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Go West

by Ric Tester

Ric Tester looks at the revolvers of the colorful and growing shooting discipline known as western action.

Western action shooting is a colorful, exciting and highly interactive sport with equal measures of nostalgia, history, fun and sharp shooting; and it comes as no surprise that enthusiasm for the sport is high in Australia. Because of its success, your nearest western action range could be closer than you think.

There are eight categories of the discipline; each designed to cater for a specific interest or age group. Most western action enthusiasts plan to acquire a single action revolver, a lever action rifle and a shotgun, which are the ‘tools of the trade’.

This article looks specifically at the types of revolvers available to the western action shooter and continues with a discussion relating to calibres, powder and reloading.

Western action revolverChoosing your firearm
Because many manufacturers have opted to join the western action market and widen their existing catalogue of single action revolvers, the ‘cowboy’ shooter has numerous firearms from which to choose. American manufacturer Sturm Ruger & Company produces a wide range of excellent handguns, including the Blackhawk and Vaquero. The Vaquero is specifically aimed at the ‘cowboy’ market and is available in a number of styles, such as the Bisley Vaquero with a modified grip - making it especially suitable for target shooting.

Vaqueros come in a variety of finishes and barrel lengths and in all the popular western action calibres. The highly polished stainless steel model is an attractive piece and is popular in the sport. The Vaquero does not have adjustable sights, but rather remains true to the original design of the 1873 Colt with its ‘V’-shaped groove cut into the top strap. This system can be a great advantage to a good shooter using accurate ammunition.

Colt continues to produce its ‘Colt Cowboy’, but it is only available in its original calibre. The design has changed very little from the original 1873 model.

In Italy, manufacturers have been producing high-quality replica guns for many years. Top of the bunch would almost certainly be Aldo Uberti and Company, which has brought scores of historic arms back into production. Their ‘Cattleman’ is a near perfect copy of the 1873 Colt Single Action revolver and is available in many configurations, including the famous ‘Buntline Special’ featuring a 12" barrel. Uberti also does a copy of the 1875 Remington army and the 1875 Schofield break top.

Currently, these guns are available to Australian shooters and, provided the demand is met, a wider range of these wonderful old-timers could soon be hitting the stores.

Calibres for western action shooting .45 Colt
The .45 Colt was introduced in 1873 for the Colt Single Action revolver, which was adopted by the US Army from 1875 to 1892. Originally launching a 255-grain, cast-lead bullet with 40 grains of FFg black powder, it is one of the oldest cartridges still in regular use. With the success of western action shooting, the Colt following continues to increase with more rifles and revolvers being chambered in this calibre than ever before. Reloaders find the straight walls and thick brass of this cartridge to be very durable and capable of being reloaded many times.

.44 Magnum, .44 Special and .44 Russian
By using cast bullets and reduced loads, .44 Magnum shooters can use their single actions in western action shoots. The .44 Magnum revolver will also chamber the older .44 Special and the recently revived .44S&W Russian. Originally a black powder cartridge, the ‘Russian’ was designed for the 1870 military revolver - large numbers of which were sold to the Russian army. It is a very accurate cartridge and became popular among the target-shooting fraternity in the early part of the century but was outmoded with the introduction of the .44 Special. Brass for the .44 Russian is available as new but can be created by trimming the .44 Special case back to 0.97". Loads are still published in the popular reloading manuals.

Western action revolver.44-40, .38-40 and .32-20
The Winchester 1873 lever action rifle was originally chambered for the .44-40 Winchester - a bottlenecked cartridge that has acquired legendary status and is often referred to as ‘The cartridge that won the West’. Shortly after its introduction, Colt began chambering revolvers for the .44-40 - giving shooters, for the first time, a versatile cartridge that could be used in both saddle gun and handgun. The cartridge became obsolete just before WWII, but a revival in interest some years later saw the faithful old round appear once again and today it is available in revolvers and rifles by a range of American and European manufacturers. Reloaders should be aware that the .44-40 bullets are slightly smaller in calibre than .44 Magnum. A typical .44-40 slug would measure 0.427" while a .44 Magnum would be 0.430". The two are not interchangeable.

The .38-40 is essentially a .44-40 case necked down to .38 calibre. Introduced by Winchester in 1874, it was chambered in the 1873 Winchester lever action and the Colt single action revolver. Up until fairly recently, Ruger was chambering revolvers for this cartridge, but the diehard .38-40 enthusiast would now have to look towards a replica revolver made by one of the Italian manufacturers.

The .32-20 is another cartridge introduced by Winchester in the latter part of the 19th century and chambered in both revolvers and lever action rifles.

Reloading these old cartridges has become an issue with many shooters because of their relatively thin brass walls. The most frequent complaint involves the cases splitting near the mouth or crushing during the crimping process. Admittedly, these cases are not as tough as the .44 Mag or .45 Colt, but if they are treated gently they will do well. It is recommended that they be always trimmed to their recommended length and that crimping be done separately to bullet seating.

.357 Mag, .38 Special
Correctly loaded, the .357 Mag and the .38 Special are ideal cartridges for western action competition. With mild recoil and ammunition readily available at a reasonable price they have established a loyal following in the sport.

