Is 45LC making a comeback?

I don't see it as a niche cartridge at all. It's been steadily gaining in popularity for decades. Not even close to comparable to the .44-40, which is very much a niche cartridge.


I do agree it is a reloader's cartridge to get the most out of it ... economically. Of course you can say that about the .44Spec, the .44Mag and others...
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I agree. I don't see how anyone can do much shooting these days with factory ammo. It is ALL prohibitively expensive. Unless it's a .22LR, .223 or 9mm, it needs to be handloaded. That is, if you want to be able to do enough shooting to become proficient. Some folks are just happy making noise at the range every once in a while.
 
I think the highlights have been hit, but the number one reason (I think) 45 Colt is still around is because it, along with 44-40, were the first two calibers to be indisputable man stoppers.

Looking back from 1873 there are a bunch of pistols and calibers to choose from, but if you were serious about open carry SD on either side of the law that year, it came down to one of those two. Since then we got .45ACP, and the velocity wars.

I think the 45LC/410 revolvers have helped increase interest in 45 Colt lately.

I think the popularity of CAS shooting has helped the popularity of 45 Colt lately.

As a reloader, I too find 45 Colt to be an extremely versatile cartridge to reload.

For SD I find the 3.75" Ruger New Vaquero with birdhead grip (see post #6 above- the pretty black one at the top of the picture) to conceal very easily; even with surfer shorts and a baggy Tshirt, ass/u/ming high quality belt. It is a terrific belly gun, and quite the little fire breather rated to 20k psi with a handful of 270SAA bullets fronting any of dozens of powders.

I secretly want a 2" version of same just likethe gentleman from Tennsee.

For the Lower 48 I would be comfortable hunting any game anywhere with a tier II 45Colt psitol as a sidearm. 20k psi - like the New Vaquero, most of the SW model 25s and similar - pushing 270 to 300gr bullets- and with an appropriate rifle as primary arm - I would (and will) be comfortable in remote Rocky Mtn grizzly country, FL swamp gator country, LA bayou gator country, CO mountain lions, in the Lower 48 you bring it and I'll bring a 45 Colt loaded to 20k psi.

For Alaska, yeah, I gt a Redhawk. 32k psi load limit (commonly referred to as tier III in reloading circles) , bullet weights up to 340-360grs, yeah, for big coastal salmon fed bear, I'll take the Rdhawk. For the Alaskan interior, (between the Alaska and Brooks mountain ranges) I am comfortablewith 20k psi.

Plus, loaded up wth Holy Black, I get the same grin I get rubbing to gold coins together thinking of Julius Ceasar.
 
I own 45LC and 44 Spl double action revolvers. Until you start reaching magnum pressures there is very little difference between the two. I don't magnumize either cartridge but the 45 LC will take heavier bullets and thus, loaded to the same pressure level, will make the more powerful round. (Assuming the handgun can take it.) Since I found the recoil and blast of big bore magnum handguns uncomfortable, this is not a consideration: if I want rifle performance I will use a rifle. I do not plan to go deer hunting with a handgun, I will continue to use my rifles to make a clean kill.

Used in standard velocity ammunition both rounds are outstanding medium power rounds. Charter Arms makes a nice snubbie in 44 Special, I don’t know why an equally small revolver could not be made in 45 LC, in N frame revolvers both of these rounds are make excellent self defense weapons.
 
I think the highlights have been hit, but the number one reason (I think) 45 Colt is still around is because it, along with 44-40, were the first two calibers to be indisputable man stoppers.

Looking back from 1873 there are a bunch of pistols and calibers to choose from, but if you were serious about open carry SD on either side of the law that year, it came down to one of those two. Since then we got .45ACP, and the velocity wars.

I think the 45LC/410 revolvers have helped increase interest in 45 Colt lately.

I think the popularity of CAS shooting has helped the popularity of 45 Colt lately.

As a reloader, I too find 45 Colt to be an extremely versatile cartridge to reload.

For SD I find the 3.75" Ruger New Vaquero with birdhead grip (see post #6 above- the pretty black one at the top of the picture) to conceal very easily; even with surfer shorts and a baggy Tshirt, ass/u/ming high quality belt. It is a terrific belly gun, and quite the little fire breather rated to 20k psi with a handful of 270SAA bullets fronting any of dozens of powders.

I secretly want a 2" version of same just likethe gentleman from Tennsee.

For the Lower 48 I would be comfortable hunting any game anywhere with a tier II 45Colt psitol as a sidearm. 20k psi - like the New Vaquero, most of the SW model 25s and similar - pushing 270 to 300gr bullets- and with an appropriate rifle as primary arm - I would (and will) be comfortable in remote Rocky Mtn grizzly country, FL swamp gator country, LA bayou gator country, CO mountain lions, in the Lower 48 you bring it and I'll bring a 45 Colt loaded to 20k psi.

For Alaska, yeah, I gt a Redhawk. 32k psi load limit (commonly referred to as tier III in reloading circles) , bullet weights up to 340-360grs, yeah, for big coastal salmon fed bear, I'll take the Rdhawk. For the Alaskan interior, (between the Alaska and Brooks mountain ranges) I am comfortablewith 20k psi.

Plus, loaded up wth Holy Black, I get the same grin I get rubbing to gold coins together thinking of Julius Ceasar.
 
I thought of one other observation that belongs in this thread.

tier I loads, the 14k psi kind. The original 1873 Colt SAA loaded with black powder and a 250-255gr bullet was supposedly good for - depending on who you believe - something between 850 and 1000fps muzzle velocity.

