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

[Wyatt Burp]

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.).

 

[Grayfox]

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.

 

[Stu1205]

For the life of me I cannot understand why anyone would want a gun in .45 Colt?

Because it is a 45 Colt.

Nuff said?

 

[BCDWYO]

Great thread with lots of good opinions...But is 45 LC good for warning shots at Mountain Lions??
http://smith-wessonforum.com/concealed-carry-self-defense/326509-warning-shots.html

Just kidding...Please do not answer!

 

[finesse_r]

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?"

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.

 

[Mule Packer]

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.

 

[mjr]

After the "electric" guns (semis) became so popular, I carried it to irritate the young guys as much as anything else I guess...

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

 

[Joe Kent]

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.

 

[M29since14]

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.

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.

 

[rwsmith]

I thought every cowboy hero....

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

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

 

[the ringo kid]

Does one need a reason to like .45s? I love both 6-shooter as well as the 1911 styles.

 

[Wyo]

Like I said earlier, a lot of the guns that chamber it are just cool. So here's my chance to show off a recent acquisition from a prominent forum member. Built on a 5-screw N-frame 357, bored to .452 with a 44 Mag cylinder opened to Colt 45. Keith Brown grips, ivory bead front sight on a King ramp. If you have to ask why I like the Colt 45 in this, I guess there's just no 'splainin' it:

 

[amazingflapjack]

My 25-5 8 3/8 has been on the tour at a fine gun smiths shop, and while there, the cylinder was machined for moon clips. It still fires the 45 Colt the same way it always did, but now I can shoot 45 Winchester Magnum rounds, loaded much lighter, but still plenty potent-very nice round with a 255 gr LSWC, or LRNFP at around 1000 fps. And I can load and unload in a hurry with no hang ups. What a Hawg Leg!!

 

[BigBill]

I like owning a piece of history the 45 colt fills that spot in a single action revolver. I don't understand when they say the 45 ACP has power? I seen a guy shot 5 times with a 45 acp and live to tell about it. That wouldn't happen with a 45 long colt or any magnum caliber for that matter.

 

[pharman]

Ohio Whitetail Deer Hunting

One other BIG reason for the 45 Colt over the 45 ACP here in Ohio is that it is LEGAL to hunt deer in Ohio with a 45 Colt...It is ILLEGAL to hunt deer in Ohio with a 45 ACP. Just thought I'd throw that in the mix!

 

[MaximumLawman]

Before autos became popular in law enforcement, the .45 colt was one of the top guns to have. I carried smith 25-5 for a number of years. Autos didn't become popular where I was until the early 90's. Big gun, less recoil than a .357 or .44, big bullet, versatile loading options. It was and is a great caliber offered by many revolver makers and has certainly stood the test of time.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

There are many flavors of .45 colt out there, like this 1932 Colt New Service that colt could not find info on, but the consensus here was that the nickel is original.

 

[shouldazagged]

That's the one I lost in that tragic macramé accident! I'll PM you my address so you can return it to me.

 

[Straightshooter2]

For the life of me I cannot understand why anyone would want a gun in .45 Colt?

Growing up watching Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Maverick...shall I go on?

CW

 

[badge]

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.

The .45 Colt was the Magnum of the late 1870s and then some. It has all the power you need or do not. You can load it to target shoot at 50 feet or load it with monster stoppers in a proper weapon and handle the dangerous beasties here in CONUS. It is still a good load for lawmen and outdoorsmen. 300 grain projectiles at 1300 fps and you do not get the snappy recoil of a .44 magnum. I still love it. Just my humble opinion.