Best "Cheap" .357 Single Action Revolver

[JeeperCreeper]

I don't know too much about single action revolvers. I do own a Ruger Blackhawk Covnertible in .45 and absolutely love it. However, I'm kicking around the idea of a .357 (maybe even a strictly .38 Special) SA revolver.

If money didn't matter, I'd get a Ruger which are excellent value, but I am still looking cheaper. I still may try to get a used Ruger for cheap, but I want to know what the best NEW SA REVOLVER is on a super budget.

Right now I am looking at the EAA Bounty Hunter or the Heritage Rough Rider. Any experiences? An others out there?

I'm just looking for a plinker, it will be a gun that I don't shoot thousands through in Cowboy Action or use for hunting or anything else... Just a toy. And yes, I have heard "buy once, cry once" but I am deciding to ignore that right now.

 

[gotboostvr]

I had a rough rider 22lr/22mag convertible. It was a very well made Plinker. Served me well for multiple thousand rounds.
Not sure about their centerfire versions though, if i was in the market, i might try one however.

 

[Steve51]

I have two heritage rough riders in .22lr/.22mag. I was well satisfied with the first one, the second one is no good. I have 3 Ruger single actions, (.32 H7R Mag, .357 Mag., & .44 Mag), and they are all good, solid revolvers. Spending hard-earned money on a cheaper revolver may end up not being so cheap. I am older now, and hopefully wiser - I advise saving a little longer and getting a Ruger Blackhawk. Down the road, you may decide you want it for more than plinking.

 

[cluttonfred]

Just from the stories I've heard, not personal experience, I agree with Steve51 on this one, though I would add that there are some very nice reproductions from Italian makers like Uberti that are the same price or a little less than a Ruger. You can find the basic, matte blued and brass Uberti 1873 in .357 for under $400 and the prettier case-hardened and blued models for a little more.

 

[Tallball]

IIRC the 22 Heritage revolvers are completely different than the center fire versions, and are not even made by the same manufacturer. Thus it is pointless to use the 22 versions as examples of what the center fire versions might be like.

There are plenty of Italian SA revolvers that are supposed to be pretty good. I am pretty sure the EAA ones are made in Germany. I have heard good things about them, too. I have a 44 single action revolver made by JP Sauer (as in Sig Sauer) back in the 70's. It is very nice. I believe that I've heard that the EAA versions were originally made on the same machinery.

 

[il.bill]

Uberti Cattleman Hombre in .357 magnum. It does everything I want it to do.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Get the used Ruger. The new Uberti type products have been increasing in price to the point they are not as good of a value, especially compared to a lightly used Blackhawk or Old Vaquero.

 

[25cschaefer]

I recently (January 2015) bought an Uberti Cattleman in 45LC for $350 new, imported by Stoeger. It seems to be an alright gun, it has an extra safety on the hammer that was fit by a monkey but you can't see it from the outside. The chambers are a little large.

 

[bannockburn]

Right now the least expensive (just another way of saying cheap), NIB .357 SA revolver would appear to be the Heritage Arms Bounty Hunter at around $380 to $400. A blued Ruger Blackhawk can be had for $470 to $500 while a stainless model can start at about $549. There are plenty of Uberti Cattleman guns available with prices ranging from $500 to $575 NIB.

Best way to go I would say would be to go to the local gun shops and gun shows and shop around for a used Ruger Blackhawk or Vaquero. Next choice would be a used Uberti Cattleman or Beretta Stampede. Most of the Heritage Arms Bounty Hunters I have seen leave something to be desired in overall fit and finish. The Taurus Gaucho was discontinued back in 2009 so parts and service for a used one might be rather problematic.

 

[BCRider]

Pietta gives up very little or nothing when compared to Uberti these days. And they generally run a little lower in cost as well.

I've used my own Pietta guns for 6 years of casual cowboy action shooting and they just keep getting better and better. By "casual cowboy shooting" I mean that the guns have seen on average about 60 to 80 rounds a month since I bought them. Some in matches and some just for casual target shooting.

Fit and finish both inside and out is excellent at this price point. And the frames are forged then machined rather than investment cast and left looking like it.

 

[Choctaw]

Pietta gives up very little or nothing when compared to Uberti these days. And they generally run a little lower in cost as well.

I've used my own Pietta guns for 6 years of casual cowboy action shooting and they just keep getting better and better. By "casual cowboy shooting" I mean that the guns have seen on average about 60 to 80 rounds a month since I bought them. Some in matches and some just for casual target shooting.

Fit and finish both inside and out is excellent at this price point. And the frames are forged then machined rather than investment cast and left looking like it.

This. I own Vaqueros, Blackhawks, Ubertis and Piettas. Pietta makes a very beautiful, well-built revolver.

 

[cpt-t]

JeeperCreeper: ((( IMHO ))) I really think You would be doing Your self a favor, if You just bought another Ruger. New or Used. You already own a Ruger Blackhawk, You won`t be satified in the long run, with somthing cheaper. Or at least that is the way I look at it.
ken

 

[MCgunner]

If you adhere to the buy the best mantra...screw Ruger, cheap crap. Get a Freedom Arms 353, all else is crap.

Yeah, I have tossed around buying a .357 Colt clone. i coulda had one for 300 bucks on sale, a Uberti Cattleman. Just didn't have the money at the time, bummer. Oh, and I own a .357 and .45 Blackhawk.

