Posted on 12/24/2014 8:10:34 PM PST by Jeff Chandler
Detailed -- and interesting -- information about an impressive firearm.
Old Gus wasn’t about to be disrespected by that barkeep, was he? One of the best scenes in Lonesome Dove...
So many great ones. The only scene I don’t enjoy was the river crossing with the water moccasins. That creeps me out more than running across a nest of rattlers in person
Myself, I would very much have enjoyed seeing Blue Duck killed by slow torture over a period of about a week.
Miss Lorena shoulda done a Lorena Bobbitt on him, and then slit his throat, early on.
S&W .460 Magnum has higher velocity. 200gr JHP @ 2400 fps. Thats faster than a lot of rifles.
Same frame. 72 oz, empty, for the 8 3/8 barrel model.
I love my .460XVR.
JD Jones sold some left-overs a few years ago. One was a 7 inch
.50-70 750JDJ barrel for the TC Contender.
It launches a 750 grain BMG slug from a .50-70 black powder case.
For a lighter load you can use a 510 grain solid.
It’s a good thing the TC is single shot as it takes a while to get your hand down from the vertical position after the shot.
And no one will bug you to let them shoot it.
Too fast and too small of a bullet. The Colt .44 Walker with a 9 inch barrel had a huge bullet that STOPPED in the target it hit. . . and delivered every single foot/pound of energy it carried to the target with a bullet that was already "pre-expanded" To this day, the .45 Long Colt in the 7 1/2" barrel Single Action Colt has the highest Hatcher Relative Stopping power scale rating of 73, higher than the .44 S&W Magnum's 69 rating from an 8 3/8" barrel model 29. . . because the speed of the bullet means the bullet does not deliver the energy to the target but carries it away with it and hits something beyond the intended target. You want a Mack Truck to hit your target and not leave for parts unknown (like the neighbor's babysitter or your kids on the other side of a sheetrock wall).
High velocity does not necessarily translate to energy delivered. . . since the energy can only be transferred efficiently after the bullet slows to the speed of sound of the medium its moving through. The Colt .45 Long Colt and the .44 black powder loads were already traveling slower than sound speed. . . when they hit, they immediately started delivery of their energy.
I managed the Olde Sacramento Armory for several years and Simms Hardware's Gun department forty years or so ago. . .
Oh, by-the-way, and I also owned a Colt Walker and several other percussion Colt revolvers, before i switched to collecting Winchester rifles. I also identified and authenticated the 21st surviving Fluck Colt Dragoon in existence, with the double Walker holster rig and Walker flask for a friend. . . who had it GIVEN to him by an acquaintance at a shooting range. Value at that time was somewhere north of $40,000! Fluck Dragoons were pre-1st Model Colt Dragoons made on Walker frames but with Dragoon trigger guards, and 1st model Dragoon barrels. They were in their own serial number range, and were, according to documentation researched by a collector named Fluck, made to replace approximately 225 Colt Walkers destroyed in service for the Texas Rangers. I was certified as an expert witness on antique firearms by the California Superior Courts.
No, my original Walker was not in shootable condition (don't believe those idiots on Pawn Stars who claim that an Antique firearms needs to be fireable to add value. I would NEVER recommend anyone shoot their fine antiques firearms! I cringed overtime I heard them say that or shoot one.) . . . I had a replica for that. It was fun to shoot. Clouds of white smoke!
