44mag or 45colt

[eastbank]

44 mag for me easy to load up or down, strong cases and many bullets to choose from. top a Winchester legacy and a 1973 marlin sporter, 44 mags both.

 

[Charlie98]

I'll start by saying you can't really go wrong with either. Having said that, I prefer the .45 Colt. I have never owned a .44Mag; I did get a .44SPC Blackhawk a few years ago... it's nice and all... but it'll be gone soon while the .45 Colts stick around.

I found out the hard way about rifling twist in the .45 Colt. I had a Marlin 1894 that had 1:38" twist (if I recall correctly) and it would not stabilize my 255grn cast bullets at the velocities I was launching them at, so consider what you plan to shoot in a particular firearm and what the rifling twist is before picking a particular gun.

 

[gotboostvr]

44 mag, for the power, and availability. Also, I believe those things can take 44 special, which is nice.

My 92 runs 44 specials just fine. It'll occasionally hang up on a SWC in special brass occasionally. A quick jiggle if the lever coerces it in the chamber when it hangs up.

 

[midland man]

I recommend the rossi r92 16in barrel light and easy to carry in 45 colt!!

 

[CraigC]

I believe the .45 Colt will always run at lower pressures due to the larger bore.

Anyway, it's apples and oranges as concerns factory fodder. But I know a strong framed- 5-shot .45 Colt can be loaded to blow the .44 Magnum off the map.

Many myths surround the .45Colt. One being that it at any time "blows the .44 off the map". Comparing the .44Mag at standard levels and the .45Colt at six-shot "Ruger only" levels of 32,000psi, the .44 usually maintains a slight velocity advantage with comparable weight bullets. When both are loaded to five-shot levels of around 50,000psi, the .45 gains about a 100fps advantage.

 

[Bushpilot]

There really isn't anything significant that one will do that the other won't and so it still comes back to personal preference and whether you reload or not. If you don't reload the 44 mag has the clear advantage... Regardless, this debate has been going on for years and will continue to go on for years to come..

 

[DannyLandrum]

No-brainer. .45 Colt to match my Ruger Redhawk. Then if you get a .454 casull, you can use same bullets and dies. Can load heavier than a wimpy .43 cal.

 

[CraigC]

No-brainer. .45 Colt to match my Ruger Redhawk. Then if you get a .454 casull, you can use same bullets and dies. Can load heavier than a wimpy .43 cal.

Yeah, what does the .45Colt do that the "wimpy" .44 doesn't? Besides, apparently, come with ten gallons of Kool Aid.

 

[Coal Dragger]

For a lever action I’d go with .44 Remington Magnum. Mostly because the case rim diameter is .514” and the base diameter of the case is .457” giving the extractor .057” to latch onto and pull against (a bit more with the extractor groove in the case).

The .45 Colt runs a .512” rim diameter and a .480” base diameter leaving only .032” for the extractor to grasp.

I’ll take reliability first, and in a lever action the .44 Magnum stacks the deck in its favor with the superior case rim diameter to base diameter ratio for more positive extraction.

The .45 Colt was never designed for lever guns or other repeating rifles.