45 Colt or 45ACP for a woods gun

[wildchild2010]

I didn't want to step on the other gentlman's 40 Cal vs 357 thread.

It would be used for protection from Moose, cougar, elk, bear and 2 legged bad people.
Looking or something for a woods gun not a hunting gun and I was wondering what you would choose the 45 Colt or the 45 ACP. Be something in the Colt or the Glock and in the revolver it would be a blackhawk in the 45 colt.

 

[lobo9er]

If its woods carry I like a double action revolver. either would be nice though. I'd go glock over colt 1911 too.

 

[mbopp]

I have 2-1911's and had a SBH in 44 Mag. But my "walk in the woods" gun is a 4" K-frame S&W 357 Mag loaded with +P handloads.
My 2nd choice would be a 1911, the SBH was too durn heavy for a casual woods walk.

 

[wildchild2010]

The nice thing about some 45 ACP guns you can shoot the 45 Super out of the guns, which really kick thhe 45acp up a notch.

 

[Deaf Smith]

My 625-1 .45 ACP using Buffalo Bore 255gr .45 Supers at 1050 fps from ny 3 inch barrel.

And if I wanted to rechamber it to .460 Roland it would get that same 255 gr swc at 1200 from that snub barrel!

It's the top one on this photo.

Deaf

 

[Eb1]

A SBH isn't a bad carry with a 5.5" barrel if you have it in a holster up on your chest. I'd carry my .44 mag SBH, or a 1911 .45 ACP with ball ammo.
The .44 Mag shoots 240 grain XTP at 1400 fps. A big jump up from the 1911, but is single action. I figure a Ruger .45 Colt would compare to my two options.

 

[Jlr2267]

If you handload, a 45 Colt (Ruger RH or BH) makes a great woods gun. Can be loaded up to rival 44 magnum

 

[rondog]

If I were planning to go traipsing where the dangers would most likely be humans or cougars, I'd be happy with a 1911 and hot defense loads.

But if I were planning to venture into more dangerous woods, it would be the .45 Colt hands down.

Just my opinion.

 

[critter]

.45 Colt with hard cast SWC's and a good load works WELL on almost anything.

 

[Lucky Derby]

Both are good choices. I personally would go .45 Colt, but would be quite comfortable with .45 ACP.

 

[StrawHat]

If you are planning to purchase this 45, consider the offerings by S&W. A Mountain revolver in either chambering will be lighter than the SBH (not sure about the 1911). I have an old M28-2 I converted to 45 ACP prior to the introduction of the Mountain revolver series. I have been happy with it. I handload, and get nearly 1000 fps with 255 grain cast lead bullets in the ACP. Similar ballistics from the M25-5 I have. And, to really make it a hard hitter, I have a 240 grain full wadcutter bullet I can launch nearly as fast.

If you already own a handgun in 45 ACP or long Colt, use what you have.

As for the 1911, I have never warmed up to the platform. Not sure I really tried so I have recently purchased a Colt Series 80 and am working with it.

 

[CopperFouling]

Hey Deaf Smith,

Let me just go on record as saying that I am highly jealous of your S&W collection (here and elsewhere).

To answer the OP's question: .45 Colt if you are a handloader.

 

[golden]

First--what do worry most about attacking you?

WILDCHILD,

I would think the first question is what is the greatest threat? Cougars are not very large, about the size of a large dog. Either round would work fine.

Elk and Moose are rarely recorded in attacks on human as far a I know. If they do attack, the .45 Long Colt is the better of two bad choices. Neither is big enough for hunting these animals, so they may or may not do the job.

When it comes to Bears, the question is black or brown. Black bears do not get all that large in most of the U.S. I have heard of really large (read about 600 pounds) up in Canada. Even so, a 400 pound bear is still within the capability of a .45ACP with good ammo.

Brown bears are different. They are huge and either round is underpowered to fend of a large bear. They can easily get to half a ton.
When I lived up in Canada, where there was a good chance of running into a grizzly, the local farmers carried pistol grip, pump action shotguns of the MOSSBERG cruiser type. Why, because a 12 slug leaves ANY .45ACP or .45 Long Colt load in the dust.

