MacTech
Member
Capsule summation;
I own a NM Blackhawk .45 Convertible (.45 Colt/ACP), blued 7.5" model
I'm contemplating trading towards a Stainless 10.5" Super Blackhawk in .44 Mag....
I've been kicking around the idea of making the switch from .45 Colt to .44 Mag fora while now, I like that .44 Mag ammo is easier to find on store shelves, even though I reload, it just opens up more options to me if I want to go shooting and either don't have ammo loaded up, or need to pick up a box on the way, or just feel like being lazy that day....
I have been reading how .44 Mag and Special are flatter shooting and more accurate than .45 Colt, I like accurate guns and I haven't been *completely* happy with my .45 Colt NMBH accuracy, although truth be told, it's far more liely that *I'm* the bigger factor in the lack of accuracy department
I've been reading about how some NMBH Convertibles have had sloppy chamber dimensions, I can drop a 250 Gn .452 jacketed Gold Dot hollow point through five of the six chambers in the Colt cylinder and it drops straight through with no resistance, it gets stuck in the sixth chamber, the very edge of the nose of the bullet is flush with the end of the cylinder chamber... apparently, .44 Mag chambers are more consistent
Then again, I do like that the Colt throws a (slightly) bigger chunk of lead, and does it with less pressure than the .44 Mag, and that the recoil is going to be softer than a Magnum loading, then again, I can shoot Specials in the .44 Mag if I want a soft shooting round, and I can move up to Magnum power levels for when I want more thump, without the added "risk" of Ruger Only Colt loads
the gun will primarily be used for punching paper at the range, so I want something inherently accurate, and around here, the biggest huntable animal I encounter is white tailed deer, which either gun would be more than sufficient for
How much more unpleasant is the recoil impulse from a .44 Mag fired from a 10.5" barreled Single Action revolver, when compared with the recoil from an equivalently "hot" loaded Ruger Only .45 Colt loading? (yes, I know this part is subjective, just speaking generally here)
I just don't know which way to go here;
.45 Colt pluses;
I already own and reload for it
soft shooting and pleasant recoil when loaded light
can shoot .45 ACP as well
no nasty Magnum sound and pressure wave
.45 Colt minuses;
Ammo harder to find in stores/more expensive
possible accuracy issues due to sloppy oversized chambers?
"rainbow" trajectory at distance
.44 Mag pluses;
flat shooting and accurate
ammo easy to find in stores
shoots .44 Spl, ?.44 Russian?, and .44 Mag
Leverguns in .44 Mag easier to find than in .45 Colt
10.5" barrel
.44 Mag minuses;
Dont own it yet, small out-of-pocket expense to purchase it
Have to get new reloading dies, and shellholder for my Lee Auto-Prime
have to get new brass and bullets
can't share bullets with my .45 ACP Kimber Custom II
harsher recoil with Magnum loads (possibly mitigated by the 10.5" barrel length)
Not as easy to holster carry in the field, more likely a range-toy only
Have to resist the urge to quote the Danny Vermin line from "Johnny Dangerously" ("It's an 88 Magnum, it shoots through *Schools!* " )
I own a NM Blackhawk .45 Convertible (.45 Colt/ACP), blued 7.5" model
I'm contemplating trading towards a Stainless 10.5" Super Blackhawk in .44 Mag....
I've been kicking around the idea of making the switch from .45 Colt to .44 Mag fora while now, I like that .44 Mag ammo is easier to find on store shelves, even though I reload, it just opens up more options to me if I want to go shooting and either don't have ammo loaded up, or need to pick up a box on the way, or just feel like being lazy that day....
I have been reading how .44 Mag and Special are flatter shooting and more accurate than .45 Colt, I like accurate guns and I haven't been *completely* happy with my .45 Colt NMBH accuracy, although truth be told, it's far more liely that *I'm* the bigger factor in the lack of accuracy department
I've been reading about how some NMBH Convertibles have had sloppy chamber dimensions, I can drop a 250 Gn .452 jacketed Gold Dot hollow point through five of the six chambers in the Colt cylinder and it drops straight through with no resistance, it gets stuck in the sixth chamber, the very edge of the nose of the bullet is flush with the end of the cylinder chamber... apparently, .44 Mag chambers are more consistent
Then again, I do like that the Colt throws a (slightly) bigger chunk of lead, and does it with less pressure than the .44 Mag, and that the recoil is going to be softer than a Magnum loading, then again, I can shoot Specials in the .44 Mag if I want a soft shooting round, and I can move up to Magnum power levels for when I want more thump, without the added "risk" of Ruger Only Colt loads
the gun will primarily be used for punching paper at the range, so I want something inherently accurate, and around here, the biggest huntable animal I encounter is white tailed deer, which either gun would be more than sufficient for
How much more unpleasant is the recoil impulse from a .44 Mag fired from a 10.5" barreled Single Action revolver, when compared with the recoil from an equivalently "hot" loaded Ruger Only .45 Colt loading? (yes, I know this part is subjective, just speaking generally here)
I just don't know which way to go here;
.45 Colt pluses;
I already own and reload for it
soft shooting and pleasant recoil when loaded light
can shoot .45 ACP as well
no nasty Magnum sound and pressure wave
.45 Colt minuses;
Ammo harder to find in stores/more expensive
possible accuracy issues due to sloppy oversized chambers?
"rainbow" trajectory at distance
.44 Mag pluses;
flat shooting and accurate
ammo easy to find in stores
shoots .44 Spl, ?.44 Russian?, and .44 Mag
Leverguns in .44 Mag easier to find than in .45 Colt
10.5" barrel
.44 Mag minuses;
Dont own it yet, small out-of-pocket expense to purchase it
Have to get new reloading dies, and shellholder for my Lee Auto-Prime
have to get new brass and bullets
can't share bullets with my .45 ACP Kimber Custom II
harsher recoil with Magnum loads (possibly mitigated by the 10.5" barrel length)
Not as easy to holster carry in the field, more likely a range-toy only
Have to resist the urge to quote the Danny Vermin line from "Johnny Dangerously" ("It's an 88 Magnum, it shoots through *Schools!* " )