44 Spc V. 45 Colt

[ontarget]

@Palladan44 this is kind of where my thoughts were. After studying my reloading manuals and the comments on this thread the 2 cartridges seem very close together.

 

[cfullgraf]

I'm a fan of both 45 Colt and 44 Special. I have both.

There are a number of guns available in either chambering which is a disadvantage for the 44 Special as the gun will be heavier than the same in 45 Colt.

But, the 44 Special can be chambered in a smaller frame gun than the 45 Colt making a more compact package.

44 Special has a historical reputation for accuracy although these days with today's components, 45 Colt can probably keep up with the 44 Special's accuracy potential.

If I had to choose just one, I'd probably choose the 45 Colt. At standard loadings, it has a bit more upside potential over the 44 Special but not by much.

P.S. I'm not a fan of hot rodding cartridges.

 

[CraigC]

44 SPL can not do anything that a .45 colt cannot do.

It can reach 1200fps. In appropriate guns, the .44Spl has MORE capability, not less.

 

[35 Whelen]

In this situation, each cartridge has certain small advantages over the other.

In identical platforms, the 45 Colt chambered revolver will be an ounce or three lighter, but the .44 Special can be loaded heavier due to the thicker cylinder walls.

I've handloaded/fired more of these two calibers than any other. I like them both very much and have killed game with both of them. But a couple of things stand out.

The .44 Special has been a super easy cartridge for which to find accurate loads, much more so than the 45 Colt. The .45 Colt is accurate, it just takes a little more fiddlin'.

The .44's points of impact don't vary much between light loads and heavy loads, so long as you keep the bullet weights similar. The 45 Colt's POI on the other hand varies significantly when velocities vary, even with similar bullet weights.

So if I had to pick one, it'd be the .44 Special.

35W

 

[roscoe]

If this is a large-frame Blackhawk, the .45 LC far exceeds the potential of the .44 Special. Check the Buffalo Bore loads for comparison ~1300 ft/lbs compared to ~560 ft/lbs. Now, I am here to tell you that those heavy .45LC loads are no fun to shoot, and I reload creampuffs for my .45 Blackhawk. But I don't see the downside to having the potential for heavier loads.

 

[Palladan44]

It can reach 1200fps. In appropriate guns, the .44Spl has MORE capability, not less.

Have you looked through 45LC +P data?

 

[mavracer]

Have you looked through 45LC +P data?

You can't run +p in a SAA, in a SAA the 44 special can do 1200 with a 240 the 45 Colt can not.
Hence the "in appropriate guns"

 

[35 Whelen]

Have you looked through 45LC +P data?

When the subject of the 45 Colt comes up here, seems most everyone defaults to heavy loads in heavy revolvers. But as @CraigC has succinctly pointed out previously, and as those of us who have hunted with revolvers can confirm, 99% of what needs to be done in the field with a revolver in the lower 48, can be done effectively with a .44 or .45 caliber 250 gr. bullet at 1000 fps.

35W

 

[joed]

I had both cartridges for a few years. Liked both but I ended up getting rid of the .45 Colt. The .45 is not a bad cartridge but it has some flaws I'd rather not live with.

Both my guns were S&W revolvers, a 24-3 and a 25-5 with 4" barrels. The cartridges perform pretty much the same for shooting or hunting. So, why did I abandon the .45?

I've reloaded for over 40 years now. One thing I really don't like is loading for a cartridge that can accept a double charge of powder. The .45 has a large case but in most instances is loaded with a powder charge that leaves a lot of air space and that scares me. The biggest reason for me dropping the .45 came one night when I loaded the cylinder in the middle of the night in a dark room with .44 mag cartridges. Turned out I didn't need to use the gun that night but when I saw what I did the next morning I knew either the .44 or .45 had to go. I decided to stay with the .44 Spl as it has 2 less flaws, at least for me.

 

[gotboostvr]

I've recently divested myself of my 44's.

In total, I've owned at least 6 that I can think of.

I'm currently switching to 45's. Nothing wrong with the 44's, but I'm just doing a little consolidating.

I've got two 45 revolvers, a 625JM, and a Blackhawk Bisley Convertible. My light-mid level loads get done in 45acp brass. 200gr RN @850fps for my wheel guns and semi autos, 250gr SWC@900fps in 45acp brass for just my wheel guns, and >300gr moving quick from 45LC brass for just my Blackhawk.

Keeps things segregated, and versatile with a minimum of components and maximum safety net.

As far as performance on target, the 44's and 45's cover almost all the same ground. The 44's don't share much in terms of components with 45acp though.

 

[Palladan44]

This is like going to a general car club, and asking people if they prefer a Mopar 426 or a General Motors 454
(Notice how i got the proportion numbers similar to our calibers in question!! Pat on back.)
Good luck getting a consensus on this one brother, you wont get one.

 

[CraigC]

Have you looked through 45LC +P data?

Once or twice.

 

[LaneP]

Nothing against the .44 Spl but I have 4 guns in .45 Colt including one lever gun and 6 guns in .45 ACP, all of which can essentially be loaded with many of the same cast bullets I have on hand if I needed to mix and match.

