More Puma 92.....45 Colt

[Lobo]

Hi All,

I've got a model 92 in .45 Colt, some Beartooth cast bullet 280 grain, .452", some magnum primers, and some Hodgdon Lil Gun powder. This is suposed to be the hotrod powder for 45 Colt magnum loads.

Well, I don't want to be blasting away with 280 grain lasers, but I would like a serious hunting load to use in this rifle. I've only shot 30 rounds through it at this point, and will need to put something else in the way of sights on it......my old eyes can barely keep iron sight shots on an eight inch target at 50 yards.

What say Ye Brothers???

[Pete44ru]

To the left is a Williams top-mount peep sight, meant for a Win 94 angle-eject, requiring 2 holes D/T'd for iy atop the receiver side walls:
To the right is a Skinner Lo-Pro peep, mounted in the bolt-top safety, after first shaving the safety & D/T it for the peep



Both were easily zeroed, with the issue height front sights on my rifles.

.

[AJMD429]

Here's a post on this site (link below - scroll down the page once you load it) where I loaded up lots of photos of sights I've tried, and a few I haven't. I like the Williams FP's overall the best.

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... a9#p246623

Hope the photos help you decide...

[CowboyTutt]

I love iron sights as much as the next man, but I think you would really benefit from a scope. If you decide to go this route, I'm sure we can "hook you up" with something.

-Tutt

[Old Savage]

Whut Tutt - bite your tongue - are you drinking light beer, voting for gun control - a scope????

EXPLAIN YOURSELF!

Oh wait - you want him to HIT THE TARGET. OH!

Well you won't find me scoping my 92 - not now that I have the Super Tutt loads.

[CowboyTutt]

Yes Old Friend, I just want him to be able to hit the target, that's all! I have "degenerative retina disorder" or whatever you want to call it. My periphial (how do you spell that?) vision is going. But I can still shoot "straight on" and will continue to do so with iron sights. I just want Lobo to be able to hit the target beyond 50 yards, thats all!

Theodore Roosevelt had poor vision, but he shot and hunted very well. We all have to work within our means. Me too!

-Tutt

P.S. No light beer here, thats for sure!

[Old Savage]

Just funnin' with ya - you know that.

Besides, you turned my 92 into a beast. Charles calls it Big Cat. He calls his Puma Catamount for the head on the side. $220 for a presafety worked over as in slicked up .357 92.

[CowboyTutt]

Just funnin' with ya - you know that.

Yes, I know you were! But it's getting time for me to scope maybe at least one! of my rifles!

-Tutt

[Old Savage]

358 I say.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
LOADS... I got my Puma 45 Colt about 4 weeks ago & have to say it is a fine tool to haul about the woods and get kayak rides. I have tried 3 different CAST ( I make my own) and the best with all loads is from a LEE mold #90358. THis is a 264 grain (Lee calls it 260 and maybe so with Linetype) flatnose no gas check design. First tried Unique and 10 grains was best about 2 inches at 50 yards. Pure WW was best but 50/50 mix would be my hunting load IF this was all the powder I had.
Next powder was 2400. Same cast boolit and 18 grains was THE best load using pure WW again at 1.6 inches. Again 50/50 mix opens to 2 inches BUT would be my hunting load for deer as I hunt bottoms and 50 yards is all I can see through the trees & brush. 19 grains 2400 & pure WW did 2 inches at 50 yards. I would use this on a tougher critter . I do not have a 300 grainer for this rifle. I do not have any gas check designs as my old 45 Colt revolver never needed that. I could size down .458 cast but I figure IF I need more power I will get out my light weight 45-70 Winny (jap) as it weights only 7.5 pounds.
That is as far as I am. I will one day get one of my loose Williams receiver sights mounted as I just like the quick & easy peep sight. Front sight, Squeeze, Target down. That makes for just fine hunting. I do not look forward to the day I NEED a scope.... I am 59 and still see very well without glasses. UP close is a whole different world.

[Pete44ru]

I guess I wuz a little slow, or tired, yesterday , but today I just noticed in the OP:

[I would like a serious hunting load to use in this rifle......my old eyes can barely keep iron sight shots on an eight inch target at 50 yards.]

Well, lobo - Please don't confuse target shooting with hunting and hunting accuracy.

IMHO, 8" targets have NO comparison to game, what with a typical deer's chest/vital area about 12", set into the middle/front of a much larger target (the animal's body) that should be more visible to a hunter.

Just my $0.02 but I think you would be much better served by shooting at an archery/deer paper target or at 15" blank brown cardboard ovals cut from the side of some shipping box, as I do (I'm cheap).

After zeroing my rifle, I set out the unmarked ovals on wood stakes at random distances from 25 to 100 yards and let fly.
I generally figure I'm gonna nail a deer, if I get a boolit hole somewhere in those ovals.

.

