For the wheelgun gurus out there

[Lost Californian]

I have a major desire to have a particular gun. A short barreled single action revolver in .45 Colt. THIS one -



That is a Cimarron Arms "Doc Holiday Thunderer". 3 1/2" barrel, 6 rounds of .45 Colt. I want it for the recoil therapy, the implied 'cool' factor, and just for fun. It is impractical to get that particular one. First is that it would be the only .45 Colt I would own, and I would not reload for it. Second is availability.

I have recently found out that there may be an alternative cartridge, the 10mm Auto. S&W is making the Model 610 -

A 4" barrel N-frame beauty that can handle the hottest 10mm rounds available. And, in the plus column for me, it will shoot .40S&W, which is my preferred handgun caliber, and that I reload. Could easily make 10mm reloads with my setup.

Once I started looking, I found Ruger makes this one, GP100 Match Champion -



Same basic setup as the Smith, just in a smaller frame. Least expensive one on my list, too.

The big question I have, for those who know,

Does the 10mm Auto compare to the .45 Colt at all, or is it apples and oranges? Which would have the greater recoil, and is it manageable? (I know, that one is subjective to the user) Which is the more "fun" round? Bears and deer and hogs are NOT my concern.

Hope I made sense. Thanks in advance.

 

[BigRed]

I am a poor one to give advice on such matters....

Get all of them!



Picked up a 45lc....LOVE IT.

 

[Lost Californian]

I am a poor one to give advice on such matters....

Get all of them!



Picked up a 45lc....LOVE IT.

Wish I could!

 

[BigRed]

Ruger GP is an excellent wheel gun... just my opinion.

 

[Jaybird1980]

Wish I could!

Do you have any other revolvers, or anything that shoots a revolver cartridge? 38-357

 

[Mgderf]

10 mm is nothing but fun, well, it's a seriously serious defensive/hunting round too, but it's just plain fun.
I will never badmouth the .45Colt.
Too much love and respect for the round.
The .45Colt is much like the .45-70in that it can be loaded from "mild to wild", as long as the firearm will handle it.
I use some 300 gr .45Colts that are loaded close to .44 mag pressures in a Rossi .454Casull lever gun.
Talk about fun , but it does get spendy in a hurry.
Lastly, the GP100 is a fine handgun.
Incredibly well built and smooth action.

For fun/ availability factors, I have to recommend 10mm.
If you want fun, and a very wide range of options for loads, then I say go with the .45Colt
No matter what, save up and get a GP100, in whatever caliber. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Mij]

#1 super cool
#2 cool, holds value, great shooter.
#3 hell for stout, will last a life time or two.

Nothing wrong with any of’em. Gonna be a tough choice. Good luck with YOUR decision.

 

[Lost Californian]

Do you have any other revolvers, or anything that shoots a revolver cartridge? 38-357

I currently have a stable of .327FM guns -
1) Ruger Single Seven, 4 5/8" barrel
2) Ruger SP101, 3" barrel
3) Taurus M327, 2" barrel
4) Henry Big Boy carbine

Why do you ask? Just curious.

 

[Colt556]

I’m a bit biased since I love the 10mm and S&W. I have an early example of the 610 in 5” and it’s a great gun to shoot. With the moon clips it’s like having speed loaders and you can have as many as you want loaded for range or defense use. Lots of available ammo options in 40 and a few good ones in 10mm as well.
Having said all that I’ve examined a couple of the GP100s and they look like fine revolvers as well.
The main difference I see is Single Action vs Double Action. I prefer a good DA revolver but have a couple SA as well. You can get a Ruger convertible that comes in 45 Colt and has a spare cylinder for 45ACP. That is a good combination to have for someone that also shoots 1911s in 45acp. Tons of 45 ACP loadings available from range to hot self defense rounds.
If you look hard enough, and are willing to pay, you might be able to find an old Ruger Buckeye Special in 10mm with a spare cylinder in 38-40. I had one and let it slip away to cover some medical expenses. That was a great gun!
I guess it just boils down to what you want it for and what you like. I think they’re all good choices but my pick would be a 610.

