[Jeff Higgins]

I actually carry the Peacemaker most of the time, in preference to anything else. Not with the black powder loads, but rather the same bullet over 16.5 grains of Alliant #2400 for about 950 fps. It's a potent load - I've even killed a couple deer and some pronghorn with it.

That may sound kind of odd, but it is what I'm comfortable with and intimately familiar with. It's what I grew up with. I've always had a single action of one kind or another on my hip when bumming around the mountains, backpacking, fishing, hunting, or just fooling around. A 4 5/8" stainless Blackhawk (in .45 Colt, of course) has been my nearly constant companion when I don't have to conceal it. The Model P is smaller, smoother, and easier to conceal, so it comes along when I'm closer to home.

I actually kind of "semi-retired" the Colt last year and bought one of Ruger's New Vaqueros. They downsized it back down to the original Blackhawk size and, with its fixed sights, is virtually the same size as the Colt. Plus, it holds one more, and I can buy three of them before I reach the replacement cost of the Colt.