Want a DA 45LC or should I settle for the 44Mag?

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hawk45

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I already reload for my SA 45LC and like the low pressures the LC produces. I would like to stick with a S&W but I know they are limited to the M25 and Mountain Gun (if you can find either). I'd love it if they made a 5" full lug like the 629, but they don't.

My other option is to get a 629 in 44mag and just get setup to reload 44mag and 44Spl. More cost, more components but a great round as well.

No hate for Ruger, the Redhawks just don't feel right in my hand. The Super RH is just too damn ugly to spend money on (IMO). But more than anything I just love my S&W triggers.

So what should I do?
 
That is exactly what I am looking for!!! I know what to search for now.. Thanks brother!
 
Settle?

The 44 magnum revolver does everything a 45lc revolver does, with more availability of factory loadings and reloading possibilities.
 
The "settle" refers to having to add dies, brass (44mag and 44spl), powder, mag primers, bullets and a host of other items to add a round to the reloading crew.

I'd prefer to just grab the new gun and drop in my already loaded 45LC rounds.
 
If you want a 45 long Colt, don't settle for anything less. I had several M29-2s until I got my first M25-5. After that, I sold the 29s. I am now looking for a 4" skinny barreled 45 long Colt on the S&W N frame. If I don't find one soon, I may just have my 27-2 reworked.

The 255 grain lead bullet at 1000 fps is a great hunting round. Complete penetration on white tailed deer, accurate and hard hitting.
 
My favorite .45 DA is a Colt New Service. These were built from 1898 to around WWII ( exact date production ceased is unknown, because some guns were assembled from parts afterwards.) Those guns made after 1930 (mine was made in 1906) were heat treated. They have an offset cylinder stop, so they are quite strong.
 
Love the Redhawk. Agree that the Super Redhawk is uglier than a monkey's butt.
Would love to have a 25 or 625. N-frame Smiths are sweet. They are the perfect weight/balance for a 6 shot .44/45 revolver, IMO.
 
found a very nice 25-5, but the price of that LC ammo has gotten sky high around here, and i've got no reloading equipment yet.
dilemma...shoot the pricey stuff :scrutiny: or sit on it and save the money for the reloading gear :confused:
 

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Get the reloading setup from Lee and load a bunch of ammo.

I don't blame you for wanting the 25 Smith. I like them a lot, too. Also like the Colt New Service.
 
Could go with a 454 Casull ruger. Friend of mine hunts white tail with one usually loaded with 45 lc winchester ammo of some sort. Its effective and he can load up with 454 if he is in bear territory.
 
I'm a big Ruger fan, but the N frame Smith feels like an extension of yer hand.
 
found a very nice 25-5, but the price of that LC ammo has gotten sky high around here, and i've got no reloading equipment yet.
dilemma...shoot the pricey stuff or sit on it and save the money for the reloading gear
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Well, did you buy the gun or not? Those are hard to come by. My advice is buy the gun and put just a few boxes of factory ammo through it. Save the brass for when you start reloading.

Yes, 45 Colt is expensive to buy. Don't expect it to get any cheaper. If you want to shoot it, you either have to be rich or you have to learn to reload. When I first started shooting Cowboy Action about ten years ago I was shooting a pair of 45 Colt Vaqueros. We shoot a lot of ammo in CAS. I realized right away that I was going to have to learn to reload if I was not going to go broke. So I invested in the equipment and started reloading.

45 Colt is a great cartridge to learn to reload, the components are big and easy to handle. But a 45 caliber bullet is always heavier than a 38 Special bullet, and lead being expensive 45 bullets will always cost more.

Start saving your money for reloading equipment. Very first thing you should buy, before investing a dime in equipment is a good reloading manual. Buy it now. Read through the chapter on the actual reloading process. There are plenty of good manuals out there. Lyman, Speer, Lee. I learned on the Lyman Pistol and Revolver handbook. Good illustrations showing how to do it. Don't even worry yet about specifically what equipment to buy, read the manual first, to help you get an idea of what is available.
 
lobo9er said:
Could go with a 454 Casull ruger. Friend of mine hunts white tail with one usually loaded with 45 lc winchester ammo of some sort. Its effective and he can load up with 454 if he is in bear territory.
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I have a Model P clone in 45 long Colt and a S&W M25-5. I hunt white tailed deer with both. If I go to bear country, I would have no problem carrying either revolver loaded with 260 grains of lead at about 1000fps. It has worked for many years and worked well.
 