[Grizz]

280g IS a good hunting load it seems to me. the issue with these guns is the barrel's twist rate. something around 325g might be an even better hunting load if the barrel will stabilize it, and if the action will feed it.

a note about missionary's load info: he says that his pure lead groups tighter than his 50/50 bullets. I take that to indicate that his bullets are undersize and the softer ones are bumping up. with "hard" lead it's best to size .001 over groove size to be certain that the bullet fully engraves and thus spins up to the designed rpm. also, since the indication is that the 50/50 bullets aren't spinning fast enough, there's a reason to think the barrel is accumulating lead. hard cast bullets will shoot tight clover leafs at 100 yards when they're correctly sized to the rifle, and the twist rate is correct.

as far as the scoping thing goes I deal with that problem too. I put fire sights on my lever guns and that seems to have bought me some time. I am planning to scope a .22 because that's a meat gun and I want to be able to shoot small pot meat at longer distances. that covers squirrels and spruce hens and the like.

but my hunting rifle is a peep and firesight combo as long as I can hoist it up.

Regards,

Grizz

[J Miller]

Good morning
LOADS... I got my Puma 45 Colt about 4 weeks ago & have to say it is a fine tool to haul about the woods and get kayak rides. I have tried 3 different CAST ( I make my own) and the best with all loads is from a LEE mold #90358. THis is a 264 grain (Lee calls it 260 and maybe so with Linetype) flatnose no gas check design. First tried Unique and 10 grains was best about 2 inches at 50 yards. Pure WW was best but 50/50 mix would be my hunting load IF this was all the powder I had.
Next powder was 2400. Same cast boolit and 18 grains was THE best load using pure WW again at 1.6 inches. Again 50/50 mix opens to 2 inches BUT would be my hunting load for deer as I hunt bottoms and 50 yards is all I can see through the trees & brush. 19 grains 2400 & pure WW did 2 inches at 50 yards. I would use this on a tougher critter . I do not have a 300 grainer for this rifle. I do not have any gas check designs as my old 45 Colt revolver never needed that. I could size down .458 cast but I figure IF I need more power I will get out my light weight 45-70 Winny (jap) as it weights only 7.5 pounds.
That is as far as I am. I will one day get one of my loose Williams receiver sights mounted as I just like the quick & easy peep sight. Front sight, Squeeze, Target down. That makes for just fine hunting. I do not look forward to the day I NEED a scope.... I am 59 and still see very well without glasses. UP close is a whole different world.

FYI: Lees uses a 10-1 Lead-tin alloy to get their bullet weights.

Joe

[oklahoma red]

Good afternoon Lobo and all the rest,
for my "old guy" eyes, I chose a more convertional, non-conformist approach.
A few years ago I tried a quality Red Dot on my 45-70 levergun. Worked like a dream! I oppted for a small MOA red dot (3 or less) for the longer shots.


Well- below is my latest attempt at a fast rifle (LEVER), with fast sights (for slow eyes).
Like yours, it's a Puma 92.



The mount is a Taurus base for one of their 22 pump guns. It attaches to the rear sight dovetail. I did have to lap the base slightly, because of the barrel taper. The rifle has had over 220 hot 357s through it with no problems.


Just My $.02, might work for you.
OkR
(Oh yea, the buck was from last week, a 21" X 18" California coast buck, with the rifle)

[CowboyTutt]

O.R., that's a nice set up. I like it! Am I seeing some sort of "monte carlo" raised cheek piece on the stock? And does the red dot sight have any magnification to it? Just curious.

-Tutt

[oklahoma red]

Good afternoon -Tutt.

Thank you for the kind words, and good eye Sir!
It has a raised cheek piece from "The Leatherman.net" bonded to the Ramline stock.
The dot is a 1" millett, with no magnification.

It's a fast combo to shoot. I was able to "Dot" that buck twice as he was running across the flat.

Happy shooting,
OkR

[Fairshake]

You might want to look at the Marble's tang sight before you make up your mind. I've got three 92's at the present time and have owned a few others that are now doing duty elsewhere. The three that are with me at this time all have the tang sight. It's fast in the woods and has both windage and elevation. Look at Buffalo Arms as they sell the newer model that has the interchangeable sight towers. You start off with the regular and you can buy others if needed. I shoot Cas matches with them and have no problems. Later David

[COSteve]

Deleted

[AJMD429]

It would be cool to have a pair made with just a frosted area there, clear in the middle, so you could wear them all the time. You don't usually use that 'corner' except when shooting. I suppose some lawyer would sue you and the guy who made them if you got in a wreck with them, though.

[COSteve]

I don't know about the custom frosted idea, but these glasses went hunting with me for years until I got a newer prescription and yellow tinted ones to replace them. And yes, they aren't in the way for normal vision. In fact, I've looked 'around' the aperture to shoot my scoped ARs with them on with no issues.

[Lobo]

Thanks for the help, Guys!! I've got a bunch of things to work through to find a good working solution!!

[COSteve]

Deleted

[Travis Morgan]

270 gr. Keith bullets and 16.5 gr. of 2400.