The 45 colt: Old but still useful?

[Bob Wright]

Take it from me, age has nothing to do with usefulness.

Bob Wright

[algentry1]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder45

The 45 Colt in a single-action revolver is my first choice in a handgun; a must have, must shoot component of my outfit. Any other handgun can take a back seat.

Thank you.
My response would have been exactly that. I take mine off at bedtime, but I keep it within reach.

[Bob Wright]

SIGSHR said:

I have often wondered why the large bore revolver went out of fashion.

I was never aware that it had!

Bob Wright

[Pathfinder45]

As far as fashion goes, the Single Action 45 Colt has become one of the most fashionable accessories of modern times, ever since the whole gamut of cowboy shooting sports took off like wildfire.

[44caliberkid]

A few years back I picked up a Ruger Vaquero, stainless, 4 5/8 barrel, white grips, 45 Colt. It might not be my most practical carry weapon but it sure is my funnest carry piece.

[TX Nimrod]

The OP asked for pics, yet only one poster uploaded any.


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[TxFlyFish]

It’s still relevant from mild 45acp levels to full power 44mag dishing out 300gr pills. The 454 and 460 are actually keeping the 45 Colt alive.

And also one of the most exciting calibers...infinite ways of kaboom sticking the wrong load into a vaquero or even a 454 into a M25

[silvermane_1]

As i posed on another forum; the 45 Colt still has it's uses in the first quarter of the 21st. century.

[mk70ss]

I own several and shoot them all. Not all guns in the photo are .45 Colts, four of them are.

[the Black Spot]

Love mine. Uberti sa and a charter bulldog xl

[rodfac]

You don't need to hot rod the Colt for anything.

The original load at roughly 820 fps with a ~255 gr lead alloy bullet is all many of us need....and has done the 'job' for over 100 years. It made its reputation with a pointed conical bullet sporting a small flat point, but today's LSWC just makes it that much better. You are not under-gunned with a .45 Colt.
Rod

[44 AMP]

The 454 and 460 are actually keeping the 45 Colt alive.

More like the ability to shoot common .45 Colt are keeping the .454 and .460 alive.

The .45 Colt had declined after the introduction of the .357 and when the .44 Mag came along, that took center stage, but the .45 Colt hung on. Then with it s 100th birthday in 1973, a popularity boost, PLUS the introduction of the Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt lead experimenters to discover that IN THAT GUN the .45 Colt could match the .44 Magnum, if desired.

The popularity of Cowboy Action shooting increased sales of Single Action revolvers over all, and the .45 Colt benefited from that, as well.

I first learned of the .45 Colt (in some detail) reading about it in Handloaders Digest in the 70s, learned about the classic, and about Ruger Only loads. I got a Ruger Blackhawk Convertible (new model) in 1983.

I originally got it with the idea of being able to plink with my .45ACP ammo, and not have to chase brass in the weeds. I made one small mistake. I shot a box of .45 Colt (Winchester) through the gun before I tried the ACP.

WOW! The muzzle went skyward, and there was "an earth shattering Kaboom!" I was HOOKED!! .45ACP seemed like bunney pharts after that.

Had my years of loading the .45 Colt to match or even slightly exceed the .44 Magnum. Decided a long time ago to settle on 10gr Unique and a 250gr SWC. This goes just under 1100fps in my 7.5" Ruger and delivers plenty of "thwop" while not being uncomfortable to shoot.

I can ring the 200yd rifle gong with this load, off hand, left hand in my back pocket. I have currently 6 or 7 Ruger Blackhawks or Vaqueros in .45 Colt. I like them a lot.

I think its the gun Colt should have built, if only they'd known how...
And, If they had been available when Elmer Keith was doing his work up, we probably wouldn't have a .44 Magnum today. We'd have a .45!!

[jackmoser65]

I disagree. For me, anyway, 300fps+ does make a useful difference.

I agree. The idea that everything needed can be done at 700 ft/sec is just absurd. Not to mention the potential with heavier bullets.

It's worth pointing out that the current so called cowboy loads are 150 to 200 ft/sec below original 45 colt ballistics.

More like the ability to shoot common .45 Colt are keeping the .454 and .460 alive.

Yes I think that's more accurate.

And, If they had been available when Elmer Keith was doing his work up, we probably wouldn't have a .44 Magnum today. We'd have a .45!!

If it weren't for the 44 magnum, we wouldn't have 45's strong enough to play with.

[Mike Irwin]

Supposedly Elmer Keith initially tried hotrodding loads in .45 Colt.

He switched to .44 Special when he kept blowing the cylinders out of his handguns. Apparently the slightly thicker cylinder walls on the .44s made his loads possible.

[JERRYS.]

Taurus made a 5 shot 45 colt snubby a decade or more back..... the size of a Charter Arms bulldog 44 spl but with better cylinder lock up.

