Getting Started In Cowboy Action Shooting,
page 1.3
Rifles:
The 1860 Henry reproduction
is historically accurate and doesn't seem to have many feed problems, but
loading is a problem, especially if you have to reload on the clock. Some
ranges discourage them because of rumored blow ups of the mag tube. I haven't
found any first-hand accounts, but it's possible. They require flat nosed
bullets for sure and should be loaded carefully. If you have a hankering
for a Henry, find a Henry shooter and pick his brain. All Henry reproductions
are made by Uberti. Quality does vary by importer. Cimarron claims to have
the highest standards among Uberti importers, and I have found nothing to
dispute this. But Uberti, the manufacturer, is not immune to quality control
problems no matter what the brand. The Cimarrons will have all of the original
proof marks and the like. Original Henrys were all rifles, no carbines.
But you can get various models which never existed until now.
Henrys and 1866 Winchesters should be shot only with light
SASS loads no matter what the caliber. Rumor has it the military version
is stronger because North-South Skirmish Association rules require hotter
loads than SASS. Whether this is true or not, it has sling swivels, making
it the one to get. A sling to a rifle is like a holster to a pistol. While
it might be historically accurate, since there's no handguard, firing a
lot of rounds, especially with black powder, will make the barrel very hot.
(Cimarron Henry shown)
Madame Rose shoots her Winchester 1866 saddle ring
carbine. Capt. Baylor is partial to saddle ring carbines because of their
authenticity for Texas Rangers. The saddle ring does get in the way for
left-handers, but he deals with it.
This is probably the most beautiful of the cowboy rifles
and carbines and is quite popular just for its beauty.
The 1866 Winchester reproduction
(or "Improved Henry" as it was known until the Winchester '73
came out) is historically accurate and cured the problems of the Henry.
They're also available in .38 special. Most rifles are .357 Magnum and need
magnum length cartridges for reliability. With an 1866 Winchester reproduction
you can shoot the same .38 Special load in both rifle and pistol. The above
is a Cimarron in the beautiful and historically accurate charcoal blue.
When you see it in the flesh, you'll know why they call it bluing when current
guns are all black.
Women shooters: The '66 is heavy.
Cimarron 1873 Saddle Ring Carbine in
their "original" finish. Though fairly new, this gun looks a hundred
years old. It's a popular finish on Cimarron guns.
The 1873 Winchester reproductions
historically accurate and seems reliable of the samples I've watched. Lefty
Longridge used one to a World Championship. The removable side plate of
the 1873 cured a problem of the 1866. If it is jammed, say with a .45 Colt
round stuck inside your .44-40 Winchester, you can remove the side plate
to clear it as Texas Ranger George Lloyd did in a fight with Apaches in
1879. (Now that I've disassembled a '73, I wonder how in the world he did
that!) He did it under fire. You won't have to. It is also easy to clean
and thus favored by a lot of black powder shooters. (Carbine shown. Also
available in short rifle, rifle, and sporting rifle configurations).
Maverick shoots his Winchester '73
Short Rifle. This is a very popular combination. The sights are better on
the rifle than the carbine, but the 20" barrel gives you the handiness
of the carbine. It's marginally heavier because of the octagonal barrel.
This one's got the case-hardened receiver.
Women shooters: The '73 is heavy.
Rossi-built '92 carbine. The 19" ROUND barrel
and band-mounted front sights mark it as a carbine instead of a Short Rifle.
Deadeye Dawn's '92 is no replica, but
a real Winchester '92 in .38-40.
It is a Saddle-Ring Carbine, too.
The 1892 Winchester reproduction
is available in clones from Navy Arms now and once under its manufacturer's
label, Rossi. Ones which have been gunsmithed seem to be great guns. Out
of the box samples often are quite finicky and trouble prone. Expect to
spend money on a gunsmith. When you find several gunsmiths specializing
in smoothing the actions of a particular brand of gun, odds are that gun
is rough out of the box. '92 shooters who have 'smithed versions rave about
the smoothness and reliability of their '92s. Several name shooters have
used them to great success. There is also a Japanese one imported by U.S.
