.45 Colt for defense?

N

Nightcrawler

New member
I'm contemplating buying a Ruger Redhawk in .45 Colt when I turn 21, one year from now. How does .45 Colt stack up for defensive purposes out of a 5.5" barrel?

What about out of a 16" barreled Winchester Trapper?

What are some good factory loadings for defense? (I don't have the space for reloading equipment right now)
 
A lot of people will tell you how you can load a 45LC real hot to give it fantastic performance. Using factory ammo, you already have a nice round. However, just like you, I do not reload. If you are planning on using only factory ammo, I would really recommend going with 44 Magnum. In many locations, you will find that 44 Magnum is more abundant than 45LC. You will also be able to shoot 44 Specials from a 44 Magnum if that is more your cup of tea, but be able to use the Magnums, should you ever roam into bear country. The only two exceptions I can see to getting 45LC instead of 44 Magnum would be if you were getting into authentic cowboy action shooting or you wanted a large bore snubbie. You will also easily find leverguns to match 44 Magnum, just as with 45LC. Hope this helps.
 
Good advice.

I own both (actually all four Redhawk calibers) but I also make ammo.

If you don't handload the 44 Mag version is more versatile. Get stainless, 5.5" tube, try Millett orange-ramp front sight blade.
 
I agree with the above posters. If you don't reload, and it'll probably be awhile before you get into it, then buy the .44 Magnum. Much more versatility with factory ammo.

That said, I reload, and LOVE the .45LC. I have three of them and would NEVER feel at a disadvantage in a self defense situation... so long as I've practiced shooting and adhere to my belief that the two most important things in a self defense situation are ACCURACY & DETERMINATION!

Best of luck. J.B.
 
makes sense...

.44 Remington Magnum ammo is cheaper than .45 Colt, too. And, since I've never fired anything more powerful out of a handgun than .45 ACP ball ammo, I could buy a box or two of .44 special to get me started with it, then move up to progressively stronger .44 Magnum loads when I'm ready.

Plus, too, I could get the Marlin 1894P as my carbine instead of the Trapper. The Marlins have better triggers, by a long shot. (Winchester 94s these days have spring loaded slack in the trigger. I dislike mushy triggers!)
 
He was asking about 45 colt for defense

and I guess he meant against humans.

In that case the "versatility" you guys are talking about with a 44 magnum is not so important, is it?
 
Well, lonegunman, isn't versatility always a factor to consider?

Both calibers will do well. Controllability is also a factor to consider. Some folks have trouble with a .44 mag. (Cain't unnerstan, meself, but ah reckon some do.)

About 20 years back a friend of mine owned a gun store in S California. Santa Ana PD had had some public relations grief with those eeeevile MAAAAGNUMS!!!! So they told their cops that any wheelgun was authorised for carry, as long as it was NOT a magnum.

My friend suddenly had a run on S&Ws in 45 Colt, and sold a lot of Silvertip ammo, too.

It'll do the job.
 
The .45 Colt has been doing a pretty good job as a self-defense cartridge for around 170 years. It may not rate as highly on "one shot stop" scales as some others, but you may be sure that when those "one shots" from the old gal were put in the proper place, they _stopped_!
The most readily available .45 Colt load in my area is the Win. 225 gr. Silvertip. It rated at 900 fps, but runs 740-750 from my 625-6. I load a 185 Rem. HP at a manual-rated 1100 fps (Sierra) and, surprisingly, it clocks out at 1090. Handloads, of course, are a no-no for SD according to the magazine gurus, and in metropolitan areas they may well be. The nearest load to this in commercial form is the CorBon 200 gr. The Cowboy loads in 250 gr. lead can turn in respectable performance and accuracy, but expansion is not a factor. There aren't a lot of ammo choices, but some of them are good, and the cartridge has been around long enough that its' credentials are sound.
 
Factory .45 Colt defensive loads would include:

CCI Blazer 200gr. JHP
Cor-Bon 200gr. JHP
Federal 225gr. LHP
Glaser 140gr. Blue or Silver
Winchester 225gr. STHP

Of the above, my favorite is the Cor-Bon load; it seems to be hotter than the others. The aluminum-cased CCI will not feed reliably in my Trapper; it's fine in revolvers, though.
 
Why so anemic?

Why are .45 Colt loads seemingly so low-powered? I mean, most .45 Colt revolvers and leverguns are the same frames and designs that also use .44 Magnum. I'm sure that a hotter .45 Colt factory load would be popular.

Or, am I way off base here? What are some various muzzle velocities out of a typical revolver barrel, or a 16" carbine barrel, for standard plinking, defense, and hunting ammo?
 
If you look at two similar wheelguns side by side with their cylinders open, one in 44 Magnum and 1 in 45LC, you will usually find that the 44 Magnum's cylinder looks so much meatier. 45LC just wasn't a magnum round in the 1800's when it was invented and they don't factory load stuff close to a Magnum for the fear that someone will use them in a gun that can't handle the pressure.
 
From its introduction in 1873 until the birth of the .357 Magnum in 1935, The .45 Colt was considered to be THE king of handgun cartridges. The .45acp is considered to be an excellent defense round. The .45 Colt throws a heavier bullet of equal diameter at slightly more velocity. Its an excellent defense cartridge.

The low velocity of factory loads is in consideration of all the old SAAs and clones out there which couldn't take the pressure of modern loaded .45 Colt ammo.
 
Nightcrawlers asks:

Why are .45 Colt loads seemingly so low-powered? I mean, most .45 Colt revolvers and leverguns are the same frames and designs that also use .44 Magnum. I'm sure that a hotter .45 Colt factory load would be popular.
Click to expand...

That may be true today, but the .45 Colt has been around since the early 19th century. Metallurgy back then was not what it is today, but many older .45 Colt guns are still around. Putting a pumped-up modern load in an older gun raises the possibility of getting metal fragments up your nose.
 
The .45 Colt is "underpowered" for two reasons: (1) it is loaded down so you can shoot in your 100+ year old SAA without blowing it up, and (2) with the advent of "Cowboy" Action Shooting, it is loaded way down for target and play purposes.

The orginal .45 Colt loading would give you about 900 fps for 260 grain bullet. The current loading is about 750 fps for 260 grain bullet. Those 150 fps make a difference.

I have a 5.5 inch Vaquero currently in .45 Colt, and I have had numerous other handguns in that calibre in the past. I enjoy shooting the .45 Colt. It is fun, and you can "touch" history with it, but even when there is an outside chance I might need it for serious purposes, I slap the .45 ACP cylinder in it and load it with 230 grain +P JHPs. (As an aside, for plinking, practice, and just fun shooting, the .45 ACP is far less expensive than the .45 Colt or the .44 Magnum.)
 
Thousands of long since deceased people would whole heartedly agree with the fact that the 45 LC is a proven cartridge for defense or otherwise.
 
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