Don't wait

mope540 said:
found a very nice 25-5, but the price of that LC ammo has gotten sky high around here, and i've got no reloading equipment yet.
dilemma...shoot the pricey stuff :scrutiny: or sit on it and save the money for the reloading gear :confused:
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Take the money for 10 boxes of 45 Colt.

A first-class loading setup AND enough brass, powder, primers and cast bullets for 500 rounds will cost about the same.

It will cost you about 10-15 hours to learn and to reload the ammunition, but for that, you will gain a more intimate knowledge of internal ballistics and the independence to make ammunition of any power level you want, probably more accuracy and certainly more independence from shortages.

After that first batch, and the press is paid for, the savings just keep piling in as long as you keep shooting and reloading.

When I bought my first gun I bought my reloading setup at the same time.

Lost Sheep
 
Well, did you buy the gun or not? Those are hard to come by.....
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Yes I did (a few months ago), and yes they are. I was tempting to trade it for a .45 ACP 25, but i'll follow the advice given about reloading
 
Want a DA 45LC or should I settle for the 44Mag?
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Settle??? :what:
I certainly would NOT use that word for a 44 Magnum!

I have both & love 'em both for different reasons.
My 45 Colt is a SAA & love it for the nostalgia.
My 44 Mag is a Ruger Redhawk.
That thing is a tank & can take "Ruger Only" loads.

If you can afford it, get both. :scrutiny:
If you can afford only one now, get the other after saving for a bit. :D
 
hawk45 said:
I already reload for my SA 45LC and like the low pressures the LC produces. I would like to stick with a S&W but I know they are limited to the M25 and Mountain Gun (if you can find either). I'd love it if they made a 5" full lug like the 629, but they don't.

My other option is to get a 629 in 44mag and just get setup to reload 44mag and 44Spl. More cost, more components but a great round as well.

No hate for Ruger, the Redhawks just don't feel right in my hand. The Super RH is just too damn ugly to spend money on (IMO). But more than anything I just love my S&W triggers.

So what should I do?
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Hawk, I can appreciate your wish since I carried a model 25 as a duty gun for years, but take a serious look at the Ruger Redhawk. It's built like a tank and will last a lifetime.;)

LD
 
Do what I did and get both. I had a 25-5 with a 4" barrel, and never could warm up to it for some reason. It looked great, but never felt balanced to me. Someone came along and wanted it more than I did, so I sold it. That left me with a couple hundred rounds of 45 Colt reloads, and all the reloading stuff. I figured I'd pick up a Ruger, or a Colt clone to go with the ammo.

Then I found this one, a 25-13 Mountain Gun. Yea, Yea...it's got a lock. Big deal. It's still a good shooting gun, and looks like a milion bucks. It balances almost perfectly for me. No idea why, other than maybe the tapered barrel is just a little lighter.

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I've got a Model 29-2 also. Just because. I got it for a good trade and couldn't pass it it. I almost never shoot magnum ammo in it just mid-range reloads. About the same thing I do with the 45 Colt. Mid range, lead bullet reloads. I buy virgin brass and start from scratch. Both guns are fun to shoot, and neither punish me with recoil.

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So just get both. :D

Get a Lee hand press kit -- for around $60. That's about the price of three 20-round boxes of ammo.
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Amen this. That's what I did and it works just fine. I got the whole setup also, powder measure, scales, press, dies, priming tool, case trimmer, and chamfer tool for less than $200.00 bucks. I want to say about $150.00. But lately I've found I don't use the powder measure and scales. I use the Lee dippers that come with the dies and just select a powder that works for that bullet weight for the cartridge I'm loading. Works fine for me.
 
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