Hello, and 44sp or 45 colt?

S

Sigep538

Inactive
Hey guys I'm new here. I bought a nice Dan Wesson 357 with 4 and 8 inch barrels earlier this year and I really like the gun. with the 8" barrel I can shoot 1.5-2'' groups most of the time at 25 yds. I plan on using this gut to hunt with this fall and I am very excited. My current loading is a book max of H110 17gr with a 158 XTP that should be giving me ~1500+ fps and 800ish FPE. I know this will do the trick on a whitetall at less than 50 yds.

However I have a twitch in my neck that makes me look at Ruger single actions and drool. I think I want a 5.5" 44sp or 45 colt and load either with a 250 gr WFN to about 1100-1200fps. That should give me around 550-650 FPE. I hear that these rounds are great on deer and much "better" than the 357....but wouldn't that be a big step backwards in energy?

Also 44sp or 45 Colt? I like the idea of a big ole 45 that I could load much hotter but I hear that most of the 45's are very picky eaters and that they require lots of tinkering to get them right.

I also like the idea of a 44sp. Smaller frame gun that is a little easier to tote. A power level that should kill anything I need to with the correct bullet. I also hear these are very easy to load for and find an accurate load. I am leaning this direction.

Thanks,
Blake
 
In the early days of my research about 357 vs 44mag I found the 44 was about twice as effective as the 357. Many years later I'm still hunting with my 44mag .One shot kills with rare exception with not very hot handload or factory .Your load seem to be as much as light 44mag loads ??? Anyway learn to shoot it .The best way is to do metallic silhouette matches.
I can get a deer with one quick shot to 50 yds with even one hand ! No rest, no scope. That's what you should strive for ! Starting out with accurate ,comfortable loads . I prefer premium bullets like Swift -A-frame or Barnes.
Have fun !:eek:
 
Yes, its a stout load and I can shoot it well. A soda can at 35-40 yds is in a heap o trouble around me. I am absolutely positively sure I will kill deer with it this fall. I really like the Dan Wesson but since I bought a Old Model single six 22/22mag I have really been wanting a large bore single action. They just seem more....fun?

I don't really want a .44mag. It is a great round no doubt, but I want something a little more classic. Thus I am bouncing around the idea of 44sp, Elmer and Skeeter did well with theirs; and the ole 45colt and its big ole bullets. I just wonder if I will be frustrated with the issues I hear 45s sometimes have.
 
I have read that the chambers often must be reamed and that since there are multiple size 45s it can be a pain to get them to preform. Not that it cant be done or that every gun exhibits issues. Just that typically an out of the box 44 or 357 will be more precise.

Then again maybe I am over thinking it.
 
When I first started handgun hunting, I shot a deer with the .357 and saw a half-dozen or so shot with them, by guys I was hunting with. Results were not impressive but this was the mid 70's and everybody was screaming VELOCITY!! ENERGY!! I was about 18 and dumb enough to listen to them, so I ran light bullets, shot too far, etc. I ain't real proud of that.

I switched to the .44 Mag and killed a half-dozen or so over the next 20 years, with much better results. I had learned to shoot closer by then and that's no doubt a part of it. These days I like the .45 Colt, which is an excellent deer-killer too. I think it has an advantage over the .44 Special unless you're rolling Elmer Loads; but in a good strong gun the .45 Colt can do that and then some.

I wouldn't be afraid to deer hunt with a .357 provided it had a 5 1/2 inch or longer barrel, using top-end loads with a 180 grain XTP.
 
Sigep,
Every thing from mild 185g LSWC to hot 300g boomers. I've never really had any real trouble. It has never shot a factory round.
 
There are alot of thing to consider, first I'm going to assume that you do not reload and you are going to buy store bought ammo (costly both 44spl and 45LC). Also if you buy the 44mag gun you can shoot both 44spl & 44mag and ammo will be found easier at most locations. I own and shoot all 3 44spl, 44mag & 45LC and my favorite is the 45LC but I also reload and can make any combo of ammo power I may need.
 
Yes I handload, I described my load in my first post.
I am not worried about the power of my 357 loads, as I have killed deer with less power. I am also an avid bowhunter and I am confident in my ability to wait for a good shot.

It just seems as though people talk about those 1100 fps 44spl and 45 colt loads being Thors hammer compared to a little 357 when the math shows other wise, 150ish FPE favoring the 357.

All that aside it seem as though most people here favor the 45 colt to the 44sp considering similar loading.

How about balance and carry-a-billity, as I think the 44 has a smaller frame
 
And thats what I get for doing two things at once:o Ya I missed that in the first post portion about the reloading.
 
Assuming you get a .45 Colt Ruger, the new Vaquero's specs are right on and the Blackhawk "cylinder" may need a $30.00 "tune-up" from the Cylinder Man. No big deal. New Vaquero is good to 20k psi and the Blackhawk will do the
"Ruger only" loads.
 
.45 Colt

Of the 2 and in the same size revolver or similar size I would definately go .45 Colt. It is a very diverse round capable of almost anything. Not on your level but the only Taurus I would ever pay for again would be a 450 .45 Colt snubbie. I dont know how a revolver can be a pickey eater though?
 
If you 'hunting' with a handgun ... frame size isn't/shouldn't be a concern. A rifle is 'much' heavier and bulkier to carry :) . IMO, the only time 'size'/'weight' is going to matter is when you use the revolver for fishing/hiking/camping where it just sits on the hip... FYI, the standard .45 Colt BH weighs less the the .44Spec medium frame Flattop BH..... With that said, I would go with the .45 Colt Ruger Blackhawk (or Hunter or Bisley) as it does give you more versitility for 'hunting' as you can load up to Ruger Only Loads (30,000psi) if you wish (hunt the BIG game! See Linebuagh and Seyfried) and it does make a slightly bigger hole too. The .44Spec on the other hand is limited to around (21,000psi) and is a smaller bullet. Still a .44Spec 240-280g bullet moving at 1200fps is nothing to sneeze at with the Keith load! For deer, I suspect either will do the job at handgun distances ((I don't handgun hunt so FWIW) .... I have both and enjoy both, but generally pack the .45 Colt into the woods.
 
Depends on the platform. In the mid-frame guns, where the .44Spl belongs, it holds the advantage. 250's can be loaded up to 1200fps, via the 26,000psi Keith load. The .45Colt is limited to 1000-1050fps, or 21-22,000psi.

In the large frame guns, where the .45 should be compared to the .44Mag, rather than the .44Spl, the two are very similar. The .44 maintains a 100fps velocity advantage across the board with comparable bullet weights. With comparable sectional densities, it's more like 200fps. The .45 is slightly larger in diameter but the important dimension is the meplat of your particular bullet.
 
Ruger Bisley Blackhawk 5.5" shoots 2"@25yds pretty easily with 265gr SWC at ~1300fps.

The recoil is memorable!
 
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