I was given several boxes of 45 cal. Cowboy Action ammo. I do very little practice shooting now so my question is, is it ok as self defence ammo?

Cowboy action ammo is loaded to fairly light pressures, often lighter bullets and standard velocities with swaged or cast bullets. As such, there are much better choices for SD ammo. Still, if that's all you have, then that's what you use. It is a 45 so even at Cowboy Action performance levels, it is at least equal to a 455 Webley and probably approaches a 45 ACP.

I'd be interested in the bullet weight and velocity claims if those are on the box. Those details will provide a better base for recommendations.

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Keep your powder dry.

It would be OK but not optimal.

Many thanks,

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Beats a lot of current stuff and will not over penetrate. I'd use it.

I wouldn’t feel under-gunned carrying that. While there are better SD loads for the .45 Colt, 250 grain flat nose slugs moving at 761fps will certainly get the job done if you put them in the right place. That velocity is listed out of a 4” barrel, so it may do better out of your gun.

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"I also cook."

Sounds good to me!
44 Guy here, I have several boxes of 44 Special Cowboy loads.
I’m looking at a box of Winchester loaded with 240 Grain Lead Flat nose bullets. Would not hesitate to use it for Self Defense!

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Yes, no, maybe

I have a bunch of .44 spl 246gr lead cowboy stuff that shoots real easy in my M29, but there are better choices for SD. Big slow chunks of lead like that will likely just punch holes, not expand at all.

Prolly killed a bunch of cowboys in the 1880s though, lol, better than an empty gun

I'm sure it would do just fine as a defense load, but I have to chuckle over the fact that all three calibers listed on that box just happen to have the exact same velocity out of a "four-inch test barrel". Tells you something.

Obviously there are better options, (or there would be if there wasn't a massive ammo shortage) but those Cowboy Action Shooting loads are still 250gr bullets traveling at about 700-750fps, making them roughly equivalent to the old military 230gr .45 ACP FMJ load in terms of energy foot-pounds.
Also, CAS loads tend to be made of rather soft, unjacketed lead which may deform somewhat in flesh, possibly even expanding in diameter.

So yeah, as far as improvized self-defense ammo goes, I'd say that it's actually a pretty solid choice.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

too much of that can lead your barrel, it is typically pretty soft lead.

I doubt he'll have to worry about that too much in defensive use, especially considering most .45LC revolvers only hold 5-6 rounds at a time, and the vast majority of said revolvers are derivatives of the Single Action Army in which you can only reload a single round into the cylinder at a time.

There's no way he could ever shoot enough ammo for that to be an issue in a self-defense situation, so unless he plans on taking it out shooting, then completely neglecting to clean it afterwards, yet still plans on using it for self-defense, it shouldn't be a problem.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Normally not a fan of solid bullets for self defense, but if that's all I had, I'd be ok with it. I like 148gr WC for .38 Special snubs, and I think I'd put that load in a similar category, albeit with more oomph. Never seen gel tests for a penetration comparison, but I imagine if it did manage to exit, it likely wouldn't have enough energy to seriously hurt any bystanders. And as Forte Smitten Wesson said, if they are made from softer lead, that could reduce the risk even more. I'd rather carry that load than a full-power LRN.

Just my opinion.

When Matt shoots them they don't get up. I still don't know how he gets that long barreled pistol out before all the fast draw artist though!

@ContinentalOp
Actually, that was a coincidence, it wasn't an intentional pun.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

That makes it even better.

We used to have this discussion routinely on the Single Action Shooting Society Forum. When you remember that the 1873 Colt Peacemaker used blackpowder rounds in .44-40 or .45/c and in .45 the bullets were usually 250 grains and the velocity was upwards of 900 fps and probably in the neighborhood of 400 foot pounds of energy you're not that far off with those Mag-Tech rounds. If they worked for self defense in the late 1800s then what you have should work today.

You didn't say what guns you were using that ammunition in but a Smith & Wesson Model 25 or a Ruger Vaquero would probably hum along nicely with those cartridges.

They are actually a little hot for cowboy action shooting. We used to load down to the SASS minimum which was around 600 fps. Speed was essential, not knockdown power. The minimum today might even be 400fps.

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Come and take it!!

If you are talking about .45 Colt ammo (not acp) Cowboy loads are fairly light because they are used in very old guns like Colts and clones. They are also used in SASS matches and low power loads are easier to shoot fast.

While I certainly wouldn't want to get shot with one, I would not use them for SD/HD unless you have no other choice.

Groo here
The load is similar to the 45 Shefield government loading ..
Carried the US cav through the Indian wars in various forms.
Good to go...

That's Schofield, Groo. Schefield was the wealthy Broadway producer in Fran Drescer's The Nanny.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.