45 Schofield Cowboy

.45 Schofield (S&W) 200 Grain RNFP– The .45 Schofield or .45 Smith & Wesson is a revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson for their S&W Model 3 Schofield top-break revolver. It is similar to the .45 Colt round though shorter and with a slightly larger rim, and will generally work in revolvers chambered for that cartridge. US government arsenals supplied .45 Schofield cartridges for the Schofield revolver and the Colt Army revolver to simplify their armament needs. 45 Colt cartridges cannot be used in .45 Schofield firearms, since the .45 Colt is a longer cartridge.

This cartridge was originally designed as a black powder round. It was patented in the USA on 20 June 1871 and 22 April 1873 by Smith & Wesson. It was a Smith & Wesson Model 3 that was modified, due to a suggestion by Major George Schofield, to make it easier for a cavalryman to reload while riding. While the Colt 45 had more power, the speed at which a cavalryman could reload a Schofield was less than 30 seconds, half of the time for a Colt 45. By 1879, the U. S. Army had purchased 8,285 of the revolvers. Due to its reduced power and recoil compared to the Colt .45, it was easier to shoot accurately, yet still retained effective stopping power on the battlefield. It became the standard cartridge of the Army, though the Colt 1873 still was the main issue side arm of the Army.

The Schofield was quite a popular handgun in the old west, and may have been used by General Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The effectiveness of the cartridge in battle, and its reputation for shootability and accuracy, led to the duplication of the cartridges’ characteristics in the .45 ACP.

In the early 1880s the Benet (inside) cartridge primer was retired and the modern Boxer type (externally visible) primer was adopted for all future military production of revolver ammunition.

Once again, Choice Ammunition has produced a true “Cowboy Action” round in the .45 Schofield, or .45 Smith & Wesson. Our 100% hand-loading techniques produce a mild shooting, low velocity round that is a pleasure to shoot- while being highly accurate and dependable every time you pull the trigger! Cowboy Choice Ammunition is an affiliated SASS Merchant, recognized as a leader in true Cowboy Action Ammunition. Our mild shooting Cowboy Action line meets SASS Power Factors, yet are a pleasure to shoot in repetition with minimal kick back or recoil. The hottest thing on the SASS circuit!!