartridge historically required by the S&W Schofield revolver, as well as the .45 ACP (also sometimes, incorrectly, referred to as the .45 Colt), is the oldest service cartridge still in use today.”

whatever, this naming convention sometimes crops up in ammo discussions. i like to use 45lc as the distinguishing, less confused, name, ymmv. so do most ammo makers, per their box labels.

.45 Long Colt is just a nickname that caught on. I dunno what ammo you're using but the only boxes I've seen that were marked 45 Long Colt is Armscor and their case heads are marked 45 Colt. There may be others out there but the major manufacturers just say 45 Colt. The only manufacturer I know of that stamps their guns .45 LC is Uberti.
 
Mike Venturino posted this in one of the discussions.

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As for correct nomenclature, how may refer to the 45 Schoffield? The correct name is the 45 Smith & Wesson.

The 38 Special is actually the 38 S&W Special. And the list goes on. But, it is funny how some just can not wrap their heads around the 45 long Colt and almost take offense at the mention of it.

Kevin
 
“The .45 Colt, sometimes called the .45 Long Colt to distinguish it from the short .45 cartridge historically required by the S&W Schofield revolver, as well as the .45 ACP (also sometimes, incorrectly, referred to as the .45 Colt), is the oldest service cartridge still in use today.”

whatever, this naming convention sometimes crops up in ammo discussions. i like to use 45lc as the distinguishing, less confused, name, ymmv. so do most ammo makers, per their box labels. i keep multiple boxes of 45lc, 45schofield and 45acp (automatic colt pistol) commercially-made ammo in my stash. when i wish to buy 45 ammo, saying or searching for “45lc” renders my specific wish crystal clear to all parties, without need of further explanation. there are generally no returns of incorrectly purchased ammo.
That's not the reason for the "Long". No reason for an extra descriptive to distinguish .45Colt and .45S&W. The Army issued very little of either cartridge and instead devised a hybrid cartridge that was the length of the S&W with the Colt's smaller rim, loaded only by military arsenals and dubbed, ".45 Colt Gov't". The "Long" came about decades later in the 1920's when UMC decided to load the .45Colt Gov't, simply headstamped ".45 Colt" and pictured on the far right in the Strawhat's pic above. Elmer Keith wrote of the, ".45 Colt, long case" in his book "Sixguns" (and possibly prior) and the ".45 Long Colt" was born. It's a nickname that hasn't been relevant or necessary in 100yrs, to the point that most people don't even know why it was used in the first place. Incorrectly assuming it has something to do with the .45ACP.
 
I have posted this one before. When I got it, it had a one piece wood grip, standard sight and a 45 long Colt cylinder. I immediately replaced the grips with smooth elk. It was not long before I fit the ACP cylinder and “lost” the long Colt cylinder. The front sight, well, I like it.

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The barrel is marked “Armi Jaeger”. Not sure who made it, got it back in the early 70s. A good shooter and has dropped quite a few white tails.

I agree with the statement “…Ruger has no place in a Western themed setting…”. If you want a heavy modern piece, they are great in that role!

Kevin
I have a very similarly built gun that was made by EMF. If you look for their stamp online I bet you find it on the gun.
 
I have a very similarly built gun that was made by EMF. If you look for their stamp online I bet you find it on the gun.

EMF was nothing more than an importer until 2014 when they teamed up with Pietta. Your gun was most likely made by Uberti.
 
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