Which large caliber revolver cartridge should I go with?

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buck460XVR said:
I don't think .44 mag is less common than .45 Colt, but just the opposite. .....There are 45 Colt aficionados and .44 mag aficionados. Which one do you want to be.
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What he said!


WVGunman said:
The bullets, revolvers, and longarms in this caliber all cost a premium. It does not interchange with any other caliber, components couldn't be as versatile.
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I'm curious as to where this information comes from???

And I use the same bullets in .44Colt, .44Spl, .44-40 and .44Mag. Plus they can be used in the .445Supermag, .444Marlin and .44Russian.
 
In the late 1960s I decided that having a .44mag carbine/revolver pair for hunting black bear would be interesting. My maternal grandfather loved to hunt the black bears (I live on the west side of his farm).

Life intervened and it wasn't until the mid'80s while slowly walking thru the gunshow in Medina, OH that I came upon a lightly-used Marlin 1894S for a decent price. :) Within the year I had found a S&W 629, also at a decent price. :) :)

Problem is ... that by that time I wasn't going to be shooting any black bears unless they were actually attacking me or mine ...

... but since that time I have walked many a mile thru forest & field (and thinned a few woodchuck populations) with that combination.

Recently, I have been thinking that adding a .357mag carbine/revolver pair would be a dandy idea, but I will almost certainly never get around to it.
 
I would leave .45 Colt out of this and instead focus on .454 Casull. Ruger Super Redhawk is an ugly, yet well made revolver you can get for 800 or less and is a perfect fit for .454 Casull.

The issue with Casull is there's only one lever rifle I know of that was made in the chambering and it was the Rossi Puma. Thompson Center still makes barrels for .454, so if you're not opposed to single shot rifles, it's an option.

.44 sounds like the best choice though as there are many rifles available in it. .45 Colt you can hot rod in 1892 actions, but Rossi has stopped making those, the used market is drying up, and the next lowest price option I know of is the Alaskan Takedown at a whopping 1000 bucks.

I bought a Ruger Redhawk .45 Colt/ACP few years ago for increased ammo choice, so naturally I'm looking for a .45 Colt rifle and they're just not as commonplace as .44 Mag rifles are, which I why I'm steering you away from .45 Colt.
 
GBExpat said:
Recently, I have been thinking that adding a .357mag carbine/revolver pair would be a dandy idea, but I will almost certainly never get around to it.
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.357 is a great revolver cartridge, but out of a rifle I don't see its benefits. A 10mm Glock and 10mm Ruger carbine (doesn't exist yet but give the Phoenix some time) has more power than .357 does and the guns will weigh less and hold more ammo.

Something like .44 or .45 makes sense for larger game and .327 is great for small game, greater than .357, so I think when it comes to rifles the .357 finds itself as the odd caliber out and has to go to the bar and drink seltzer for the night and has to sit next to a totally sloshed .41 Magnum who is ranting to the bartender that no one appreciates him at work.
 
TTv2 said:
.44 sounds like the best choice though as there are many rifles available in it. .45 Colt you can hot rod in 1892 actions, but Rossi has stopped making those, the used market is drying up, and the next lowest price option I know of is the Alaskan Takedown at a whopping 1000 bucks.
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In the latest news, just saw an ad for Rossi 92s in the newest Guns and Ammo in 357 and 44. No sign of 45, though. Maybe they'll be back?
 
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Reloading makes any choice much more palatable.

My last gun purchase helps me expand my horizon. ;)
I bought an SP101 in .327 Fed Mag.
(It can also handle .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long & .32 H&R Mag)
 
General woods carry- 357 c 172 gr Kieth boolit
Hunting- 44 mag 275 gr Kieth boolit
Both range scrap lead!
 
I need a new revolver. I'm considering a big bore for a change. Not happy with the results from the little ones lately and if you're going to go big, you might as well go real big, right? Thing is, I'm also off S&W, so no X frames. Besides, I'm not trying to go as big as possible, just saying that "practical" isn't the most important criteria, and I don't need a "purpose." I live country and it'd be a companion, that's all. I shoot plenty and reload.

