Can Someone Explain to Me The Appeal of the .45 Colt

For the life of me I cannot understand why anyone would want a gun in .45 Colt? The ammo is very limited and expensive. A .45 ACP can handle any job that a .45 Colt will do and do it with less powder, less brass, less expense, and is available in a wide variety of excellent and inexpensive commercial ammo.

It you really need more power than the .45ACP or .45ACP plus, then just step up to a .44 Magnum. With the 44 Magnum you get the flexibility of a multitude of commercial rounds available and it will also shoot .44 specials.

I know there are many devotees of the .45 Colt round, so there must be something there I am not seeing. Fairly recently I bought a .45 ACP/ .45 Colt convertible and the first thing I did was remove the .45 Colt cylinder and install the .45 ACP cylinder and I doubt the Colt cylinder will ever be used. Had there been a .45ACP like I wanted for less than the .45 convertible gun I would have gladly picked that up instead.

The only reason I can think of for needing more than a .45 ACP is if I were to go hiking or hunting in Grizzly country. Then I would simply take my Ruger Blackhawk .44 Mag. With the 3.75 inch barrel. I would not take a .45 Colt.

So other than for just a novelty, I just don’t get that round.

i have 2 .44M Revs (and a real old Ruger carbine), and 3 .45ACPs I do not have a .45 Colt YET (I'm looking around for one). I will get it as a standard revolver not one of those stupid things that are 1/2 shotgun.

PS it will also fire ammo my .45 carbine does.

There's an *** for every seat.

Well, I don't "get" a .44 Magnum with a 3.75-inch bbl.! I like six inches or a little more with that ctg.

The .45 Colt has tradition. It has bullet weight and adequate velocity to kill man or bear with mild recoil. It is chambered in some famous guns, adding to its nostalgic appeal.

It's a known killer that has a rep going back to 1873.

I did worry about the small case rim when I bought a New Service made about 1935. Still, I had no extraction difficulties. The gun shot as well at 25 yds . as my M-29, often putting all six bullets into a single jagged hole.

For me, the .45 Colt is like a classic car. I don't drive it every day, but when I do I certainly enjoy it!

Well let's see.
325 gr Buffalo Bore heavy lead +P 1,325 ft/s at 1,267 ft·lbs.
See if you can get that kind of power out of a 45ACP even in +P.

diamonback68 said:

Well let's see.
325 gr Buffalo Bore heavy lead +P 1,325 ft/s at 1,267 ft·lbs.
See if you can get that kind of power out of a 45ACP even in +P.

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Answered in the initial post:

finesse_r said:

....
If you really need more power than the .45ACP or .45ACP plus, then just step up to a .44 Magnum. With the 44 Magnum you get the flexibility of a multitude of commercial rounds available and it will also shoot .44 specials.
....

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I sorta understand the appeal ... kinda.
its the grand daddy of a fair handful of current calibers.
45 auto
44 magnum
454 Casull
and perhaps 460 S&W

arguments can be made for the advantages of each over granddad, but not without also pointing to the versatility of the 45 colt

Tom K said:

Answered in the initial post:

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I'm just talking about the .45 and power differences out of the same gun. We all know that the 44, 454, 460 or a 500 are more powerful, that's not the point. He was talking about putting the 45 Colt cylinder aside and not using it as he deemed it useless.

For me it's a simple answer. Proven track record, heavy rounds, easy to load up or down and limited recoil. I can comfortably shoot just about any round through my .45 mountain gun, not true of my .44 MG.

There is something to the paying respect to history part of it for me too.

Speer makes a 250gr 750fps/312 M.E. round that's had excellent results in testing for self defense. We're talking a light .38 recoil out of a 4 inch gun that penetrates through the 4 layer gel test 14 inches and expands to over .8 inches. It's hard to find a comparable round for that.

As another person said, it's also a matter of personal preference. From my end it completely eludes me why anyone would want a 45 ACP revolver you have to moon clip to use. But, I know many people who love them, to each their own.

Texas Star said:

Well, I don't "get" a .44 Magnum with a 3.75-inch bbl.! I like six inches or a little more with that ctg.

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First of all thanks for the information in your reply. I can understand wanting six inch barrel in a .44 Magnum, with all the recoil and power generated by that round. I only have one .44 Magnum and very rarely shoot .44 Magnums. I mostly shoot .44 specials, but I have the one gun chambered in .44 Mag as a hiking gun for rare times that I travel into Grizzly country. The 3.75 inch barrel seems quite adequate for such limited use.

Texas Star said:

The .45 Colt has tradition. It has bullet weight and adequate velocity to kill man or bear with mild recoil. It is chambered in some famous guns, adding to its nostalgic appeal. It's a known killer that has a rep going back to 1873.

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From what I have read I agree with you that it has bullet weight and adequate velocity to kill man or “black” bear with mild recoil. So does the .45ACP and .45 ACP plus.

I do understand the nostalgic appeal for it being chambered in some famous guns and its historical appeal. So far this is the only advantage I see over the .45 ACP and for many shooters that is evidently sufficient to justify the hassle of obtaining ammo for one. If I were to ever shoot SASS I would probably choose to shoot .45 Colt, but I really am not good enough with a handgun to spend time in such competitions.

Texas Star said:

I did worry about the small case rim when I bought a New Service made abut 1935. Still, I had no extraction difficulties. The gun shot as well at 25 yds . as my M-29, often putting all six bullets into a single jagged hole.

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So it is a solid, reliable and accurate round. Again so is the .45 ACP.

