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

[kamloops67]

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

 

[Malpasowildlifer]

It's just a cool cartridge

 

[Frank237]

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.

 

[arjay]

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

 

[Vulcan Bob]

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.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

Cowboys used them.

John

 

[BearBio]

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.

 

[finesse_r]

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.

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.

 

[Thuer]

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.

 

[diamonback68]

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

So is a 45 Colt.

 

[Tom K]

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.

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?"

 

[Gunsnwater]

John Wayne

 

[Rule3]

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.

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.

 

[hawkeye5]

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?

 

[Texas Star]

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.

 

[Cdog]

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.

 

[BearBio]

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!

 

[Wyo]

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.

 

[ol' geeser]

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?

 

[hawkeye5]

That works for me Brother.