.45 Colt Advice PLEASE!!!

T

togusa.45

Inactive
I really need input! I'm looking all over the place trying to my hands on a nice packable .45 Colt (or something that can shoot .45 Colt in addition to whatever else (.454 CAsull, etc.)) revolver...I'll be using it for carry as well as a lot of range time with factory loads from cowboys to general defense rounds, but I want to be able to shoot a few of the higher powered rounds every once in a while as well

the only revolver I've come across that fits the bill so far is the newer 625 Mountain Gun from S&W...but I dunno much about it...or why it's called "Mountain Gun" (which I kinda feel stupid admitting...)

Anyway...any input from anyone would be incredibly appreciated!!!
 
There isn't a ton of options. If you really want to shoot 454 Casull, S&W has the 460, Ruger has double action choices including a snub, Taurus has a couple of double action choices and there are some single actions from Freedom Arms. The S&W 625 in 45 Long Colt or 45 ACP is simply marketed as a Mountain Gun because you might pack it in the mountains. Advertising gimmick. If it were me, I would search for a dual cylinder 45 Long Colt and 45 ACP single action Ruger. I would then have a unfluted 460 Rowland cylinder fitted. IIRC, Bowen was doing that.
 
I really like my 4" S&W 25-5. You'd be hard put to do better in my opinion.
( In regard to the cylinder throats on the 25-5's, Mine are fine as was the 6" 25-5 I had. I believe that S&W corrected the oversize throat problem about the time they went to a non-pinned barrel. However, if I were looking for a 45 Colt revolver I would take either some pin gages or some .452 cast bullets to try in the throats.)
 
Unless you feel the need for a double action (i.e. S&W mdl 25) take a look at the Ruger Blackhawk .45. It can be safely loaded to levels comparable to the .44 Mag and with a .45 ACP cylinder (as suggested by Sir William) you can obtain less expensive practice ammo.
 
A S&W Mountain Gun in .45 colt is a dandy double action gun. Very accurate. The current version is blue.

625mg_45lc_l.jpg


If you want a single action the short barrel Ruger Blackhawk is a good choice. Plus it can handle hotter loads if that is something what would appeal.

bishawk_r.jpg


Good Luck...

Joe
 
If you get a 45 Colt revolver you can have the cylinder machined for moonclips for under $100. That way you can shoot 45 Colt and .45ACP in the same gun. (Similar to getting Colt and ACP cylinders for a single action.) I don't know if this conversion limits the "upper end" loads in .45 Colt. Can anyone say if the bit left unsupported due to this modification is a problem with heavy .45 Colt loads?
 
I'd say you are looking in the wrong direction. S&W isn't the most famous maker for strong supermag revolvers.

Can I suggest you look at Ruger?

A ruger redhawk in .45LC will shoot custom "hot" loads until the end of your grandchildrens' days. These are 1000ft/lb and higher powered loads, not wimpy cowboy stuff. Buffalo Bore makes some pretty mean loads that almost reach .454 levels.

A super redhawk has a more tuneable trigger (for folks that say ruger triggers are bad), comes chambered in .454, and can shoot any .45LC load out there too.

Both of these choices are DA revolvers, increasing their reliability to you when you might need it most.

The 5.5" redhawk I feel is one of the finest revolvers on the market. It just needs its grips changed out for a Hogue Monogrip ($20 for rubber, about $60 for wood) and you will be hard pressed to find a better DA revolver out there.

If SA revolvers work for you, drop the Blackhawk suggestion and look at a Ruger Bisley in .45LC. Bowen Custom Arms uses the Bisley for their suicidal magnums because the grip is better on the Bisley than the blackhawk.

If you shoot insane .45LC loads out of it, you will want the grip as ergonomic as possible.
 
well I want to be able to carry for defenseive purposes as well...so I think the DA is prob a more versatile defense gun...other than that, the reason for a no go on the Rugers is the .45 Colt Redhawk doesn't come in anything less than a 7.5" barrel...I'd prefer to have this revolver to be what I want out of the box...but if the best option is a Ruger, than I'll just have to get one and have it shortened...I have no idea how much that costs, though...
 
Standard Redhawk (not Super Redhawk) comes in a 5.5" barrel in .45LC, I think.

If not, Bowen can cut one down to about 4" if you like. Or you can get the SRH Alaskan in .454 with a snubbie 3" barrel, but it is pretty fugly.
 
What's wrong with .44magnum?

You just took a major power factor "down" when jumping from .45LC to .45acp or .357.

.44mag can be found in "lighter" loads like magtech (about 750ft/lb) or super-killer-stomping rounds (i.e. 1400ft/lb) like buffalo bore or custom handloads.

.44special is also available to shoot out of it for sub-500ft/lb shooting.

With the .44 you can still look at the same frames (629, redhawk, bisley) that were discussed above...
 
the reason I didn't include the .44 is that I really like the width and feel of the wider .45s, and, if I can't get something with that, I'd rather just get the .38/.357 combo and save some money on the feeding

I've shot smiths and rugers in .45, .44, .357 and considering cost of feeding to enjoyment that's just the order they'd go in, I guess

then again, I've only shot .44 from one revolver maker and perhaps I should try another before establishing that I'm not going to go for it

I did just call my local shop, though, and I'm supposed to get a call back in the next few hours or so about what their prices are for a few models that I was interested in...so hopefully I'll get some good news and make a decision :D
 
I think for most revolvers .45's and .44's are built on the same frame. There is nothing different about them but the bore and chamber size.
 
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