Critters: .41Mag vs. Ruger .45LC

V

VictorLouis

New member
Let's assume 5.5" Ruger SAs for both guns. With 'warm' .41, and published 'Ruger-ONLY' .45 loads, which do you think is the superior cartridge against 4-legged things?
 
That's a good one. Seein' as my local range & gym are closed due to the attack in New York, I think I'll do some reading, thinking, & calculating tonight.
And I thought I was going to have to sit home bored! :D

(I suspect with RUGER ONLY the edge will go to the 45LC.)
 
I think Ben's right, in favor of .45LC+P.

See also my comments on this thread regarding the .45LC's flexibility:

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=80455

However, if you can't deal with .44Mag/.45LC+P recoil levels, the .41Mag is of interest because it can drop deer very well with less overall crash'n'boom.

In my case, intending to shoot and carry mostly .45ACP power levels either with .45LC or .45ACP shells, the choice is dead clear since I *can* deal with at least modest amounts of "full house" power.
 
Well, seeing as how the loaded up Ruger in 45 LC has more pop than a 44 Mag.......

Realistically, I expect that either would do and I suspect the critter probably wouldn't know the difference.
 
If either bullet is placed in the right place, animal is going down. Or at least, don't think that the dead creature is going to tell. A .45 LC 255 grain bullet traveling at 1350 FPS or a 265 grain .41 Magnum at the same velocity, there is no difference.

Robert
 
.45 Colt. My loads for both cals chrono'd right at 1400 fps, but the .41 was with a 220 grain cast SWC and the .45 was with a 260 grain cast SWC.
All things considered, there isn't much difference between .41 mag/220 grain, .44 mag/240 grain, or hot .45 Colt/260 grain loads.
 
As long as we're above 40 cal/1000fps and shoot acurately I think we can all feel pretty confident. It's a matter of personal choice.
But I'm still going to study a little tonight!:D
This sounds like a good reason to figure out which one to buy next. Maybe one of each:)
 
Since you're using handloads I'd say that for deer sized game they're going to be about equal, with and edge going to the 45 Colt if you use hard cast bullets. But either caliber will do the job nicely.

If you're looking at larger than deer sized game the advantage for the 45 Colt grows due to the ability to use heavier bullets that should give you more penetration.

Tests done over at Sixgunner and by John Linebaugh indicate that velocity doesn't increase penetration above 1,200 fps but more bullet weight can.

So to focus your question more, what range of "four legged things" were you thinking of? Deer, hogs, moose, grizzly?
 
Hey John, any way I can get ahold of that test data? I'm curious, as I'm just getting into handgun hunting fairly heavily this year.
 
Hi Ben,
I don't have a copy of the data but if you head over to http://disc.server.com/Indices/34422.html and ask for the penetration data from the Linebaugh seminar I'm sure someone will be able to provide it for you.

There are many very experienced handgun hunters on that board willing to answer whatever questions you might have - especially if it's about the 45 Colt!
 
I am a .41 mag fan.
But the .45LC can be loaded with heavier bullets.
The heaviest I use in .41 is 250 grs.
So I would say the .45LC may have a slight edge.

Neither will let you down.
 
I have both calibers and don't think there is much difference if loaded to similar velocities. The 45 is always going to be bigger, but the 41 is very nice.
 
ASSUMING NOTHING --- FACTS

Let's say two 5.5" stainless Redhawks.

Let's say a 41 Mag 220g Sierra FMJ-FP at 1650fps (or a 250/265g WLNB)(this will be from my gun, so hold your water).

And from my 45 Colt let's say that .452" bullet (you choose, 300g XTP-HP, 325g Swift A-Frame, 370g WLN) at 1150-1400fps.

What do you want to face a big biter with?
 
ACTUAL

My 5.5" 45 Redhawk easily delivers a deer-perfect 300g XTP-HP at 1309fps. (It wears Pachmayr Decelerators.)

A 325g Swift has been clocked slightly faster, and a 335g WLN at 1170fps (sissy plinking load).
Just a taste.........a tease........food for thought........

Your results may vary.
 
I just do things the bright way and step up to the next superior cartridge. Four fifty four Casull. And now there is no need to box with Darwin.

More food for thought. :D

Robert
 
I've spent the last two days occasionally taking a mental break from the legal stuff by studying sixgun ballistics online.

Some of the best information I've seen comes from John Linebaugh's website:

http://www.sixgunner.com/linebaugh/Default.htm

I refer in particular to ALL of his articles in the left-hand box under "GUNNOTES". And it's also instructive to pull up his "Services" page and look at his description of what his BASIC "#1" package can do, given that it's no stronger than a stock gun, just properly built with exact tolerances.

It turns out that while Linebaugh is known for some very extreme power levels, he's getting there while very carefully monitoring peak pressures. And his personal carry guns used in 48-state moderate hunting aren't anything extreme; his 100lbs wife basically uses .45ACP-grade power levels in .45LC to very effectively hunt mule deer and similar. He carries slightly hotter .45LC (what Cor-Bon or others would describe as "+P") but still doesn't exceed 32,000psi - and gets performance from a 5.5" barrel equal to 40,000psi worth of .44Mag out of a 7.5" tube.

Case volume matters! So apparantly does a precision cylinder that controls the burn rate of a slow-burning powder properly.

The more I see, the more I think my next gun will be in .45LC (probably with a .45ACP secondary cylinder).
 
BOTTOM LINE

Big holes are nice; bigger holes are nicer.

Really like all three cartridges in my 5.5" Redhawks. Feel perfectly armed with correct ammo in all three (but I will never face a grizzly, polar bear, or African stomper).

Of course, my favorite deer gun used to be my 4" GP.

Again, it will be based on specific individual needs so there is no 'right' caliber, but if not limited to 'over-the-counter' ammo I'd be humping a 45 Colt.

300g XTP-HP = 1300fps

360g WLN = 950fps
 
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