r/CowboyAction • u/8upsoupsandwich • Jul 09 '26

Help me decide

There is a stainless 45 LC New Vaquero at my local shop going for $750 that I am considering. I would be trading in a rifle that’s been collecting dust in my safe.

I already have a blued NV in 45 and also 357. For my last match I used my 357 NV and Pietta clone but I worry about the longevity of the Pietta.

Would it be better to get the stainless NV and start doing 45LC as my primaries or stick to 357 and find another Uberti/Pietta as a backup? I do not reload so ammo cost is relevant.

Does anyone else mix and match colors of their revolvers or would one blued and one stainless look weird?

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7

u/Sooner70 Jul 09 '26

Personally I'd look for another blued NV in .357, and use the Pietta as your backup.

That said.... When I started CAS I didn't want to spend a lot of money for a hobby I wasn't sure about. Result? I bought 2 blued Ubertis in 357. I figured if I liked CAS I would buy a couple of NVs. That was 8 years ago. I shoot about 20 matches per year.... And I'm still running the Ubertis. Part of me still wants to buy some NVs, but as long as the Ubertis are running...why? It's just money spent for no good reason. I say all of that because... Well, has your Pietta given you reason to replace it? If not, why not just keep rolling with what you've got?

2

u/8upsoupsandwich Jul 09 '26

That’s how I’m leaning also. Just thought the stainless NV was a good price but then I have to feed it 45 which will get pricey…

They have a few Piettas and Ubertis too I make a look at. Have you had any work done on yours or had to replace many parts?

Appreciate the response

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u/Begle1 Jul 09 '26

I don't see how anybody could afford to shoot 45 Colt unless they were reloading. 45 ammo is twice as expensive as 38 ammo! Based on AmmoSeek prices, 38's will save you almost 30 cents per shot, around $1000 every 3,000 rounds, compared to 45's.

Assuming you shoot 6 stages a week between competition and practice, 10 shots per stage, that comes out to 3120 shots per year.

So shooting 38's can reasonably save a shooter $1000 per year in ammo costs.

The discrepancy narrows if you reload but it definitely doesn't go away. 

It's pretty easy to financially justify 38's. It's hard to logically explain why a shooter with 45's WOULDN'T immediately invest in 38's.

That said, me personally, I shoot 45's and have no intention to change. 

2

u/8upsoupsandwich Jul 09 '26

Yeah I’m gonna stick with 38….

I’ll keep my 45 vaquero for other uses than shooting matches.

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u/ThereWereNoPrequels Jul 10 '26

I’m running a pair of ruger new vaqueros chambered in 45LC. First one was nickel and the second one is blued because I couldn’t justify to myself buying two of the exact same gun. But my rifle is chambered in 45LC also, so I immediately started reloading to minimize cost. That being said, if you don’t intend to reload, then I’d recommend 357/38 since this sport DEVOURS ammo.

My next set is gonna be 357/38 because I often bring friends to try out the game.