The .45 "Long" Colt........

Perhaps we should rename the 45-70 "45 Long Rifle"

The .45-70 is also known as the .45-70-405, .45-70-500, and .45-70 Government. Think its pretty well defined.

Bob Wright
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Don't forget .45 x 2 1/10" Sharps or .45-75 Sharps.

And it is hardly the "long rifle" because there were several longer .45 rifle cartridges of the day.
 
There were even a few cartridges that were "extra-long."

Leafing through Barnes' book about cartridges, it is interesting to note the way things have been named over the years, with the addition of words like "special," "high-speed" or "high-velocity," and "express," which was not exclusively British, as I had thought. Also, many, many cartridges from the 19th century were hypenated, as in .44-40, which I discovered also came in an extra long (but not a long). It is also surprising how early bottlenecked cartridges appeared, too. All those before the word magnum was used.
 
just as the .32 S&W is very commonly called the .32 Short or even .32 S&W Short.
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That would be because there is also a .32 S&W Long... also known as .32 Colt New Police.

Colt also called the 38 S&W , .38 New Police....which shares no lineage with the 38 Colt or 38 Long Colt.
 
just as the .32 S&W is very commonly called the .32 Short or even .32 S&W Short.

That would be because there is also a .32 S&W Long... also known as .32 Colt New Police.
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Yes, but they are still calling it something not on the company catalog or box label description.
 
Well, I'm not an expert on the subject, but I have owned several S&W revolvers chambered in "the cartridge in question".

When I see a head stamp that says 45 LONG COLT or 45 SHORT COLT, I will acknowledge its existence....Until then, it's just 45 COLT. I've been shooting for 47 years and hand-loading for 21, that's gotta count for something
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Erm...no, not so much. As has been stated repeatedly, practice does not make perfect...only perfect practice makes perfect.

You guys are just complicating the matter. It was designed as the .45 Colt from day 1. Period. It was called the .45 Long Colt for a period of time due to 'lots' of confusion during the early years. We all know the history (or bits and pieces of it). But today, there is no absolutely NO confusion as there is only in production.
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Actually, the confusion has existed for quite a while, and will probably continue for a while. I was raised in an era when a 1911 was referred to as a ".45 Colt" or, more frequently, a "Colt .45".

Its revolver counterpart was referred to as a ".45 Long Colt" to differentiate between the two. And I have owned both for a while. :)

I call it .45 LC, and (until I read a far more compelling argument than I have seen here) will continue to do so.
 
I know it doesn't really affect the accuracy of the term(s) "long colt," but a reloading buddy of mine decided to test a bit of an experiment and trimmed a .45 "long" colt case to the approximate length of a .45 ACP, loaded lower powder and a 160gr lead bullet just to see if the sucker would fire out of his revolver. Turns out it worked, and neither my friend, nor his firearm were damaged in the event. He decided (since there seemed to be an absence of a "short" version of the caliber) to call his adaptation the ".45 short colt."
 
In his case I suppose .45 Short Colt would be easier to spit out than thin rimmed .45AR, or TR45AR as it's more commonly known. :)

If TR45AR catches on, can I copywrite the name?
 
Since I've never heard a .45 ACP called a ".45 Colt," I suppose there is still some confusion. But even what we think is the official and standard, commonly used name for some cartridges is not so in other places. Ever heard of a 9mm Browning Short (or Long). And besides, the name on the base of the cartridge may not be the official name for an issue military cartridge, which usually isn't even isn't there.

I gather that if one says ".45 Long Colt," some here will argue against the existance of same while understanding completely with no confusion whatsoever what you're talking about.
 
Yeah, we should just call the .45acp by its more descriptive name of 11.45x23mm and the revolver cartridge in question can be called the 11.43x33mm.
 
"and the revolver cartridge in question can be called the 11.43x33mm."

Wrong name for the revolver cartridge.

It would be 11.43x33mmR (for rimmed).

:p
 
Can't shooters simply "agree to disagree"?

After all, the argument about the different names for the 9mm easily applies; some want to call it ".45 colt." Some want to call it ".45 long." some want to call it ".45 long colt." Some want to call it "brass boom boom."

With the exception of that last one, we all know what the person is talking about, and personally, it's not worth losing a working relationship with a fellow shooter just to prove that he/she might be wrong and I might be right. Not that we've had a wholly heated debate on this thread, but some people (myself too, from time to time) are very passionate about this particular cartridge. Let's not let our passion for shooting and investigating history be a weapon we use against each other, but rather a flag of individual thought.
 
trimmed a .45 "long" colt case to the approximate length of a .45 ACP, loaded lower powder and a 160gr lead bullet
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That is commercially available as the Cowboy .45 Special.
With a 160 gr large lube groove bullet, it holds the Lee 1 cc dipper full of black powder which is the minimum required for Black Powder Cartridge Divison in SASS. It works fine in a revolver, of course; and there are gunsmiths who will modify the lifter in your lever action for the short round.
A real gamer gun.
And the brass is properly headstamped to avoid debates like this thread.
http://cowboy45special.com/index.html
 
"Can't shooters simply "agree to disagree"?"

When it comes to this particular cartridge, apparently some cannot do that.

If someone dares utter the word "Long" in conjunction with this cartridge they turn into howler monkeys of repressed rage.

Then there are those who get REALLY upset by it.

As I recounted in post 6, I've encountered those individuals before, and have no doubt that I will continue to do so.

But, they're fun to laugh at... :p
 
I have lost sight of the purpose of my original post. Whatever that was it was intended to be thought provokin' and in that it seems it was highly successful.

I sure hope nobody took strong offense at whatever it was I said, or maybe didn't say. I am glad to see so many gentlemen who took an interest in my post. I hope you enjoyed sayin' whatever it was that you had to say.

Now peerhaps you have a clearer understanding of why my choice remains the .44 Magnum.

Bob Wright
 
But, they're fun to laugh at...
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Too many take themselves way too seriously. They are always good for entertainment value, if nothing else. :D


Good post though Bob, it's been interesting to read.
 
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