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I've been handloading for the old Colt for a long time now and started doing so as an experiment in ballistics fueled by a belief that the ol' war horse still had it in her. Firstly I made sure I was using HIGH quality brass and worked slowly up the tables using strong guns such as the Ruger Blackhawk, Colt Anaconda and Marlin1895. The .45 Colt is certainly a strong performer despite it's supposed "demise" in certain quarters of the gun press. The .44 mag is a strong performer certainly, but I , personally find the Colt to be a lot more fun. You can sling a 300 grain JHP out at 1100 FPS and a 250 out at close to 1300. Thats a flying sledghammer! Using the Sierra 200 gr flat pt jacketed bullet ( This is a .45 ACP bullet that works well if your chambers are sized at .451/.452 rather than the original.454 ..mike your chambers) I've tipped over..or rather BOWLED over coyotes at 200 yards. with my Marlin lever gun using this bullet and 9 grains of Unique. I've used the colt for feral pig with equally pleasing results. I'm thinking the death of the .45 Colt has been greatly exagerated. If your a handloader I think you can give the fine .44 mag a run for it's money with the old .45. But ya don't want to use these loads in great grand dads Peacemaker!! Only in heavily built MODERN guns.
Long live the .45 L/C, it's my favorite for many reasons even before you add the history into the mix and with cast alloy or even HP's this would truly be a flying ash-tray worthy for anything, man nor beast will stand a chance.
i have a Rugar Blackhawk in 45LC, i haven't really experimented with loads for it or shot it all that much, it was agun I had always wanted, the loads i have worked on were not all that good, what pwder and bullets would you recomend? if the weather would give me a break I would like to play with it
i have a Rugar Blackhawk in 45LC, i haven't really experimented with loads for it or shot it all that much, it was agun I had always wanted, the loads i have worked on were not all that good, what pwder and bullets would you recomend? if the weather would give me a break I would like to play with it
I won't get into much hot stuff as far as laods go..hats one you need to work on from your books, however my Blackhawk LOVES 6.2 grains of Red Dot with the standard 250 grain round or flat nosed cast bullets. My Anaconda performs very well with this load to. Take your dial caliper and mike out your chamber mouth. A Blakhawk should run in the .451/.452 range which means you can use different bullets for the .45 ACP giving you a lot more styles and weights to play with. For accuracy I've found that the faster burning powders (Red Dot, Bullseye, W231, etc) work the best with the old Colt, Unique is a good one for a balance of accuracy with extra oooph and I use it with the jacketed bullets more than cast. 8.5 to 9 grains with a 200 grain bullet. Remember that loads for cast bullets and jacketed bullets will be different in the same weight range. Cast swages up more than jaketed and pressures will be higher so reduce the load accordingly if your using data for jacketed rounds. At least a 1/2 grain for any given powder.
The only reason I stay away from "hotrod" 45LC loads is that I have at least one Colt Single Action Army, which ain't suitable for heavy loads. Although it *is* suitable for a better bullet shape than the usual semi-round nose, you can use a Keith type cast bullet or one of Veral Smith's excellent LBT wide-flatnose designs. You just can't get carried away with velocity.
Have been meaning to get a 454 Casull, though - really an excellent revolver and IMHO about the most powerful "true" handgun (can be carried in a belt holster and fired one-handed by somebody smaller than a pro linebacker).
But I have and enjoy the S&W 29 as well.
I guess I answer the question of 45 vs 44 by just getting both...
I have had a Christmas wish in for years now that someone would make a lever gun in .454 Casull. I would buy it the day it became available at my local gunshop.
I was definitely under the impression Marlin does or did, but looking at their website I don't see it. Turns out Rossi does/did, you should be able to find one of these:
I was definitely under the impression Marlin does or did, but looking at their website I don't see it. Turns out Rossi does/did, you should be able to find one of these:
I have a USFA Rodeo (SAA clone) in .45 Colt. I reload a 250 Grain LSWC to about 850 FPS. I know you can load the stronger Rugers (not New Vaquero) to .44 Magnum pressures. The old .45 is a very versatile round, especially if you reload.
I would dearly love to have a head to head with ye ol' Colt and the .44 mag. My gunshop owner buddy and I are thinking about doing a little informal testing twixt his 29 Smith and my Anaconda .45C. It should be fun. I'm certainly gonna look into that .454 Casull lever gun. I'm thinking that would be a fantastic feral pig performer and maybe even some brush country deer hunting as well. Talk about a handy piece to have in the pickup or on the saddle. Any one have any .44 long guns? I'm thinking a .44 mag lever gun would make a coyotes day unpleasant. Whats the max weight on a .44 bullet? Something like 240 grains I think?
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with my Marlin lever gun using this bullet and 9 grains of Unique. I've used the colt for feral pig with equally pleasing results. I'm thinking the death of the .45 Colt has been greatly exagerated. If your a handloader I think you can give the fine .44 mag a run for it's money with the old .45. But ya don't want to use these loads in great grand dads Peacemaker!! Only in heavily built MODERN guns.
