.45 colt recoil?

[Archangel14]

Hi, new to the forum....

I want some opinions as to the recoil of .45 Colt loads, particularly hotter loads. I'm considering the purchase of a Ruger Bisley (Blackhawk) 7.5 inch barrel in .45 Colt, but need to know whether the recoil is something I'll be comfortable with. I plan on using the firearm for hunting, but I also want to be able to enjoy it at the range. For some background, I recently fired a 4 inch S&W model 29 and concluded my session after about 10 rounds. I was firing cheapo Federal 240 grain ball, which I found a bit too harsh. I didn't enjoy it. I'm otherwise very comfortable with hot .357 loads out of a steel frame Ruger SP101 with Hogue grips.

Knowing that I'm somewhat .44 mag "sensitive", do you think I'll also find the hotter .45 Colt loads too much for my enjoyment? Or will I be okay with 50 rounds at the range? Keep in mind that these load will be fired exclusively from a heavy Ruger single with Bisley grip. Thanks!

 

[deadin]

If standard 44 Mag loads in a M29 bother you, you're not going to like hot 45 Colt loads in a Ruger Blackhawk (Bisley or regular grips)
I might suggest you find a range where you can rent a Blackhawk or borrow one from somebody and try it out before spending $$$ on one.

I had the same experience as you only with a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 Mag. After about 10 rounds or so I couldn't even drop the hammer on a chamber I knew was empty without flinching. I figured I was just a wimp and would have to live with it. A couple of years later I picked up a M29 and found I could go through at least a box of 50 before I started getting tired.
It was all in the grip shape. The S&W was much better. (For me, at least.)

(45 Colt in a Ruger can be loaded up to 44 Mag power, so think about it.)

 

[Dnaltrop]

I've been playing with not "Ruger only", but low .45 colt+P handloads with 200 and 250 grain hard-cast LRNFP's (I really need a chrony...)

Off the shelf 45 is fairly soft, my 225 silvertips shoot more softly than off the shelf Cowboy 250 soft lead.

if you aren't trying to crush the gun into a lump of metal with your bare hands, and you let it roll naturally upward (without letting it give you a nosejob) it's quite mild.

I'd post some pics of a good friend shooting my Blackhawk, but he was used to .38 +p's in a snubby... They weren't wrist breakers by any stretch, just more jump than a lifetime .38 guy is used to... (I'm saving them for when I want to embarrass him, arms held out, eyes scrunched closed, teeth gritted like a wildman)

http://www.customsixguns.com/writings/dissolving_the_myth.htm

Mr Linebaugh's writings on the .45, I found this a few weeks before buying my Ruger, and it convinced me that I didn't need to add the .44 caliber to my lineup.... Yet.

 

[USSR]

So, just how hot does a .45 Colt have to be? I have a S&W 25-5 that I obviously cannot load as hot as you can with a BlackHawk, but I kill deer cleanly with a 265gr HP load at 1050fps that is a pussycat.

Don

 

[rcmodel]

+1

A 250 cast SWC at 1,000 FPS will shoot clear through a deer.
Lengthwise.

Unless you are bothered with those pesky Tyrannosaurus Rex in your area, you don't have to shoot a .45 Colt at muzzle vertical recoil levels to kill stuff with it.

rc

 

[Red Cent]

I have the 7 .5" Super in 44 Mag. I have the 29 in 6.5". The plow handle is a lot more comfortable to shoot. Hold it decent but let her roll in your hand. 240gr cast w/gas check took a 200# feral pig at 40 yards. Clean through running broadside.
RC, I let the Ruger roll to an almost vertical.

 

[Archangel14]

Thanks gentlemen. My purpose is to hunt hogs, not trophy size, but more for meat (150-200 pounders). Maybe I don't need super powerful loads for my purpose? I'd even consider a .357, but I can't seem to find much out there with something more than a 6.5 inch barrell.

 

[Nomad]

I have shot a 45 Colt Bisley with a load that was 250 hard cast bullet at 1000+ fps it is no where near as much recoil as a 44 Mag. As someone said above, that load will go nose to tail on a deer.

