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.

__________________
14 S&W Revs none with locks!

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.

__________________
Dick

Answered in the initial post:

Linebaugh's Custom Sixguns - The .45 Colt - Dissolving the Myth, Discovering the Legend

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

__________________
it just needs more voltage

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.

__________________
Dick

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, 'Cause Son, Theys Don't Make A Forty-Six!


Su Amigo,
Dave

__________________
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

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.

__________________
Dave

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.

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.

__________________
I always take precautions

dont have a 45 colt yet, but i will eventually. i really enjoy my 44s but the history and tradition of the 45 keep calling. fire off a cylinder of full bp 45s youll see that they bark with authority, and really slap the steel !
my 1911 seems kinda weak compared to that

__________________
the rules? there are no rules

It's just a cool cartridge

__________________
Cheers, Charles
SWCA #2442

I understand the .45 Colt.

When this is over...someone explain WHY anyone would want a short barreled/snubby in .500 S&W. I truly don't get that one.

I see it as a nostalgic/reloaders round due to the inconsistent throat diameters.
Once the gun and load are dialed in,it's a fun one.
If I deer hunt this year,I may take my SAA and my bp reloads just to be different :-)

Well for starters I like the larger diameter and wider meplat that you get with a forty five caliber. In my view this makes it a more versatile caliber than the forty fours (although I love the .44 Special) from mild to wild the old Colt gets it done. My rather new standard .45 Colt load is a 270gr Kieth over eight grains of Power Pistol with a standard primer lighting things off, this is good for a bit over 900fps in a four inch barrel, this is a standard pressure 14,000 PSI load. A lot of oomph down range (sort of like the old 30/40 Krag with 220 grain RNs) with out the drama on the other end. I own five revolvers in .44 Mag and fifteen in .45 Colt, sorta tells me what I like.

__________________
Stay safe people!

Cowboys used them.

John

I currently hand-load for 32 acp, 380 acp, 7.65 mauser, 30 carbine, 38 spl, 357, 41 long colt, 38 long colt, 41 Magnum, 44 spl, 44 magnum, 45 acp, 45 auto rim, 45 Colt, 45 Colt (ruger Only), 454 Casull, 223, and 35 Remington. Those are all in handguns.

As Malpaso says" It's just a cool cartridge" (BTW, where in NE Washington are you? I'm in NCW) The 45 Colt is my "go to" cartridge because I LIVE AND WORK in grizzly country. I can get more for less in my Blackhawks. Oh, I currently have 3 Super Blackhawks and one 44 Mag OM Blackhawk. One of the NM SBH will be going to Gary Reeder soon for conversion to a 5-shot 454/45 Colt. I'll also be sending one off for my wife for conversion to 45 Colt.

There are many reasons for such a handgun.

These are specially made for people with poor aim and because real flame throwers are illegal to carry.

With the snub nose .500 S&W you don’t have to hit the target because the flash from the mussel blast will blind them and the noise will deafen them and the shock wave from the pressure will knock them senseless.

Also they are great conversation pieces that demonstrate a persons manliness.

Finally, just lugging one of these around will build up your strength.

Did not read al the comments.
But my most favorite caliber is the .45 colt.
It is a very good and accurate target cartridge wich I do use for more than 17 year.

It fit in my beloved 3th genaration Colt wich is beside my 681 most favorite revolver.
I really do love the .45 colt. It is an all time clasic. I am suprised that it is not that populair in America.

Go shame your self.

So is a 45 Colt.

__________________
Dick

Ah, okay. I see now, different levels of power out of the same gun. Now that I look at it that way, the question to the original poster is, "If you have a handy .44 Magnum that will shoot .44 Special, why bother getting a .45 revolver at all?"

John Wayne

__________________
A republic if you can keep it

For the same reason the new reloaders go to the reloading section and ask about light plinking rounds for the 500 Magnum

I have no idea

The 45 Colt is a great round if you reload for it. If you buy ammo then no, the ammo is expensive and usually loaded to Cowboy loads (light)
The 45 Colt loaded to it's full potential is a awesome caliber and will do most anything a 44 Mag will without beating up the shooter.

Here are some hand cast projectiles by one of our forum members and loaded by me. They will take trees down. No I am not giving the load data.

__________________
Still Running Against the Wind

The .45 Colt just works. I have used it on Deer wild turkeys bullfrogs snakes and other critters .It just works for me. Wonder what The Ol' Gesser would say?

You mentioned just black bears. You must have missed that account in, "Sixguns" where Frank Waterman (?) fired a nickel-plated 7.5-inch .45 SAA at a grizzly that had stood up and was popping his teeth at ol' Frank. The one shot killed the bear. I think it was hit in about the "sticking place" with a 250 grain black powder load.

Elmer Keith said the .45 would kill livestock, too, in a pinch. Like a steer trying to kill you or a horse dragging you. I think Elmer did actually shoot one horse that way.

It isn't just for SASS shooting with cowboy loads.

Like the 7X57mm rifle round, the .45 Colt seems to have a happy balance of power and mild recoil.

I believe John Wayne favored the 44-40?

Asking why about the .45 Colt is like asking why apple pie and baseball?

If you have to ask, you ain't likely to ever understand.

__________________
GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

[QUOTE=Texas Star;137344558]You menioned just black bears. You must have missed that account in, "Sixguns" where Frank Waterman (?) fired a nickel-plated 7.5-inch .45 SAA at a grizzly that had stood up and was popping his teeth at ol' Frank. The one shot killed the bear. I think it was hit in about the "sticking place" with a 250 grain black powder load."

Been there, done that twice with black bears (got charged once). There ain't no pistol too big when that happens (didn't have one either time!)--jaw poppin' can be a bit unsettling!

