School me on the Schofield

[MK11]

I'd like to start building up a collection of Old West shooters. Not worried about Cowboy Action or collecting, just for my own enjoyment.

I've got enough fun money to start off with either one Schofield clone or two other clones (SAA and maybe the Cimmarron Man with No Name 1851 clone). I've never handled a Schofield and I'm confused by what I've read--people either seem to think they've got the best ergos of Old West guns or the worst, no in-between. I love the look but don't want to shell out that much money for a boat anchor.

What say you? Best of the West or ergonomic nightmare?

[Half Moon]

I'd like to start building up a collection of Old West shooters. Not worried about Cowboy Action or collecting, just for my own enjoyment.

I've got enough fun money to start off with either one Schofield clone or two other clones (SAA and maybe the Cimmarron Man with No Name 1851 clone). I've never handled a Schofield and I'm confused by what I've read--people either seem to think they've got the best ergos of Old West guns or the worst, no in-between. I love the look but don't want to shell out that much money for a boat anchor.

What say you? Best of the West or ergonomic nightmare?

I've never shot one so can't comment to the ergonomics. That said, from handling a couple, the sights make SAA sights look good...

[Jim Watson]

I wouldn't call it BAD, just not as handy as a Colt.

I rank them
SAA
Remington
S&W No 3 New Model
S&W Schofield
Bisley Colt
S&W Old Model Russian

See the different grips on the Uberti site
http://www.ubertireplicas.com/produc...ols-revolvers/

[fatdog]

Competed with one for probably two dozen matches, all using black powder .45LC loads, but I prefer the Single Action Army designs. For the users in the old west there was certainly an easier to load factor, but reloads are not part of CAS so I never really tested how valuable or how much faster that really was under timer pressure. And for a user on horseback I am not sure how those dynamics really played out. With the ejection cycle and throw point on the ejector star I am sure there was some danger of ending up with an empty or a live round falling under it.

Every one of those old west single action revolvers has a different grip and different geometry, so which one works best for you is a combination of your hands and what you are used to. The gun is supposed to roll a bit to allow you to get to the hammer and SSA's seemed to put my thumb in place faster, so I was slightly slower with the Schoefields but I knew people who preferred them. The reach to the hammer for cocking shots was just a bit off for me, but that could be a function of how many rounds I had through SAA designs.

The Uberti made versions (sold by several OEM's) were much closer to the original design I think than the later turn of the century run S&W did of those.

I sold mine off when I had to quit CAS because it was just not something I knew I would shoot recreationally, but they are interesting guns. Mine had good timing and decent accuracy.

[Borderland]

I wouldn't call it BAD, just not as handy as a Colt.

I rank them
SAA
Remington
S&W No 3 New Model
S&W Schofield
Bisley Colt
S&W Old Model Russian

See the different grips on the Uberti site
http://www.ubertireplicas.com/produc...ols-revolvers/

Remington? Which one would that be?

[Noah]

Remington? Which one would that be?

1875 and 1890, or a cap and ball or converted 1858.

[Half Moon]

Competed with one for probably two dozen matches, all using black powder .45LC loads, but I prefer the Single Action Army designs. For the users in the old west there was certainly an easier to load factor, but reloads are not part of CAS so I never really tested how valuable or how much faster that really was under timer pressure. And for a user on horseback I am not sure how those dynamics really played out. With the ejection cycle and throw point on the ejector star I am sure there was some danger of ending up with an empty or a live round falling under it.

My wife found a copy of The History of Smith and Wesson by Roy Jinks at a thrift store and bought it as one of my gifts, Christmas last. Just finished reading it this weekend. In the section on the Schofield it quotes a contemporaneous editorial from the Sunday Herald and Weekly National Intelligence:

The author of this editorial continued to point out that in a test conducted at the National Armory, Springfield, in 1873, the following was reported, and he quotes:

'In order to test its facility of loading on horseback the following trial was made, taking for comparison Colt's pistol, caliber .45. After a preliminary trial with each kind of pistol an expert horseman was timed to see how long it would take him to eject six empty shells from this pistol and to reload it. The cartridges were taken from a cap-pouch on the belt. The horse was at a hand gallop, the Colt's pistol began loading in twenty-six seconds, loaded in sixty seconds. Major Schofield's pistol began loading in two seconds, loaded in twenty-six seconds.' The officers pointed to the speed with which the Smith & Wesson could be unloaded and reloaded to illustrate its great advantages over the Colt .45 Single Action Army.'

All of which, probably, deserves a grain, or maybe a nugget of salt. Jinks quotes more of the article earlier. It reads like something written by an S&W publicist opining on how Custer would have been served better at the Little Bighorn if only his troops had been issued the Schofield...

[I also assume by hand gallop it means hard gallop but if a typo not sure which source it's in - the book or the newspaper. Though then again, not a horseman here. Might be a term of art I'm just not familiar with :-) ]

[Malamute]

In the two volume set Firearms Of The American West by Garavaglia and Worman, there are contemporary accounts of many of the firearms in use, its been quite interesting to learn of some of the quirks noted that havent been commonly mentioned in more recent discussions as well as learning some of the uses in history.

I believe the Schofield/S&W top break types can be loaded with modern speed loaders if you get the correct size.

Ive handled some of the Schofield types, but not shot them. They feel OK, but I dont think Id pass on a good SAA type to get one. For about the same money as the Schofield one can own a copy of an 1873 or 1866, if they interest you at all. They are highly interesting to me as representative of the period and something I use since coming into the Miroku/Winchester 73 carbine.

[jh9]

I believe the Schofield/S&W top break types can be loaded with modern speed loaders if you get the correct size.

Speedloader notwithstanding, TK Custom will apparently cut a .45 Uberti Schofield for moonclips.

[mikey357]

Speedloader notwithstanding, TK Custom will apparently cut a .45 Uberti Schofield for moonclips.

Oh, that is just WRONG...I wonder what they charge for that? LOL!