 

[CraigC]

Either cartridge can be loaded to the same performance level. With similar bullet weights at similar velocities, recoil will also be similar. That said, I agree with the above that you do not need to run at blistering velocity to kill deer. My favorite .44Mag load consists of a 240gr SWC at 1050-1100fps, or 1450fps from rifles. It's all I need.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I truly feel a 250gr bullet @ 900-1000 fps will be a much better hog load than a .357 Magnum. It's also more controllable than the Magnum load. There's no reason to push a .45 Colt load up to .44 Magnum velocities. The .45 Colt has been working quite well as designed for over 100 years. no need to change things now. The .45 Colt makes a big hole and do a good job at taking Hogs. You might want to buy a .45 Colt levergun companion for your revolver to hunt Hogs. (just a thought)

 

[eldon519]

I find the Bisley grip to be pretty comfortable, much more comfortable than a double-action though I've never specifically fired the M29. My experience is with a .45 Colt Bisley and a .45 Colt Redhawk.

If you don't reload, I might consider getting a Super Blackhawk Hunter or Bisley Hunter in .44 mag. The extra barrel weight will dampen recoil, and you can scope it for hunting (scope will also dampen recoil with its weight). You can find .44 Special and .44 magnum loads more easily that will pretty much match anything in the .45 Colt Ruger-load spectrum. There is a lot of heavy-loaded .44 Special or under-loaded .44 magnum out there that might be more comfortable for you.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

It's already been said a few times here, but the hot "Ruger Only" loads aren't needed for deer or hogs. I enjoy playing with them in my 7.5" Blackhawk though, and I'll tell you, the hotter loads are quiet stiff. I've shot 26 grains of H110 over a 250 grain bullet and I was picking flakes of rubber out of my palms from the Pachmyer grips after only one cylinder of them. That load is WAY above SAMMI specs by the way and not recommended for anything but the strongest revolvers. I do not use them for hunting, and don't shoot them much at all anymore. Pour in 8.5 grains of Unique over a 255 grain SWC and it'll do about anything you want. And it won't break your wrist either.

 

[critter]

You have already picked out the MOST comfortable gun in which to shoot the .45 Colt loads. You can also shoot very comfortable level loads for practice and fun without beating you up AND with which you can become very proficient.

Take heed, also, from those who tell you that you do NOT have to shoot 'balls to the wall' loads to take game the size of hogs and deer.

Last handgun deer I took was with a S&W model 25 in .45 Colt using hard cast SWC bullets at quite moderate velocity, perhaps 950 fps. At 50 yds, I got a complete pass through and a VERY short blood trail.

Good luck, but be warned. Handgun hunting is as addictive as crack! You've got the gun, don't overthink things, just go forth and have a blast!

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I found my Super Blackhawk unpleasant to shoot, but the same load in a double-action S&W M29 was much better. But, 1: you don't have to load the .45 Colt to that power level; and 2: the Bisley grip reduces the "rollback" in your hand. I don't think you will have any problem with a .45 Colt at ~1000 fps.

 

[Lucas_Y]

I don't mind the recoil from "ruger only" loads. With that said, unless you plan on shooting endways through large game or just want to make a big boom, standard loads are plenty strong.

Here's video of an acquaintance of mine shooting my gun with 255 grain standard loads, followed buy some 255 grain "ruger only" loads


And a vid of me sending some 310 grainers down range

 

[Quoheleth]

This is an apples to oranges, but I shoot standard .45 Colt loads (8gr Unique under a 250 or 255gr cast lead bullet) 100 at a time with no discomfort out of my Uberti SAA clone.

The Blackhawk is beefier, so should be softer shooting with the standard stuff.

If you relegate the hot-snot loads for hunting or hunting practice, .45 Colt is a big boom and push followed by a big ol' grin. You don't get the earsplitting CRACK of magnums. It's just a fun load to make and shoot.

Q

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Personally I am not a fan of the Ruger version of the Bisley grip. I owned a Bisley Vaquero for a short while. I had already been shooting Cowboy Action Shooting matches for a couple of years with a couple of standard Vaqueros chambered for 45 Colt. When i decided to change over to Black Powder, everything I had read said that the bigger Bisley grip was needed to tame the recoil of full house Black Powder loads. So I bought a used Bisley Vaquero chambered for 45 Colt.

I used it exactly once.

It turns out, as some here have already stated, that I prefer the grip to roll in my hand under heavy recoil. The shape of the Bisley grip is less conducive to rolling in the hand. So it translates more of the recoil impulse straight back into the hand. The plow handle grip of a standard Vaquero or Blackhawk allows the gun to roll a bit in recoil and that eats up some of the energy of recoil.

When shooting Black Powder loads in either a Vaquero or a Colt, I do not hold the gun with a death grip. I actually hold it rather lightly, with my pinky curled under the grip. When the gun fires I allow it to recoil exactly as much as it wants, I make no effort to restrict it. The gun rolls up about 45 degrees, then my pinky stops it from rolling any further. What is left of the recoil impulse lifts my forearm up a bit. I use the elevated muzzle position to help me cock the hammer for the next shot. I can shoot full house Black Powder 45 Colt loads like this all day long and it does not hurt.

