41 Mag or 45 Colt

[rbernie]

If I'm looking for something with more oomph than my 357s and less flash/boom than my 44 Mag and can't decide - 45 Colt or 41 Mag?

Edited to add: I handload and right now I download the 44 Mag as needed. But I'm looking for a round that can be chambered in lighter/smaller double-actions than my 44Mag 5 1/2" Redhawk, for example.

 

[critter]

I have a big ole Ruger Bisley in .45 Colt. LOTS of 'cowboy' type ammo available for fun and it is very comfortable to shoot. Amazingly effective though with that big ole fat bullet.

Then you can buy (or load your own) ammo that will flatten anything on this continent.

The .45 Colt is VERY versatile. Use it at whatever level you are comfortable with or need.

 

[priv8ter]

45 Colt

I have a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt, and I love it. Cirtter is right about versatile loads being available.

Don't get me wrong...I have heard great things about .41 Mag ballistics, but a hot-rodded .45 Colt load is impressive. Although, you will still get some muzzle flash. But, the midrange and cowboy level loads are very managable.

Another problem with .41 Mag is availability. I was at Sportsmen's Warehouse yesterday, and I don't think they had a single box of .41.

greg

 

[Ruger Redhawk]

The 45 Colt will fill in the gap. Like mentioned it's very versatile.41 mag has really lost it's popularity. That's a shame because it is a good round.Keep an eye open for a 45 Ruger Blackhawk Convertible. That way you can shoot the 45 Colt and the 45ACP out of the same gun.Of the two choices you mentioned the 45 Colt no questions asked.

Ruger Redhawk

 

[steveno]

a 41 mag is very good but as mentioned not every place has ammo. however since you reload you will find out how good a 41 mag can be. you won't go wrong with the 45 colt either. I have a S & W M-57 4 inch , 6.5 Ruger Blackhawk and a TC super 14 with a 2X Leupold. I also have a Ruger SST Blackhawk 45 colt with a 4.625 barrel

 

[turbonatr]

If you can find a Redhawk in 45 Colt, you'll more oomph than your 357 and 44 mag, depending on the ammo you shoot but with less recoil and blast due to lower operating pressures. The Redhawk can handle the magnum-class 45 Colt loads offered by CorBon, PMC, Buffalo Bore, etc. This gives you the option of shooting wither cowboy action loads all the way up to the buffalo busters. Properly loaded, the 45 Colt will shoot through a cape buffalo.

If you want something a little more packable, I recommend the S&W model 25 Mountain Gun. Featuring a tapered 4" barrel on an N frame, it's a bit more portable than the 5.5" Redhawk. I love mine! Fits my hand like a glove.

 

[P. Plainsman]

Would the .41 Mag's smaller case be a reason for going with it over the .45 Colt? Greater ballistic uniformity, hence greater accuracy.

The big .45 has been condemned for displaying sloppy accuracy and wide velocity variation, what with that little scoop of smokeless powder rattling around inside a huge, blackpowder-era case. Cf. Mike Venturino's recent article "The .45 Colt Sucks" in Am. Handgunner. Venturino argues that the .45 Colt is great for making heavy-loaded ".45 Magnum" rounds (in proper guns), but not for moderate loadings.

Have no experience with either round, but find both intriguing. Am curious to hear responses from those who do.

 

[Ranger61]

For more oomph than a 357 Mag and little less bang than a 44 Mag sounds exactly the way 41 Mags have been described my whole life. Its main problems are factory ammo related but since you reload you can load nice lead bullet loads at 900 fps and have a great shooting gun. The 45 colt can be loaded in an even broader range of loads but really low power loads due tend to be a bit erratic because of the large case and the very small amounts of powder. But Hogdon Titegroup works great for loads as low as 600 fps using 5 grains of powder with the 250 grain bullets.

 

[P. Plainsman]

It's funny. The velocity figures I've read suggest that the .41 Mag and .45 Colt have opposite problems. The factory .45 Colt is mostly wussy cowboy action loads (with the significant exception of the ".45 Mag" hunting stuff from Cor-Bon, Buffalo Bore, etc.).

Conversely, the factory .41 Mag is mostly hot hunting stuff, more like low-end .44 Mag than the true "in-between" round many wish for. Again, I'm sure there are exceptions.

 

[wanderinwalker]

For reloaders, the "sloppy" volume of the .45 Colt can be helped by simply stuffing a little wad of Dacron in before seating a bullet. Presto! Problem solved and the Dacron burns up nicely. The trick is to use a small puff of the stuff, what you think is too little to help. Don't pack it in!

Anyway, I'd be happy with either one, though perhaps more partial to the .45 Colt. The issue you will find is that there really aren't many (ANY?) DA revolvers in .41 Magnum or .45 Colt that are on smaller frames than the Redhawk. The Smith and Wesson N-frames with 4" barrels will be trimmer and lighter though, and are always worth a look.

 

[turbonatr]

There are loads in 45 Colt loaded by the factory that are on the warmish side of standard pressure (as in not +P) that offer great accuracy. Georgia Arms has a 200gr. Gold Dot at 1100fps, Buffalo Bore also has a 200gr. Gold Dot at 1100fps along with an excellent 255gr. Keith load at 1000fps, Winchester has a 225gr. Silvertip at around 900fps and CorBon loads a 200gr. JHP, "flying ashtray" at 1100fps. The CorBon load shoots 6 rounds at around one inch from my S&W model 25 at 25 yards. Double Tap is also coming out with a line of standard pressure 45 Colt loads that are hotter than anything currently available.

