Colt 45

the basics

Okay, first look at the gun and make sure it's marked ".45". Colt SAAs (Single Action Armies--that's what you've got there) and their clones have been made in LOTS of calibers besides .45.

If it is so marked, you'll need "bullets" marked ".45LC" or ".45 Long Colt". (Actually, they're called "cartridges"--the bullet is the lead tip that comes out of the barrel and makes holes in things.) You can buy them at any gun shop and at some big stores like Wal-Mart, or on the Web at these places and others:

http://www.midwayusa.com

http://www.ammoman.com/index.htm

My favorite:

http://www.doubletapammo.com/

Now, this is very important: make sure the gun isn't an old blackpowder one. There are ways to tell, but if you didn't buy it new, best to take it to a gunsmith and have him check it out. It's not safe to fire modern cartridges in old guns. Besides, some of thuse old guns are valuable collector's items and you wouldn't want to fire them anyway. Also, some very cheap copies of the Colt have been made, and some of those aren't safe to shoot at all.

Second, and this is even more important, do NOT load the cylinder with six rounds. Leave one chamber empty and make sure that one is under the hammer. With some exceptions, Colt-style single actions are unsafe when fully loaded; the firing pin on the hammer will be resting directly on the primer of the cartridge in the chamber, and a blow to the hammer will cause the gun to fire (for instance, if you drop it). Very dangerous.

Single-action sixguns probably aren't the best choice for beginners, anyway. If you haven't bought the gun yet, and you like the look of a single-action anyway, buy a Ruger; except for some old, rare ones, they're much safer than Colt-type guns.

Now about silencers: Bad idea. They're not hard to make, and books with plans for them are easy enough to find--but to be legal, they must be registered with the Federal government at considerable effort and high expense. Owning an unregistered silencer is a Federal felony and carries severe penalties--huge fines, prison, and like that.

If you want to silence the .45, forget about it anyway. Silencers don't work on revolvers. See that little gap between the cylinder and the barrel? That makes as big a bang as the hole at the end. Only autoloading pistols--the kind that don't have cylinders--can be silenced, as a general rule.

Best advice: join a gun club, take a couple of classes, and make some friends that can teach you about firearms BEFORE you buy a gun and start shooting. Gunners are, most of them, a friendly bunch and they love to share their knowledge. Before long, you'll know what you're doing--no offense, but right now you don't--and you'll know what you want and what you'll need, and you'll have a lot more confidence and be a LOT safer when you get started in shooting.

Good luck, and welcome!

 

Be careful

Good; join a club and make some friends. Sometimes you can get a good deal from a friend that you won't see in a gun shop, anyway.

I'd stay away from that .45. I can't imagine a $120 single action that's safe to shoot. You may be looking at a non-firing replica.

You're going to have to travel a bit to get a gun, most likely. If you buy a gun on the Internet, it has to be shipped to a dealer with a FFL--a Federal Firearms License. They can't ship it directly to you. Pawn shops that deal in guns have FFLs and some of them will do transfers for you, but if they charge more than $35-40, go somewhere else.

If you need a cheap gun, Hi-Point and Cobra make dependable weapons that I wouldn't be afraid to shoot. EAA imports some single and double action revolvers under $300, last time I looked.

Again, good luck and welcome to the fraternity.

 

shadow669, Good advice by cnorman18. He's got that down pretty good.

 

why, thanks, Pounce

Thanks. I'll try to give a new guy good information if I have it. Besides, I know that if I give him a bum steer, someone around here will correct me.

Did you ever snag that AK-22? I just ordered a
Spyderco Civilian online (at $125!). Always wanted one of those bad boys.

 

I meant a real club.

Yes, I meant a real club, at a gun range. Forums like this are OK, but a lot of things about guns really ought to be learned "hands-on".

Even if you could just get together with some knowledgeable shooters in your area just to chat and look at some firearms, it would be helpful. It seems clear that you don't want to disclose your location, and that's OK. If you live in a nation where firearms ownership is difficult or illegal, frankly, you're on your own; but here in the US, there are few places indeed where there are no shooters at all. I suspect you can even find a gun club in the wilds of San Francisco.

In rural areas, guns are even more common. I owned a small horse ranch, and you can't live in the country without owning and using guns. (Not in central Texas, anyway--more venomous snakes per square mile than anywhere else in the world, for starters.)

Forums are better than nothing, but try to find some responsible shooters to hang out with.

 

Welcome. No, I haven't got that .22 yet. I was sitting in the doctors office a couple of days ago with my wife. Two guys sitting next to me were talking guns and I heard one say he had a .22 M-16. I was going to ask him about it. But..by the time I was about to open my yap, he got up and left. In time though.