45acp VS 45 colt

pahermit · #1 08-01-2010, 08:00 AM

Isn't a 45acp loaded with a 250 or 255 head just as effective as a 45 colt with the same head loaded to 850 or 900 fps.I have a lot of 45acp super brass for my 900 acp loads.

Beruisis · #2 08-01-2010, 10:58 AM

Methinks it is. The 45 ACP is everything the 45 Colt was when loaded with black powder & it garnered a fine rep then. Even today with smokeless I doubt a deer or anything similar would know the difference. I seen several deer & many hogs dropped dead with the 45 ACP, even with Commander & Officer model length barrels. Stay with the heavier weight bullets IMO.
Beruisis

cp1969 · #3 08-01-2010, 11:14 AM

If it shoots the same bullet at the same velocity, it is.

But it can't match the Colt when it comes to bigger bullets or heavier loads. It doesn't have enough room in the case to hold the powder required.

MTKTM · #4 08-01-2010, 01:15 PM

I agree with cp1969. I wasn't sure I understood the question, a 250 grain bullet at 1000 fps is more powerful than the same bullet at 850 or 900, that's a no-brainer. Unless you are working with a max loaded 500 S&W Magnum, there's always going to be something that's more powerful.....and I imagine someone has or will come up with some sort of handgun even more powerful than the 500! What does "effective" mean? I guess that depends on the purpose for which the gun is employed.

moxie · #5 08-01-2010, 02:15 PM

Huh? What is a 200 or 250 head? What is a 900 acp? In what sense are you using the word "effective?" And don't load .45 Super unless your gun has been suitably modified.

NE450No2 · #6 08-01-2010, 03:44 PM

If you look back at the older Speer loading manuals, numbers 6, 7,& 8, they show higher velocity loads for the 45 Auto Rim, that they do for the 44 Special, or the 45 Colt.

Their top load for the 45 AR is 15 gr of 2400 with a 240 Cast SWC for 1155fps or 1192fps depending on which manual.

They also show a top velocity with a 200gr jacketed bullet of 1345fps with 14gr of SR4756.
They get 1330fps with 11.5gr of Unique.

Those loads are listed as Max and were fired in a 6 1/2" S&W Mod 1955 Target, not a test barrel.

pinkymingeo · #7 08-01-2010, 04:14 PM

In a S&W revolver 45acp will do pretty much anything 45Colt will. Bullets heavier than about 250gr can cause chambering problems in the acp cylinder, depending on design, but at pressures that most of us would feel comfortable with, performance is the same. The 45Colt was developed to do the same job with black powder that 45acp does with smokeless.