The guy that explained it best was Elmer Keith. He spent the better part of an entire chapter in "Sixguns" talking about the cartridge. Then at the end of the book, he summed it all up by saying that if he had to stick with a single handgun cartridge, it would be the Colt 45. Admittedly, this was before the advent of the 44 Magnum, but he was using hot 44 Special loads at the time. In essence, he said the Colt 45 was accurate to 700 yds., that it had enough bullet weight and velocity to do most anything required of it and that it was a better killer than any other factory cartridge of the day including the 357 Mag. I've used it for nearly 40 years myself - it's powerful enough and much more pleasant to shoot than a 44 Mag., and it certainly has enough power. Besides, some of the guns that chamber it are just cool! I wouldn't be without at least one.

For the better part of thirty five years, I carried a 25-5 in .45 Colt (#N804007 for those who keep up with that stuff) on a daily basis in uniform. Stoked it with 185 gr. Federal SWCHP's and later with 185 gr. Silvertips.

I did not have issues with bears, moose, or King Kong....I did have to handle feral pigs, dispatch horses, cows, deer, a full grown Hereford bull, and had a quite memorable few minutes in the company of a crippled and very mad Brahama bull at extremely close range.
I honestly can't remember a single time when one shot didn't solve the problem.

In that same period of time, I was forced to draw "in anger", if you will, four times that I remember against human adversaries. Without going into rambling detail, the results were as follows...
In all instances, aggression ceased immediately - three of the suspects urinated on themselves and the fourth deficated in his pants - all subsiquent commands were obeyed instantly from that point forward....

After the "electric" guns (semis) became so popular, I carried it to irritate the young guys as much as anything else I guess...but...
Six in a catfood can at 25 yds. beats 17 "spray and pray" - all day long- period...

Remember, keep it simple - don't try to fix it if it ain't broke - old school ain't necessarily bad, there's usually a pretty damn good reason its been around so long.....
How's that Hawk?

That works for me Brother.

First, you get to shoot a cartridge like the guns used by these very dangerous gunmen from the past. Then you have a very big cartridge in a very handy gun or types of guns of various makes. and that big powerful chunk of lead won't always go through an attacker and two or three walls also hitting your neighbor. Here is the ivory handled Colt of Wes Hardin, the plain .45 used by John Selman to kill him, and the pearl handled .45 used by George Scarborough to kill him. This is a case where romance does not compromise effectiveness. (I took these pics Sat. at the Gene Autry Museum in L.A.).

Rule 3 made a good point. If you don't reload you'll find that most factory .45 Colt ammo pretty much stinks.
But for the reloader, the possablities are endless. Any bullet that can be used in the .45acp can also go into a .45 Colt. However, the opposite isn't true. You can load anything from 160gr to 400gr bullets and go from mild to wild in the process. Making the old Colt round one of the most versitile ever.
Now consider that a standard velocity 250gr .45 Colt will go completely through your average deer, why would anybody need a .44 Magnum?
Big bullets, moderate recoil, versatility and a proven stopper of both man and beast. What else could you want?
As already mentioned, if you don't get it, you probably never will and that's your loss.

Because it is a 45 Colt.

Nuff said?

__________________
NRA Benefactor/Cert Instructor

Great thread with lots of good opinions...But is 45 LC good for warning shots at Mountain Lions??
Warning shots

Just kidding...Please do not answer!

When John Wesley Hardin was asked why he carried a .44 caliber revolver, his reply was as follows.

Because they don’t make a .45.

Now they do.

I know I'm gonna sound like the Department of Redundancy Department, but here goes...

When I first read the original post, I thought finesse_r was either kidding or just wanted to stir the pot a bit. But then I realized he was serious.

If you've done any serious reloading or have studied ballistics to any extent, or more importantly, have used the .45 Colt in the field extensively, you'll know that the .45 Colt is a great caliber simply because it will do everything it's supposed to do...and then some. It was designed as a down-and-out man stopper. Period. With handloading, it is definitely one of the most versatile cartridges there is.

Sure, there are bigger cartridges, but we aren't talking about their virtues here. We're talking about the .45 Colt. The only advantage the .45 acp has over the .45 Colt (and I emphasize, the only advantage...if you can call it that) is that it can be fired from a semi-automatic weapon.

As Iggy said, you shoot the .45 Colt for awhile and you'll see that there's no comparison to the .45 acp. Personally, I've always thought that a revolver chambered for .45 acp was superfluous. I mean, why on earth would you want to shoot a .45 acp out of a revolver when you have a .45 Colt? Makes absolutely no sense.

The .45 Colt is one of the best self-protection calibers out there because it will take care of any two-legged or four-legged bad guys without being punishing to shoot. You can't say that about the .44 magnum or even the .357 magnum for that matter.

Historic value means little to me. I look for results. That's probably the main reason I've packed a .45 Colt as my main carry piece for over 40 years now.

__________________
Pack light and cinch tight.

Now that I'm long past being a young guy, that seems like an excellent reason.

I like'em both. The 45 Colt in revolvers and the 45 Auto in John Browning's finest. As said above, because they don't make a 46.

Thuer, don't get the wrong impression! - the .45 Colt is quite popular among revolver shooters here in the U.S.

I am not sure whether the OP is serious or not, just saying he doesn't need/want one (which is fine), or just exactly what his point is, but most folks I know have at least one .45 Colt - and some of us have a lot more.

In 1956, if S&W had begun to offer a slightly larger "N"-frame revolver capable of handling the .45 Colt at 30,000-35,000 PSI, and steadily perfected it like they have the Model 29, no one would pay any attention to a .44 Magnum.

Didn't they always carry a .45 Colt? They even named a malt liquor after it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBqq27rDucs