If your primary threat is of the human kind, then the .45ACP is the hands down favorite. It is controllable, quicker to reload, has a higher magazine capacity and will usually be lighter to carry.

If you are going to carry for self defense against people, forget about reloads, it is just one more potential legal problem if you actually have to defend yourself.

Good luck,
Jim

 

[CraigC]

The .45ACP is going to be light for elk or moose but the .45Colt is plenty. the OP referenced the Ruger Blackhawk and at "Ruger only" levels, we're talking 335's at 1250fps and 360's at 1150fps. Which will also make a fine bear load and I'd take either over any shotgun slug.

 

[JTQ]

I really like the .45ACP. It is my favorite round, but for your needs I'd pick the .45 Colt. It is a much more capable round for big animals. The Ruger single actions would be a good choice.

 

[Tony k]

Elk and Moose are rarely recorded in attacks on human as far a I know.

Golden, I think you're right with elk, but you may want to double check on moose. A mama moose is an extremely dangerous animal.

I don't know your exact situation, Wildchild, but I spend a good deal of time walking around in remote areas alone. I've never worked in grizzly country. I encounter black bears, wolves, and cougars several times per year. In remogte areas, they all run away as soon as they realize what I am. The only ones I worry about are the mamas and black bears that are habituated to campgrounds. I am not permitted to carry anything other than a knife and a walking stick by my employer. When I'm out in the woods on my own time with my dogs, I carry a .45acp for protection against people.

In my opinion, the most dangerous thing you are likely to encounter in the woods is a shady person. For that, a .45 acp should work. If I lived in grizzly country, I'd probably carry a 460 or a 454. In fact, If I worked in grizzly country, my employer would require that I carry a .454 at a minimum.

 

[huntsman]

I bought a 4566 for a woods gun a few years back after I had a pack of dogs run past me while deer hunting. Recently I bought a .45acp/.45C Blackhawk convertible for deer hunting and woods gun. My biggest 4 legged threat is still feral dogs and maybe a rare bear so now I'm packing 6 rounds of .45acp when out in the woods.

 

[mnhntr]

45 Colt would be a better woods carry

 

[ArchAngelCD]

It would be used for protection from Moose, cougar, elk, bear and 2 legged bad people.

Looking or something for a woods gun not a hunting gun and I was wondering what you would choose the 45 Colt or the 45 ACP. Be something in the Colt or the Glock and in the revolver it would be a Blackhawk in the 45 colt.

For large animals like that, IMO the 45 Colt hands down. The 45 Colt is proven to be a large animal stopper and will put down an attack quicker than the 45 Auto will.

 

[bannockburn]

Like huntsman more often than not I found on my hikes the most dangerous threat of the animal kind were large packs of feral dogs. I went from carrying a .22 Beretta Model 70S to a .38 Special 3" barrel J frame before finally settling on a Ruger SR9c as my backwoods companion.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Hey Deaf Smith,

Let me just go on record as saying that I am highly jealous of your S&W collection (here and elsewhere).

To answer the OP's question: .45 Colt if you are a handloader.

Thanks for the complements.

Right now, on my PC desk sits...

The .357 S&W 640-1 on the right. Earlier today I fired over 50 rounds practice with it. It's now cleaned and ready to pack today.

Back to the thread, yes either .45 LC or the .45 ACP revolvers (or even autos) will do fine. A +P 230 gr JHP or FMJ-FP is nothing to sneeze at going 950 fps.

But the .45 LC can take heavier slugs. My personal woods gun is the 629-1 I keep showing up here with stag grips and Tyler-T. but if it was in .45 LC I would not complain!

Deaf

 

[CWL]

I have to add that those statistics of big game like moose & elk (even deer) causing human deaths are deceiving. These deaths occur when somebody hits one in their car. People don't get trampled by them.

 

[krupparms]

The .45ACP will probably take care of you just fine. As long as you are talking defense. If you plan to hunt then the .45 Colt is the way to go. JMO.

 

[Inebriated]

.45 Colt or Super for anything other than coyotes and personal defense against bipedal attackers.

 

[mavracer]

On days that start with T or S I'd take a 45 acp the rest I'd opt for a 45 Colt.