 

[Expat]

It’s pretty obvious you want the .45 colt. Go for it.

 

[Bugzilla]

It’s pretty obvious you want the .45 colt. Go for it.

It a little early, but if you insist, OK.

 

[tomcat13]

I shoot Both 45 Colt and 10mm & reload Both.
If you plan to shoot 45 Colt Factory ammo, 2 things to consider: 1) Ammo availability & 2) Recoil from a 3.5" barrel.
I think you'll find 10mm (& 40 S & W) Ammo more readily available.
For Target purposes, I prefer the 10mm in both Wheel gun & Semi-Auto.
The 45 Colt is only for Nostalgia.
JMO, comparing 10mm & 45 Colt is similar to comparing 44Mag & 38 Spl.
I enjoy Both, but just think they're Different.
Hope this is Helpful.

 

[Lost Californian]

Mgderf and tomcat13, thanks for your replies. That is the kind of feedback/information I am looking for.

I do reload the .40, so adding 10mm is no big deal. The .45 Colt would be commercial ammo, probably Buffalo Bore and whatever I can find locally.

 

[Leadeye]

All good answers, I would be careful putting high power 45 Colt in that Uberti though. They are solid revolvers, but that high power Buffalo Bore stuff is more suited to Rugers.

Nearly all the 45 Colt I shoot in handguns, and most rifles is 8 grains of Unique behind a 255 cast lead bullet. Low cost, powerful and accurate. I have gone up to 325 grain cast on top of a big charge of Lil'gun, but that's a Marlin/Ruger/HRC load.

 

[Whip_McCord]

Your three choices could not be more different and you have no clear use for the gun. You said you want a SA revolver. It seems now you are leaning towards a DA in 10mm. That's fine. Colt556 mentioned his 5" 610 revolver. I suggest getting a 5" if that's the route you decide on. I have two 5" 625s, same as the 610 but in 45 ACP. They are fun to shoot. I mention this because I think the balance on 5" N-frames is about the best there is. I never liked S&W's 4" revolvers no matter the frame size. You should try both and decide for yourself.

I will add that more than half of my handguns are revolvers. I only have one 4" S&W. It is a model 28 that I got very cheap. I hardly shoot it, but it is in my reloading room loaded up, just in case. I do have several SA revolvers and I shoot cowboy action with those. I have a few 8-shot S&W revolver that I use in ICORE and Steel Challenge too.

 

[Amishman44]

Since you already have .327 magnum... maybe this would be a good choice for the 'coolness' factor...

Ruger® New Model Single-Six® Single-Seven™ Single-Action Revolver Model 8163

ruger.com

 

[Whip_McCord]

Since you already have .327 magnum... maybe this would be a good choice for the 'coolness' factor...

Ruger® New Model Single-Six® Single-Seven™ Single-Action Revolver Model 8163

ruger.com

That's a good one. Short barreled SA w/ birdshead grips. Cartridge you already have. Good suggestion. That might be fun in Steel Challenge.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I currently have a stable of .327FM guns -
1) Ruger Single Seven, 4 5/8" barrel
2) Ruger SP101, 3" barrel
3) Taurus M327, 2" barrel
4) Henry Big Boy carbine

Why do you ask? Just curious.

I only ask because it sounded like you didn't want to add 45 colt to the mix, I was thinking you could get a birdshead grip short barrel in a caliber you already have.

The Ruger and S&W above are nice pistols and I certainly wouldn't talk anyone out of buying one, but they're not even close to the same as a short barrel birdshead grip SA.

 

[Peacekeeper3073]

hickok45 has one too

 

[Snapdragon]

Mmmmmm, wheelgun talk. It's been so long since I fondled my wheelguns.