r/canadaguns • u/Dill_Pickle_Tears • Mar 01 '26
Buy recommendations Antique Revolvers - Competition Worthy?
With the handgun freeze, does anyone here run antique single action revolvers in cowboy action shooting competitions?
I’d like to get into competition shooting, and cowboy action caught my eye. How common is it to buy antiques for that purpose? Assuming that they comply with the rules of the competition and actually shoot/function safely.
8
u/Dizzy-Wedding5769 Mar 01 '26
Most cowboy shooters use reproductions that cost far less. If you have money to potentially burn then it’s definitely feasible. If you buy a high-quality antique and have it checked by a gunsmith regularly I don’t see a problem.
7
u/CringelordCameron Mar 01 '26
Its really a shame to subject a high end antique to the wear and tear that will happen in competition shooting. These guns are extremely old and deserve to be preserved by gun owners, not ruined and worn out from constant competition use.
8
u/Dill_Pickle_Tears Mar 01 '26
I wish other shooting organizations were recognized by the government for competition. I’d just do three gun and apply for an exemption for handguns in that case, unfortunately IPSC isn’t considered.
7
Mar 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
8
u/Shitmonkey5425 Mar 02 '26
The forcing cone cracked on that one because of a timing issue, early colts are notorious for that and they are not generally considered good shooters for that reason. There are a lot of antique revolvers I have no problem shooting regularly you just have to go down the rabbit hole of hand loading for that specific revolver. Lebel 1892’s, solid webley’s, reichsrevolvers, and gassers are solid and you can shoot them regularly with the right ammo, I load .455 for like 20cpr
8
u/BowFella Mar 02 '26
Hey. I'm the guy that blew the forcing cone. It was a colt 1892, not a colt lightening. It was also caused by bad timing, not metal quality. I definitely plan on shooting that gun regularly once the timing is fixed and barrel replaced. I have a 150 year old Montenegrin Gasser that I have put 500+ rounds through personally without issue. These guns would not have survived 120+ years if they were not built to.
As for ammunition, when you get an antique the immediate assumption is you are reloading it yourself as none of the ammo is available for purchase and even if it is, it is not safe to shoot unless black powder. For my Montenegrin gasser it only costs me $0.40/round to load for.
2
Mar 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/BowFella Mar 02 '26
In that case I 100% agree. It depends on what competition we are talking about here. If it entails you shooting 100s upon 100s of rounds in a single day then I would avoid it. But for something like PPC for just fun where you are only shooting 60 rounds I don't see any issue. Considering that you have had the gun looked at and are sure it is safe to fire.
1
Mar 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/BowFella Mar 02 '26
My colt 1892 was getting 3" groups at 16 yards before that forcing cone blew. Which I would definitely consider accurate enough for PPC. Also has a swing out cylinder too which is basically the format PPC was designed around. But I agree I wont be getting scores of 570 like I do with an HK SFP9
But you are correct that this extremely limits the models of guns that would be practical for it. Colt 1892s, Webleys, S&W no3s, basically anything with a swingout or top break cylinder.
I think the idea behind using an antique revolver for competition is more about becoming more proficient with that revolver rather than winning a competition.
3
u/HappyCan7250 Mar 03 '26
Fiochi is making 455 Webley now and it's been pretty available online lately for $80/50rd. Lots of 455 Webley revolvers still floating around. Obscure caliber, but it seems Fiochi is making ammo for the Canadian market at a reasonable ish price.
But yeah, I agree, not the gun to use in competition. Replacing parts could be difficult too. Would be fun to own for the occasional plinking session though, I've debated buying one for fun, but at $2500-4k, it's hard to justify to me.
2
u/Afrocowboyi Mar 01 '26
Black powder cap and ball guns would probably the be the only option. .36 and .44 cal. Then people with modern replicas could play.
Not many people with competitive spirit would put up with inconsistency and failures to fire. Events would probably be more about seeing what you can do and communities
3
u/Savageplayr29 Mar 02 '26
Hot take the modern repro cap n ball wheelguns should be NR
1
1
u/escv_69420 Mar 05 '26
Hilarious, that's the case in most European countries with tighter gun laws than ours. Repros count as antiques.
