View Poll Results: Which one for your only heavy pistol/carbine combo?

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  • .44 Magnum

    46 79.31%
  • .45 Colt

    12 20.69%
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Thread: .44 Magnum vs. .45 Colt Magnumized

  1. #1
    Member Baldanders's Avatar
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    .44 Magnum vs. .45 Colt Magnumized

    It will be a while before I buy a revolver in a higher powered chambering than .357 Mag, but when I do, it will probably be in one of the two cartridges listed in the thread title. I imagine a N-frame or Super Redhawk with a 5"+barrel, with a companion carbine. I would be solidly be in favor of of .45 Colt, but it limits my options, and it would mean I will probably never buy a .45 Colt Smith, as my personal policy is not to keep dangerous combos of ammo and guns that can chamber it in our house.

    Assuming handloads, but with an eye to available factory loads, and use on light/medium deer, which one?
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  2. #2
    Site Supporter Bigghoss's Avatar
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    I'm not a handloader but I've played with some nuclear .45 Colt loads. I don't think it matters a ton. There's going to be more load options with .44 mag but there's plenty of good .45 loads.

    With a .45 Redhawk you have the option to play with .45 ACP which is fun.
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  3. #3
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    I’ve had both and now only own .44 Magnum guns. It seemed better to streamline at one point in time.

    Having said that the .45 Colt is an interesting cartridge and capable of cleanly taking deer sized animals with “normal” loads from either handgun or carbine. The only possible drawback is that itty bitty rim on the Colt might possibly maybe cause issues in a lever gun or DA revolver. However the Winchester 94 I owned never had any problems and the Redhawk was a blast to shoot.

    For your reading pleasure:

    https://www.johnlinebaughcustomsixguns.com/writings

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Baldanders View Post
    It will be a while before I buy a revolver in a higher powered chambering than .357 Mag, but when I do, it will probably be in one of the two cartridges listed in the thread title. I imagine a N-frame or Super Redhawk with a 5"+barrel, with a companion carbine. I would be solidly be in favor of of .45 Colt, but it limits my options, and it would mean I will probably never buy a .45 Colt Smith, as my personal policy is not to keep dangerous combos of ammo and guns that can chamber it in our house.

    Assuming handloads, but with an eye to available factory loads, and use on light/medium deer, which one?
    Definitely .45 Colt over .44.

    Specifically, the Ruger .45 Auto/ .45 LC, which lets you fire .45 LC / .45LC +P, but also lets you fire .45 ACP / .45 Super with moonclips:

    https://gunblast.com/Ruger-RH45ACP.htm

    .45 LC +P from the 4.2" barrel velocities:


    However, the real deal cold steel option I think is the .454 Toklat 5":


    https://ruger.com/products/superRedh...eets/5517.html

    That will let you shoot .454 / .45 LC +P / .45 LC. And if you get it milled for moonclips, it will be able to also fire .45 ACP / .45 Super / .460 Rowland. Basically one gun that fires every .45 variant.

    Then you could get this gorgeous .454 companion rifle...


    https://www.bighornarmory.com/produc...0a-454-casull/
    Last edited by spyderco monkey; 01-15-2020 at 12:36 AM.

  5. #5
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    I’m not feeling a lot of motivation to go bigger than the .357, personally. These will do everything needed from a Magnum in my area.

    If I ever do go bigger, it will probably be just a case of “I wantsit” not a need, so it will be whatever is making me feel the wants. B/C of wrist pain, it will be something that can be fired most of the time without being a beast, even if I’m not handloading. Thus, it will probably be a .45LC, not a .44 Magnum.

  6. #6
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    Hand loaded the .45 Colt can surpass the .44 Magnum especially when the former is loaded with a 300 grain bullet. However, one can buy .44 Mag ammo in any gun shop. There is no lack of available .44 bullets for reloading. The other is limited. You would not fire many super hot .45 Colt loads through the lightweight lever actions because recoil is terrible. You won't fire many through a revolver either. If you desire a powerful rifle, buy a 45-70 lever gun. If you would enjoy shooting a single action revolver, then buy a Ruger .45 convertible. The ACP cylinder will provide opportunity for cheap, accurate reloads. The .45 Colt cylinder will permit loading sensibly hot rounds that will shoot through just about any animal you would encounter. Sensibly hot refers to a 250 grain lead bullet at a true 1000 fps. This one has manageable recoil. Buy a revolver with adjustable sights. In the Ruger everybody prefers the 45/8 barrel because it looks cool. Consider a 51/2 or 61/2 barrel if you are serious about hunting with the handgun or shooting it accurately. For plinking barrel length is not an issue.

  7. #7
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    Pretty much what Willie said.

    I've own 44mags in Ruger and S&W flavor for 15 years. I now only have the S&W. I also have a S&W in 45Colt, but I don't run hot loads through it. As a working gun the 44mag is the better choice for ammo and component availability. Handloaders can make the 45 more powerful than the 44, but they can also take the 44 up and down (300+gr bullets at 1300 are easily doable in a Ruger). Factory ammo, especially at hunting strengths, is far more available in 44 than 45, at least in my experience. Hunting-strength ammo in the 45 is pretty much going to be a handloading proposition unless you like expensive boutique ammo.

