.357 magnum or 45 colt decisions decisions..

[Analogkid]

I have had my eye on some sort of lever gun for a long time. I have always wanted to stick with pistol cartridges.

Through a weird series of events with a well liked small fun store I have ended up with a $300 credit with them. He sells and has Rossi lever actions in stock in both 357 and 45 colt.

I have gotten pretty good at reloading .357 but never have reloaded 45 colt. I have plenty of 45 colt brass saved up from years of buying factory ammo. I have the 4 piece lee die set I bought years ago as well.

I just want a lever gun to plink with whatever I get. I'm just having a hard to deciding what to get. I've sold all my other 45 colt guns so this will be my only firearm chambered in it.

I'll just have to deal with the rossi's shortcomings. I don't have a budget for anything else.

What say you?

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I would get the 357 it would be a lot cheaper to shoot / reload for

 

[briansmithwins]

For just plinking I'd expect .357 cal bullets to be cheaper than .45 cal. Can you get by with less powder too?

BSW

 

[eldon519]

.45 Colt out of a 92 is much more versatile, but if you are pretty sure you'll only ever plink with it, might as well go .357.

 

[justin22885]

it is true loaded 357 mag ammo is typically cheaper, but 45 colt does deliver the same amount of power and can do so with black powder, and as its a lower pressure cartridge your brass will also last longer... black powder .45 colt ammo will be ballistically the same as standard pressure 230 grain .45acp (there is a reason for that)

i wouldnt feel discouraged reloading for either one, and go for the one you want.. ive always preferred the longer, smoother recoil impulses you get from a high mass low pressure cartridge vs the lower mass higher velocity ones like 357

depending on the brand of 45 cal lever gun you get, if you get something like a marlin or a .454 casull chambered lever action then you can load 45 colt up to match 44 magnum, so with the right rifle it can be more versatile

to be clear, black powder 45 colt loads match modern 45acp, 45 colt with smokeless powders still within the SAAMI pressure limits will have even more energy, matching or surpassing .357

 

[bannockburn]

If you don't have any other guns chambered for .45 Colt I would say go with a .357 carbine then. I wanted .45 Colt mainly for the fact that I already had a Ruger Vaquero and a Beretta Stampede for that cartridge.

 

[MEHavey]

Pure Plinking... get the 357 and shoot cheap 38Special.

As you are a reloader, however, the 45 Colt has an
incredibly versatile range -- Mausfaart to Ruger-Only




ps: Having many other multiple lever-actions to compare,
my Rossi/Puma`92 in 44Mag has never given me even a
bit of trouble.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I have M92 in .357 that is a purely plinking gun. I use it on steel gongs out to 200 yards. I like the flatter shooting characteristics of it over the bigger bore pistol cartridges.

 

[yugorpk]

I don't know where you guys are buying ammo but you can get 250 rounds of 255 grain 45 colt FMJ in starline brass for $112 shipped from LAX ammo. 50 rounds of cowboy loads run $25 at the local gun shop. Its also not any more to reload for than .357. Cheaper in some respects in that you can use 230 grain 45 ACP bullets with a slight crimp in 45 Colt cases and those things are dirt cheap. When its time to actually do some shooting at something you want to kill theres nothing like the wallup of a full boogie .45 colt.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Reloading .357 is generally cheaper than .45 Colt if you are talking about using the same style and brand of bullets in each. Lighter bullets cost less than heavier ones.

 

[adcoch1]

I would go 45 colt, but since you already have 357 in your handgun collection, do that. I have a Rossi m92 in 44 mag to match my Ruger redhawk and blackhawk. Having rifle and handguns match up is awesome. Also my buddy took his first deer with a Marlin 357 lever carbine and it was like turning off a light switch. DRT. So no worries about it being too light, but 45 colt is AWESOME for a hand loader shooting it in a rifle...my .02

 

[justin22885]

if hes reloading 45 colt he should get a 250 grain SWC bullet mould

 

[Hookeye]

Buddy hunts with a Marlin .357.
Deer to 100 yards.
No movers.
Is picky about things.
Hot reloads. Drops 'em.

Says it's cheap with lesser loadings at the range and an absolute hoot.

 

[rondog]

I vote for the .45, but I'm also harboring a severe lust for a Rossi '92 in .45 Colt with the blued receiver and 24" octagonal barrel.

 

[javjacob]

I would go with 357 for the better trajectory... even though neither have a very good trajectory.

 

[javjacob]

With 357 you also have the option for 38 special. 357 is more versatile.