3
2
u/outline8668 Mar 03 '26
I think my biggest hindrance shooting antiques has been black powder fouling starts to affect accuracy and after a couple reloads I have to spray down the barrel with ballistol. If you can find one of the antiques that will safely run smokeless you will have something much more competitive
2
u/escv_69420 Mar 05 '26
I've got hundreds of rounds through a .45S&W converted Remington 1858. The key is buying one that has common reproductions/replicas made of it because a lot of Uberti/Pietta parts will work in originals with some hand fitting. The only part of mine that's still from the 1860 is the serialized and verified frame.
2
u/Dill_Pickle_Tears Mar 08 '26
Nice! Where did you pick yours up?
1
u/escv_69420 Mar 08 '26
Gunpost before the handgun freeze. Anything other than .41 Colt SAAs were well under $2k at the time. Barring spending $5-7k on the aforementioned SAA, I'd say an 1858 Remmy is your best bet these days. I see them for like $3500ish pretty regularly which seems fair as they're about $2k USD in the states.
1
u/Shitmonkey5425 Mar 02 '26
I’ve shot steel challenge with my antique webley, you’ve gotta spend the money for a good one and be smart with ammo and you can shoot the shit out of them
1
u/BowFella Mar 02 '26
If you are getting into antique revolvers for practicality be prepared to spend thousands on the gun, reloading, and a gunsmith even. You will have to do a lot of research on safely reloading whatever cartridge it may shoot.
If your competition involves fast reloading then that immediately disqualifies any percussion or loading gate revolver which only leaves you with a select few very expensive revolvers with a swingout cylinder or top break design. Some well known options being webleys, S&W no3s, and Colt 1892s. But those are $3000+
Despite what many say some of these revolvers can certainly handle the strain. I have over 500 rounds put through my montenegrin gasser without any issue, but would not consider it reliable or designed well for any competition. A qualified gunsmith is the only person that can really tell you how good of condition it is in though.
2
u/Bowmann-94 Mar 02 '26
Cowboy action the revolvers typically start loaded with hammer resting on an empty chamber (5 rounds loaded) so reloading isn’t a problem. Running them as fast as possible is though… I agree the typical antique would be pushed to the breaking point in typical cowboy action match.
1
u/BowFella Mar 02 '26
I feel like the revolvers one would use for this are late 1880s-1897 designs so resting on an empty cylinder is not as much of a concern with a design like a schofield or a colt 1892 where the hammer is not actually resting on the primer like older designs. Although I would still avoid it if you are doing any sort of quick draw.
2
u/Bowmann-94 Mar 02 '26
Agreed it’s just in the rules for cowboy action as a hold over from the saa colts. Rugers are completely safe so if the rules were different you could safely load all six but 5 rounds on empty cylinders keeps everyone on a level playing field. If whatever game you play allows full load up by all means load up.
1
u/BowFella Mar 02 '26
For sure. Even with revolvers with a floating hammer I would still carry 5 though
2
u/Bowmann-94 Mar 02 '26
Besides these games are heavily influenced by westerns. So better load 5 pilgrim so you don’t fall and shoot your horse 😂
1
1
u/black_covfefe_please Mar 02 '26
Consider having one imported. It is more hassle for sure, but will save money and will prevent one of the rare antiques that are already in the country from getting worn out.
1
u/Possible_Jellyfish69 Mar 02 '26
This is super interesting - I've been wanting an antique Webley but been balking at the prices. I didn't realize you could import antique firearms. Does I run guns do this?
1
u/black_covfefe_please Mar 02 '26
Probably? I read about a guy who bought one online, and asked the seller to hold onto it while he got paperwork from the (RCMP?) showing it was Antique. The it could literally just be mailed to him in Canada with that paperwork.
2
u/Possible_Jellyfish69 Mar 02 '26
Sure enough, their site says they can import antique firearms!
1
u/black_covfefe_please Mar 02 '26
Honestly, with the US being essentially an infinite supply of guns, we should all be doing this to get as many into Canada as possible before the fed changes the rules.
2
u/Possible_Jellyfish69 Mar 02 '26
Looks like the pre-1898 webleys are pretty expensive there too unfortunately.. damn
1
u/Bowmann-94 Mar 02 '26
I shot cowboy action in the states and guys shot antiques in competition fairly often however they weren’t competitive. These guns are old often worn out metallurgy wasn’t great often and they plain just break. The ruger vaquero became the gun of choice purely because they don’t break. On top of that if you want to win you’re gonna run that gun to the breaking point.
11
u/ChickenOmelette1 Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
Yes, but in 2-gun matches and sparingly. I had my Modèle 1892 paired with my SLME here and here.