While purists may argue that these cartridges are non-authentic ‘Johnny-come-latelys’, from a practical standpoint they are ideal, with many good rifles and revolvers being chambered for them.

Reloading Issues
Black Powder

Many western action shooters opt to charge their cartridges with black powder. This adds a good measure of authenticity to the general atmosphere but it comes at a price. The powder is dirty and will quickly cause fouling in the barrel. It burns to form a variety of products, including the highly corrosive sulphur dioxide. Residual saltpetre from the powder will absorb water from the atmosphere and will begin to corrode parts almost immediately - necessitating a complete takedown and clean after every shoot.

Smokeless Powder
Reloaders generally choose to use small quantities of fast-burning powder in their cartridges and special care is needed during the measuring process. To illustrate the point, a 0.5-grain increase on a nominal loading of about five grains would in fact be a ten per cent overload. To a rifle shooter who was used to charging cartridges with 60 grains, an error of 0.5 grains would only overcharge by less than one per cent. There is a wide range of powders to choose from and shooters should always consult reloading data before charging cartridges.

Pressure and Poor Ammo
A fundamental rule of ballistics is that for sustained accuracy, chamber pressures must be kept constant. Most cartridges employed for western action have maximum operating pressures of about 13,000 to 14,000 CUP - quite modest by today’s standards. While shooters tend to be perpetually reminded of maximum pressures, the subject of minimum pressures is quite often ignored. Remember that pressure is required to accelerate the bullet against its own inertia in addition to overcoming the frictional force between projectile and barrel. Inconsistent pressures will cause a variation in muzzle velocities and poor accuracy.

Western action requires lightning-fast target acquisition and a priority for this is minimum recoil. The serious competitor will generally reload accordingly, but in so doing also runs the risk of creating a few ballistics problems along the way. The easiest way to cut down on recoil is to reload with a lighter-than-usual projectile. Such action will reduce chamber pressure - quite possibly to levels that are unacceptably low. Apart from poor accuracy, a worst-case scenario would be a friction-jammed bullet in the barrel. Remember, only use a lighter projectile if you know that it will not result in a ‘low pressure’ load.

You must also remember that cartridges such as .45 Colt, .44-40 and the more unusual .38-40 were originally designed for black powder (which required a large case) and were made to hold as much propellant as possible in order to achieve their desired velocities. Since modern powders can achieve the same result with a much lesser charge, a large air space will invariably be left in the loaded cartridge. Tests have shown that the rate of ignition (and the subsequent peak pressure level and muzzle velocity) will vary according to the location of the powder in the cartridge. In a practical situation, the powder will be against the bullet rather than the primer, which will retard ignition and reduce pressure. The wise reloader will select a powder that will keep the air space to a minimum while at the same time keeping within the safety margins for the cartridge.

Western action revolverRevolver condition and accuracy
Since revolvers are almost exclusively used in western action, it is worthwhile taking a look at the anatomy of the revolver and how this relates to accuracy. The cartridge rests comfortably in the chamber until the moment of firing. Upon firing, the bullet succumbs to the increasing pressure brought about by the expanding gas and breaks free of the crimp - its first point of resistance. It then moves forward where it must squeeze its way past the narrow chamber throat - the second point of resistance. The bullet then crosses the air gap between cylinder and barrel - a narrow but finite opening that provides an exit point for some gas - resulting in a partial loss of pressure. At this stage it enters the ‘forcing cone’ - the tapered entrance to the barrel where the rifling has been removed. Finally, the bullet engages the rifling. This is the third point of resistance.

In a normal situation, the expanding volume of gas will be more than adequate to easily overcome the three resistance points and accelerate the projectile until it leaves the barrel at a velocity that is sufficient to deliver the desired range and accuracy. Shooters who use modern revolvers in good condition and stick to published data when reloading should have no concerns. Others using older guns, especially those experiencing accuracy problems, may wish to check cylinder gap, throat diameter, and bore size.

Cylinder gap can be measured with an inexpensive feeler gauge. Industry standard calls for a maximum gap of 0.012". In some cases, where bullets have lodged in barrels, measurement of the gap has revealed excessive clearance between cylinder and barrel. Throat diameter can be checked with a dial calliper. It is important to check each throat in the cylinder, as variations can exist. A cylinder throat that is too large can allow gas to escape around it before it crosses the cylinder/barrel gap - reducing pressure and destroying accuracy. Finally, the groove diameter of the barrel should be checked by ‘slugging the barrel’. This could be achieved by using a hammer on a hardwood dowel to drive a lead bullet through a well-oiled barrel. The maximum diameter of the slug will be equivalent to the barrel groove diameter. This can be measured using a vernier calliper. If the cylinder throat diameter is smaller than the barrel groove diameter, poor accuracy will result.

While it is not likely that every shooter will experience the situations described, it is always good to have some background knowledge on cause and effect. The overall lesson is to load for accuracy, but don’t overdo your load reduction.

For those who have yet to sample the excitement of western action shooting, get down to the range and watch the fun. You will be a part of it on your next visit.