June 2006

Cowboy .38 Specials: EMF Is Our Pick, Ruger Gets A Buy Nod

EMF’s Great Western II is one of the best single actions we’ve tested in a while, and Ruger’s 50th Year wheelgun also hit the bull’s-eye. But Taurus’s Gaucho missed the mark, in our opinion.

We pitted (top to bottom) the Taurus Gaucho, Ruger’s 50th Year New Model Blackhawk Flat Top, and the Pietta-made and EMF-imported Great Western II single actions, all in .357 Mag/.38 Special against each other, with a strong eye to Cowboy Action shooting.

Those who are most serious about Cowboy Action shooting tend to favor lighter-recoiling firearms so they can cut their times down, never mind that bigger guns like .45s tend to be more authentic, especially when stoked with black powder. Not that it takes any less skill to do well with lighter recoiling equipment, but it can give an edge, or so we’ve been told. This means .38 Special loads in handguns and rifles, and probably 20-gauge shotguns. How much benefit does a .38 Special offer over, say, a .45 Colt? There’s a huge difference in recoil, even if the .45 shoots only light cowboy loads. …
 
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