.45 Colt Rugers
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jackmoser65
New member
`Tis the nature of DA recoil.
What I don't understand is why someone wants to load/hotrod a .45 Colt with its slightly thinner brass/cylinder wall dimensions to the .44 Magnum.
Besides brass and factory loads, the .44 is more versatile and I used to be a .45 Colt shooter for years. Yes, at moderate velocities and slightly heavier bullet weights it outshines the .44 Mag slightly but so what.
Just get a BH or RH in .44 and save yourself the hassle of overdoing it with handloads.
Besides brass and factory loads, the .44 is more versatile and I used to be a .45 Colt shooter for years. Yes, at moderate velocities and slightly heavier bullet weights it outshines the .44 Mag slightly but so what.
Just get a BH or RH in .44 and save yourself the hassle of overdoing it with handloads.
That is not true for the brass... An old wifes tale. .45 Colt brass is just as strong as .44 Mag brass. The reason for this 'myth' goes all the way back to the old 'ballon head' cases before any of us (well 'most' of us were not even a twinkle in our parents eyes yet). Cylinder strength is the only concern now-a-days and BHs and (S)RHs will handle ROLs just fine 'if' needed. I like big and slow and the .45 Colt does it all in the right revolvers (See Linebaugh, Seyfried, Pierce, and many others that have been there done that)... The .44Mag will always be the 'little' brother to the .45 Colt (IMO). My .44Mags are gathering 'dust'....
I do agree that if you feel the need for 'tank' busters or the T-Rex (good luck finding one, but you never know) ... Then get a .454 when the .45 Colt ROLs won't do.
For those questioning my desire for a Colt, let me explain further.
- the .45 Colt is a classic round
- can be loaded for better stopping power for defense than the .44 Mag
- since I reload, the cost is only a little more than .44 Mag for the brass... .45 Colt brass doesn't exactly litter the range floor (but then neither does .44 Mag)
- .44 Mags are interesting, and can shoot .44 Special, but are a dime a dozen...even given that, I'll probably end up owning one down the road (probably an S&W), but now I want something strong chambered in .45 Colt
- I would buy the .454 Casull RH in a heartbeat if it didn't look like it was reeingineered for strength by a blind man with no marketing department
- I'm also not crazy about the 7.5" barrel, too long, and the Alaskan barrel is too short
- I love my S&W revolvers but I won't own a handgun that doesn't carry at least six rounds...even my XDs in .45 ACP with the small mag holds 5+1
- the .45 Colt is a classic round
- can be loaded for better stopping power for defense than the .44 Mag
- since I reload, the cost is only a little more than .44 Mag for the brass... .45 Colt brass doesn't exactly litter the range floor (but then neither does .44 Mag)
- .44 Mags are interesting, and can shoot .44 Special, but are a dime a dozen...even given that, I'll probably end up owning one down the road (probably an S&W), but now I want something strong chambered in .45 Colt
- I would buy the .454 Casull RH in a heartbeat if it didn't look like it was reeingineered for strength by a blind man with no marketing department
- I'm also not crazy about the 7.5" barrel, too long, and the Alaskan barrel is too short
- I love my S&W revolvers but I won't own a handgun that doesn't carry at least six rounds...even my XDs in .45 ACP with the small mag holds 5+1
Last edited:
Lost Sheep
New member
I know of one Redhawk chambered for 454 Casull. It is owned by a fellow in Alaska who took the cylinder from his Super Redhawsk 454 and installed it in his Redhawk.Real Gun said:
I have Redhawks (5.5" and 7.5") and Super Redhawks (7.5) in 44 Mag and 454 Casull. I like them all and don't find any of them better-looking (or better-shooting) than the others. They are all superb.
Smiths may be better in the double-action trigger department, but the Rugers are substantially more robust.
Note that the 454 Super Redhawk cylinder (and the .480 Ruger cylinder as well) are made from a much stronger alloy than the 44 Magnum and 45 Colt cylinders.
For what it's worth, if I wanted to shoot super-hot 45 Colt loads out of a double-action Ruger I would go for the SRH. Oh, wait! I did!. If I wanted to have a 4.5 to 5.5" barrel, I would simply have a gunsmith cut it down. Wild West Guns in Anchorage does a fine job and will remove a lot of the extra front metal of the SRH if you want, too. Many other good 'smiths in the lower 48 will do the same. It is not terribly difficult.
Lost Sheep
I'm a big .45 Colt and 454 Casull guy, probably not too hard to figure that out! The .45 Colt has a lot of history and a lot of potential and while I know the .44 Mag vs. .45 Colt debate brings out the emotions, each has their advantages.
I had one of the newer 4" Redhawks and it's a nice gun and yes the Redhawks are a little stronger than Blackhawks (slightly more beef between the cylinders) and have slightly longer cylinders as well.
