The Cattlemans Rifle

Is this an Uberti (sp?) revolver rifle? The .45 long Colt, you can load way hot for a lever rifle, but I don't know about the revolver rifles. One can push a .45 Colt up to .44 mag. energy levels, not that I'd want to be doing such.

If yours is fully functional, you got yourself one dynamite deal at $180. Hope the salesman wasn't a burglar.

Buffalo Bore loads some seriously hot ammo for revolvers in addition to "standard pressure" loadings.
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=8

Grizzly ammo loads it warm, but not hot like Buffalo Bore (I like that these bullets have gas-checked bases)
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...ad-wide-flat-nose-gas-check-950-fps-box-of-20

 

Excellent. If it is the revolver type with long exposed barrel, wrap a bandana around the barrel to afford you a place for a forward hold by your non-dominant hand. Not too thick with the bandana, else you'll obscure your forward sight when aiming. Throw the bandana over the top of the barrel and let the bandana's extra lengths hang down on each side. Twist the bandana's hanging fabric into a hand-grip. You can now more securely hold the weapon and you will not burn your hand when the barrel gets hot with firing. The forward hold on the barrel will harm your accuracy somewhat, but this is not a target rifle in the first place. Putting a permanent handgrip (like a wooden handgrip) on a long-barrelled revolver used to be a federal felony -- I don't know the law now.

The .45 Colt cartridge is a fine defense caliber -- and with a longer barrel, better yet. If you haven't found a scabbard for this rifle, do locate one. If the scabbard is leather, wrap the rifle in cloth before keeping it therein, else the tanning acids with degrade the rifle's finish. I'm a nostalgia nut and find these weapons very beautiful. My wife is quite the seamstress and she makes decorative wraps for the forends of our Western rifles. Cloth wraps also kill the glare of the sun and defeat heat waves rising from a hot barrel.

Back in the latter 1800's, it was noted that the 44-40 and the .45 Colt could pass through a large man's upper arm then proceed on into and through his chest laterally, collapsing both his lungs and his heart, should the latter put itself in the bullet's path. And they were talking black powder loads. Smokeless powder = more power yet. Don't get in the way of over a half ounce of lead sent out at over 800 ft/sec.

 

I'm not clear yet on exactly what type of gun it is. There have been all manner of different actions that fired a 45 long colt. Nearly everyone that made a lever action made one in 45LC. What he is describing sounds a lot like what is called a Mare's leg lever action. I believe Henry is making one right now in 45 LC. Now that is one weapon that I've never really understood. It is like the buntline special and just an odd duck.

I actually like a common pistol and rifle caliber. I often carry a "matched set" when I am hiking.

 

I've made a lot of money buying and selling guns . Selling a gun to a gun shop is about the same as pawning it. They have no interest in having a lot of money invested in guns that they plan to sell. The money is in buying from people that have guns that they don't want and don't actually know what they are worth and then selling them to individuals that REALLY want that gun. I used to always have a couple of tables at the Houston Gun show. I sold a few guns but the real money was in buying guns that people had brought to the show. Most of these were guns that they had inherited and such and they just wanted a fast buck. My partners usually stayed at the table while I cruised near the front to see what people were bringing in. I dealt in cash and immediate sales.