44 Special or the 45 ACP

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I carry both, .44Spl in sixguns and .45ACP in 1911's.

I tend to carry my PT145 more than my two 3" 44 specials. I personally find the auto easier to conceal, but either round would do the job.

Both are excellent.... It, just like ordering Ice Cream, is a matter of preference.. Both will kill em just as dead... We can argue, ammo availability, load variations,, yada yada..

Both are excellent cartridges.. If you reload, both are even better... Go with what you can be more accurate with and handle, in all aspects, carry, comfort, weight, concealablity.. etc..

Since you can get a 5 shot 44special, but you can't get a 5 shot 45ACP, I would go with the 44special...assuming we are strictly talking about revolvers here, as in 45ACP with moon clips.

^not so fast...easy to argue against an N frame revolver(moon clips or no) if it is for concealed carry

Remo223 said:

^not so fast...easy to argue against an N frame revolver(moon clips or no) if it is for concealed carry

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Who says it has to be an "N" frame?

No matter, personally i'd much rather have an "K" frame in .357 Magnum to either one.

DM

As others have stated both are better than decent fight stoppers. But there is a better selection at less cost of .45 acp ammo for sale.

I like apples, I like oranges, BOTH are very goood!

DM~ said:

Who says it has to be an "N" frame?

No matter, personally i'd much rather have an "K" frame in .357 Magnum to either one.

DM

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I do.

no such thing as a 45ACP revolver that isn't an N frame or equivalent

As this discussion is about both the 44 spl., and the 45acp, i figured your "N" frame comment was refering to BOTH being "N" frame only guns.

DM

I have both and alternate between them. To be honest my favorite carry piece anymore is a GLOCK 26, 10 rounds of 9mm in a gun about the size of a Colt DS.

And I'm not a 9mm fan, but it's hard to argue the above statistics.

For carry I have a 66 S&W 2.5", Colt DS with ankle holster, Taurus 445 in .44 spl, Kimber Pro Carry II in .45 acp and of course the GLOCK. I alternate depending on how I feel but 90% of the time it's the GLOCK anymore.

You can get .44 Specials in L-frame-sized packages that will hold five rounds. My M396 Mountain Lite weighs 18 oz empty with a 3-1/8" barrel. I'm pretty sure there aren't any 18 oz 45 Autos...



Performance-wise, you can load a .44 Special to exceed the .45 Auto by quite a bit. It's not so easy with factory ammo, however.

RidgwayCO said:

You can get .44 Specials in L-frame-sized packages that will hold five rounds. My M396 Mountain Lite weighs 18 oz empty with a 3-1/8" barrel. I'm pretty sure there aren't any 18 oz 45 Autos...

Performance-wise, you can load a .44 Special to exceed the .45 Auto by quite a bit. It's not so easy with factory ammo, however.

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http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-P45-w-Night-Sights.asp

http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-PM45-w-Night-Sights.asp

To me, it depends - do you want a revolver or a semiauto? Since you have listed the guns you carry, and they reflect the choices I would likely make if I were to carry either of these calibers, all I can say is that great minds think alike!

The two ideal carry calibers, for me. I have only two carry guns. One is a Glock 36 in .45 with 230grain Hydra's or Gold Dots and a the second is a S&W 624 in .44Spec with 200grain DPX's

I HAVE BOTH BUT
never carried the 44 not sure why except it is a 5 shot and my xd is a 13+1 or the 1911 7/8 (depends on mag) +1

the 44 finds it self more on the dresser or in the glove box.

it is loaded with silver tips in case of werewolf attack

Dirty Harry votes for the .44spl.

Both, budget permitting

And i've carried a "K" frame in 44spl. quite a bit, but i prefer it in .357 mag...

DM

I have owned numerous custom 1911s for a a number of years but my daily carry piece is a S&W 696 3 in. .44 Spl. With handloads it has a very slight margin over the ACP, will never have a feed malfunction and doesn't leave unsightly brass casings all over the place.

I think it's no longer made, but at one time S&W made an airweight 5 shot 44special revolver with a concealed hammer.

DM~ said:

And i've carried a "K" frame in 44spl. quite a bit, but i prefer it in .357 mag...

DM

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I'm curious as to why?

because you have one more shot?

because ammo is more available?

44special is plain lead ammo with nearly the same stopping power as a 357mag. I think that's pretty cool.