word association - Colt .45

I found it irritating when I was trying to sell my SAA copy at a gun show, how almost every one, after I said ".45 Colt" in response to their question about the caliber, said "is this 45 long colt?" as if there was no such cartridge as the .45 Colt, and no one in the history of mankind would ever hear of not specifying "long colt".

I think of 1 thing when I here the word "Colt"; SAA, whether it has the 45 attached or not.

230RN said:

SAA. I'm a product of too many western movies as a kid.

Just got an SAA-type, though it's in .357. And (eeek!) stainless. Real purty, but I felt like I was picking up a painted woman in a low bar.

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Well, at least it didn't have PEARL handles.

We all know what General George Patton said of pear-handles. "Only a New Orleans pimp would carry a pearl-handled gun."

(No offense meant by me to The Big Easy.)

Lost Sheep

Voted for the 1911. I grew up in a navy town with a lot of WW II and Korean vet Marines and sailors, some retired, some still on active duty. A Colt 45 meant their 1911 sidearm. I asked a friend's dad, a Marine Captain, how come they didn't get confused with the guns used by Roy or Hopalong. He said those were .45 Colts, NOT Colt 45s. That distinction has stayed with me for almost 60 years.

Never thought of the malt liquor. Tried it when it first came out and didn't like it. Ballentine Ale (yeah, I'm showing my age) was a lot better.

Jeff

My initial reaction is frustration and irritation since it's a vague term that could go either way, and because it's such a vague term, in modern times it seems to be used mainly by those who are so unknowledgeable about firearms that it doesn't actually even matter what they mean since they likely won't respond to their own thread.

So, after that it means malt liquor Colt .45 to kill the frustration.

Also tend to think of "Colt .45" as a SAA, or a "Fo'dy" of malt liquor.

1911's are only "Colt .45s" if they bear a horse logo.

Otherwise, 1911's are 1911's, and .45ACP is either that or ".45 Auto"

And when rappers reference a "Colt .45", i generally assume they are ignorant and only making a reference because it's a cliche that sounds good in their head. I've never seen imagery that suggests the average rapper can competently handle a gun, but that's a bit of digression.

I've never seen imagery that suggests the average rapper can competently handle a gun, but that's a bit of digression.

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I've found little correlation between occupation an gun handling skills, but you're probably dead on about a musician using gun lingo a song for effect rather than accuracy. To be honest though, the whole "Long Colt" does kinda bug me. My wife likes to shoot .45 Colt a lot and it's always annoying when she has to stand there and specify which bullet she would like to buy, because the salesman assumes it's for me and in reality I should be there instead of looking at the guns.

"Can I get a box of .45 Colt?"
"These?"
"No, the .45 Colt. The longer revolver variety."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"You should probably confirm which ones your guns shoots first, because Ma'am, it's unsafe to shoo-"
"... I will be shooting this in my stainless lever action rifle at clay pigeons 100 yards away. Can you please just give me the ammunition?"

Nushif, that is funny in an annoying way! At least they are looking out for your safety and satisfaction, instead of just handing you anything, for example "oh you have a .32 S&W? here's some .32acp..."

I just saw this thread now for the first time, and find it excellently hilarious that malt liquor made it in the first response! Bahahaha,

I answered "other" because my actual honest answer is "all three!" I love and regularly shoot both "Colt .45s" and I also love Star Wars and beer... So before this thread, if you were to say "Colt .45" to me, I immediately think of a SAA, a 1911, and Lando Billy Dee Williams Calrisian with a fohty in each hand, hmmm... lol Now I have a ridiculous image in my head of Billy Dee with a 1911 in one hand, a SAA in the other... and an empty malt liquor bottle on the table!
photoshop anyone!?!?!

I like many of these responses, and from now on will differentiate from the two as Colt .45 being 1911, and .45 Colt being a Peacemaker
Oh, and seriously, I woulda thunk that Colt .45 would taste WAY better than it does...

Now I have a ridiculous image in my head of Billy Dee with a 1911 in one hand, a SAA in the other... and an empty malt liquor bottle on the table!

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He should be wearing a Houston Astros cap.

Oh, and seriously, I woulda thunk that Colt .45 would taste WAY better than it does...

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I had a very bad experience with the malt liquor 45 years ago. As I recall, it didn't taste good going in either direction.

I have had much better experiences with both .45 ACP and .45 LC.

I'm another one who thinks 'malt liquor' before 1911 or SA when I read or hear 'Colt 45'.
Can't stand the stuff, but advertizing sticks in the brain for decades.

.

"Works every time."

single action army or the old Warner Bros tv show.

First thing that came to mind was a Colt SAA in .45LC. When I think of a M1911, I would much more likely go with .45ACP.

I had to choose "other" because I see both sitting side by side when I think Colt 45. Use to think of SAA then met many people my own age who thought 1911 and now I think of both. They're both introduced by Colt and in 45 caliber

Colt= SAA
.45= 1911

Colt 45= 40oz. of bad malt liquor

I voted for the Peacemaker, since I grew up on the TV Westerns of the '50s and '60s.
Say ".45 Auto" and I think of the M1911, since I also watched the WWII shows that were also on back then.

As an aside, what is "malt liquor" ?

Colt .45 is the SA revolver. .45 is the auto.

CZguy said:

As an aside, what is "malt liquor" ?

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Wikipedia is useful for all kinds of things.

Use Google and it will get you the link that starts out:

Malt liquor is a North American term referring to a type of beer with high alcohol content. In legal statutes, the term often includes any alcoholic beverage above or equal to 5% alcohol by volume made with malted barley.

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It has been yeas since I drank any. I might buy some. I usually drank ordinary beer, or Red Mountain or Lancers (am I dating myself?) back in the '60s.

Lost Sheep

.45 Colt - SAA
.45 ACP - 1911
Colt .45 - see below

Not entirely sure if this is true or not, but this is a copy & paste from the Wikipedia on the beverage:

Listed on the Pabst website as a "Fun Fact", Colt 45 was named after running back #45 Jerry Hill of the 1963 Baltimore Colts and not the pistol or the revolver.[

"Listed on the Pabst website as a "Fun Fact", Colt 45 was named after running back #45 Jerry Hill of the 1963 Baltimore Colts and not the pistol or the revolver."--iLikeOldgunsIlikeNewGuns

That makes sense; I never could see how a reference to a 'cowboy gun' (Western TV shows were overwhelmingly white-oriented) would resonate with black culture. A sports reference, though, would.

Had to vote other, just had Chris Tucker's voice in my head from Rush Hour.

Houston Astros!

To me:

"Colt .45" = 1911
".45 Colt" = SAA / .45 Long Colt.

Of course, I often say 'Colt .45' when talking about my 1911 to NON gun friends because if I say 1911 they ask 'what's that?'