Repeating Arms, the holder of the Winchester trademark. The Winchester version
does not seem rough out of the box, but it has a non-period safety on the
tang. Marble has a tang mounted peep sight which works with that version.
The Navy Arms version is available in blued form and in stainless form in
carbine, short rifle, and rifle, even a brass-framed, stainless steel barreled
model which looks great but obviously never existed.
Companero just got this brass framed stainless steel
Navy Arms '92 rifle. This never existed in the old west, but it's an awfully
pretty rifle.
Women shooters: The '92 is lightweight. A '92 carbine or
short rifle would be considerably lighter than a comparable '66 or '73.
The 1894 Winchester generally
should be avoided. The action was designed for longer cartridges than pistol
caliber, and I've yet to see a reliable example. (E-mails aren't necessary
if you have one. There's probably a reliable Jaguar out there somewhere,
too.) If you have one and are financially stretched, obviously you'll need
to use it and learn how to defeat its idiosyncrasies and live within its
limitations. I'm told that it is so complex inside that only gunsmiths should
detail strip it. The '94 Marlin and '73 Winchester are not that complicated.
The Marlin is the simplest of the two.
Capt. Baylor shoots his Marlin Cowboy in .45 Colt at
Winter Range 2001. The Cowboy is the latest version of the 1894 Marlin,
with deep cut Ballard rifling, best for lead bullets, 24" barrel, and
Marble Buckhorn rear sight. It was designed specifically for CAS and works
magnificently at it. This one has the stock rear sight removed and replaced
with a flip up sight. It is fitted with a Marble Tang Rear Sight used as
a Ghost Ring.
And here he fires a full charge black
powder load (Clean Shot) at the Tin Star CAS Open. Lots of smoke.
The 1894 Marlin is hated by
the historians, loved by the competitors. Most of the ones you see at matches
were not gunsmithed but worked out of the box. There is some smoothing which
can be done, and the mainspring can be replaced by a lighter spring, but
if you keep the screws tight, it'll work stock. Click here for Marlin Maintenance and Spares
Mine needed a gunsmith for drilling the extra hole for
the Marble's Tang Peep Sight. Don't try to drill it yourself. The receiver
is HARD. I replaced the stock mainspring with a Bunkhouse spring kit and
got light primer hits. I added small washers as spacers and added washers
until the light primer hits went away. The lighter spring lightened the
trigger pull as well as the cocking effort. The action, smoothed by 20,000
rounds, is very light and smooth. The Marlin needs a lot of cleaning if
you're shooting Black Powder. The crossbolt safety bugs some people**, but
it has a set screw which can be tightened so it will stay in the "fire"
position. You could also get a small C Clip at a hardware store and C Clip
it in the "fire" position. Additionally, Clyde Ludwig, P.O. Box
26156 Wauwatosa, WI 53226-0156, ph: 414-536-1101, has built a replacement
which looks like a screw in the receiver. $12,95 including shipping and
handling (cashier's check or money order only). It's made from blued steel.
Installation takes 10 minutes or less. DISCLAIMER: If you're using
your Marlin 1894 Cowboy for anything else but CAS, don't replace or deactivate
the safety. A cross bolt safety is superfluous for Cowboy Action Shooting
because of strict rules concerning loading, unloading, and gunhandling.
Installing
the Ludwig Replacement for the Marlin Cross Bolt Safety
**One Western Action Shooting organization, not SASS, doesn't
like the cross-bolt safety so much that they don't allow Marlins and Winchesters
with external safeties at all. If they had any events in my neighborhood,
which they don't, I'd show up with the Marlin with the Ludwig modification
just to see what they said.
Women shooters: The Marlin is pretty lightweight, and a
lot of women shoot them. May 2003 Update: Now Marlin makes the .38 Special
Cowboy Competition with 20" barrel. This is a lighter, easier to handle
rifle. It's also available in .45 Colt, but if you're beginning, get the
.38. Importantly it's .38 special only, not .357/.38. This is important
as the .357 models should be fed with .357 length cartridges, or you'll
have malfunctions. The .38 CBC isn't just recommended for women, but for
most shooters. Do note it might still need gunsmithing.
Click here for Marlin Maintenance
and Spares
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