r/canadaguns • u/Vintage_Pieces_10 • Mar 08 '26
Shooting First time out with the .45ACP MAS 1873. Light smokeless handloads ran this 1875 revolver just fine
Made a post about the legend Menno on gunpost who sold me an 1873 MAS revolver reamed for .45ACP. Yesterday I shot it for the first time and it ran great! Honestly it ran a little better than my shaved Webley MK1 to say the least (both of which are great antiques, don’t get me wrong!).
Very happy with this purchase and I recommend anyone else on the fence pull the trigger on a MAS!
3
u/Imaginary-Text4690 Mar 11 '26
Not tryna sound rude but I’m wondering something and idk if any of you guys can answer so idk just ignore me if this is dumb. How many of these guys would be doing this if handgun freeze wasn’t in effect. Like I get it it’s a decent work around but not really. I can’t imagine the day I pay 2-4 grand for a hundred something year old revolver with the intention of shooting it often or using it for anything. I’m not an antique collector either so even just to have is crazy to me. I guess I’m just broke. Idk it sucks you can’t do shit with rpal anymore fuck this shit.
2
u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Mar 11 '26
Antiques still had a place before the bans, as they have defacto NR status in the sense they can be shot (legally) on private property and crown land. Sure, the normal handguns would be more common as far as every day trade, but antiques still had a presence.
Some antiques can be regular shooters (MAS 1873, Swiss 1882, Webley to some degree). The upfront cost is high (three jobs to buy them here lol), and when they break it can be a pain in the ass, but for me it unlocks another layer to the hobby while things go back to normal (it unlocks reloading, caring for a firearm that still works after a century and a half, ingenuity to get them working if need be).
I’m also very disillusioned with the bans and the freeze. But I still try and make my own fun in the interim (sawing off shotguns legally, caring for antiques etc).
2
u/Imaginary-Text4690 Mar 11 '26
Ya that’s good for you I’m glad people are still finding ways to enjoy the hobby and not just giving up. It’s just crazy they took handguns. Mother fuckers. Ya it does seem to have its benefits even before the freeze but price is just so crazy wish things were different.
2
u/Imaginary-Text4690 Mar 11 '26
It’s pretty sick that it can take 45 acp low pressure tho, pretty commonly available and prolly not as hard to source reloading components
2
u/Imaginary-Text4690 Mar 11 '26
And ngl here I am from states so using a currency calculator the difference between the CAD and USD by the time it gets to a number like 4k in CAD it’d be like a little under 3k usd so idk idk it’s still just so crazy end handgun prohibition! Hate that shit. Tough revolver though
3
u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Mar 11 '26
I don’t mean to be rude here either but why crash out about the inability to do anything with an RPAL if you don’t even live in the country and an RPAL doesn’t affect you?
I appreciate the solitude and many of us want the handgun ban gone however
2
u/Imaginary-Text4690 Mar 13 '26
Idk cuz it fucking sucks it’s not right that people have to resort to that shit and possibly fuck themselves up or buy a broken gun for that much just to have some target practice. It’s so dumb it’s backwards how messed up it is. All the illegal guns come from America. It just pisses me off cuz I feel for you guys I love the culture you guys keep going against all odds with current government doing anything they can to screw you guys. Idk the situation just sucks sorry to crash out on ur post
1
u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Mar 14 '26
No need to apologize, in fact I’ll say sorry myself. I appreciate the solidarity, and you bet we’ll keep fighting for our guns back!
1
u/Dizzy-Wedding5769 Mar 09 '26
When you say it ran better than a webley you mean the action was smoother?
1
u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Mar 09 '26
Not necessarily smoother, but it was more reliable in a sense. With low pressure smokeless ammo, it gets gassy quick. And with the Webley since there’s more moving parts, after a cylinder or two, it gets pretty gummed up, so it gets a little hard to snap it shut, the extractor may get a little slower etc. The MAS however just kept on chuggin’ no matter what
1
u/spicymeatmemes Mar 09 '26
With revolvers, unless you're pulling your thumb back, i usually use a cross thumb grip. It keeps your thumb clear of any escaping gases.
You can also crank your thumb back, like I said but I find cross thumb more comfortable for revolvers.
1
u/VibeAnalyst Mar 09 '26
Does the ejector on yours also come unlocked from the recoil after a few shots?
1
u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Mar 09 '26
Mine does not but it’s pretty stiff overall to even get it to open normally. I’m guessing that little pin on yours that it latches to is a little worn?
1
u/Saskatchewan-Man sk Mar 10 '26
When you say it ran better than a Webley you mean the action was smoother?
1
u/HappyCan7250 Mar 10 '26
Super cool. gotta get myself one of these antiques at some point. Any idea what kind of velocity you're getting from 45 with your handloads?
1
u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26
It’s pretty low at the moment, 230LRN traveling at maybe 500-560. I have a reloading guide I’ve been updating continuously, I’ll link it below in an edit
4
u/Dizzy-Wedding5769 Mar 09 '26
Nice to see ppl enjoying to hobby.
When you say it ran better than a webley you mean the action was smoother?