45 colt or 44 magnum

Status
Not open for further replies.
GBExpat said:
"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. :)
Click to expand...

My .45 Colt hunting revolvers used to be shot with nothing but 325 grain bullets at 1150 FPS. I look back on those days and question my sanity. The guns are so much more pleasant with 250s at 900 and the holes in the paper look the same. If I ever go hunting again, of course, I still have a box of 325s ready and waiting.

Interestingly enough, though, I still fire plenty of full-house .44 Magnums - but the gun I use has a full sized scope mounted, which does wonders for taming recoil!
 
.38 Special said:
My .45 Colt hunting revolvers used to be shot with nothing but 325 grain bullets at 1150 FPS. I look back on those days and question my sanity. The guns are so much more pleasant with 250s at 900 and the holes in the paper look the same. If I ever go hunting again, of course, I still have a box of 325s ready and waiting.

Interestingly enough, though, I still fire plenty of full-house .44 Magnums - but the gun I use has a full sized scope mounted, which does wonders for taming recoil!
Click to expand...
The truth is if you are just hunting deer, that 325 grain load is not necessary. Having said that I did all my hunting with full tilt loads too. But 250s at 900 on a broadside deer would put meat in the freezer.
 
hossfly said:
The truth is if you are just hunting deer, that 325 grain load is not necessary. Having said that I did all my hunting with full tilt loads too. But 250s at 900 on a broadside deer would put meat in the freezer.
Click to expand...

I am/was primarily a hog hunter. The lightest load I have used was a .44 Special loading of 250 grain SWC at 950 FPS. It worked, but I felt compelled to wait for the perfect side-on heart/lung shot. With 325/1150, I had success with just about everything but the "Texas heart shot", which I never tried because it seemed somewhat rude...
 
There are people who actually depend upon that shot. And with the right load, I am sure it is effective. I just can't bring myself to do it.
 
* Sigh * As I've posted elsewhere, if I ever did buy a lever gun in .45 Colt, it would no doubt be sold again fairly soon thereafter ... just like the .357 and .44 mag levers. Can't seem to take to 'em, much as I like single action revolvers.
 
Hi...
I have owned a shot both .44Mag and .45Colt for years and years. I rarely shoot any factory ammunition and am constantly reloading commercial cast LSWC and Hornady HP/XTPs in both calibers.
I own multiple revolvers, single action and double action in both calibers as well as one lever action rifle in each caliber.
I personally shoot near book maximum loads in .45Colt through my Ruger SBH Hunter and it is just as powerful as full power reloads in my .44Mag SBH or Dan Wesson .44Mag revolver. Nothing is given up in the accuracy department either.
Brass life between the two calibers seem to be about equal in my experience.

I am very careful about labeling and segregating my full power .45Colt loads from my plinking/general purpose/target shooting loads because I have several SAA clones in .45Colt as well as a S&W Model 25 that wouldn't react well to loads that my SBH Hunter handles without notice.
Same applies to full power loads in .44Mag...I never shoot them in my Model 29 or my Virginian Dragoons even though they could handle it. Just don't want to beat those guns up with really heavy loads when it isn't necessary.

To me both calibers are interesting and useful. Just like the .41Mag and .44Spl cartridges.
 
As long as someone is careful it's not a problem. It's just maybe a paranoia thing with me. I don't load hot 44 Specials for the same reason. If I want...say...the Skeeter load I do 8.5 Unique in a 44 Magnum case...not 7.5 in a Special case. If I wanted to shoot magnum class loads out of a 45 I'd probably buy a 454 Casull or a 460...which can shoot 45 LC too. I'd load the 45's safe for all my 45's. As others have said, if you carefully label things it won't be a problem though.
 
hossfly said:
As long as someone is careful it's not a problem. It's just maybe a paranoia thing with me. I don't load hot 44 Specials for the same reason. If I want...say...the Skeeter load I do 8.5 Unique in a 44 Magnum case...not 7.5 in a Special case. If I wanted to shoot magnum class loads out of a 45 I'd probably buy a 454 Casull or a 460...which can shoot 45 LC too. I'd load the 45's safe for all my 45's. As others have said, if you carefully label things it won't be a problem though.
Click to expand...

I like this idea. Especially the part in bold!:D
 
Having both, I would choose the 44 if I could only have one. The availability of brass and bullets for the 44 figures into my opinion.
 
I have two Anacondas with the eight inch tube, 45 and 44. I have a great time with both. I had a neighbor who reloaded with us for years, a WWII vet who told me in his day, because the 45LC lacked 44 velocities, they called it the "flying ashtray" ...always made me smile. Anyone ever hear that?
 
jjadurbin said:
I have two Anacondas with the eight inch tube, 45 and 44. I have a great time with both. I had a neighbor who reloaded with us for years, a WWII vet who told me in his day, because the 45LC lacked 44 velocities, they called it the "flying ashtray" ...always made me smile. Anyone ever hear that?
Click to expand...
Yeah, I've heard the term "flying ashtray" used many times to describe a 45 ACP bullet. However, I'd never heard the 45 ACP bullet was called a "flying ashtray" because it "lacked 44 velocities" before.
BTW, this thread is titled "45 colt or 44 magnum." I don't really understand what your neighbor, "a WWII vet" could have been talking about when he told you "in his day, the 45LC lacked 44 velocities" anyway. The 44 magnum was about a decade away from being invented yet when WWII ended, and the "45LC" never did give up anything in the way of "velocities" to the 44 Special - which actually was around before WWII.;)
 
Last edited:
.308 Norma said:
Yeah, I've heard the term "flying ashtray" used many times to describe a 45 ACP bullet. However, I'd never heard the 45 ACP bullet was called a "flying ashtray" because it "lacked 44 velocities" before.
BTW, this thread is titled "45 colt or 44 magnum." I don't really understand what your neighbor, "a WWII vet" could have been talking about he told you "in his day, the 45LC lacked 44 velocities" anyway. The 44 magnum was about a decade away from being invented yet when WWII ended, and the "45LC" never did give up anything in the way of "velocities" to the 44 Special - which actually was around before WWII.;)
Click to expand...

For him it was likely an idle comment ...I was helping him haul equipment and passing through his reloading area, spotted boxes of 45 he'd been working on. He said "flying ashtray," which confused me, so he explained "...you know, big and heavy like an ashtray." I said, well how about the 44, and he said "naw, too fast and too modern." The interpretation of velocities is my own. But 45 was his caliber. I took a picture of the picture above his loading bench, standing at his tank with his crew holding his Thompson, he said his favorite 45.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
Continuing on my .44 mag poll below....
Replies
10
Views
957
jrb_pro
J
el Godfather
  • Locked
  • Poll
44 Magnum v 45 Long Colt
2
Replies
38
Views
2K
BCRider
BCRider
G
  • Locked
Is the .44 Magnum Alaskan worthy???
Replies
7
Views
969
Porter_Rockwell
P
N
  • Locked
How come some rounds cost more than others?
Replies
5
Views
1K
gk1
G
5
  • Locked
Compare Cartridge A to Cartridge B (Energy)
Replies
9
Views
978
Grey Morel
G
Back
Top