I'd carry it in the woods or wherever I suppose, so the weight of a Super Blackhawk seems about right. .44 makes "sense" because components have better availability and they're less costly. The guns are also available. But the .454 and .480 are sweeter. I like the five-shot cylinders with the stops straddling the chambers instead of cut into the thinnest part of the wall. The recessed cylinders are better too and secure the loading gate. The .44 models are less costly, but lack those features. Problem is, the .454 and .480 are scarce. I can't even find a .480 in 4.62". The .454's are few and far between. Don't need super power. .44 would do the job, but the features aren't there from Ruger.

Redhawks are affordable, but the cylinders aren't recessed and all the big bores are 6 shot. Again, the most options are in .44 with barrels from 2.75 to 7.5", but with the Alaskan and Toklat, there are a few options for .454 besides the long scoped models.

There are lots of cowboy guns in .45, but a lot of them are low-pressure jobs. The Blackhawk might be stouter, but the .44 Blackhawk is a safer bet with the same features. In .44, the stout frame can also be had in the Vaquero and Birdshead grip models, whereas the .45's in those lines were lightened to cowboy spec.

MRI's got the BFR in ludicrous size, but their .44 looks sweet in the modest 5" barrel size. It seems to offer the features found elsewhere only on the SBH's in more exotic chamberings and in costlier Freedom Arm's guns.
 
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A little esoteric, perhaps, but if you want to have one of the finest double-action revolvers ever made in terms of finish, workmanship, trigger pull and accuracy, attend a few gun shows and/or visit some firearm auction sites and look for a Smith & Wesson Model 1955 Target (Model 25-2), chambered in .45 ACP.
True, it was developed and intended for Bullseye shooting but it has a lot more uses than just target shooting. I promise, you'll never regret getting one.
 
44 mag would be my choice , ammo is common , lots of choices in ammo from mild to wild
I have found the 44 mag way more common then 45 colt,
 
westernrover said:
I need a new revolver. I'm considering a big bore for a change. Not happy with the results from the little ones lately and if you're going to go big, you might as well go real big, right? Thing is, I'm also off S&W, so no X frames. Besides, I'm not trying to go as big as possible, just saying that "practical" isn't the most important criteria, and I don't need a "purpose." I live country and it'd be a companion, that's all. I shoot plenty and reload.

I'd carry it in the woods or wherever I suppose, so the weight of a Super Blackhawk seems about right. .44 makes "sense" because components have better availability and they're less costly. The guns are also available. But the .454 and .480 are sweeter. I like the five-shot cylinders with the stops straddling the chambers instead of cut into the thinnest part of the wall. The recessed cylinders are better too and secure the loading gate. The .44 models are less costly, but lack those features. Problem is, the .454 and .480 are scarce. I can't even find a .480 in 4.62". The .454's are few and far between. Don't need super power. .44 would do the job, but the features aren't there from Ruger.

Redhawks are affordable, but the cylinders aren't recessed and all the big bores are 6 shot. Again, the most options are in .44 with barrels from 2.75 to 7.5", but with the Alaskan and Toklat, there are a few options for .454 besides the long scoped models.

There are lots of cowboy guns in .45, but a lot of them are low-pressure jobs. The Blackhawk might be stouter, but the .44 Blackhawk is a safer bet with the same features. In .44, the stout frame can also be had in the Vaquero and Birdshead grip models, whereas the .45's in those lines were lightened to cowboy spec.

MRI's got the BFR in ludicrous size, but their .44 looks sweet in the modest 5" barrel size. It seems to offer the features found elsewhere only on the SBH's in more exotic chamberings and in costlier Freedom Arm's guns.
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Five shot cylinders with the bolt notches between the chambers are just not necessary in a .44Mag. I had one built with an oversized cylinder with recessed chambers but it's still a six shot and fully capable of digesting loads with all the H110 I can cram in the case. Built for 50,000psi loads.

The .454 and .480 have also proven to perhaps be a bit too much for a mass produced Ruger single action. I initially wanted a .454 but only to get an extra strong .45Colt with an added safety margin. Ended up with an other SRH and a Freedom Arms instead.

