Compare these calibers for me, .41,.44,.45

nothing you will ever shoot will be able to tell the difference. You won't be able to tell the difference when you shoot one either.
 
All I can say is that Marshall is as goofy as ever. My goodness, some of the things that come from that guy's mouth...............
 
re to your decison

frank4570,

You are right saying that you need to hit the central nervous system or to cause massive bleeding. For self-defence I would use the following rules (in order of importance):

1. get a weapon and caliber that allows you repeated well controlled shot placement, i.e. a gun you can manage;
2. get a caliber that penetrates at least 12", better 18"
3. having met point 2., be sure to make as thick a hole as possible, without taking expansion granted. Choose a caliber asuming that the bullet will not expand. Expansion is a bonus.

Conclusion - the only caliber of the 3 mentioned that meets those 3 rules is .45 Colt (or 45 +P). By the way this is one of the best SD calibers.


For hunting - 44 mag or stronger like 454 cassul, etc.

Svetlio
 
.41 Magnum Defense Loads

I have found the .41 Magnum lead swc to be a fine defense load (Yes I did use one once). Remember that, as Bill Jordan said in "No Second Place Winner"
a load that is too powerful will cause problems in recovering from recoil, plus
you may miss (perish the thought!) and need to fire again. Plus you may have
more than one opponent.
 
There are no good 41 Magnum defense bullets, nor 44. But we have ways..…
Click to expand...

I’d say any .41 and .44 are more then a good defensive loads ;)


not sure if someone mentioned it but if yuo get a .454 you also shoot a .45 colt in it, and of course in .44mag you can use .44 spl...
 
In factory form, they are probably all loaded pretty similar with the 45 Colt being maybe a lil milder for CAS shooters. Overall, it's more a matter of if you wanna be a cowboy(45), Dirty Harry(44), or a reloader(41) :rolleyes:

For my personal biased answer, the 41 is way better than the other 2. Buy at least 1 pistol in 41 mag and at least a Lee Hand Press setup, and prepare for an unbelievable addiction. I stumbled on a deal for my first 41, and I bought it due to its cult following propoganda, and all those 41 Mag ppl before me were totally right. Bore size right behind a 44 (.410 vs .429), lower recoil of a 45C, and one powerful and flat shooting cartridge.

If I didnt plan to reload, I'd go with one of the other choices cuz 41 seems to be mighty pricey to buy off the shelf due to its low volume of sales. Some people just dont know a good thing when it's staring them in the face. It shoots baby loads softer than a 38 Special all the way up to stuff that is as powerful as a 44 Mag without all the nasty recoil. With off the shelf ammo, the 44 has much more loading available. I'm really tired and feel like I'm rambling now so I'll stop...but that doesnt change my adoration of the 41.

Randy
 
It's been said to some degree, but let me add my 2 cents.

Out of the three, the .44 magnum is the best IMHO. It is the most versatile...hands down...especially if you are planning on buying factory ammo. For example, you can shoot anything from 44 specials (which have 45 ACP-like ballistics) all the way up to a Federal 300 grain cast core bullet (which has over 1000 ft-lbs of muzzle energy). Now that's versatility!

In terms of guns, I personally really like the Ruger Redhawk (5.5 inch barrel). To me it is the perfect size for open carry in the woods to a good home defense gun...not too big and unwieldy...and not too small to beat the hell out of you when you shoot it.

I say get the Redhawk in the 5.5 inch barrel in 44 mag...you just can't go wrong. ;)
 
.41 - .44 - .45

I think most of you have the capabilities of the .44 mag and the .45 LC in the wrong order.

With the weak cowboy loads the 45LC is a kitten and typical .44mag loads are hotter. If you reload or just purchase some Buffalo Bore loads things change.

If you have a strong gun pick up some Buffalo Bore 325 grain loads that chug along at 1325fps with 1267 ft. lbs. The 45LC can do what the smaller bored .44mag can do but with a larger meplat and less pressure.

The 45LC is the Rodney Dangerfield of cartridges.....gets no respect ....because it is rarely loaded hot.

Now that I have given the 45LC some respect..... It is hard to beat the 44mag. Plenty of bullet selection.... .44special to hot loaded .44mag.
 
One of the things I like about the 45 LC is the fact that light loads and hot loads are both loaded in the same case...there is no 45 LC 'special' ;) .

But, as mentioned above, make sure the gun can handle the hot loads since most 45 LC revolvers are not made to withstand the high pressures...this is one of the reasons I like the 44 mag...pretty much any 44 mag can handle hot factory loads.
 
While I agree the 45colt can be loaded hot, it was never meant to be, It is a 150 year old cartridge with very thin brass. Loading it like a 44mag will reduce brass life significanly. If you need the power of a 44 mag, then buy a 44 mag, if the 44 is not enough than go to the 454 or the 480. Don't get me wrong I love the 45 colt but I use it for what it was designed for and use the 44mag if I need more power.IMHO
 
Mathman, you are right about the simplicity of there being no ".45LC 'special'" but I view that as being a strength of the .44...with the .44 Special--same exact relationship as .38 vs .357--due to its shorter length, you always know you are shooting the reduced load of the two (special vs Mag), and can (almost always at least with factory loads) assume that if it's the .44 Mag length it's hot...and due respect (and use) given to it. My vote to the .44 for versatility and your Redhawk choice. I have/probably always will and love my 5-1/2" stainless .44M Vaquero SA "just because," but if purchasing for all around duty (hunting and SD) from scratch--the Redhawk.
 
getting thin

In 2005 modern 45 Colt cases are neither thin nor weak; they are incredibly robust.

Of the cartridges listed the handloaded 45 Colt from a correct launch platform is without question the most powerful.
Without question.

From my notes (5.5" Redhawk test guns)........: 45 Colt, 300g XTP-HP, av = 1309fps, es = 36.8fps; 41 Mag, 170g JHC, av = 1603fps, es = 34.3fps(also have a load that goes 1736fps, but it's hothothot) (same bullet from 4.5" 41 Action Express, av = 1097fps, es = 32.5fps); 44 Mag, 280g WFNGC, av = 1350fps, es = 25.1fps; 45 Colt, 325g LFNPB, av = 1255fps, es = 18.0fps; 44 Mag, 300g XTP, av = 1284fps, es = 4.0fps; choices......
 
Of the cartridges listed the handloaded 45 Colt from a correct launch platform is without question the most powerful.
Without question.
Click to expand...

This is true, but we're not talking about the 45 LC being SIGNIFICANTLY more powerful...it is rather SLIGHTLY more powerful (kinda like a 30-06 is slightly more powerful than a 308). Besides, the 44 mag has many more powerful factory loadings than the 45 LC...so for the average shooter who does not reload, the 44 mag is clearly the better choice...IMHO.
 
Buffalo Bore, too

Compare the 320g .430" bullet at 1400fps to the 350g .452" bullet at 1400fps.

Or a 395g at 1000fps............it may never stop......... :eek:
 
Pardon my ignorance about ammo stuff, new at this but want to learn quick.

I know that you can use .38 in a .357, even if they are shorter, and some folks say that can cause damage to the gun after a long period of time, any truth to this?

My real question is this, can you use .40S&W on any of the calibers mentioned above, .41 or .44 revolvers that is?

RA
 
Can't speak to the damage issue. I shot about 50% .38 and 50% .357 for years in a 4" Smith and never noticed any issues one way or another. Re the .40 SW (auto) round, the only revolver round I know it can be paired with (with a separate cylinder but using the same barrel) is a .38-40/.40 SW convertible. .38-40 is an "old west" round and apparently the bullet dia's similar enough...
 
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