Help me choose (.41/.44/.45)?

[WFR]

I have come to realize that I do not have the time or funds to shoot all 3 of these calibers.
Below this choice I will have .38/.357's of various platforms.
For target shooting, hunting and general woods carry which caliber would you choose to do it all?
I will also want to reload for this as well. From a reloader's perspective which is the easiest to reload for and gives the best range of versatility?
Thanks in advance!
WFR

 

[WFR]

I have come to realize that I do not have the time or funds to shoot all 3 of these calibers.
Below this choice I will have .38/.357's of various platforms.
For target shooting, hunting and general woods carry which caliber would you choose to do it all?
I will also want to reload for this as well. From a reloader's perspective which is the easiest to reload for and gives the best range of versatility?
Thanks in advance!
WFR

 

[RdrBill]

WFR.
.45 is the way to go. The other two choices just seem small in caliber, large in cost, inefficient in use of powder, and violent to shoot. I have 3-4 of each and I have a favorite.
Bill

 

[Ron H.]

Sir, I've owned all three and presently own only the .45 Colt. I don't hunt with it, but I suppose I could if need be. I've loaded for the .45 and the .44 mag and see no difference in ease of loading for them.

JMHO, FWIW.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

 

[LOBO]

.44 mag

 

[38-44HD45]

I own all three calibers, and load for all three. I checked .44 mag., because of the vast range of choices you have in loading it, as well as choices in applications. .41 mag. and .45 Colt are both great cartridges, to be sure, but with the .44 mag. you can shoot .44 Specials or magnums, and "in between" loads, as well. You can't quite reach .44 mag. ballistics in .45 Colt (at least, not in Smith .45 Colt revolvers) and there is no ".41 Special," although you can obviously load the .41 mag. down.

 

[feralmerril]

I have or had all 3. Quick answer is .44 mag. But a lot depends on what gun you get. My personal favorite is still .44 special. Have 6 of em. All mentioned will do the job. I have lesser experience with the .41 mag, though I had one when ruger 1st brought it out.
A .44 special can be loaded up to do 98% of what you will really use the mag for. But the best part is a model 24 is far more pleasent to pack. The weight difference of the thinner barrel and slightly shorter clinder make it the difference of packing a club as opposed to a sweet revolver. And I have a sweet 5" 29-2 to compare and say that.

 

[Hoytshooter]

Something of a toss-up between 44 mag and 45 Colt, at least as as I'm concerned. Both are extremely versatile, able to load a wide range of bullets at almost as wide velocities. However I think the 45 Colt has something of an advantage because a hot load in it is not going to have the muzzle blast a hot 44 mag will, nor quite the recoil. If you really want versatility, and don't mind carrying a heavy gun, get a 460 S&W or a 454 Casull because you can then load from very light 45 Colt loads up thru monster "stop a train loads" in the same gun.

 

[Guest]

The .44 Magnum, and Not a tough choice, but I'm still keeping my .45 Colt and have never owned a .41 Magnum and only fired one round from one(but that's another story).

 

[44wheelman]

For versatility, the .44 can't be beat!

I'm assuming you're shooting these in a S&W, because if you're loading them up a Ruger, I might have to lean towards the .45

 

[Joni_Lynn]

44, it's more versatile, many more choices available and more models of guns to pick from.

 

[Joe in SC]

I voted for the 44 mag because you didn't list 44 special. I think the 44 special is one of the most under rated calibers.

I have a 44 magnum but seldom fire it. I shoot the 44 special lots and it does everything I ask of it with more accuracy than I've ever experienced in any other caliber.

A big old heavy bullet at moderate to fast velocities has always got the job done without a lot of fuss.

 

[Lionhound]

No reason to have to choose between them, enjoy all three like many of us do. My personal favorite of the three is the .45 Colt, but I like the others nearly as much. If I didn't handload, I would pick the .44 mag for the excellent reasons others have given.

 

[ACP230]

I'd pick the .41 Magnum, but that's because I am already a .41 Magnum fan.

 

[Quarter Cherokee]

Only one...44 magnum. I cast my own bullets and have...God only knows how many different styles and weights of bullets available to me. Then, on top of that, the wide variety of factory jacketed bullets makes the decision in favor of .44 a no brainer.

 

[catdad]

44 Mag, you can also shoot 44 Spl's.

 

[ATCDoctor]

If you do not handload, the 44 Magnum is the way to go.

You can get ammo at any Wal Mart and the number of offerings is considerable compared to the other two.

If you are set up to handload then any of the three would be as good as the other. Componenets for the 41 are limited but any bullet for the 45 ACP cam be made to work in a 45 Colt.

 

[okie john]

If you handload, it doesn't matter. If you don't, get a 44 Magnum. Factory ammo runs from light 44 Specials to full-on barn burners.

If you travel by air, a 44 Magnum makes even more sense. These days, it doesn't take much to get the TSA to confiscate ammo. With a 44, chances are that you can find usable ammo wherever you end up. If you have a 41 and you can find any ammo at all, it's likely to be the full-house factory load, but again, you have to find it and that gets harder every day. Any 45 Colt ammo you find is likely to be loaded about like a 45 ACP in deference to older guns. That's enough for deer, but it's usually loaded with a RN or pointed bullet. That's not so good.

As for the most versatile, it's the handloaded 45 Colt, hands down. In a Ruger you can load it to levels that would launch a Smith into orbit. Whether you need that kind of power for daily use is another story, but the fact remains that the 45 Colt will do it.

My personal choice is a 44 Magnum handloaded to send a 250-grain SWC downrange at about 900 fps. I know a 44 Special would do that with ease, but a 44 Magnum never gets a second look from the game warden. I wouldn't want to lose a hunt because a warden who didn't understand the finer points of the 44 Special shut me down.


Okie John

 

[Rancher]

You didn't say much about you. If you handload, you can tailor any of them to power levels appropriate to what you want. If you are at all recoil sensitive, but want to be able to shoot full-power loads for flat trajectory, the .41 will do it. If you want the max power possible, the .45 will throw the heaviest bullets. Not a handloader? As previously noted, the .44 has the widest selection of factory loads. If you are not a handloader and are at all recoil sensitive, then the .44 is the place to be.

 

[Cayoot]

You're going to be a handloader, so I would refer to the old saying about the 3 "magnum" calibers:

"If they were to get rid of only one magnum, it would be the .41. However, if they were to get rid of 2 magnums, only the .41 would be left standing"

This is because the .41 is excellent at doing what both the other calibers do.

Besides, it's really, really fun to shoot!