Thinking of stepping it down.

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Zaydok Allen

Zaydok Allen

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I have been shooting a 5 inch 460 Magnum for over a decade. However it has always been more of an interest in the design capabilities than a need to hunt. Lately I find myself not really caring for the blast and noise of the cartridge, and I find the weight of the gun annoying when shooting 454 Casull or 45 Colt (with mediocre accuracy), but more so the bulk. I'm also getting older and don't find it fun to carry. Two years ago I bought a set of Redding dies for it and I have yet to even set up my tool head to play with loads.

I'm thinking of trading it, the holster, the dies, and my 454 and 460 brass towards a new 6 inch Colt Anaconda, and tooling up for that cartridge. I don't have a 44 and it seems it is a lot better fit for me now since I could load 44 special level ammo, all the way up to back country hiking in Idaho levels. I thought at one point I'd want to handgun hunt, and would use the 460, but it never happened, and I don't see myself ever taking up the sport. I love to hike though and a 44 is all I'd need. and honestly I don't really believe any more that there's anything I'd hunt that a 44 wouldn't do the job fine on if I did take up the hobby.

Colt 6 inch anaconda comes in at 53 ounces. The 5 inch Smith at 60, so not much savings there. But I wouldn't want to go too light on a 44 anyway.

I also do not own a colt.

I have a lot of 45 Colt brass, and may try to pick up a Colt SAA at some point also. So I'd probably keep the brass.

Have you stepped down to smaller or less powerful cartridges?
 
I almost never fire full power loads in the .500, vastly preferring lighter loads with Unique or Trail Boss. Which means, of course, that the gigantic gun is kind of pointless. So if I had the opportunity to trade it for a more normal sized gun in some kind of .50 Special, I would be all over it. Still waiting on the manufacturers to figure it out.

Of course, if anyone here happens to have a custom .50 Special they'd like to trade for a stock .500... :D

<edit> Beyond that, yes, I am finding blast and recoil less amusing as the decades pass, and I am finding fewer and fewer "needs" for that kind of gun. There really isn't anything in the lower 48 that can't be responsibly hunted with a hot .44 Special - some would even say a hot .357 Magnum - and so things like the 460 and the 500 are literally overkill.

There's something about those half inch diameter bullets that probably isn't ever going to let me go, but if S&W ever reintroduces the K-32 Masterpiece I think I'll be first in line.
 
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460Shooter said:
Lately I find myself not really caring for the blast and noise of the cartridge
Click to expand...

Reason enough, additional comments are rationalizations.

I stopped reloading .45 Colt because I could produce 2 rounds of .357/.38 with the same amount of home cast lead as one round of .45.

One good reason is enough justification for any action.
 
460Shooter said:
Have you stepped down to smaller or less powerful cartridges?
Click to expand...
Not really, but I can't remember the last time I fired a full-power .44 Magnum round. I take that back - a few years ago when Smith came out with their Model 69, I got myself one, and I ran a cylinder full (5) of 250gr Keith SWCs over large charges of 2400 just to see what it would be like. My 70+ year-old tendonitis filled right elbow scolded me for a week!:oops:
Anyway, I love my .44 Magnums (including my Model 69 Smith), been shooting them for over 40 years, but all I ever run through them these days are .44 Special loads (or .44 Special +P loads at best) in .44 Magnum cases. IMO, versatility is at its best with the great .44 Magnum.:thumbup:
460Shooter said:
I don't have a 44 and it seems it is a lot better fit for me now since I could load 44 special level ammo, all the way up to back country hiking in Idaho levels.
Click to expand...
Back in my "back country hiking in Idaho" days, I first carried a hotly loaded Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt. Later on I got myself a Taurus .41 Magnum and started carrying that. If I was still into backpacking nowadays, I'd be carrying my Smith Model 69 even though I know full well it will make my elbow hurt if I run "bear defense" loads through it - I have ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet and ice packs in the fridge, and I'd be only too happy to use them if I had successfully used my Model 69 in defense against a bear.;)
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Ive never had any handgun more powerful than a .357- and even then I almost always shoot .38s from them.

That said, the new Anaconda IS awfully tempting!
Click to expand...
I enjoy wandering around places where I feel a little more diameter and mass are good ideas. But that being said, I have a few 357s and 9mms. I favor 10mm a lot, but I like the option of bigger thump. But instant headache big? No, I think I'm done with that.
 
