.45 Colt or .44 Magnum?

Tom 68:

This is not very scientific but here goes. I shoot at a 100 yard gong with both a Smith & Wesson model 29, 44 magnum and a four inch Smith & Wesson model 25, 45 Colt. The gong jumps the same when hit with either caliber. I wouildn't hesitate to use either on deer at a 100 yards. I think that the model 29 has a little more recoil; however, the model 25's recoil is no tabby cat. The .45 Colt has more nostalgia. Take your pick, they are both good.

Semper Fi.

Gunnery Sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
 
Get yourself a bag of 500 Starline .45 Colt shells and you can reload them forever.

The .45 makes a bigger hole so it wins. It also has more history behind it.
 
Both are great rounds. If you go 45 you might consider this. I got the 454 and I can shoot ANY 45 Colt round with zero concerns about pressure. I shoot a few 454 full power , but I like that it is plenty stout for any 45 Colt load.
 
YES I know it can be safely done. That doesn't make it a good idea.
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This statement makes no sense at all. If it can be safely done, then why is it a bad idea?

Brian Pearce stated in Handloader #277 that the Redhawk 45 can be safely loaded to 45,000 - 50,000 PSI.

Starline states that their 45LC brass is as strong as 44Mag brass.

So, why is it a bad idea to load a gun to its potential?

My 4 inch RH 45 shoots the BB 325 load at 1270 fps and my 330 grain handloads at 1214 fps.

I'm thinking about getting some of the 345 grain Beartooth Bullets and seeing if I can get 1200 fps out of my 4 inch RH with them.

Is that a bad idea?

If Ruger ever sells a 4 inch 454 RH, I might buy one, but I really don't see the need for it when I can get this kind of performance out of the 45 RH.

By the way, I also have a 5.5 inch 44M Redhawk and I'm shooting a 355 grain Beartooth Bullet at 1202 fps out of it with no signs of pressure. That's pretty impressive too.
 
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.45 Colt

The more people that buy and shoot this caliber will make production ramp up and my retail prices will go down.

Also, the Colt can do just about anything you want at 1,000 fps from the muzzle.
 
There is a broad range ....in both calibers...in the reloading tables - depending on which bullet you select and its weight ..and powder, etc...

Flip a coin ...and buy whichever caliber you want...

Personally, in the new Freedom Arms I just bought / I picked .357 mag ...because I'm not going to hunt with it ...( although I could ) ..its more for range fun ...in a classic piece of craftsmanship.
 
The .45 makes a bigger hole so it wins. It also has more history behind it.
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That's a good point. Dirty Harry Callahan really didn't kill all that many people with his 44 compared to the 45 that won the West. A 75 year head start helped too though, I'm sure. In another 100 years, these modern Blackhawks, Redhawks, and FA 45's that we all are getting now, will be even more collectible then than Original SAAs are now, and just as much history. Tough working guns and not just a fragile relic.

I like to think about my sons grandkids shooting these 45's :)
 
If you hand load, the .45 Colt may have a small advantage IF you have the large frame Ruger SA and not the new mid-sized frame.
I like the the .44M myself because I don't reload and the ammo for a .44M can be found everywhere where as .45C can be hard to find in anything more than Cowboy loads. I have both a S&W and a Ruger in .44M and love both of them.
 
Get one of each! Thats what I did cause I like both the 44 mag and 45 colt, so I have a Smith and Wesson 629 44 mag and a Ruger Blackhawk in 45 colt :D
 
Ditto for me, er775. How about a couple pics?

95270GD6in629.jpg


BisleyDogleg.jpg
 
Get one of each! Thats what I did cause I like both the 44 mag and 45 colt, so I have a Smith and Wesson 629 44 mag and a Ruger Blackhawk in 45 colt
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why stop at one?
Bisley 45 Colt
IMG-20120323-00430640x480.jpg

Colt and USFA SAAs in 45 Colt
IMG-20110407-00117.jpg

Liberty SBH 44
SANY0899.jpg

Custom Redhawk 44
SANY0861.jpg

top is my 29-2
IMG-20110204-00057.jpg
 
HAHA heck yeah!!!! they all look awsome!! I tried to upload pics of mine but not having very good luck, it keeps telling me the file is too big:confused:
 
The last time I looked at revolvers I was checking out a Ruger SRH in .454 Casull, which can also fire the .45 Colt. The Ruger site does not show any SA revolvers chambered in .454 though. I do not know if other makers chamber a SA revlover in the .454, but it would be kind of like a ".45 Colt Magnum"... Since you handload, this would give you a wider range of choices as far as loading it to different power levels. Much like the .357 mag, many choose to shoot the milder .38 Specials for reasons of both economy and recoil.
 
Again????really Becky?? It must have been 30 seconds. Since the last 44 mag vs. 45 thread..........holy crap!!!!! Search next time or read down a thread or two! :)
 
Again????really Becky?? It must have been 30 seconds. Since the last 44 mag vs. 45 thread..........holy crap!!!!!
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Yer a little slow on the draw there, Budda. This thread's been running for over a week. ;)
 
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