45 long colt cartridge

M

MikeKPP

Inactive
Since the 45 long colt cartridge was longer in 1873 then today. Would that make the cyclinder longer or its the same size as todays peace makers.
 
The 45 LC cartridge is the same length today as it was in the past. You may be thinking about the 45 Schofield vs the 45 Colt.
 
Not longer, same OAL as today's .45, just held a bit more black powder because the original 1870s copper case had thinner walls and a smaller primer pocket and thus more room for powder; 40 grains.
 
In 1873, and for a few years thereafter, it actually held LESS powder than today, due to the internal Benet priming system used.
 
I found out that the 45 Long Colt was just too long for the chambers in my 45 revolvers so I went with the 45 Colt because it seems to fit better. :p Hehehehe....thought I'd stir the puddin' a lil' bit. See what happens when y'all call it the Long Colt. :rolleyes:

My Lyman's 49th Reloading Handbook has a data sheet for the 45 Colt and none for the 45 Long Colt. In fact the 45 Colt data sheet reads in part:

"The 45 Colt is also known--mistakenly--as the 45 Long Colt. In contrast to several other offerings from Colt, i.e. 32 Short/Long, 38 Short/Long, 41 Short/Long, there never was a 45 Short Colt".

Okay....let's get this poop storm goin'! ;)
 
IIRC there use to a "balloon head" case which held a few more grains of black powder. Also I think the original name for the round was simply 45 Colt.
 
Also I think the original name for the round was simply 45 Colt.
Click to expand...

Original name, past name and present name. There never officially was a .45 Long Colt. It came into being because people started calling it that so it wouldn't be confused with the shorter .45 S&W.
 
Daggum it. I'm gonna break out the hacksaw and cut some of them .45 Colts down and stuff 'em with 28 grains BP then busta-a-cap in some squirrel's ass so that he can claim to be the last critter shot by a "short Colt". ;)
 
If you haven't already figured it out, old and new are the same size. It's just a little tougher to scrunch 40gr into the new ones 'cause they're not the thin wall balloon head cartridges of yesteryear.

And speaking of stiring pots, how's this for a "Looonnng Colt";)

DakotaBuntline.jpg


And NO those aren't smokeless cartridges!!
 
And yet Colt, manufacturer of these guns, uses the term Long Colt in identifying its revolvers chambered for this cartridge, as evidenced by the PDF of the 2010 catalog now on Colt Manufacturing's website...

I've asked this many times over the years, and I've never gotten an answer from the "NEVER EXISTED CROWD!!!", probably because they're far too busy flailing their arms and screaming at the top of their lungs to notice...

What does it matter?

How many cartridges can you name that are legitimately identified (mean that people know exactly what you're talking about) by two or more names?

I can name dozens.

Do any of the "OH GOD NO THE .45 LONG COLT NEVER EXISTED!!!!!!" crowd yell equally loudly when someone says 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, or 9x19 instead of the original 9mm Parabellum?

Do the "OH GOD NO'ers!" 100% ACCURATELY identify the .38 Special as the .38 Smith & Wesson Special?

How about the .357 Magnum as the .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum?

Or the .44 Magnum as the .44 Remington Magnum?

One could just as accurately claim that there's no such thing as the .38 Special BECAUSE IT'S THE .38 SMITH & WESSON SPECIAL, DAMNIT!

Is it truly a horrific crime if someone purchases a gun stamped .38 Colt Special, when in reality Colt simply grafted their name in place of Smith & Wesson's because they couldn't face putting their competitor's name on their guns?

How about the .30-30 Winchester? How many of the absolutists know that that cartridge apparently doesn't exist? That it's the .30 Winchester Center Fire?


So then, what's really in a name for an object?

Is it something that is absolutely immutable, and those who dare transgress must be ridiculed and reminded that they are inferior?

Or is it just a data point that allows people to quickly and easily know what everyone is talking about?

:rolleyes:
 
And I have 9mm cartridges that say on the headstamp:

* 9mm Para.

* 9x19

* 9 Luger

* 9 NATO

All manufactured by American companies.
 
Well, if we're being screamingly pedantic and 100% historically accurate about it, it's the .44 Winchester Center Fire.

If we're being lax and slack and inaccurate and non-historic, it's the .44-40, which is OBVIOUSLY a cartridge that has NEVER EVER EXISTED!
 
Originally it was the 44 Winchester Center Fire designed by Winchester as the standard chambering for the 1873 Model. When Union Metallic Cartridge started producing the ammunition they called it the 44-40, ostensibly so that they didn't have to put their competitors name on it.

Although what I've posted above makes me look like I have above average intelligence nothing could be further from the truth, it was simply plagerized from Wikipedia.

You guys are kinda gettin' wound up over trivial stuff aren't ya?:cool:
 
My point exactly, Joe.

It's this cartridge, and this cartridge alone, that brings out so many people out of the woodwork...


Oh, and I believe that Wikipedia is actually wrong.

Union Metallic Cartridge Company was just that, a manufacturer of ammunition. They were years out from being combined in a holding company with Remington when Winchester introduced the .44 WCF in 1874(?).

UMC had no problems putting a competitor's name on a cartridge because, well, because UMC wasn't in competition with the ammunition manufacturers.

The most likely reason UMC began using the .44-40 nomenclature is because they apparently had some sort of manufacturing affiliation with Colt, and it was apparently Colt that started using .44-40 because they didn't want to use .44 WCF on its guns.

The box pictured here (http://www.oldammo.com/december03.htm) is an early UMC .44-40 box. Notice that the reference to Colt's revolvers is very prominent, while the reference to the Winchester 1873 is almost an afterthought....

Notice also that at this early stage it's NOT .44-40, it's .44-100, which is the basic caliber of the round.



Edited to add... - You know, thinking about this some more, the answer may be more complex... Winchester actually was manufacturing its own ammunition at the time...

UMC may well have seen them as a competitor...
 
Ditto the ".38-40", ".38-40 Winchester", .38 WCF or, as plainly put on my Colt Lightning rifle: .38 Cal (because you know darn well that Colt is not going to put anything resembling the "W" word on their rifle!)
 
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