44mag or 45colt

There are many .44mag fans that swear by them, but i have ,45colt revolvers and reloading equip, so that would be my choice.
Respect for .44mag and .44special though.

id go 44mag

Sounds like your muzzle energy and recoil needs are already well covered.

I say .45 Colt.

What's the bore dia on Henry's 44s?
I've read that .430 is "standard" for .44 chambered rifles. Which is supposed to be fine for shooting jacketed ammo, but poses problems for cast bullets unless sized in the .431-2" range?

I want a lever gun in .44 or .45, and I was leaning harder towards the .45 after reading that. Mostly because if I do get one, I plan on shooting mostly commercial cast and coated bullets.

I like .45C better. The hot loads are very comparable, but the .45C has lots of factory plinking ammo available. .44Mag is more limited..

LoonWulf said:

What's the bore dia on Henry's 44s?
I've read that .430 is "standard" for .44 chambered rifles. Which is supposed to be fine for shooting jacketed ammo, but poses problems for cast bullets unless sized in the .431-2" range?

I want a lever gun in .44 or .45, and I was leaning harder towards the .45 after reading that. Mostly because if I do get one, I plan on shooting mostly commercial cast and coated bullets.

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i deepens on what u do with the gun if u just want to shoot some targets the 45 maybe the way to go. if u wont hot loads and do not reload the 44 is better. hard to find hot 45 ammo. i like both very much in a strong gun the 45 can out do the 44.brass seems to be about the same to. if i were looking for a new lever id get one in 45 colt because i got a 44 already. ether way they are fun.

What are their respective twist rates?

Llama Bob said:

The hot loads are very comparable, but the .45C has lots of factory plinking ammo available. .44Mag is more limited..

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troy fairweather said:

if u wont hot loads and do not reload the 44 is better. hard to find hot 45 ammo.

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I agree with both Llama Bob AND troy fairweather, 45Frank. So I think it kinda depends on whether or not you're a handloader. Are you?
As a handloader, you can make both mild 44 Mag ammo, and wild 45 Colt ammo. I make both all the time - it's fun!

Okay, so...

I love the 45 Colt. My Ruger Redhawk 45acp/45 Colt is possibly my favourite handgun.

I really like Henry Rifles. The 327 Federal lever gun is very nicely made.

Their lever guns will not cycle the heavier 45 Colt loads (Underwood 325 Grain +p & HSM "Bear Loads"). The OAL is too long.

That's left me thinking about a 44 mag for a while now (or a 41 Mag because I like oddball cartridges).

Reloading makes both an easy option for me, I have the 44 mag & can download or upload it.
But looking back, I am not going to hunt with it & the 45 Colt has since become my favorite bullet
to load.
ps: Standard 44mag factory is to much recoil for kids to shoot in mine. They have to be mid range loads.

41 mag is nice. being a handloader is needed

If you hand load it's a wash.

If you DON'T hand load and want mostly hot ammo go with the 44mag.

If you DON'T hand load and want mostly light plinking ammo go 45 Colt.

If you don't handload and want both, go .44 mag, because you can also shoot .44 special.

44 mag.
More ammo available and the 45 colt doesnt do anything the 44 won't.

Cheaper, easier to find, and mild to wild loads available . Remington 180 jsp feel as mild as 45 colt for plinking.

I had a 45 colt revolver a few years ago but ended up selling it. It didnt do anything the 44 couldn't do for less money.

I bought a Rossi in 45 Colt a couple years back, mainly because I had a Uberti Regulator in 45 Colt. That being said, 2 weeks ago I picked up a Ruger 44 mag semiauto carbine. Guess I jave to find a pistol on 44 mag to go with it.

My family has a tradition of 1894’s in 44mag, so my vote always leans to 44mag over the Colt.

CraigC said:

What are their respective twist rates?

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That's a good question. The typical 1:38 inch twist in 44 Magnum barrels will not stabilize bullets heavier than 240/250 grain. I tried 290's and they tumbled. The rifle twist rate should be faster, but industry reluctance to change is the primary reason we are stuck with the 1:38. I don't know the limitations for a 45 LColt, but I doubt the twist rate issue is any better.

With full loads, the 1:38" twist works fine up to and including 300gr.

The new 1892's from Taylor's have the proper twist rate and would be my choice.

Howdy

44-40












I like 38-40 too.






32-20 is nice, but not as much punch as 44-40 or 38-40.






Sorry, couldn't resist.

Do you have any other guns chambered in those calibers? If you do I'd go with that. If you don't which one is the most available to you at the lowest cost. And if you decide to go with 44 Magnum you can also shoot 44 Special's in the same rifle.

Hi...
I own revolvers both SA and DA in most calibers.
I only have one center-fire lever action rifle and it is a Cimarron .45Colt with case colred frame and octagonal barrel.
I just have never gotten around to getting lever action rifles in .357, .41 or .44Magnum.

I have a Marlin lever action rifle in .22Mag to go along with my .22Mag SA revolver also.

I suppose I need to start looking into getting lever action rifles to match up with my other revolvers.

Jack B. said:

Do you have any other guns chambered in those calibers? If you do I'd go with that. If you don't which one is the most available to you at the lowest cost. And if you decide to go with 44 Magnum you can also shoot 44 Special's in the same rifle.

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I am sort or partial to 44 Mag myself but could you not also shoot 45 Schofield or 45 Cowboy Special in your 45 Colt rifle in much the same way you shoot 44 Special in your 44 Magnum. Then again if you're hand-loading just stick to the long cartridge for better feeding and load it to the power level you want/need.

Obligatory Carbine/Revolver pair picture:



44 Mag of course.

As the old cowboy said, why do you shoot a 45 Colt, he said "because they don't make a 46". You can get a 44 mag. We all know what it will do. It would also seem that a 45 Colt can do so much more. In a modern rifle with a modern loading it will give you more options.

I hunted whitetails for years with a Marlin 1894 in 44 magnum with 240 gr jacketed hollow points. Worked like a charm.