However revolvers are best in the form God intended, the single action. Nah, you like what you like but I far prefer a single action over a double action. From my 4 5/8" Blackhawk .45 Colt/.45 ACP I can shoot anything from a 230gr .45 ACP (convertible model) doing 800 fps to a 330gr hardcast .45 Colt doing 1320 fps, which is pretty darn versatile.
There is a 5" Super Redhawk 454 called the "Toklat", it's on Rugers website if you like double actions and want a barrel longer than the 4" Redhawk. The Super Redhawks might be a touch iffy in the looks dept. but they shoot great.
I had one of the newer 4" Redhawks and it's a nice gun and yes the Redhawks are a little stronger than Blackhawks (slightly more beef between the cylinders) and have slightly longer cylinders as well.
However revolvers are best in the form God intended, the single action. Nah, you like what you like but I far prefer a single action over a double action. From my 4 5/8" Blackhawk .45 Colt/.45 ACP I can shoot anything from a 230gr .45 ACP (convertible model) doing 800 fps to a 330gr hardcast .45 Colt doing 1320 fps, which is pretty darn versatile.
There is a 5" Super Redhawk 454 called the "Toklat", it's on Rugers website if you like double actions and want a barrel longer than the 4" Redhawk. The Super Redhawks might be a touch iffy in the looks dept. but they shoot great.
The Bowen Classic Arms catalog gives an idea of the possibilities. If you want to really firewall the round, look at the five shot cylinder offerings.
Chuck, why pay Bowen eleventy billion dollars for a 5 shooter when you can get the SRH and have 6 holes to fill?
Uncle Ed (and Real Gun), the 429 magnum is not more versatile than the 45 Colt. The two are fairly on par with one another. The edge goes to the Colt by the rule of indisputable physics. It can do anything the 44 magnum can do and do it at a lower pressure. This is due to the larger diameter of the bullet.
You're not going to blow out cases in a 45 Colt any quicker than you would a 44. I should know. I've been loading them for over 20 years. I get occasional split mouths but that's generally from the flaring and crimping operations.
RG, why would you NOT want to hold a revolver high? I hold all of my handguns as high as possible. This gives you a lot more control over the gun. A lower hold puts the recoil farther away from your arm. That only gives it a longer lever to jack your hand around.
My 45 Colt, heavy Colt, and 454 loads are all shot with the same high grip on the gun.
I've launched 200 gr bullets out of a 460 S&W Encore at more than 2600 fps. You better well believe I held that monster high and tight. A low grip on that thing can cause serious injury to the wrist.
Uncle Ed (and Real Gun), the 429 magnum is not more versatile than the 45 Colt. The two are fairly on par with one another. The edge goes to the Colt by the rule of indisputable physics. It can do anything the 44 magnum can do and do it at a lower pressure. This is due to the larger diameter of the bullet.
You're not going to blow out cases in a 45 Colt any quicker than you would a 44. I should know. I've been loading them for over 20 years. I get occasional split mouths but that's generally from the flaring and crimping operations.
RG, why would you NOT want to hold a revolver high? I hold all of my handguns as high as possible. This gives you a lot more control over the gun. A lower hold puts the recoil farther away from your arm. That only gives it a longer lever to jack your hand around.
My 45 Colt, heavy Colt, and 454 loads are all shot with the same high grip on the gun.
I've launched 200 gr bullets out of a 460 S&W Encore at more than 2600 fps. You better well believe I held that monster high and tight. A low grip on that thing can cause serious injury to the wrist.
The SAA grip doesn't seem to me to be designed for a high grip. There is no shape to support the web of the palm, as there is on the typical DA. I expect the Bisley grip was the answer to big bore shooting of the SAA historically. The gun seems to me to naturally want to climb, when fired, challenging the shooter to keep it from completely rotating. All I do is firm up the grip of the off hand, doing my best to have a relatively relaxed trigger finger. I usually shoot single actions with a glove, making no claim to be an expert here.
Pond James Pond
New member
I've seen you post this info before. The last time I was overwhelmed with a desire to buy a 45 LC Redhawk...
This time the effect was exactly the same: curse you!!!
RG...
I use slick grip panels on my Vaquero. Doing so allows the gun to rotate upwards in the hand. I won't get a quick second shot like that but it's single action and that's less likely anyway.
You mentioned the too high of a grip thing in response to a S&W 657.
There is no SAA style grip associate with that gun. In fact, it's got a great big lump to encourage a high grip.
I use slick grip panels on my Vaquero. Doing so allows the gun to rotate upwards in the hand. I won't get a quick second shot like that but it's single action and that's less likely anyway.
You mentioned the too high of a grip thing in response to a S&W 657.
There is no SAA style grip associate with that gun. In fact, it's got a great big lump to encourage a high grip.