better all around revolver: .357 or .45 Colt?

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Funny, my "woods gun" is a RBH .45 Colt, but I was just thinking I need the new SP-101 4.2" .357. Why? Why not? I like the fact that I can literally be "loaded for bear" with the .45, but in truth, I mostly shoot 250 hard cast at just under 1,000 fps. Cheap to load, fun to shoot, crushes most critters with little meat damage. Still want that .357, though.
 
I prefer the .357 magnum. I like the various functions it serves me. I use it in a J-Frame, a N Frame, a Desert Eagle, and a Marlin Carbine.
 
I had to make that choice when I chose my Vaquero. I had a 45 long colt before and liked it. I chose the 357 mag though because it is much cheaper to shoot 38spl.

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When Ruger first came out with the .357/9mm convertible Blackhawk many years ago, one of their advertising claims was:

"There is hardly any place in the world where you can go and not find ammunition for it."

Bob Wright
 
I own both and enjoy both equal. My 45's are all of a medium frame and so performance is about par for both. Living in Mid-Western Michigan I would pick the 357 because of availability of assorted ammunition on a local basis even thou I reload for both. Another factor is that I own a Bowen Classic Customs Ruger 357 Anniversary that is my most accurate of the two calibers.
 
It would be the 357 for me. The guns can be smaller than for the .45. The main reason is the Ammo, there is a wide variety of ammo available for the .357, very few loads for the .45 so if you don't reload it's the .357 hands down.
This is one reason the .357 is much more popular than the .45 Colt.
 
^ There is plenty of .45 Colt ammunition available. Cowboy to insane. Obviously, much more .38/.357 but there is no insane power level .357 ammo. I can get .45 Colt at Walmart and everywhere else I go, not to mention my reloads which blow the doors off anything ever loaded in .357.
 
My Walmarts never have .45 Colt, wish they did. I see you are in California which might be the difference.
 
I made my choice just recently. Between .357 and .45 Colt I chose the latter in a New Vaquero. I can load this to Tier II levels (280 grain bullet at over 1000 fps) but settled on ~850 fps with a 255 grain bullet.

In Elmer Keith's "Six Guns" he stated that the .45 Colt with a 255 grain bullet loaded to 1000 fps was strong enough medicine for anything in North America. When he asked Smith and Wesson to design the .44 Mag he wanted ~250 grain bullet at 1000 to 1200 fps but Smith and Wesson loaded it even hotter to over 1400 fps. Elmer used the Colt SAA in .45 Colt with loads just over 1000 fps.

The New Vaquero, with a 4 5/8" barrel is really quite sleek compared with the Black Hawks and this is why I chose it.
 
Um... depends

1st off... should this have read... " what is the better all around revolver cartridge" ??? neither cartridge a revolver makes...

2nd... Um... I can fit my 45 in my pocket ( though I prefer a holster for a more secure carry )

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if you are "one gunning it" & not a handloader... I think the 357 more versitile, as you can practice with 38 Specials, & there are lots of 357 Mag options, & both single & double action revolvers...

if you are a handloader, I think the 45 Colt is every bit as versitile, & can go maybe a little further in the big / dangerous game catagory... I load 45 Colt at 3 levels, cowboy, self defense, & hot hunting loads... my hot hunting loads I'm sure are going to offer more stopping power on big game ( & probably humans ) than the 357...

if you are buying ammo locally only... 357 may be the only practical way to go...
 
If I could have only one: it would be a .357. An S&W 686 or Colt Python (if you can find a good deal). It's just so versatile. It will take all kinds of .38 ammo as well.
 
i would have say .357 mag too, i have nothing against the 45 colt(long colt), there are a lot more .357 mag in wheelgun and semi-auto(coonan) than 45 colt(long colt), and on the mild to insane 45 colt(long colt) i remember reading something about a .357 mag loaded to almost .357 max in terms of fps, but can't remember where though.
 
I am a 100% certifiable 357 magnum fan boy. That said I can see the value in the 45LC. For my self I would pick the 357 magnum because it fits what I all ready have.But if I had to recommend to others I would say the 45 LC if you reload and the 357 if not.
 
Put me down for the .357 magnum as well. I am more than confident in the abilities of the round in both my 6" GP100 and 77/357.
 
.357 Magnum here too.

arch308 said:
the ammo being much lighter and easier to carry.
Both will do the job.
Click to expand...

This factor should not be underestimated. You can carry more rounds per pound of .357 than .45lc. And if you use HP ammo the expansion can cause just as big a hole. I also don't have a reloading bench so all my ammo is commercial. And that makes the .38/.357 round much more economical for me. I do love the nostalgia of the .45lc round and if I ever get that New Vaquero I've been wanting, it will be in .45lc.
 
And if you use HP ammo the expansion can cause just as big a hole.
Click to expand...

errr...well if you use a good hollow point in the 357 & a non hollow point in the 45 Colt... the Gold Dot 45 Colts I use can expand up to 1"... much more than any of the 357 Mag hollow points I've recovered out of the same type media
 
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