I have packed 70 in mine which is a Hawken rifle load
The Dragoon...a hair smaller was fine too
Fully loaded walker ballistics similar to .357 but heavier grain......in conical
Impressive for 1847
The magnums punch fairly neat holes. . . and may kill the intended targets, but the question is "when will the target die?" They'll bleed out from the entry and exit wound. . . but not much energy from the bullet passing through has been imparted to the target on its way through, unless it hits a bone or two. The idea of "Stopping Power" is the ability of the SYSTEM, gun and ammunition, to deliver energy and shock to the target in sufficient amounts to STOP the target from his intended purpose of injuring you or others. Neat through and through holes do not accomplish that. High velocity SYSTEMS are not necessarily going to do that. You need to slow that bullet down once it has entered the target and stop it, thereby imparting every single foot/pound of energy it is carrying to that target so that none of that energy is wasted by exiting out the back and doing an unintended collateral damage to innocent bystanders across the street or over the horizon. All of the expanding bullets are intended to increase the cross-sectional density of the bullet on impact to do that; to get the bullet down below the speed of sound in water (about the same as that in body), at which point it can start efficiently transmitting a sonic shock wave of energy through the body, draining it from the bullet. Think of the sonic boom. . .
The Hatcher scale is ranked from 0 to 100 where 100 is the rating of a handgun system that WILL be guaranteed to stop a man in a fight situation— i.e. hopped up on adrenalin—100% of the time, with a single shot. There is NO handgun that can do that. None. (perhaps a hand grenade could do it, but that's not a handgun!).
A study of police officers killed in the line of duty in the 1960s found that more than 60% of them had been killed by their assailants AFTER the officer had mortally wounded their assailant with either a .38 S&W Special or a .357 S&W Magnum round. In other words, the killer was already dead when he or she killed the officer, but didn't know it yet. . . because the weapon system used on the assailant was inefficient in delivering sufficient STOPPING POWER. The .38 Special was simply too wimpy, with too light a bullet, too light and small of a bullet, and not enough energy. The .38 special rated only 35-36 on the Hatcher Relative Stopping Power Scale. On the other hand, the .357 Magnum rated only 38-40 on the Hatcher scale. . . because it had the same failings of light, small bullets, but too much velocity. . . with failure of the bullet to stop in the targets. One can gain a few points with using expanding point bullets, but the weight and energy are still lacking to gain much stopping power. The .45 ACP gets around 55, IIRC, and the .44 S&W Magnum ranged from 64-69 depending on load and barrel length of the firearm. The best rating on the scale was reported from the Colt Single Action Army in .45 Long Colt with a 7.5 inch barrel which came in with a Hatcher rating of 73.
Some guns you so do not want to put your life defense on. . . I'm working from memory here. . . but I'm close.
My personal carry weapon is a 100 year old Colt SAA. The action is smooth as butter. It comes up exactly on point.
The 7.5" barreled .45 SAA is still the best balanced handgun ever made, in my opinion. Always returns to the sight picture after firing. Beautiful design. Sheer genius.
60 grains of black powder was the standard arsenal load for the 58 cal. Springfield rifle muskets used during the civil war.
We fell in love with Tombstone. It was like stepping back in time and history. The folks there were just wonderful. My wife was simply amazed at the history and feeling there.
“The idea of “Stopping Power” is the ability of the SYSTEM, gun and ammunition, to deliver energy and shock to the target in sufficient amounts to STOP the target”
Your theory on stopping power is bogus. You don’t kill someone with energy. You kill them by hitting something vital as the bullet makes a channel thru the flesh. You also are ignoring things like hollowpoint bullets.
Also ignoring the traditional pointed 45 Colt bullet which did little damage unlike a swc or hp.
Already has a kickstand.
The ultimate survival weapon, long after the case ammo is all gone these will still be slinging lead. I have 2 of these .44 Italian made. Amazingly well behaved if not slightly awkward. Accurate too once you get the hang of it.
I “Love”my 500 S&W Magnum but I wouldn’t want to be on the “Receiving End”of Either!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is a good article here:
http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/handgun-stopping-power/
It boils down pretty simply: Would you rather be shot in the thigh with a 45 or in the head with a 38? If you go deer hunting, would you prefer to take a shot at a deer in the gut with a 44, or in the lungs with a .270?
The FBI manual points out that even if you shoot someone in the heart with a 44 magnum (or 45 Colt), there will be enough residual blood pressure in the brain to allow a determined attacker to function for 10-30 seconds. If someone is determined enough, you can shoot them in the heart and they can still live long enough to empty a 15 round magazine in you!
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