The slowest load I have chronoed so far is the Speer 250gr. Gold Dot which averaged 721fps from my 4" Mountain Gun. Even at this velocity, it was a plenty accurate load putting 6 rounds into a "fist-size" group at 25 yards. I really think the poor accuracy reports come more from sloppy chambers rather than ammo.

Gun-wise, Taurus offers a few different 5-shot 45 Colt and 41 magnum revolvers that are smaller than the N frame Smiths.

 

[gazpacho]

To answer your second question, a .45 Colt gun is going to be as large or larger than a .44mag gun (all other considerations being equal). You might find a 5-shot .45 Colt that is smaller than your 6-shot Redhawk, however.

 

[munk]

The Taurus Tracker series had both 41 and 45 Colt chamberings I believe. That's a smaller gun than the Redhawk.

The 45 Colt is accurate. Reports of inaccuracy have to do with the transition modern firearms made in their specs with the smaller diameter 451" to 452" bullets from the larger 454" and beyond that used to be common.

The 41 and 45 Colt are two of my alltime favorite cartridges.
I'd get a 41



munk

 

[BluesBear]

Munk has astutely pointed out the Taurus five shot revolvers chambered in both .41 Magnum and .45 Colt.

Taurus is the only company currently offering double action guns smaller than N-frame guns in either caliber.

I like both calibers but I feel the Taurus in .41, with it's thicker cylinder walls, will yield more versatility by being able to handle a wider variey of handloads than the same gun in .45 Colt would be able to do.

 

[happy old sailor]

i am a .41 lover and have .45C also. that big, old, round is a great one and a load of fun. for the purposes you mention, i would recommend the .45C. it can have a big boom and heavy bullets too. if you get it in a Ruger, you can knock down trees and turn cars over with some loads. if you can afford both, get them. remember, the .41 is not a step down from .44, it is a step up from .357. i sure enjoy mine

 

[Bear Gulch]

I like both, but find the .45 mellower and capable of just as much if loaded hot. Also .41 can get spendy if you don't reload.

 

[Drill Sergeant]

They are both great calibers. That said, if you do not hand load, go for the 45 Colt. More and also less expensive ammo choices. If you hand load (or if you just want the best), the 41 Mag is a MAGnificent cartridge.

Check the factory ballistics of the 210 gr. 41 v the 240 gr. 44 Mag at 100 yds. You may be very surprised. It kicks a lot less than the 44. too. I have taken Antelope, Javalina and dozens of bunnies with the 41 - and also the 44. I can honestly say that the animal never knew the difference.

It is a 'sleeper' round that is far better than most want to realize. To many, bigger is always better. To a few, that is not the case with the 41 Mag. It is simply superb.

 

[ezypikns]

I don't know about ammo prices for the .41 mag.....

But you'll pay about 20.00 for 50 Cowboy Load .45 cartridges. I reload for my S&W Model 25 Mountain Gun in .45, and really save some money.

 

[BluesBear]

You'll find some cheaper factory ammo in .45 Colt. As of yet no one makes a .41 Cowboy load.
But if you reload then .41 is the cheaper.

 

[chaim]

Since you handload ammo price won't be as big a deal. If it was I'd say go with the .45LC as the cheapest factory .41MAG I've found is $13 for 20 rounds .

As for which caliber if you do reload (which you already said you do) or if you have deep pockets, I can't say enough for the .41MAG. Pretty much forever .357mag was my favorite handgun caliber. I couldn't wait to buy my 1st .357mag and when I did it certainly didn't disappoint. Well, when I got my S&W 57 I got a new favorite caliber. It is a blast to shoot, it is very powerful for a handgun (splits the difference between .44mag and .357mag), it also splits the difference in recoil, and my N-frame M57 is more comfortable to shoot than my K-frame .357s (while a heavier recoil, it isn't as sharp).

However, the .45LC is a classic. It is versatile. It is found in some pretty nice guns. I do plan to pick up a .45LC sometime soon (probably a Tracker or a "Cowboy" gun), likely within my next 2 or 3 gun purchases. Its ammo is cheaper and easier to find (with more choices as well) when you are feeling lazy and don't want to bother with handloading, it has more selection of defensive ammo (I'm not a fan of handloads for self-defense, and most .41mag loads are definately hunting rounds- can we say overpenatration). It has a long and distinguished history that other calibers can't match. Plus in my case I already have a .45LC lever rifle and I'd like a revolver that can shoot the same thing. Of course, all this was true when I bought my M57 over a year ago and I still haven't added the .45LC yet.

The issue you will find is that there really aren't many (ANY?) DA revolvers in .41 Magnum or .45 Colt that are on smaller frames than the Redhawk.

As others have said, Taurus makes medium framed .41Mags and .45LCs (and a medium framed .44mag) in the Tracker, and if you want a defensive gun the 45LC comes in a 2" snub (450) and the .41mag comes in a 2.5" snub (415).

 

[Fredhead]

The most fun I've had shooting handguns is with
my buddy's S&W model 57. Controllable, accurate, and
spendy. But you reload, so, .41.

 

[Huesman]

I had the great pleasure of meeting John Linbaugh at a gun show a couple of years ago and it was like meeting Elmer Keith,and he has rewritten the book on the 45colt.I have a Ruger blackhawk convertible in 45colt/45acp and love it.Loading them myself with the recipe that john has is way more then the 41mag will ever see.Do a search on sixgunner.com under his name and maybe it will give you a better look at just what the colt can do.Brass is plentiful and it just begs to be souped up in the right gun.