Ranch Guns- And the One that Matters

[Burnston]

The love of guns, reloading, and so on has become somewhat of a mixed bag. I've had the rare opportunity to find guns I like and put them to significant use in a very demanding, sometimes even abusive field of work. Factors of weight, ease of loading, fixed/adjustable sighting, and power v. platform all come into play when you carry every day in a work environment. (Note: work as in physical, not law enforcement or military, in which I have no experience.)

Having faced multiple close calls with critters of varying types, I've rotated my work guns between platforms and calibers, mostly staying in my .44/.45 caliber comfort zone, looking for what everyone in my situation is working for; the perfect combination of platform and caliber. Much to my own chagrin, what I have found to be the perfect platform/caliber mating simply does not align with what works for me. 

By all accounts, my Smith 25-9 should be the perfect working gun. Equipped with Giraffe bone grips and a Tyler T, the N frame combines the perfect weight with the perfect caliber for my purposes. I have carried it many miles on foot and in the saddle, and have taken every wild thing Oklahoma has to offer, as well as a few wild cows/steers. I've hunted with it, and shot it off hand from a moving horse, and with the right load, it should work perfectly. 



Never one to stifle progress, I've also taken single actions several miles, in both .44spl and .45 Colt. The 3rd gen Colt in .44spl is the dream of all sixgunners, as it has the N frame beat for weight, and houses the ever desirable and palatable .44 special, when loaded properly. This particular thumb buster has taken as many critters as the m25, and does so with the most satisfying sense nostalgia, especially when done from horseback. It's one piece stag grips by Zane and homemade shuck make it a contender for the perfect platform/caliber prize. It looks good to boot. 



The same attempt was made using a Vaquero in .45 Colt, and a Smith m29-3. Admittedly, my experiments with the Vaquero were short lived, and deserve more attention. Then, having cracked the forcing cone and the frame of the m29 experimenting with some 300 grainers, I was forced to abandon it. 



I briefly thought I could make an old 1911 work, but was consistently dissatisfied with load quality. This was as much a problem with the loader as the load itself. Admittedly, I had high hopes with this platform/caliber combo; ease of carry was incomparable in its homemade shuck, and I often had to remind myself I was still carrying. It was not carried enough to dispatch the number of critters the others had, and for obvious reasons, experimentation was cut short. WARNING- FIGHTING WORDS TO FOLLOW- I personally do not believe this platform has a place in hard, every day ranch work. 



I've said all that to say this;
I feel I've put diligent time and effort into searching for what should fill that "perfect" void. My problem has been approaching it from a logical, perhaps intellectual standpoint. When I first began reloading and seriously carrying for work, I did so with a Smith m21 .44spl. Having shot and carried this pistol more than any other, I justified wrapping it up and trying something new. In all of these experiments, the 21 continued to show up whenI had a hankering for the familiar. I do not care for the poor bluing, nor do I like a rounded grip frame. The barrel has a slight contour on the top from the factory that is not supposed to be there. It is slightly heavy for its use, and somewhat picky with its loads. Yet it seem to miss far less frequently than anything else. My Hancock horse seems more comfortable with it discharges (believe it or not,) it comes to the hand naturally, it is almost as effective in double action as single, seems to stay together when dropped down a rocky bank and into the creek, and is lightening quick. I was reminded of this today with I took four out of four with five shots in the woods on foot. Simple recipe; 7.8gr Unique, 260gr 429421. A steer or two has swallowed it up and spit it out but in the end they've all gone down. It's taken deer, hog, coyote- anything central Oklahoma has to offer.


I want to like the m25 better, and long for the weight of the Colt SA, but it seems I cannot shake the effectiveness of ol' reliable. Perhaps its time to sell everything else and accept that this particular platform/caliber combo cannot be beaten, at least not with anything in my safe. Like any good gun should, it tends to make its shooter look much better than he is. 