Do not confuse the grip of a S&W Model 29 with a Ruger grip. The Model 29 usually comes with oversized target grips. The shape of a modern S&W revolver tends to prevent it from rolling in the hand. The 'knuckle' (the bump at the top of the grip) is there specifically to prevent the gun from recoiling. Take a look at an original Top Break S&W Russian revolver some time, it had a huge knuckle, specifically to prevent the gun from rolling in the hand. But the 44 Russian cartridge was a very mild cartridge to shoot.

Back on topic: Large oversized target grips on a S&W offer more surface area for contact with the hand. This tends to reduce perceived recoil. I have both a S&W Model 29 and an old Flat Top Ruger Blackhawk with standard plowhandle grips, both chambered for 44 Mag. For me, the Smith is much less punishing when shooting factory 44 Mags than the Ruger. I can only shoot a dozen or so rounds from the Ruger and I am done. The large grip of the Smith makes shooting it more comfortable and I can go through an entire box with out any pain. Although with the Smith I do not curl the pinky under the grip, there is plenty of room on the oversized target grips for my entire hand.

 

[CraigC]

I truly feel a 250gr bullet @ 900-1000 fps will be a much better hog load than a .357 Magnum. It's also more controllable than the Magnum load.

Agreed, a moderately loaded big bore puts more everything on target and does so without punishing recoil and muzzle blast.

There's no reason to push a .45 Colt load up to .44 Magnum velocities.

There's no reason why you have to run the .44Mag at full steam either.

The shape of the Bisley grip is less conducive to rolling in the hand.

Recoil is highly subjective but most folks find the Ruger Bisley to be the most comfortable in handling the recoil of heavy loads. That said, the factory grips are atrocious. They're thick where they should be thin, thin where they should be thick and square where they should be round.

 

[Loosedhorse]

Knowing that I'm somewhat .44 mag "sensitive", do you think I'll also find the hotter .45 Colt loads too much for my enjoyment?

Yes, I do. We like what we like, and not what we don't.

Of course recoil can be mitigated: good stocks, shooting gloves, compensator/muzzlebrake, heavy gun will all help. Will help .44 Mag, too.

Perhaps a gun chambered for .454 Casull (or even .460 S&W Mag) would be a help? As others have suggested, maybe the factory-stock Ruger Bisley isn't the best platform...

 

[DocRx]

What recoil? The 45Colt does "kick" a little, but not as much as a 410ga shotgun blast. I have the Taurus Judge Tracker 6.5in 45/410, and with the "Ribber" grips it mellows the recoil very well. Used both for "fun" and hunting i.e. Deer, pheasants, rabbits, etc), feels minimal to firing my Ruger KLCR 357/38. Take care and be safe.

 

[Loosedhorse]

The 45Colt does "kick" a little, but not as much as a 410ga shotgun blast.

Standard .45 Colt, true. But the Ruger-only .45 Colt "+P" rounds can generate up to 2.6 lb-sec of recoil momentum. .410 out of a handgun is unlikely to get above half that.

 

[CraigC]

Perhaps a gun chambered for .454 Casull (or even .460 S&W Mag) would be a help?

More recoil is the answer???

As others have suggested, maybe the factory-stock Ruger Bisley isn't the best platform...

It's the best platform for 'most' shooters.

 

[Eb1]

I couldn't hit the barn with a SBH 5.5" .44 Magnum. Well, that is not true.

I changed the wood grips to Hogue Monogirp, and I am able to keep an average of 3" at 50 yards off-hand with my SBH with factory sights using my hand loads that average 1300 fps.
That is a 240 grain LSWC.

The recoil with factory grips was pretty taxing. Once the Hogue Monogrip was put on the SBH felt better, allowing me to get a consistent grip to control the revolver.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I had the same experience as you only with a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 Mag. After about 10 rounds or so I couldn't even drop the hammer on a chamber I knew was empty without flinching.

I went three rounds with a .500 S&W before totally wimping out.

 

[sig220mw]

I have a Ruger Bisley in 45 colt with the 7 1/2 inch barrel. I use handloads that are on the bottom end of the hot loads. They are too much for a Colt SAA but just getting into the hot category. I wear PAST shooting gloves and though they do help with recoil I don't AWAYS use them. You might want to invest in some also. They may be your solution.