[Dave T]

28 or 29 years ago, after considerable research I carefully duplicated the original loading for the 45 Colt. I had NOS balloon head cases, 255g RNFP bullets cast from 1-20 tin to lead alloy, and FFg black powder.

A 40g charge of BP gave me 914 fps from my 7.5" SAA. The same load made 885 fps in my 5.5" SAA. And finally it produced 864 fps in my 4.75" SAA. And yes I still have the chronograph results.

Where ever the idea came from that the original load produced 700 fps it is so far off the mark it's ridiculous.

And, unless you are hunting very large animals, a 255g projectile at a little over 900 fps will solve most tasks you might take on with a handgun.

Just sayin',
Dave

[44caliberkid]

Frontier US Marshall Bud Ledbetter and a group of lawmen surrounded a house in Muskogee, OK to arrest the occupants. Four men on the front porch started firing Winchesters at Ledbetter, who took center position in the street, right in front of the house. Bud was using a 32 Winchester (cartridge not specified) he called, "...a little government rifle...", and hit one of the men center mass twice. The man bent over but continued firing. With bullets tearing at his clothes, Bud drew his 45 Colt and dispatched the shooter with a single shot. He shot another in the head, killing him instantly. His third shot hit a man in a window through the bowels, which put him out of the fight and he died of his wound. The rest of the occupants of the house surrendered in short order.
He later told the local paper, "Never go after a shooting man with one of those new fangled 32's." "Always take a 45. That knocks 'em down and they don't get up and bother you no more."

[rclark]

Where ever the idea came from that the original load produced 700 fps it is so far off the mark it's ridiculous.

Yep... Maybe that with the Schofield cartridge? Anyway, I agree a 250+g bullet moving 900fps will solve most of your tasks. My 'target' load is around ~850fps, while my woods load is ~1100fps. And both loads work find in my medium and large frame Rugers.

[TxFlyFish]

I really wish it were affordable at least same price as 44mag. Everything local it’s ridiculous prices

[Dave T]

I really wish it were affordable at least same price as 44mag. Everything local it’s ridiculous prices

Reloading equipment is the only solution. I reload both smokeless 45 Colt rounds and black powder ammo. The biggest expense over something like 38 Specials is those 250/255g bullets cost more. Back in my youth I cast my own 45 Colt projectiles but as an old geezer it's easier to just buy them. (smile)

Dave

[Pathfinder45]

It's among the easiest calibers to reload, which is the only way I can afford to shoot it much.

[Mr.RevolverGuy]

cmon where are the 45 Pictures. The few posted are really nice.

Has anyone used these in 45colt http://www.gtbullets.com/index.php?m...products_id=26

[10-96]

I always wondered about the .45Long Colt and .44SPL. Back in the 70's, Amarillo Police got into a running gunfight with a kid in a stolen pickup truck. All the Officers were bouncing .38's off of the truck with no penetration (into the bg anyways). Afterwards, the knee jerk reaction was for the Chief to declare "If you want to work here, you'll carry and shoot the .41 Magnum." To say the least, there was no further complaints about projectiles failing to penetrate 1970's vehicle sheet metal. But, I always wondered why the .45 Long Colt, .44SPL, or some other round wasn't selected. I know the .41 is mucho caballo, but I just can't help but wonder. It would have been cool to have been a fly on the wall and present for the discussions.

[silvermane_1]

Originally Posted by 10-96

I always wondered about the .45Long Colt and .44SPL. Back in the 70's, Amarillo Police got into a running gunfight with a kid in a stolen pickup truck. All the Officers were bouncing .38's off of the truck with no penetration (into the bg anyways). Afterwards, the knee jerk reaction was for the Chief to declare "If you want to work here, you'll carry and shoot the .41 Magnum." To say the least, there was no further complaints about projectiles failing to penetrate 1970's vehicle sheet metal. But, I always wondered why the .45 Long Colt, .44SPL, or some other round wasn't selected. I know the .41 is mucho caballo, but I just can't help but wonder. It would have been cool to have been a fly on the wall and present for the discussions.

Well it's probably because the police department didn't think that anything less than a .41 Mag would penetrate vehicle's body.

[44 AMP]

1970s factory loads for .44 Spl and .45 Colt don't have a good record for penetrating angled metal. Nor does the .45acp.

In most cases, it is the angle of the impact that matters most. Rounds that punch through at steep angle often glance off at shallow angles. Mass matters, some, speed matters more, but angle of impact matters most.

But since angle of impact is out of manufacturer's control, all that can be used is mass and speed. One of the big selling points of the .357 Magnum for police use was its increased ability to penetrate car bodies over other rounds available at the time.

The downside? more blast and recoil. There's no free lunch.

The .41Mag?? same as the .357 but more...of everything,