45 colt or 44 magnum

Ed Ames said:

Sounds more like lawsuit bait.

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Have a cable lock locking the action? Which I would anyway...

Lucky for me I don't have to chose just one. I like both, own several in each caliber, reload for both. I guess I'm just not decisive, got the same problem with the 450 bushmaster, 458 socom and the 50 Beowulf.

I have had my fair share of .44 Magnums but I have found I have a lot more fun with my .45 Colts! That and they bring out a certain bit of nostalgia in me!

kidneyboy

My Vaquero is such a hoot to shoot! At 15 yards it shoots POA with both factory loads and handloads. Nice smooth action and the trigger's pretty decent too!

I hand load and shoot both. Loaded hot I simply can’t handle the 44 Magnum in my S&W 29 as well as the Model 25 in 45C, so I tend to load the 44 down to special velocity. Then to I have only the 29 in 44 but numerous single actions in the 45. No long guns in either however.

I think both are great. I however, only have one of the two. So, my vote goes to .44 mag.

Funny thing, I’ve never shot .44 spl out of my redhawk. I need to give that a try. I’ve always loaded it as a “hand cannon.” Why? Because Merica!

Honestly I could go either way on this one as both cartridges are very versatile.

Ballistics are going to be very similar, assuming you are using Ruger only loads so it's on par with a 44 magnum.

I have a 460 magnum so the temptation would be to go 45 Colt as I have brass sitting around I could load. But 45 Colt really doesn't shine out of an X Frame. The chamber jump to engage the rifling is a bit far.

If I were going to start loading one or the other, I'd probably go 44 magnum purely because it'll do what I want, is plenty versatile for me, and components will be a bit cheaper.

kidneyboy said:

The Henry 44View attachment 917704

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Is that a Skinner sight?

25-20 WCF said:

Elephants have been killed with both.

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I once shot an elephant in my pajamas one morning with a .44 magnum carbine.
Why he was wearing my pajamas, I dunno.

kidneyboy said:

Yes. I didn't think it would work for me way down there on the barrel but the first time I shouldered the gun, and every time since, the sights are right where I want them. I may add one of these to my Henry 357 as backup for the red dot that's on it now.

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I’ve been thinking about adding a Skinner to my 357 Henry for awhile now. Other stuff keeps getting in the way.

I recently just made the choice between a 44mag or 45lc. Went with a SBH in 44 magnum. Like others have said, I didn't want to deal with Ruger only loads when I buy my second and third guns.

I only load my 44 with H110 near max loads because that's what a magnum is all about. Of coarse I might just be going through a hand cannon phase because my mind keeps drifting to a BFR in 45-70...…..

In my youger days I only loaded full tilt mags in my 44s. I've moderated and shoot way more light loads that full magnums now. It's more economical to shoot 6 grains of Unique in a 44 special than 23 or 24 grains of H110. I do shoot a few full tilt loads. Mostly at the end of the session with jacketed bullets to get lead out of the barrel. I've been quite lucky in that I don't have to adjust sights for the different loads.

Hartkopf said:

I recently just made the choice between a 44mag or 45lc. Went with a SBH in 44 magnum. Like others have said, I didn't want to deal with Ruger only loads when I buy my second and third guns.

I only load my 44 with H110 near max loads because that's what a magnum is all about. Of coarse I might just be going through a hand cannon phase because my mind keeps drifting to a BFR in 45-70...…..

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It fades with time. I’ve been shooting magnums for many years and a recent outing with some H110 max 357 loads made me question why I was still beating myself up.

I hate H110 in 44 Mag, so much muzzle blast and flash. I switch to IMR 800-x and get nearly the muzzle velocity with no flash and noticeably less blast.

Interesting. I have several pounds of 800-x I used to use in shotguns. Might give it a try.

hossfly said:

Interesting. I have several pounds of 800-x I used to use in shotguns. Might give it a try.

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Its very nice in 44 Mag and 10mm Auto. Does not meter well but other than that is very nice.

460Shooter said:

It fades with time. I’ve been shooting magnums for many years and a recent outing with some H110 max 357 loads made me question why I was still beating myself up.

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I figured it might fade so I made sure to scoop up some HS-6 and Longshot before it sold out locally, just in case I want to tone it down. If the cannon phase doesn't fade, there's plenty of uses for those powders.

kidneyboy said:

Yes. I didn't think it would work for me way down there on the barrel but the first time I shouldered the gun, and every time since, the sights are right where I want them. I may add one of these to my Henry 357 as backup for the red dot that's on it now.

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I have one on my Henry Steel Boy .357 mag. I also think they work well. Certainly better for me than the original rear sight.

460Shooter said:

It fades with time. I’ve been shooting magnums for many years and a recent outing with some H110 max 357 loads made me question why I was still beating myself up.

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"Why am I still beating myself up with with these magnum loads?" Comforting to hear that I am not alone with such reflection.

Except for special rifle loads I don't even load full-power .44mag any more. At best, I will load them to strong .44spl levels. Even my HD/SD loads.

Much more enjoyable (and controllable) for me to shoot these days.

Legionnaire said:

Both great cartridges, but the .44 Mag would get my vote if I could only have one. The .44 Mag is a higher pressure cartridge (SAAMI spec 36000 psi) than the .45 Colt (SAAMI 14000 psi). Being able to load across the wider power range tips the needle for me.

Probably more firearm options for the .44 Mag, too.

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The Ruger-only 45 Colt can be loaded to a much higher pressure than the SAAMI number you quoted above. I like the flexibility range of 45 Colt, anywhere from a cowboy load to a bear load. For a medium range load on my Ruger Blackhawk 45 colt/ 45 acp convertible to a 350 grain bear load I used on Ruger super red hawk.