Most of the books say 40gr by volume BP, with modern solid head brass 35-37gr by volume is all the BP I can stuff under a 250gr bullet.

A tier I load at a 14k psi and a real 800+fps velocity on a 250gr bullet is the proven gunfighter's gun.

However, when I first got my first 45 Colt I took some commerical loads to the range with my chronograph. I had (have) a limited selection of commercial loaded ammunition on the shelf. The stuff I bought, 250-255gr cast, all of it, national name mfrs chrono'd 650-750 fps, with one dismal exception that I can charitably describe as averaging "near" 500fps muzzle.

If you have a low opinion of .45 Colt, please find some real tier I loads at 14k psi and light them off in something other than a valuable antique before you cement your opinion.
 
Good holster + good belt = easy to carry 45 Colt. That's a 4 5/8" large frame Blackhawk. Piece O cake to carry and conceals under a loose T shirt.


 
Well, around 1900, I believe it was number 1 in popularity!

In the middle part of the last century, it lost popularity, but was still in wide spread use.

It seems like it is slightly more popular because it has split into 3 groups. There are people like me who load ~300 gr bullets to 1300 fps for real hand cannon fun! There are cowboy action people with their powder puff target loads and there are mid range SD or animal defense loadings. Since all three can be completely different, but kind of the same, it seems like a wildly popular round.
 
Popular? Yes, I think so....

Lets see, introduced in 1873, and as far as I know, except for the years when all our factories were producing war material, somebody has been making, and selling something in .45 Colt.

King of the power hill until 1935, when the .357 Magnum appeared, no small feat in itself.

Beloved by a lot of people, especially in the west, because not only did it stop men, it was the best handgun round to stop a cow or a horse if necessary.

The .45 Colt isn't likely to be going away anytime soon. I'd be willing to bet that as long as somebody is making ammunition for cartridge firearms, there will be some made in .45 Colt.

And the Colt Single Action, in .45 Colt (besides being iconic in and of itself) is actually the reason the .44 Magnum exists. After Elmer blew up his third .45 SAA (if I remember it right), he switched to the .44 SAA, because the thicker cylinder walls let him reach the levels he desired, which eventually resulted in the .44 Magnum cartridge.

I got my first .45 Colt in 1983, and have about half a dozen of them currently, all Rugers. I like it a lot.
 
When people say "45 Colt isn't going anywhere" what do they mean?

Does this mean the 45 Colt is not going to disappear ? Or does it mean that the cartridge is not going to gain in popularity?

The colloquial phrase "not going anywhere" has always confused me, and I don't know what people mean by it.
 
.45 LC is never going to be massively popular again, but it will continue to have a strong cult following. The Ruger Blackhawk in particular should be thanked for this. :D
 
Some people need to get out more. There are more guns that chamber .45Colt available now than at any other time in history. Niche? Hardly.
 
I love the 45 Colt. It is a handloaders dream. But if I didn't reload there is no way I would buy a gun chambered for it. The cost of factory ammo is insane, especially at present.
 
John Taffin sums it up nicely

In the following article.

http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt45lc.htm

As he notes at the beginning of the article, the grand old .45 has been declared dead or obsolete many times throughout it's life. Yet, still it remains and for good reason. The performance range of the .45 Colt makes it a wonderful "do-it-all" cartridge.

For those who don't reload, or own guns suitable only for tier 1 loads, it's difficult to take full advantage of the .45. Personally, I don't understand why anyone that shoots any significant amount at all, would not want to load their own. Reloading opens doors or knowledge and opportunity that are very difficult to open otherwise.

As for it being a niche cartridge, that could easily be said about pretty much any handgun cartridge. There are a handful of cartridges that offer similar flexibility and performance, but there are many more popular cartridges that cannot even come close to the flexibility of the old Colt workhouse. The truth of the matter is that popularity is for prom queens. Take whatever girl you like to the dance, but don't believe that popularity is equivalent to suitability or performance.

JW
 
I checked my chrono records, the one factory load I tried that averaged 496 fps muzzle did say "cowboy" somewhere on the box.

I also had my chronograph out today. I loaded 37.5gr Hodgdon 777 under the 255SWC from pennbullets (no affiliation) with a thin lube cookie, in mixed equal length brass with Remington 2 1/2 (standard large pistol) primers.

I clocked 898, 874, 888, 877, 883 & 871, average 882fps muzzle. This was in my 3.75" bbl New Vaquero.

A few days ago in 4" bbl Redhawk I loaded 30gr by volume of Hodgdon 777 under the 270gr SAA bullet by RCBS, same brass, same primer, same lube cookie and got 823, 791, 807, 801, 782 and 773, for 796 average fps muzzle.

What I am getting at is the ammunition companies have to load 45 Colt that is safe in s/n 1 of 1873 production. But if you have a gun made after WWII the commercial loads are just like going to McDs, ordering a 1/4 pound burger and having them start with a 3 ounce uncooked patty.

NB: My Redhawk has a B/C gap of 0.007" left and 0.010 right as meet for a field gun. My Vaquero B/C gap measures 0.005" left and right, suitable for holstered CCW.

NB: I am using the plunger and tube volume powder measure by I think Traditions. The plunger was "half way" between 35.0 gr volume and 40.0 gr volume. A big enough slug of powder that I wrinkled 1:50 hulls while seating bullets.

EDIT: Savit, that sure does look like a Simply Rugged holster. Do you love it? I love mine.
 
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