.45 Colt - Resergence Over, or More to Come?

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Dain Bramage

Dain Bramage

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Is .45 Colt due for obscurity again? Is the era of the .45 "magnum" over?

Already, some people on gun boards are recommending against the .45 as a hunting cartridge, and steering toward the .44 mag. The downsized Vaquero is another nail in the fixed-sight .45 boomer coffin.

As a cartridge, was it just a fad, like the muscle-car era? Manufacturers never stopped making guns for it, but during the nadir it was relegated to a pretty small niche, more of a historical curiosity.

Will there be enough interest going in CASS, as a stand-alone cartridge, and as fodder for .454's and .460's to keep it on the shelves?
 
2005-1873=132 years. Nah, I figure it will be around for a few more years...


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With the model 25, Ruger Redhawk, and Ruger Blackhawk still chambered for it, plus the Super Redhawk and S&W 460 both able to fire it after many ambitious shooters get sick of being brutalized by .454 or heavier loads, in addition to several lever-action rifles chambered for the .45, and it's ability to become a serious contender with heavy handloads, I think it's gonna stick around.

That said, when a shooter looking for a hunting revolver comes into the store where I work, I always caution them that .45 Colt ammunition that is loaded to the cartridge's hunting potential is hard to find over-the-counter. I advise non-handloaders to go with a .44 because of ammuntion availability.
 
It'll be around because of the baby boomers. It seems the older guys are really getting into CAS.
 
I also think it will stay around, maybe even grow more popular for a while.

The CASS/SASS crowd really seem to be buying them up and as mentioned I think a LOT of them will find their way into the cannon being made for the 460 etc after people get tired of the recoil.

I have one and wouldn't hesitate to buy another if it fit my need.
 
For 90% of the hunting in the lower 48 states the full power of a .44 magnum is just not needed. The .45 Colt has always been a viable hunting cartridge. Magnumitist set in and many overlooked the .45 Colt, but it was still killing in the fields by those who knew to use it.
 
I started loading for the .45 Colt in 1962 and recently started shooting more of it. It serves me well. I have the same basic gun in .44 Magnum and haven't shot a full load in it in years now.

Come to think of it, most of what made sense in 1962 still makes sense.

So much for the last 42 years of shooting industry hype.
 
I always caution them that .45 Colt ammunition that is loaded to the cartridge's hunting potential is hard to find over-the-counter. I advise non-handloaders to go with a .44 because of ammuntion availability.
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And this is exactly why my last revolver purchase (SBH Hunter, three weeks ago) was in 44Mag and not 45Colt. Even knowing as much as I handload, the ability to buy and use hunting-capable factory ammo just can't be ignored.

As much as I know anything, I suspect that the 45Colt will remain popular with the CASS/SASS folks. But the days of the 'hot-rod' 45Colt seem to be past - if folks want a hotrod, they have many other choices.
 
45 Colt

I say the 45 Colt is here to stay, both level I and level II loads.

I'm supporting it. I have a Ruger Old Army conversion, a Colt New Service, and a S&W M25, all of which take level I loads. I have a Ruger Blackhawk and a Taurus Raging Bull that will take level II loads. (Yes, the Raging Bull is really a 45 Colt, NOT a 454 Casull. It's a six holer.)

I don't think it's going to replace the 44 Mag by any stretch, but it will be around. The 45-70 is still around.
 
Some of us like the .45 colt, and don't use it for SASS or hunting.

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I think the ammo makers will keep us shooting for quite some time... ;)

Joe
 
I have to agree with Brian Pierce in his articles in "Handloader." The ,45 Colt is really a multiple personality round. In basic across-the-counter ammo, it isn't all that more powerful than the .45 ACP. But in some guns (for example. my Colt New Service), it can safely be loaded to around 1,000 fps with a 255 grain bullet. And that makes it perfect for deer, black bear, coyotes, and so on -- an ideal gun to carry in the woods or a-horseback.

In the Blackhawk, you can drive the same bullet as much as 350 fps faster, and that's all I want to shoot in a handgun.

I think the .45 Colt will keep soldiering on -- the new Ruger Vaquero with my 1,000 fps handloads may someday replace my New Service as a woods gun.
 
I bought a Model 25 Mountain Gun new, this last year. Love the gun. With the ammo available, it'll handle about anything you need for hunting. Yes, I have .44 Mags and I like them very much but, there is something about the .45 Colt this intriguing. Maybe it's the history behind the cartridge and the guns that have used it. Maybe it's the big ole fat size? Maybe it's the power with less recoil? Maybe it's just being out in the woods with a .45? I don't know but I like it regardless of what it is. ;)
 
My first Ruger smokeless revolver was a BH .45 convertible, bought to shoot up my G21's stash of .45 ACP... until I 'discovered' .45 Colt. My next Ruger was a Bisley BH in .45 Colt - then a SRH in .45 Colt 'Super'... then, my first S&W - a 625 MG in .45 Colt. Shortly after acquiring that 625MG, I started counting the empties I had made and bagged... over 2,700! I ordered a Dillon 550B in .45 Colt next.

Long guns... I've had a range of them, M1 Garrand, Marlin 336 & Camp 9 & .45 Carbine, .45-70's, even a #1 in .458 Lott, albeit briefly. All gone now... only a couple of CZ .22 LR plinkers - and a Puma M1892 24" octagon SS with a Marbles tang sight - in .45 Colt, of course. Yeah, this is .45 Colt central...

Stainz

PS Although it is very similar, i added .44 Special/Russian to my revolver list a long time back, and now make a myriad of caliber's ammo.
 
I was shooting the .45 Colt long before cowboy action shooting was even thought of. There was only TWO factory loads available then. Both were the same as had been available since the blackpowder days.

I became my own ammo factory in order to make better ammo for my .45 Colts. I was and am not alone. This great round and the guns that shoot it, will continue for many decades to come.

CAS has had a positive effect on the availability of the old design guns, especially the single actions and lever guns, but there is much much more to the .45 Colt than the CAS games.

It will survive.


Joe
 
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