 

[WestKentucky]

Birdshead vaq. Used, abused CAS gun, reblue it and your good to go.

 

[MCgunner]

BTW, it's my understanding that the Heritage Rough Rider centerfires are put together in the US from Pietta manufactured parts. I love my Pietta '58 Remmy. If it's anything like the quality of that gun, I would trust it.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Pietta makes the best cap and ball replica revolvers ever made.

If Heritage does use parts from them, I'd imagine the guns would be spectacular provided they are properly fitted. Heck, no you got me looking at Bounty Hunters!!!

 

[karlsgunbunker]

I owned one of the Heritage .357's.
I was very happy with it. I bought it as a fun plinker and it fit that role very nicely.

I decided I just don't love SA revolvers and I sold it and moved on to other things.

 

[Bezoar]

heritage uses reciever castings purchased from pietta. Read their manuals and website.

Just get the one you like. No two are alike and youll decide what feels best for you. Its the little idiosyncracies of each gun that make them fun.

Besides, no colt SAA made after the introduction of the .357 magnum is unsafe to use with .357 magnum. Only issues is with one made to original dimensions chambered in .45 colt and ruger only loads.


I emailed heritage along time ago about safe loads in their single actions. They said any modern made round, in that actual saami caliber is safe to use in that handgun. IE get that heritage in .357 and any .357 handgun load on the market is safe.

 

[Crunchy Frog]

Just to clarify the terminology, the Heritage product is called the Heritage Big Bore Revolver: http://heritagemfg.com/product_detail.cfm?prod_id=44 MSRP is $467.01.

The Bounty Hunter is the name of the Weihrauch revolver imported by EAA; http://eaacorp.com/portfolio-item/bounty-hunter/ Price on the website is about $480.

I don't see either revolver in stores very often; in fact I've never seen the Heritage revolver in a gun store. Doubtless either can be ordered and shipped.

The EAA revolver is larger than a Colt. For my tastes, too big for a .357. Also, there is a ridge around the rear of the cylinder which makes it difficult if not impossible to tell whether there is an empty chamber under the hammer. This limits its appeal to cowboy action shooters who are required to load the revolvers with an empty chamber. Unless you pay a gunsmith to machine the rim off the cylinder. There may be other "fixes" for that issue. If you never shoot a cowboy match with the revolver it is not an issue.

When Heritage started building its revolver I believe it was the only Pietta revolver (OK, a Pietta derived revolver) with a transfer bar ignition. Since then Pietta has started producing some revolvers of that type. The ones imported by Traditions come to mind. Academy Sports and I believe Cabelas carry Pietta revolvers with transfer bar ignitions. The Pietta is the size of a Colt which I prefer over the beefier revolvers like the EAA or the "original" Vaquero.

Both of these revolvers have a transfer bar ignition. No advantage for a match gun but if you plan to carry the gun loaded (for hunting or whatever), I would consider a transfer bar ignition a plus.

 

[BCRider]

.....I would consider a transfer bar ignition a plus.

Because it allows safely carrying 6 rounds. Without a transfer bar setup it's only safe to carry with 5 loaded chambers and the hammer mounted firing pin sitting into the empty chamber.

(added for anyone new to single actions and confused about the "why")

 

[aarondhgraham]

You haven't mentioned the sights,,,

You haven't mentioned the sights.

If you own a Ruger Blackhawk,,,
You probably have target style sights.

None of the SAA clones (that I know about) have that style of sight.

So if you are used to adjustable target sights,,,
And that is an important factor for you,,,
You might want to stick with Ruger.

Just saying.

Now, if you can find a "Dakota" .357 Clone,,,
Mine has been an excellent performer.



It was imported by Interarms,,,
We think it might have been made Uberti.

I saw one just like mine going for $300.00 at a gun show last year.

Aarond

.

 

[rbernie]

I have Uberti and Pietta 1873 clones, and they are solid choices that can often be had for less than $400 if you ask just right. I also have a Ruger BH Convertible (357/9mm) and New Vaquero, and of the two I vastly prefer the sights and feel of the Vaquero - I never could cotton to the wide front sight blade of the BH....

When I reach for one, I reach for the Italian clones first and the New Vaquero second, with the BH in last place.

 

[BCRider]

The adjustable sights on the Blackhawks are pretty much a "must have" for anyone that wants to shoot a variety of ammo and play around with different loads.

Uberti does make a couple of SA revolver with adjustable sights. And, no surprise here, it looks oddly like a Blackhawk. There's the center fire Callahan target and one model of their rimfire Stallion line with the big lumpy adjustable sights.

It's not that the fixed sight guns are not adjustable. It is just that adjusting "fixed" sights requires a file for one direction and a TIG welder for the other. So fixed sight guns need to be used with one or at most two complimentary loads.

When I finally zeroed in my fixed sight guns I had to make sure I knew what ammo I'd be using forever after as well as the style of hold I'd be using. Only then did I sneak up on the final stroke of the file on the front blade after a few hundred rounds spent zeroing ME to the gun as well as the ammo.

 

[deadeye dick]

I'm very happy with my Blackhawk .38 sp/.357mag. and the reciently purchased Uberti Stallion in .22/.22mag. I like to diversify, the BH is S/S and the Uberti is in Brass & CCH finish. Just like to have guns and wheel guns are fun and you don't have to bend over to pick up the brass.