But sold it yesterday we did! And since we'd owned it for so long we cleared a nice chunk of change, so to blow off some steam today I set aside all of the work and projects at the new hacienda and hit the gun shop to pick up a .44 Special flattop that has been calling to me for some time if it was still there. And it was but what's this? A Marlin Cowboy in .44-40? Egads! Now I'm torn! Well, this isn't one of those stories where the guy says, "So to heck with it - I bought both!" I had funds for one gun, and while I want a lever gun in .44-40 to go with my Remington 1890, I think I want it in a Winchester 1873. So the Ruger came home with me. 
I've been spending all of my time at home on the hacienda, land scaping, getting my gun shop set up, a new shed built, getting the new place squared away etc., so I haven't been to the range in months I'm ashamed to admit. And it showed!
The fresh Ruger wasn't helping much with a long and gritty (but at least heavy...) trigger pull, but my shooting was just terrible. Every group went pretty much like the one below - at least one flyer. It was maddening. But I have to say that .44 Special out of a Bisley is just sublime. It's PERFECT! My goodness, what I've been missing. As much as I like .45 Colt, it can be a handful. The Special seems to inhabit that perfect middle ground where recoil is completely non-bothersome, and unlike the .357 magnum the report is very nice. A big bore low pressure boom instead of the harsh crack of the .357. At least with the full house 200gr JHP loads I was shooting (it's what they had, I'm not yet loading for it).
At just over ten yards, maybe 40 feet, the Ruger seemed to want to shoot like a laser were it not for the shooter and the outstanding trigger (sarcasm alert). The balance on a Bisley of this barrel length is, in my view, perfect. They did have a 4 & 3/8ths version in the case as well, and while it looked a bit more sexy, I'm glad I got this longer barrel as this is meant to be a plinker and I'll shoot it better than the shorter gun.
So that's my report! What do you think? Is she a looker? I even found a pound of Clays and a 500 box of 180gr cast bullets today to go with it. Any good loads to recommend with that powder?
Thanks!
.***