    Chris

  8. #8
    Site Supporter farscott's Avatar
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    While I would opt for .45 Colt, since carbine has been added the rim of the brass case is very important. Some brands of brass have very small diameter rims not suitable for extraction from carbines like the Marlin 1894. I have seen rims as small as 0.504" and as large as 0.538" (M1909 ball load). The rim of the latter is so wide as to not allow adjacent rounds to be loaded in a revolver. Modern rims are about 0.508" to 0.510". Starline #1600 brass has extracted well for me. Starline #1640 is .45 Colt diameter with a length close to .45 ACP and works well for light loads. The case length is so different as to be very easy to tell which are light loads and which are heavy, and .45 Colt dies, with the exception of needing a shorter crimp die (the one for .45 Auto Rim is a good choice), work well for both cases.

  9. #9
    Site Supporter Hambo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Baldanders View Post
    my personal policy is not to keep dangerous combos of ammo and guns that can chamber it in our house
    I understand your idea, but I think it's overkill. Clearly label ammo and be careful. Unless you're ready for Aricept, you should be ok.

    Assuming handloads, but with an eye to available factory loads
    Factory ammo? Did your mama drop you on your head or something?

    As to .44 or .45, load a 250-300gr bullet at 1000-1100fps from either and nothing you shoot will know the difference. I started with a .44, and have had .45s. Because the guns are often the same, and the loads are same/similar, I never got that excited by .45s.
    "Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Baldanders View Post
    It will be a while before I buy a revolver in a higher powered chambering than .357 Mag, but when I do, it will probably be in one of the two cartridges listed in the thread title. I imagine a N-frame or Super Redhawk with a 5"+barrel, with a companion carbine. I would be solidly be in favor of .45 Colt, but it limits my options, and it would mean I will probably never buy a .45 Colt Smith, as my personal policy is not to keep dangerous combos of ammo and guns that can chamber it in our house.

    Assuming handloads, but with an eye to available factory loads, and use on light/medium deer, which one?
    Any discussion comparing the 44 Magnum and the 45 Colt should start with a reading from John Linebaugh’s epistle to the faithful (https://www.johnlinebaughcustomsixguns.com/writings):

    “I have personally taken about 10 antelope and 1 mule deer with a .45 Colt. My boys have taken around 6 antelope and 5 mule deer with their .45 Colts. They use a 4 3/4" Colt SA and the handload is a 260 Keith cast at 900 fps. This load will shoot lengthwise of antelope and mule deer at 100 yards. In my estimation it kills as well as the .270, 30-06 class rifles if the shots are placed properly. If I were hunting heavier game I'd step up the velocity to 1200 fps and in extreme circumstances, (elk, hogs, bear) go to the 310 gr cast slug. This load, 310 at 1200 will go through elk like so much air.”

    I’m not sure what’s heavier than mule deer and lighter than elk, hogs, or bear, but those are the words of the master.


    For my purposes, the 44 Magnum is a no-brainer. It’s powerful enough and I can find good ammo for it almost anywhere if an airline loses my ammo on the way to a hunt. But for logistical reasons, I also want a second revolver with similar capabilities that shoots a different cartridge. The 45 Colt is good ballistically, but there are wrinkles on the logistical side.

    45 Colt revolvers and ammo are classed in four tiers:

    Tier I = Colt SAA and clones, which top out at 14,000 psi. It’s easy to handload a 250-grain SWC or LFN to 1,000 fps, which will meet 99% of your needs. Factory ammo is another story—you might find something like that handload, or you might only find a load with a pointy 180-grain bullet at 600 fps that will barely stay on a pie plate at 25 yards. Test and make careful notes if you have to rely on factory ammo.

    Tier II = S&W Model 25 and Ruger Flat Tops, which top out around 23,000 psi. This is a 250-grain jacketed bullet at 1,100 fps, a 280-grain cast bullet at 1,150 fps, or a 318-grain cast bullet at 1,070 fps. Brian Pearce has written excellent articles about handloading to this level in Handloader magazine, most notably in April, 2007. You’ll need those articles, though, because no factory loads this ammo and loading manuals don’t cover it.

    Tier III = Ruger New Model Blackhawks (NOT Flat Tops or New Vaqueros), Redhawks, Freedom Arms 97, and similar guns. These top out around 32,000 psi. You can buy this ammo over the counter. It’s expensive and recoil is fierce, but they match the hottest 44 Magnum loads with slightly less pressure. Most sources of loading data call this “45 Colt +P” or “Ruger/TC only.” These loads can destroy a Tier I or Tier II revolver, so many—but not all—of them are intentionally built too long to fit into the cylinder of an SAA or clone.

    Tier IV = custom five-shot guns with longer than standard cylinders, which top out around 50,000 psi. These are a handload-only proposition. I had a couple of these guns built by David Clements, and they’ll move a 325-grain bullet an honest 1,400 fps.

    The 45 Colt has a lot of romance but most of its advantages are theoretical and only pan out if you handload to Tier III or IV levels. For your purposes, get a 44 Magnum. Factory loads range from around 1,000 fps to 1,400 fps. I like HSM’s 240-grain Cowboy Load, which does 1,150 fps from my 4” Model 29-2 and is accurate enough for deer out to 100 yards. American Eagle’s 240-grain JHP and JSP are equally accurate and do about 1,250 fps from the same gun. They're also relatively cheap and you can find them almost anywhere.


    Okie John
    “The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
    "Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's

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