45LC vs 357mag

45LC vs 357mag

  • 45LC

    Votes: 101 40.9%
  • 357Mag

    Votes: 146 59.1%

  • Total voters
    247
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I have both and like both but for different reasons...

That said , if I could only have one revolver, it would be the 357 magnum because I can reload 100gr --- 200gr bullets for most of my shooting needs ., It is a very versatile caliber.
 
Skeeter Skelton once answered the .44 magnum vs. .357 Magnum debate this way:

"It's the case of a good big man beating the hell out of a good little man."

Same holds true for the .45 Colt vs. .357 Magnum - "a good (even) bigger man beating the hell out of a good little man."

Q
 
I can reload 100gr --- 200gr bullets for most of my shooting needs ., It is a very versatile caliber.

While this is one of the great things about the .357, I just don't see it as an advantage compared to the .45 Colt which can push bullets from 185 to 360. That's an even bigger range :p
 
I am of the same opinion. The .357 seems to be more versitile as far as handloading options go.


The .45 in a long gun will make you much more at ease in large carnivore country.
 
Quite the opposite, the .357 is more versatile if you're stuck with factory loads but handloading gives the advantage to the .45Colt (or .44Spl).
 
If versatility is not an advantage for the 357 magnum ..

why do they out-sell the 45LC? I called my local dealer and he said the vast majority of gun buyers will not buy a 45LC because the 357 magnum is by far more versatile and cheaper for them to shoot. I own a Ruger blackhawk in both 357 magnum and 45LC but I reload. Most people who own handguns do not reload .
 
If versatility is not an advantage for the 357 magnum why do they out-sell the 45LC?
Is versatility the ONLY reason you can think that people choose a gun?
the vast majority of gun buyers will not buy a 45LC because the 357 magnum is by far more versatile and cheaper for them to shoot.
The vast majority of gun buyers do not reload, but that has nothing to do with the versatility of the round itself, only its popularity. The popularity of the rounds is not in question. In the market as a whole the .357 is obviously more popular. And that's for a lot more reasons that just versatility. It's because of the .45 Colt's black powder baggage, it's because of the .357s excellent marketing, it's because of the .357's suitability in smaller handguns which people favor these days--which is also why the factory .357 loads are so watered down. It's for any number of other reasons that apply, at the least, to most handgunners (i.e. non-reloaders).

If you look at the number of guns sold, I'm sure you'd find that the .357 has a much bigger advantage than the 1.4:1 ratio it has in votes in this poll. But when you get into a more advanced shooting demographic like THR members, you get a lot more reloaders and a lot more knowledgeable people who realize that the .45 Colt is really, really versatile.
 
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Both, but I do not have a 45 Colt right now, Someday a nice 5 1/2" SAA will show up in my collection. I want a Case hardened frame and a 1851 Navy grip and nice blue on everything else.
 
You have it all backwards...

The 357 magnum out-sells the 45 LC because more people find it more to their needs than a 45 LC. Hence it is more versatile because of that reason and the ammo is cheaper because people will buy more of them. If the 45LC was moire versatile more people would buy it making the ammo cheaper for it. Just because people on this web-site, me included , who reload does not mean we rule the market in handgun popularity.
 
Again... what does the popularity and availability of factory loads have to do with the intrinsic values of the .45 Colt? If we look at what each round is capable of the .45 Colt is clearly more versatile. The number of people who take advantage of that versatility is irrelevant. It's there whether they take advantage of it or not. That's like saying the 6.5x55 is less versatile than the .308 Winchester because more people use the .308
 
If you believe in Skeeter Skeltons' logic...

why would you want a puny little 45LC? Why not just go with the "BIG BOYS" and get a real gun like a 50 caliber S&W ??
 
If you believe in Skeeter Skeltons' logic...
why would you want a puny little 45LC? Why not just go with the "BIG BOYS" and get a real gun like a 50 caliber S&W ??
What does the .500 S&W Magnum have to do with anything exactly? Suddenly because I'm saying the .45 Colt is more versatile than the .357 Mag I should be going with a 500 for some reason? :confused:

Oh wait, I get it. What you meant to say was
"Hey look! A squirrel!" :neener:
 
The problem is that you just can not see past the ...

obvious. The 357 magnum is more popular because it is by far much more versatile. What makes a gun versatile??? Its many uses. Concealed carry , hunting, home defense, Law enforcement. For decades the 357 was carried by Law enforcement. Today , many people carry it for protection, and still many people shoot it for pleasure as well as hunting. That is not the case with the 45LC. It will never achieve the versatility nor the popularity of the 357 magnum for those reasons and more.
 
