Ah, the one that got away. Once upon a time, I had a beautiful stainless Bisley convertible 45 Colt/45 ACP with the 5 point something inch barrel. It had Ruger factory grey laminate grips and was a very nice shooter. I bought it for several reasons - I've always loved Rugers, I wanted the convertible so I could use up a surplus of 45 ACP handloads with an odd bullet profile that wouldn't feed right in my 1911, and it could serve as a second option for bear protection (S&W 460V is first option).
I love the grip contour of the Bisley. It seems to be more recoil friendly when firing the heavy loads. I put quite a few 345 gr. cast boolits through it using "Ruger only" load data, and it was never painful to shoot.
A friend needed help though, so since the Ruger had less of a practical use (At least in my mind) than did the S&W 460, it was the one to go. I'll likely replace it someday. It had a much tighter, smoother action than the Smith and just seemed built better.
As to the original question - if ammo availability may influence your decision, 44 mag fodder seems much easier to find than does 45 Colt. If you hand - load though.... 6 of one, half a dozen of the other....