[tdbarton]

All phenomenal guns. Thank you for sharing. The giraffe bone grips are fantastic.

[45MAN]

BURNSTON: AN EXCELLENT REPORT. DON'T SELL ANYTHING, YOU WILL REGRET IT LATER. WHAT WERE YOUR LOADS IN THE 25-9?

[taffin]

EXCELLENT REPORT--THANKS FOR SHARING--WHAT WORKS; WORKS.

[junebug]

Burnston,
When you put enough time on the hand and gun that they fit together, like a hand and a glove, magic things can happen without much conscious thought. Trust it like you would a good horse ,a good dog, and a good saddle or a good friend knowing they will always be there when you most need them.

[squawberryman]

Sell the 1911 to someone in Florida

[weiler]

great write up Burnston

back in my cattle days (Richland county ohio) my most used load was 8 to 10 grains unique/250 grain keith in the 44 mag, though the hogs we dealt were a big nuisance, they were quite a bit smaller than the ones you deal with (they were ground hogs 😄).

[leftysixgun]

Aug 3, 2021 18:21:53 GMT -5 45MAN said:

BURNSTON: AN EXCELLENT REPORT. DON'T SELL ANYTHING, YOU WILL REGRET IT LATER. WHAT WERE YOUR LOADS IN THE 25-9?

Ill second this Burnston, dont sell any of them. 45MAN is right you will regret it.

[boolitdesigner]

45MAN is correct, don't sell any. All the 1911 requires is the right bullet and load.................

[contender]

Working guns. Due to the varying demands,, it's hard to have a "one size fits all" working gun. But as you have experienced,, some work better than others. And,, the more you work,, the more often you find a familiar feel in a few,, and find yourself using those few comfortable guns.
But, as shown,, all have their place and can deliver a lot when necessary.

Great write-up & shows true experience,, in the field.

[x101airborne]

Excellent write up my friend!
A lot of times if I am away from my truck and think my EDC (Ruger SP101) wont be enough I use one of the guns hanging in the back seat in their holsters and belts. Usually my favorite is a Ruger new model Blackhawk 4 5/8 41 magnum. We dont have wild cattle down here so my loads usually favor a standard weight bullet for the caliber. I had a "Texas Ranger" style belt and holster made for it. 12 pistol loops, 5 rifle loops and 4 shotgun loops. Ya just never know what you are going to have or not have with you at the time. 

[Burnston]

Aug 3, 2021 18:21:53 GMT -5 45MAN said:

 WHAT WERE YOUR LOADS IN THE 25-9?

It likes 18.1gr 2400 with 260gr JHP Hornady XTP. It is not a very universal round, but its accuracy out to 78 yards is unreal. It also prefers mag primers, which is disagreeable, but standard do not provide the same performance believe it or not. 

[tj3006]

Burnston, That is some fine shooting ! And some great shooting irons, too !
If the the opportunity comes your way I think you might like a 41 magnum real well too ! ...tj

[sixshot]

Ben, very good, down to earth write up! Written with the experience of a person who has lived it from the back of a horse, not the front of a keyboard, really enjoyed your step by step explanation of each gun & load, outstanding! You just helped a lot of shooters.

Dick

[joeb4065]

Great write up Burnston. I, like you have gone through a bunch of different guns, calibers, trying to find one that would fit my “do all” daily ranch tasks. Calibers from 475 to 38, makes from freedom arms 83 and 97, smiths, and Ruger.

Finally had a custom done, Ruger vaquero 45 colt, 4” octagon, round butted. Sights regulated to a specific cast bullet load. Easy to carry, hits with authority, and is accurate enough for what I need.

The journey to get there was really fun, although expensive, but well worth it. I sold some of the ones that were off the mark too far, but still have most that were close to perfect.

In my case, the money spent on a custom was well spent, and it dang sure isn’t a safe queen, nearly all the blue is gone, but to me is the prettiest gun I own.