Why can't we say .45 "Long Colt?" Oops, I said it!

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Duramaximum

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I was just curious why there is some un-written rule that you can't say .45 "Long Colt," it has to be .45 "Colt." I would prefer to say .45 Long Colt because when I hear .45 Colt' I think, 'Colt .45' which brings a picture of a 1911 to my head. Just curious.
 
I believe ".45 Long Colt" became popular after the advent of .45 Automatic Colt Pistol. It seems some people thought it helped to differentiate between the older cartridge and the new, shorter cartridge. Given that, ".45 Colt" seems more appropriate and more convenient. If the shorter name means 1911 to you, I guess you need to retrain your brain.
 
For the same reason we don't say .45 Short Smith & Wesson.....It isn't the name of the cartridge. :)

The cartridges have specific names.....45 Colt, .45 Smith & Wesson, .45 Automatic Colt Pistol, and the cases are headstamped as such.

.45 Long Colt simply doesn't exist. It is a slang term.
 
Maybe because there never was a .45 "Short" Colt? How can you have a long if it's not longer than a previous cartridge? When I hear "Colt .45" my mental image is a revolver.
 
Go ahead and say it...any gun person will know which round you mean and have no problem understaning whatever point you want to make...when you write, I'd leave out the "long".


I usderstand how it came to be. Have several antique rounds. One is the short length(S&W) length and is headstamped ".45 Gov" nother one from the same era is the full length "long" and is headstamped ".45 Gov." Have others of the short length marked .45 S&W (two of which have small primer pockets).

Lot of posters assumed the short round always had the .45SW or some ofther headstampe that was differnt from the longer case...but it ain't so.

Fact remains that there was some "short" .45 ammo headstamped exactly the same as the "long" .45 ammo. So wandering into the local hardware store about 1880, would have had to say "the long one" or "the short one" to get the one you wanted.
 
Now lone gunman...there was a .44colt. That isn't a .44/40 (which is a .44WCF) Used the .44colt in converted percussions (and some of the later 1871's). Odd round had the smallest rim I've seen on a rimmed case...just not much room beetwen converted 1860 cylinders for wide rims.

Long as i'm on an odd ammo kick, were some later Winchester 1866's made in ceterfire too...but again, not the .44/40. Some of those old rifles were made in .44 American...which is a pretty close duplication of the .44Henry in dimentions, but in centefire. Would have made a nice dual caliber rig for a S&W top break fan.
 
Duramaximum - don't say 45 L*** Colt. The mightier than thou word police will get ya. And whatever you do, don't ever, ever say that your detached box magazine is ever a "clip"! That calls for an immediate gang tackle, a 15 yard penalty, and repeat of the down.

Somewhere out there, I see a vision of a bunch of striped referees blowing whistles and tossing flags for using slang-its just too offensive and you have to cover the childrens eyes and ears lest they hear such blasphemy:what:

Of course, we as gun-nuts have all been there at one time in our lives. I can't even say the word "gun" without flinching a bit-I can hear my old drill sgt dropping people to the front leaning rest position for that. I guess you could call him a SWAT-Word cop!
 
WOW

Ribbonstone, Joab,

Thanks for the info. Very interesting and more cool gun trivia that is now etched into my brain.
 
I see no problem with using the words 45 Long Colt. The word Nazis are mistaken. Long Colt is appropriate and is used in many circles. The mistake was made when differenciation was not better thought out by Colt when naming these cartridges.
Even Colt refers to it as the "Long Colt" on their own website!!
 
"which brings a picture of a 1911 to my head"

I thought that was the 45 cult
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:D :D :D :D :D :D

A "Colt 45" is a Single Action Army, not a 1911.
Click to expand...

It was adopted by the Army in 1873. It's been doing the job for 133 years. It's got a proven war record. When the drugged up Moros in the Philippines were waltzing through .38 long Colts, the big .45 Colt was blowing 'em off their feet. That's why I'll never carry ANYTHING, but Sam Colt's (bigger god than JMB ever thought of being) 1873. They don't make 'em any better. It was right then, it's right now. No wonder nine could improve on it, no jammamatics for me! Yep, I feel safe with my '73 in an IWB, just like Wyatt Earp.

</sarcasm>

:D
 
A lot of people get wound up about saying .45 Long Colt, but they have no problem say 9x19, .44 Mag., 30-06, or any of the other slang terms used. Is "Long" in the official name? No, but then if you are only going to use the offical names then we need to practice this across the board. Yuck!
 
Looks like my earlier comment was uninformed; sorry.

9x19, .44 Mag., 30-06
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I thought 9x19 was standard nomenclature in Europe, and would therefore be more appropriate than 9mm Luger or Parabellum. But then it has been shown I am uninformed. When we say .44 Magnum, we're just leaving out a word. How is that the same as putting in a word what don't belong (allegedly)? What's wrong with .30-06?
 
NITPICKING!! .45 Colt and .45 Long Colt both work fine in my Ruger BH. Whatever you calls it, it is a danged fine round!!:p
 
Somebody better tell Colt, they're still making .45 LC guns.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Model Caliber Barrel Length Finish Sights
P1840 .45 LC 4¾" Colored Case/Blue Fixed Sights
P1841 .45 LC 4¾" Nickel Fixed Sights
P1850 .45 LC 5½" Colored Case/Blue Fixed Sights
P1856 .45 LC 5½" Nickel Fixed Sights
P1870 .45 LC 7½" Colored Case/Blue Fixed Sights
P1876 .45 LC 7½" Nickel Fixed Sights
 
Well, Since Ya Asked-

A certain pompous gunrag writer started the nonsence! His exact quote when I confronted him with a box of early sixties Colt brand plastic practice ammo marked .45 Long Colt was "Colt Is Wrong" hahahahahahaah!
Ragwriters, sheeeeesh!
 
I feel safe with my '73 in an IWB, just like Wyatt Earp.
Click to expand...
Wyatt carried a #3 American at the OK corral and preferred shotguns

The short one is NOT .45 Schofield. It is simply ".45 Colt".
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You are wrong

The designation ".45 Long Colt" for this caliber originated amongst military personnel to prevent confusion with the smaller .45 Schofield.

But then you are also right

It is interesting to note that the """"misnomer""",.45"Long"colt came into being to differentiate the original colt loading from the shorter cased ammunition then in use by the army. This ammunition remained in use until the S&W revolvers were withdrawn from service in the mid to late 1890's. The cartridge may also be commonly referred to as .45 Smith&Wesson, the .45 S&W, As well as the .45 Schofield."depends on who you want to argue with
 
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