 

[buck460XVR]

I see little or no difference between the two. Get what trips your trigger. The difference in projectile diameter is so slight that it is a moot point. If one is going to shoot a lot and reload their own, for the most part, the .44 will be cheaper for brass and projectiles.

 

[pairof44sp]

.44Spl in a .44Mag Super Blackhawk is anything from a plinking round to a light hunting load. Change cases and you have the whole assortment of magnum loads to choose from, wild to mild. If you have the itch real bad, get a .44Magnum Vaquero and put a Dragoon grip frame and Bisley hammer on it. Now that’s a nice setup.

I get soot up the side of the case if I load 44 sp too low. Would using a smaller case (44 Russian) help ?

 

[35 Whelen]

I get soot up the side of the case if I load 44 sp too low. Would using a smaller case (44 Russian) help ?

Use faster burning powder for your light loads. That will eliminate the soot. Or, just clean the cases!

35W

 

[Palladan44]

I get soot up the side of the case if I load 44 sp too low. Would using a smaller case (44 Russian) help ?

It might, depends on if pressure builds quicker.
Lack of Obturation due to low pressure.
Some folks also have primers back out with those low pressure rounds.

 

[Gordon]

In a SAA Colt or clone the .44 spl. has a lot more cylinder wall thickness than the same in .45 Colt ! So if you want more than factory performance, the .44 spl. can get it. Elmer Keith figured that out many years back.Now in other stronger formats like Rugers Blackhawk the .45 can be loaded hot and it swings towards .45 Colt performance . I think the S&W N frame , with factory cylinders is close to SAA tho in size so .44 spl once again can be loaded much hotter. There are N frame .44 mags, but no N frame .454 Casulls

 

[CraigC]

The .44 Special has been a super easy cartridge for which to find accurate loads, much more so than the 45 Colt. The .45 Colt is accurate, it just takes a little more fiddlin'.

This is another important point that I failed to touch on and is usually overlooked when most just examine paper ballistics. For whatever 150yr old reason, the .45Colt is plagued with cartridge/bullet/chamber dimension anomalies. While nominal bullets are .451-.452", chamber mouths are often much larger, often approaching that that would be appropriate for a .45-70. Chambers are also often loose. By "often" I mean 99.99% of the time. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in Colt's own guns. My New Frontier's throats measure .457" and that is shameful. These issues rarely plague the .44Spl and .44Mag. So it's easier to find an accurate load.

 

[Palladan44]

There are N frame .44 mags, but no N frame .454 Casulls

Thank Goodness, my wrist and palm hurt thinking about that! And, im sure Smith doesnt want their service dept flooded with broken guns either.

 

[Barbaroja]

I really enjoy shooting my .44 special flattop blackhawk. Lots of fun and it can handle some higher pressure ammo. My next revolver will likely be a 45 just because.

 

[Dave T]

In my earlier post I was trying to make the point that either cartridge will do what you need a handgun to do most of the time, with out trying to be Elmer. But to be honest, my personal take on the two is as follows:

The 45 Colt was, is and always will be a black powder cartridge. That's why it has so much space under the bullet. It was needed to make the most powerful handgun round of the 19th Century. Yea, the US military gutted it almost immediately, then abandoned it for the 45 Schofield. But it lived on in the civilian market with 36g, 38g and yes, 40g loads still offered by ammunition makers. Even today, in modern brass, 36 grains of FFFg (a faster granulation than the original FFg) will drive your 255g soft cast bullet to 900+ fps in a 7-1/2" barrel, Just what the original did back in 1873.

The 44 Special on the other hand was always a smokeless powder cartridge. Derived from the black powder 44 Russian (also known for it's accuracy) it was the choice of many early target shooters and our friend Elmer proved early on that it could be loaded up to take big game with confidence. Since the 44 Magnum is out there I see no need to magnumize the Special but it does need to be loaded a bit hotter than the original 246 @ 750. That weight bullet at 850 fps is the revolver equivalent of the 45 ACP and bumped up to 900-1000 fps and it will do all those reasonable things one might require of a handgun.

YMMV,
Dave

 

[bannockburn]

Have them both, like them both. Wanted a Colt SAA in .45 Colt for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately I have for the most part been unable to afford one so I have gone with the next best thing: a Ruger Vaquero, ASM EMF Hartford U.S. Cavalry Model, and a Beretta Stampede. Plus it helps that my Rossi Model 92 is chambered for .45 Colt too.

Wanted something in a .44 Special thanks to reading Skeeter Skelton's various exploits with the cartridge when I was a kid. Bought a Ruger Flattop Blackhawk when they first came out and have been enjoying it ever since.

The way I see it it's a Win/Win with both cartridges.

 

[mavracer]

The way I see it it's a Win/Win with both cartridges.

Yeah us gun nuts need damn little in the way of an excuse.
For me getting a Colt SAA in 44 S&W Special was a nope and a Smith 25 in 45 Colt is a sweet gun but I really wanted a 29, but hey with Ruger ya can go either way.

Ruger 44

Ruger 45 Smith 44 with 1/2 pint

Colt 45

 

[bannockburn]

mavracer

Talk about a winning combination! That's one fine collection of shootin' irons!