IMG_9352b.jpg
 
I guess I don't really think of a 45 ACP revolver as a "Big-Bore" revolver. Yes it big bore in caliber but it is not big bore in power (no matter how you want to measure that). The S&W 625 is by far my favorite double action revolver I own and yet if you told me to grab my big bore revolver I would grab my Model 29 not my 625. Even if you step up to shooting 45 Super in your 45 ACP revolver you're still barely matching stout 357 Magnum loads as far as energy goes. IMHO the 625/25 is a target/gamer revolver not a big bore revolver.

I personally favor 44 Mag but hot hand-loaded 45 Colt would count. 454 Casull and 460 XVR count, 470 Linebaugh and 480 Ruger Count. 500 S&W 500 JRH. 45 ACP not so much.
 
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For the OP, I'd recommend 44 magnum. Any 44 mag carbine or revolver can use full magnum ammo, while 45 Colt cannot be loaded to "magnum" pressures in all guns. 44 cal bullets are available in more styles and weights than 45 Colt. In revolvers, thread choke can be a problem and is more common in 45 caliber barrels.

I have revolvers in both 44 magnum and 45 Colt, in Ruger and S&W. I'm looking for a large bore lever action. I've decided on 44 magnum.
 
Corpral_Agarn said:
I think 44 mag is tough to beat but my large frames are in 45 Colt.

In my case it has more to do with the platform that the cartridge.
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Platform yes but for me it came down to a specific gun, after trying a Blackhawk in .41 mag and a Super Redhawk in .44 mag I scratched my bigbore itch with a .45 Blackhawk convertible.
 
westernrover said:
MRI's got the BFR in ludicrous size, but their .44 looks sweet in the modest 5" barrel size. It seems to offer the features found elsewhere only on the SBH's in more exotic chamberings and in costlier Freedom Arm's guns.
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I have one of those but the barrel is a tad shorter. I like it very much!

DSC_0774.jpg
 
"...if you want to have one of the finest double-action revolvers ever made in terms of finish, workmanship, trigger pull and accuracy, attend a few gun shows and/or visit some firearm auction sites and look for a Smith & Wesson Model 1955 Target (Model 25-2), chambered in .45 ACP..."

Like another poster said, these are maybe not exactly "big bore" revolvers, but they are sure sweet shooters. I lucked into a 625 version recently, and boy howdy can that thing shoot! It makes it look like I know what I'm doing. My favorite handgun is my Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 magnum, but my 625 isn't far behind.
 
mcb said:
I guess I don't really think of a 45 ACP revolver as a "Big-Bore" revolver.
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Anything larger than a .357 is a "big bore". Foot pounds and velocity have nothing to do with it. Are you trying to tell me that a .577 Tranter is not a "big bore" because its 400gr bullet at 725fps only produces a measly 467ft-lbs of energy? Energy is a useless number and has no bearing on terminal effect. Nowhere is this more evident than in big bore revolvers.

Bowen%20.577%20Tranter.jpg


A .45ACP with a good 250gr cast bullet will penetrate end to end on any deer that walks and do an admirable job on game as large as elk. Ever more so the .45Super and .460Rowland. They're not ideal and still have limitations but definitely one or two steps above the .357 and a "big bore" by any valid metric.
 
Tallball said:
"...if you want to have one of the finest double-action revolvers ever made in terms of finish, workmanship, trigger pull and accuracy, attend a few gun shows and/or visit some firearm auction sites and look for a Smith & Wesson Model 1955 Target (Model 25-2), chambered in .45 ACP..."
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Always wanted one of those...
 
IIRC, my LGS was asking six or seven hundred dollars for the Model 625 (basically a stainless steel Model 25, if I understand correctly) in very good condition. It sat there for a while, maybe because of price and caliber ad because revolvers don't move as fast as semiauto pistols. I brought in three (not very valuable) handguns I didn't want anymore, and traded those plus some cash for the 625. My shooting buddy thought I overpaid, but I don't regret it at all. It's super fun to shoot and you don't need moon clips just to shoot it at the range. The casings come out easily enough with just gravity and your fingers.
 
Moonclips are the number one reason to own a 45ACP revolver. The fastest reloading revolver going is a 45ACP revolver fed by moonclips.

MOONCLIPS RULE!
 
The 44 is a very very versatile round. I've shot deer and hogs with both rifle and pistol, in both full throttle and reduced loads. Has worked so well for me for the last 30 years I see no reason to change.
 
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