I guess I was looking for something a little more since I do have the .45 Colt cylinder and so far I see little beyond historical and nostalgic value to motivate me into adding yet another caliber to my shooting.

Shoot a few of those 45 colts thru that gun and then decide if the ACP round is equal or better.

You may get some surprises.

S&W45Colt said:

As another person said, it's also a matter of personal preference. From my end it completely eludes me why anyone would want a 45 ACP revolver you have to moon clip to use. But, I know many people who love them, to each their own.

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I can understand the personal preference for liking the round. I suppose that is part of what I like about the .45 ACP. If your personal preference is for a .45 caliber with more power and more weight than the .45 ACP affords, then that is all the justification you or anyone needs for using it.

In my case I actually find the .45 ACP to be near the top end of my enjoyment shooting power range. In fact I can see the time not to many years from now I will be reloading to get less power in my .45ACP, not more. Again that is personal preference on my part and liking the diameter and heft of the .45 bullet.

The 45 Long Colt's got all of what I need...........I use mine, both the ACP & the Long Colt and know the differance.





Oh, http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-ha...6433-cause-son-theys-dont-make-forty-six.html


Su Amigo,
Dave

I've got a similar 45lc/45acp convertible revolver. The ability for it to shoot the ACP round was the selling point as I already reload for a my 1911's. Couple of observations once after shooing it a couple of times.
First, the 45LC is a cool looking Big A** cratridge. It's just oozes respect.
Second, It is fun to shoot of a "cowboy" gun but I'm nit sure I'd be as sold in a modern revolver.
Third, ammo ain't cheap but it's not the type of gun that I'd shoot a hundred a day out of anyway.
Lastly, 45 ACP's shoot 6" low out of the gun at 50'. Every one I've tried . I believe it has to do with the heavier LC bullets vs the lighter ACP offerings. I'm not done experimenting but the thrill is gone.

p.s. Just bought a Vaquero in 357/38. This might be the successor to the 45acp version in my collection.

First its nostolgia, but not only that, its still good. The original BP load in a 7 1/2" barrel will do 1,000 fps with a 250 grain! I have read the linbaugh article a number of times. Fact is you seldom if ever would need more HP. The case volume is huge and the bullet works at low pressure compared to a mag. The .44 special was/is my favorite but I have come to like the .45 colt about as much. The one thing I like in the 44 better than the 45 is the simple fact the 44s are usualy size matched barrel / clyinder dimensions and both smith and colt have had a hard time matching the dimensions right in that area. Why, is beyound me. Both smith and colt should be embarassed and apologise, get it right! Some are right, but usualy you can cure the problem with oversized bullets in .454 or even .456! I have been the full circut and dont consider myself a expert but I have done tons of reading on this. In my opinion with the right guns made to specks, with a good knowledgable reloader, we never would have needed the .44 mag invented.
By that I also understand why it was. We got to good metalergy, and the right dimensions were built in on the first .44 mag on down. The older guns werent safe at high pressure, many overbored etc. I have a good half dozzen of both .44 specials, and various .45 colts now plus a .44 mag. While I have shot all of them I really havent worked with them all exstendsively. I am going more by a lot of reading than experiance here.
I own a 4" 25-5, a .45 colt SAA, and three various colt clones plus have a barrel in 45 colt for my TC. I also have 4 various smith .44 specials, a ruger and two colt SAA`s in it. I handload all close to the same. The 25-5 and a 29-2 are close to being the same gun. The specials in smiths are a little lighter due to the tapered barrel and a little more enjoyable to pack than the heavy barreled 25-5 and 29-2. In colt saa`s they are the same. One thing DOES bother me in the .45 colt over the .44s. Thats the thin metal under the notchs. Yet it seems it really hasnt given other people problems but I admit it "looks" scary to me. I belive a properly loaded .45 colt will kill a deer or anything else as dead and out as far as a .44 mag will, but I dont claim to have the actual experiance doing it.

Iggy said:

Shoot a few of those 45 colts thru that gun and then decide if the ACP round is equal or better.

You may get some surprises.

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Sorry if I somehow implied I thought the .45ACP was equal in power or was better in power in someway. I certainly did not mean to say that.

What I meant to say was I have no need for the additional power afforded by the .45 Colt. In other words the .45 ACP will kill any two legged predator or 4 legged predator that the .45 colt will kill. So I have no need for that additional power or weight.

If on rare occasion I do need considerably more power for say Grizzly Bears, I would step up to a .44 Magnum not to a .45 Colt.

45 Colt was developed to be used at 100 yards to shoot through a horse and kill the BG hiding behind it.

It does.

I doubt the acp is capable of that.

255g cast @ 900fps is just more energy than 230g @ 800fps.

I believe that, in standard factory ammo, the 45 ACP will do anything the 45 Colt will. After all, it was designed to put 45 Colt power in a shorter case, loaded with smokeless powder, that would work in an autoloader.

And I truly believe that if you NEED more power than the factory 45 Colt - if you are one of those that likes to hotrod the 45 Colt - then you need to get a 44 magnum or a 454 Casull.

Having said that, though, no, I cannot explain. If you have to ask "WHY?", then you will never understand.

Ask a Harley rider why his noisy, shaking, oil-leaking piece of Milwaukee Iron is better than a rice-burner. He can't tell you. He just knows it is. And if you have to ask, you will never get it.

It's the same thing.

And, for the record, I have pistols (both revolving and bottom-feeding) and rifles in 45 ACP, 44 Magnum, 454 Casull AND 45 Colt. I shoot all of them. I enjoy all of them.