 

[cpt-t]

Analogkid: I have had a Rossi Stainless Steel 92 in 45LC with a 20 inch round barrel for 10+ years.And It is one of my favorite Rifles and I shoot it a lot. I hunt Pigs and Deer, Cowboy Shoot, Plink, and Shoot Steel Targets, and just use it as a carry around gun for walks in the woods. I also reload for both the 45LC and 357MAG/38SPL. A 45LC in a Lever Rifle is a very formable weapon IMHO. Very easy to reload for and You already have a supply of brass and a set of reloading dies. So You can start reloading for your Rossi 45LC rifle very inexpensively. I have a Marlin in a 357MAG/38SPL and it is a great rifle and it shoots very well. But again IMHO the 45LC Rossi is a much better and a far more use full rifle for me and my personnel needs, and I just use it more.
ken

 

[chris in va]

My friend has one in 45 Colt and reloads for it. I manage to find brass for him when I can.

He pointed something out to me. Fun as it is, the case is rather fragile. He typically gets no more than 3-4 reloads and then the case splits, or the extractor rips the tiny rim off.

Also you must scrounge up all your brass as it's fairly rare. He said the 357/38 version would be a lot easier to deal with and it's no huge loss if you leave a few 38's laying around.

I asked about the 44 and he said for all around use it is probably the most flexible. The cases are super strong and can be downloaded to mousefart plinkers if desired.

 

[eldon519]

With 357 you also have the option for 38 special. 357 is more versatile.

Not if you reload in a strong gun like a 92. .45 Colt will go from around .45ACP levels up to roughly.44 mag levels.

 

[Speedo66]

I have a Rossi 92 in .357 and it's a fun gun. Even hot 180g Buffalo Bore cartridges have very little recoil.

From a purely economic standpoint, a smaller cartridge, .357 vs. 45, obviously will use less lead and powder, and the cases are cheaper and easier to find.

If all you're doing is plinking, to me it's a no brainer, go for the .357.

 

[J-Bar]

I've owned both, sold the .45 and kept the .357.

Some 92's will shoot .357 and .38 Special interchangeably, others are finicky about overall cartridge length and will not feed .38s reliably. So if you are planning to shoot mostly .38s in it, test how they feed first or you may be facing some gunsmithing after you buy it. The straight in-line movement of the cartridge into the chamber in the 1873 design is more forgiving than the angled feeding you have in a 92. Neither model chambers semi-wadcutters reliably...that shoulder seems to catch on the edge of the chamber most of the time.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

My friend has one in 45 Colt and reloads for it. I manage to find brass for him when I can.

He pointed something out to me. Fun as it is, the case is rather fragile. He typically gets no more than 3-4 reloads and then the case splits, or the extractor rips the tiny rim off.

Also you must scrounge up all your brass as it's fairly rare. He said the 357/38 version would be a lot easier to deal with and it's no huge loss if you leave a few 38's laying around.

I asked about the 44 and he said for all around use it is probably the most flexible. The cases are super strong and can be downloaded to mousefart plinkers if desired.

Your friend must be doing something wrong. Perhaps he is loading them too hot. Perhaps he is using nickel plated brass that has been poorly plated. I have loaded thousands of 45 Colt rounds over the years, can probably count on one hand the number that have split. 45 Colt is a very robust case when you compare it to 44-40, which uses much thinner brass and is easy to crumple when loading.

As for finding brass, all you have to do is go to the internet. Midway has 45 Colt from Starline and Winchester available right now. I usually buy my 45 Colt brass direct from Starline. They have 45 Colt available right now. When they do run out, which they do from time to time all you have to do is place an order and they will let you know when they expect to have more. And they usually get it back in stock before they said they will. I buy all my pistol brass from Starline these days.

https://www.starlinebrass.com/order-online/cowboy-vintage.cfm

 

[BSA1]

Ditto on Driftwood Johnson's comments about your friend not reloading the 45 Colt cases correctly.

I am a"coffee can" reloader. I shoot a lot of 45 Colt in CAS matches. My dirty brass goes into one can, then the tumbler, into another coffee can after getting cleaned. I don't sort my brass and some of them have probably been reloaded a dozen or more times.

The 45 Colt is probably my favorite cartridge to reload. It's big fat case is easy for my fat fumble fingers to take in and out of the shell holder and the bullets are much easier to seat.

Plus there is something really cool about thumbing those big rounds into the gun.

 

[yugorpk]

I dont think Ive thrown away more 10 or 12 45 Colt cases over the years and those were from setting up dies. Usually when I want more brass because I did something like buying a new holster that had 24 belt loops I had to fill I'll go down to the store and buy a box of 45 colt cowboy loads with starline brass for $25 and shoot them off to get the brass.

 

[Furncliff]

I have wanted a lever rifle in .45 colt for a long time. The Problem is the Marlin 1894c 357/38 I've had for ten years does everything so well that every time I get the .45 colt lust I can't bring myself to buy one except for the novelty of a new cartridge. Even plinking... my daughter loves to blast gallon water jugs with our 1850fps home made loads.