.357mag or .45 (long) Colt?

F

FUD

Moderator
Which is better against animal attacks (especially alligators) -- a .357mag or a .45 (long) Colt? I'm not talking about hunting, but just plain self defense against four-legged creatures. Please don't recommend rifles or shotguns as I would have a difficult time properly concealing one of those and it wouldn't be covered by my CWL. Thanks,
FUD
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Share what you know, learn what you don't.
 
few manufacturers make hot .45 colt rounds, like cor-bon, and these are just as powerful as .44 magnums. but make sure you shoot it out of a ruger or faa.
 
I would lean toward the weight/mass of the .45 myself. And yes, the Elmer Keith Memorial Loads should only be used in Ruger, Freedom Arms, and possibly Dan Wesson guns too.
 
I read a couple of years ago that the 45 LC would take any game on the North American continent. I guess either one would be a good gator gun. But If you had some hot 45LC's I beleive you would have an advantage over the 357- Good luck with your choice.
 
depends on the gun. in a light snubnose pistol like the new Tarus ones the .45 Colt is hobbled to 1800's pressures. while the .357 Mag can rock to the max in most snubbies. if you say self defense i assume you mean a small revolver. i have always wondered what you could do with five slow fat .45's that you could not do with six fast .357's. having said that i carry a 7.5" Ruger Blackhawk in the woods stoked with near max pressure 250 grain Keith style semi wadcutters hard cast. it is medicine for anything that walks, crawls or slithers on this planet.
however when i must conceal a revolver (national parks or back country camping in parks or in non-gun areas) i carry a .357 Ruger Speed Six loaded with 180 or 155 grain SWC's loaded to near max. they offer deep pentration and killing power. before the .44 Mag or the hotrodded .45 Colt the .357 Mag was used by folks gonzo over having a "Magnum" to kill many a head of large game and some toothy critters to.

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Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote.
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The man that can keep his head and aims carefully when the situation has gone bad and lead is flying usually wins the fight.

[This message has been edited by riddleofsteel (edited May 31, 2000).]
 
FUD
Ditto get a Ruger colt 45 and handload 250 -300 grn at 1100 -1200 fps sledgehammer <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by FUD:
Which is better against animal attacks (especially alligators) -- a .357mag or a .45 (long) Colt? I'm not talking about hunting, but just plain self defense against four-legged creatures. Please don't recommend rifles or shotguns as I would have a difficult time properly concealing one of those and it wouldn't be covered by my CWL. Thanks,
FUD
fudeagle.gif

Share what you know, learn what you don't.[/quote]
 
If you gonna troll for gators, don't use yourself for bait. Gator defending nest can be VERY fast, and darn difficult target.

Saw 6 GI ball .45 ACP in a smallish one and was underwhelmed by the long time for it to stop.

Don't have experience with the .45 Colt but wouldn't feel undergunned with .357, 200gr at 1300. Problem with defensive load that stout is you should practice a lot with it so as to be able to get successive rounds in the right place in reasonable time..

May you never have to use it.

Sam

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Sam I am, grn egs n packin

Nikita Khrushchev predicted confidently in a speech in Bucharest, Rumania on June 19, 1962 that: " The United States will eventually fly the Communist Red Flag...the American people will hoist it themselves."
 
I'd go with the .45 Colt preferably with 300gr hard cast lead bullets. If need be I'd settle for 250-255gr. Deep penetration with a bigger hole to start with. At defense distances, I don't think you need to get hot loads. I think standard velocity ammo would be just fine.
JMHO

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TFL's official "Curmudgeon Member" and damned proud of it!
TFL End of Summer Meet, August 12th & 13th, 2000
 
I'd use my Ruger B.H. .45 LC, which I do carry very often here in the bear woods of Idaho. 255 gr. Keith style hard cast SWC in a stout load will take down any alligator around, if you do your part.

I suggest you check out www.sixgunner.com and go into the many articles on heavy loads used in the field, in .45 L.C. You'll also get some good loading info.

J.B.
 
Get the 45 Colt. The best the 357 can do is to expand to the diameter that the 45 starts at. In a Ruger Redhawk or Blackhawk the 45 Colt can be loaded to more protection than you'll ever need in the lower 48.
 
Hey Fud,

Why not just get a super redhawk in 44 magnum. I have had mine for about a month and a half and can't put it down. Throw some Garrett's (sp) in the cylinder and blast them gators to hell.
Have fun
Jeepster
 
I have never shot a gator, but it seems to me we're dealing with a primitive life form, sorta' like a snake or turtle. Usually on those the key is to hit them just right with a bullet that will penetrate, otherwise you practically have to shoot them to pieces.

So my choice would be the .357 with a 158 or 180 gr bullet and I would go for head shots.
 
AC makes a valid point. Gator with it's dander up can be like a punctured perp full of PCP and parabellums, don't know there dead till later.

Played a bit of golf on a neat course that also served as a free range gator farm. Mostly they were bout as entertaining as a log, but once in a while you got an E ticket ride.
 
Hello, FUD. I've never shot an alligator so this is just opinion. Based on the two calibers you mention, .357 or .45 Colt, I'd go with the latter. Since alligators cannot sue you in civil court if they survive, handloaded ammo is viable. I'd go with a Ruger and "hotrod" the .45 Colt using at least a 250 gr hard cast SWC with sharp shoulders. Expanding ammo, even XTPs, could possibly expand more than we want penetrating
the scales, etc on the alligator. I know that in "hard target" penetration, the JHPs do better than expected, but I don't know if these scales are "wet" inside or not. As I said, I know little about these big reptiles.
The .45 Colt with at least a 250 gr CSWC moving at say 1200 ft/sec should knock a big plug out of the 'gator(s) and give deep penetration. Probably the .357 with hard cast SWCs would work fine as well, but it just won't be cutting as wide a hole. Anyway, that is my admittedly uninformed opinion on your dilemma. Best and good luck.
 
Fud, I'm going to say the 45 Colt is the better choice and it sure wont hurt to soup it up some. A 250 to 300 gr LSWC hard cast or HP at say 1300fps should be a good gator getter. I'm no expert, never bagged one or had the chance but the 45 does seem the best medicine for the devils offspring.
 
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