If the 45LC was moire versatile more people would buy it
Again...is versatility the only motivator of handgun purchasing?
The 357 magnum out-sells the 45 LC because more people find it more to their needs than a 45 LC.
I agree with this statement. I just don't agree that it's due to versatility alone.

And the obvious that you can't seem to reach is that there is NOT a 1:1 relationship between the intrinsic characteristics of a cartridge and its popularity. There are hundreds of rare, obscure or wildcat rounds that are more versatile ore powerful or economical than the popular cartridges.

But it appears we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Concealed carry , hunting, home defense, Law enforcement.
The .45 Colt can have a slight disadvantage in concealed carry due to the extremely small guns the .357 can be chambered in, though some would argue that the .357 Mag in a 17oz gun is a terrible idea. The rest the .45 Colt is the equal or superior of the .357.
 
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No offense to you at all...

as I enjoy this debate . I was referring to Quoheleth remark and quotation from "Skeeter Skelton" Saying that the bigger gun was better etc . Just above your initial remarks.
 
I honestly chalk it up to...



Generically, more metal goes into a .45 than a .357 (ammunition wise) So the rounds are purely more economical to produce., giving Producers more incentive to make the rounds that cost less for their bottom line.

More people are "average" height, making many of the smallest .45 revolvers still uncomfortable to the Median.

Barring handloaders and fanatics...45 lc was declining in popularity till relatively (edit, or had remained steady but low depending on how you look at it) recently, love it or hate it, the Taurus Judge was the best thing to happen to the round.

Many people would go .44/.357 and just think "cowboy gun" when they hear .45.
 
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rcmodel wrote: "Even the standard factory load 255/850 will shoot clear through most medium size big game animals." That's going to depend a lot on what bullet you're using. A JHP vs the SWC is a whole different ball game.
 
Even the standard factory load 255/850
For about the last 125 years, the standard factory .45 Colt 255/850 load has been a lead RN-FP.

I don't know of any 255 grain JHP factory loads ever being the standard .45 Colt load.

rc
 
I like both .357 and .45 Colt very much...and could not say which I like better.

They are both charming, and, different from one another...and both very versatile.
 
2 perfect woods guns. 2 and 4 legged predators do not want to face either of them.
I've got an S&W 66 for my .357 duties
I've got a Winchester Trapper for my .45 Colt duties
 
I have both. I'm an old six gunner who goes back a lot of years. I like them both; but I know for a fact, that the .45 Colt can be downloaded for recreational shooting, somewhere in between for personal defense and uploaded to loads (in a Freedom Arms revolver) that are suitable for the deep woods where something might eat you. Sometimes it kills far beyond it's foot pound rating with a hard cast flat point 300 + grainer.

I believe it isn't more popular because it's hard to get the ammunition, and there is less variety in loads; plus the fact that they are very expensive compared to .38 and .357 - - - although that stuff isn't all that cheap anymore either.

If you load your own, the .45 can't be beat. It's been around a long time.
 
...the Taurus Judge was the best thing to happen to the round.
The .45Colt owes very little of its current popularity to the Judge. It owes much to the growing sport of Cowboy Action Shooting but mostly the writings of John Taffin, John Linebaugh and subsequently Ross Seyfried.
 
Never said the Cowboy action folks and history weren't applicable. , and it's good to see that sport expand. Don't forget the considerable focus on .357 as a cowboy round as well.

The Judge Just put the .45lc round in reach of "everyone else", and your average "I want a gun and know nothing but bigger numbers sound good" person won't care who wrote what books... Often just what they see, and what the clerk tells them is all they have.

The shelves are packed with .357s, they have been a standard "go to" round since the .38 became "not quite enough"

You have to remember, Those of us who have enough interest to post on the net about this stuff, already have demonstrated a more fervent interest than someone who just buys a gun to plink and stick in the nightstand. .

EDit: The young men in sagging jeans cleaning the .45 out of the shelf last week were assuredly not dressed in SASS attire, The few Cowboy shooters I've met in town tend to work in the shops already.
 
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After recently seeing the prices on .45 Colt ammo I truly am appreciative that I reload and and cast all my own bullets for that round!!!!!
 
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