45 revolvers
My experience with Taurus guns has been almost 100% bad. I would advise you to stay away from them. I know there are some people on THR and elsewhere (including LEOs) who say they have good luck with them, but the vast majority of people I have known don’t like them. They are terribly unreliable and many are incurably inaccurate. In my experience, factory service has been poor.
I shoot IDPA including revolver, and the S&Ws are nearly 100% of the guns seen. Most are S&W model 625 .45ACP, near clones of Jerry Miculek’s.
In my opinion, .45ACP can be as powerful as standard pressure .45 Colt and make much more sense, especially with moon clips. The .45ACP is also a very good field round, effective against all dangerous animals in the lower 48 states except the grizzly, moose and elk.
If you want .45 Colt, S&W makes a good selection in their 25/625 line. ONLY standard SAAMI pressure loads should be used in them, but a 260-grain .45 Colt round at 925 FPS is a horse killer.
Colt Anacondas are around in .45 Colt, but usually at ridiculous prices. According to people such as John Taffin, they can handle loads stronger than SAAMI spec. Colt Models of 1873, the Peacemaker, are also available, though again, for high prices. Look for a “Cowboy” model. Prices are lower and they are just fine. Standard pressure only.
If you want a heavy gun that helps control recoil, and that can shoot more powerful loads, look to Ruger. The double-action Redhawk in .45 Colt is a great gun. Its heft makes it a pussycat to shoot, and like all Rugers it will handle heavy loads. The Super Redhawk in .454 Cassul will handle heavy .45 Colt loads, but is a heavy trail gun.
The Ruger Blackhawks are nice single-action guns in .45 Colt, and can often be found for low prices. I have one in stainless steel with the short barrel (same length as the ejector rod), and it is great for standard loads. The gun will handle heavy loads, but my hands wont. I do like to shoot black powder cartridges in it. People will argue unto death about “three-screw” versus the newer “two-screw” models. The newer ones are not so desirable to collectors, but are excellent guns and shoot just fine. You may save a few bucks if you buy one.
For an inexpensive “Cowboy look,” the Ruger Vaquero is a modified Blackhawk that will shoot heavy loads. Since arrival of the new, slimmer Vaquero, older models are around for low money. There are other manufacturers who make near copies of the Peacemaker in .45 Colt, but Standard pressure loads ONLY.
You can also find S&W and Colt models of 1917 around, usually with .45ACP cylinders. I’ve seen one with a .45 Colt cylinder. Mine has the .45ACP cylinder, and is former U.S. Army. They are clumsy in my hands, even though I have large hands, so you may not care for them unless you have hands like an orangutan.
I’m not aware of any Rugers in .45ACP, but check around anyway.
-Backpacker