Seems like you have thoroughly explored the option of parting ways. If you want a 45 single action then you could jump right into the blackhawk line and load mild to wild with something on par with 44 mag, but if you want a DA then that option is realistically out because there are no 45 colt DA guns that come to mind that would take the beating a heavy load gives.
 
460Shooter said:
Have you stepped down to smaller or less powerful cartridges?
Click to expand...

No. But I've decided not to step up. I've found that .44 Mag with a 300gr hardcast bullet at around 1200fps is tolerable and controllable enough, but I don't know how much more I could handle. And though I bought dies and brass for .454, I doubt I'll be buying the BFR I'd once planned to, until/unless Ruger/Marlin come out with a Rugerish carbine chambered for it. At which point I'll strongly reconsider my position.
 
I've not stepped down, though my 44's do see a lot more special to mid level loads than full magnums.
I did get a chance to shoot a new Anaconda a few weeks ago, and it was really nice. fit and finish were nice, and the single action was great. Double action seemed to stack slightly, but was very smooth overall.
This was my buddies new gun with less than 50 rds through it.
I'll be the first to admit I'm not the best shot, but 6 of my mild 200gn/1100fps reloads went into ~2.5" at 20 yards. I look forward to shooting it again next time out.
If Colt releases a 4" version, I'll probably be in trouble...
 
I had this fantasy of one day owning a model 29 just like Dirty Harry’s, but I settled on a 25 in .45 Colt. That’s plenty of power. Any more needed and I will break out my rifles.
Years ago I fired a friend’s Blackhawk chambered in .454 Casull. That was a bit much…too much, actually. I have no desire to do that again.
My right wrist is in less than ideal shape now from doing dumb stuff like shooting full power.30-30 rounds in Thompson Center handguns. Shooting a 12 gauge pump with pistol grip one handed and shooting .357 Magnum J frame revolvers.

When you feel wrist pain the day or week after shooting that same pain comes back to haunt 20 or 30 years later in Spades.

Be good to your wrists. There is no such thing as wrist joint replacement surgery and there probably will not be in my lifetime.

Edited to add that I do still enjoy shooting .357 Magnum occasionally, but definitely not in light revolvers. My 327 NG is the lightest revolver I will shoot magnum loads in. It’s 27 ounces. I prefer my model 19 for occasional magnum firing. I do want a model 27 Classic now or perhaps an older model 27.
 
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460, with age comes wisdom. I think you have a great plan.

I just wish I wised up a little earlier in life. Big boomers have given me a number of health issues which I have been paying for quite some time now.

Enjoy that Anaconda and please post lots of pics along with the Simply Rugged holster you’ll probably get.
 
Once set up for 44, you could go from Charter Bulldog all the way to Anaconda and anything in between, both with regard to firearms and load selection. That’s a lot of range and versatility that your 460 doesn’t offer. There’s a lot of cool guns to accommodate the cartridge, be it the bulldog, the 329, the 69, Anaconda, GP 100, and on and on.
 
Decades ago I hunted with a S&W Model 29-2. My buddy used some old antique with black powder 45 long Colt loads. Similar hits on Ohio white tailed deer had the ones hit by the 45 dropping faster for less tracking. I thought maybe he was a better shot. Swapped revolvers and same results. So, I sold the Model 29-2 and bought a Model 25-5.

So, yes, I have stepped away from the magnums.

Kevin
 
I don't shoot 460 or 500s but I have shot some pretty hot loads and have always loaded from upper mid range to nuclear in the calibers that I own.
Since I hit the 60s (years old) a few years ago, I have also started cooling it down. Really hot 41 mags and .357 mags and such are still fun in moderation, (much moderation) but mostly I have been hitting the low to mid range loads for shooting in excess.
It's just so much more fun because more people want to join in than ever did when I was shooting my big boomers.
And now my grand children want to join in so, yes, I have stepped back to low end to mid range loads and I don't mind it a bit.
And I'm not afraid to admit it.

Edit to add:
Especially since I developed a nasty case of Arthritis at the base of my shooting thumb.
 
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I don't think you would regret getting the colt for most of your shooting chores. I have a few ruger 44 mags, and while not especially nice, they are incredibly useful for pretty much anything. The colt would be a significant step up in the "nice" category, and you would save a lot of powder and lead. I still want a bigger boomer myself, but 44 mag realistically covers all my bases. Enjoy the colt and show us pictures!
 
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