Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 44 special vs 45 colt as a plinking fun to shoot caliber...

Help me choose between 44 special vs 45 colt as a plinking fun to shoot caliber...

Why would the data for minimum loads be faster with the 44 using the same 200 g bullet?

I'm not sure if this answers your question, but the .44 special case has a lower volume, and the same amount of powder will generate more pressure/velocity.

I went through the same dilemma as you a couple of years ago. Since I reload, as do you, I ended up buying a .44 magnum with the idea of shooting .44 special loads for target practice. Since then I find myself mostly shooting .44 mag loads - 240 grn bullets with about 7.5 grn Green Dot is about as mild as you would want - and I've bought another .44 mag since then.

For plinking loads its the gun, not the cartridge, that will make the difference between the two.

If I had to have just one for plinking, I'd take a 44spl because I can get those in a lighter gun. If you are choosing one gun for both plinking and hunting, I'd take the 45 Colt as it can go beyond the 44spl in power. Though the necessity of going beyond a heavily loaded 44spl for any but the heaviest game is debatable.

Good answers, thanks.

Not trying to be argumentative, but the only .44 spcls I'm aware of lighter than .45 Colt's are the S&W 396 (and variant), 696, Charter Arms, and the Rossi. With the exception of the Charter Arms, they are not readily available.

If you are talking about a Freedom Arms M97, the .45 Colt is actually lighter (about 2oz in a 5 1/2" gun).

With the right loads, either would make a fine plinking round.

Paul

What kind of gun are you going to wrap around this cartridge?

Bob

Are they? I've never found the 45 that uncomfortable to shoot (as opposed to a .44 Magnum) but back in the day, using typical Winchester or Remington ammo, the 45 had what I'd term "moderate" recoil whereas the .44 Magnum's recoil was substantial. Back then, with factory loads, I always thought the .44 Special or .44-40 for that matter, was a pussycat. The recoil of these loads can only be characterized as very, very manageable.

Three different levels in factory guns. To me, when you get into the realm of handloads, you can do about anything you want with any of the calibers I mentioned. If your manual says some weird stuff, get another manual.

Got the data from here...
http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp
example was universal and trail boss powders...

I was wondering why the minimum for the 44 was higher.

Tikka

As was previously explained, for velocity, the smaller case is going to generate the higher velocity, given everything else remains constant. If you were to take a .44 Special case and a .44 Mag case and load everything else the same, you would see a slight increase in the .44 Special case as well. But it would be slight.

I have all three and really, they are both equally fun, equally accurate and similar in recoil characteristics.

For all around fun and enjoyment, it's simply hard to find a better gun than a S&W in either caliber, but that means the N Frame and the weight and cost that goes along with it. These are not cheap guns.

Ruger has several models that would meet your expectations, but for some reason, Ruger hasn't figured out the correct chamber throat dimensions for the .45 Colt round and accuracy can be either exceptional or mediocre! In .44, they seem to have it figured out.

I don't hunt "toothy" creatures, so my woods carry guns are normally .44 Special or Magnum loaded down to pleasant velocities. When I do carry the .45 Colt, it's a S&W Mountain Gun with a 255 Grain cast lead bullet at 1000 fps. My .44 Special loads are a hair slower at 900 fps for 240 Grain cast lead.

In both platforms, I enjoy loading them up from time to time with 777 black powder replacement. The recoil and muzzle blast characteristics are different with that powder and it gives me a little charge to do it at the range when others are close by.

By the way, my MOST accurate revolver is a .44 Special.

Dan

Both will be good cartridges for handloading fun. What may matter more is what gun is selected! Remember that Elmer Kieth found that the thin walled SAA cylinder could not take high pressures in .45 Colt and he worked up his famous loads in a .44 Special. That led to the .44 Magnum.

I have done the most shooting with an old Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt. The load is a Keith type bullet over Unique. That load with its flat meplat hits hard yet the recoil is acceptable.

I selected the .45 Colt in the Ruger long ago and since then have aquired a New Frontier in .44 Spl. If one were to start again today keep in mind that the .44 Magnum is universal and can be handloaded down as well. Also .44 Specials can be fired in a .44 Magnum.

Shortly after 'Dirty Harry' came out there was not a 44 to be found. This includes magnums, Specials, double action, single actions. There was a nice cottage industry converting 357s to 44 special, thanks to Skitter Skelton.
I wasn't able to afford the factory guns with the added price wanted by the owners, so I bought a Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt and never looked back.
I've still got that old Blackhawk, a double handful of S&W model 25s and a Colt Anaconda all in 45 Colt. Never saw any reason to change.
Like the old cowboy replied when asked why he carried 45 Colt. "They don't make a 46 Colt"
They are both wonderful cartridges choose the one that makes your heart go pitty pat.

Jim

You need to supply more information before a decision can be made.

Personally I would not buy a 44 Special. I would buy a 44 magnum. If only because of the resale value of the revolver. 44 magnums are easy to sell. 44 Specials are tough to give away.

You can easily load a 44 magnum down to whatever you can load a 44 Special at. But you can not load a 44 Special up to a 44 magnum. Hence the poor resale value.

IMO the 45 Colt is the way to go. I really like the 45 Colt cartridge.

Have you priced your components?? Which are the cheapest??

It is really difficult to decide on the cartridge(not caliber) you want until you give much more information. Like which revolver you want?? Everything you will use it for?? And what type of bullets do you want to shoot?? Tom.


PS: 44 Special and 45 Colt are not calibers. They are cartridges. The caliber of a 44 Special is .429 and the caliber of a 45 Colt is .452.

Looking at a freedom arms model 97.

Thanks for all the good answers...

I'd choose the 44 special all day long, over the 45 Colt, in the Model 97. I've had both, and still have the 44. The 45 just bit my knuckle too much. A relatively heavy 44 load doesn't hit me as bad. Why, I don't know. I have a couple of other 45 colt revolvers, as I like the cartridge, but not in the 97.

Indeed, you are correct.

I believe (no, I do not know this for sure) that the use of the word "caliber" for the chambering of a cartridge rifle or handgun dates back to the beginning of cartridge firearms. In a muzzleloader, the caliber literally tells all there is to know of its "chambering." It was simple, though incorrect, to denote a chambering in a cartridge weapon as it's "caliber."

And though I know the difference, I can live with the alternate useage of the word. The meaning of a term is, after all, defined by its useage and is not a static definition. The English language is still very much alive.

I have a couple revolvers chambered for both cartridges and can't see any meaningful difference between them.

My 44 Specials are 3 Rossi 720s and 2 S&W 624s, a factory specs 4" and a 5" that was trimmed from a 6.5" to match my favorite S&W 27 configuration.

My 45 LCs are 2 S&Ws, a factory specs 625 Mountain Gun and a 25 that has been trimmed back to 5" from 6".

Jeff

Generally, I'd go with the .44 Special (or .44 Mag lite) for fun and plinking because, at least around here, the components are cheaper.

However, I would buy the FA in .45 Colt that happens to be chambered in .454 Casull.

Slow flying sledgehammers in either case.

300 Savage nailed it.
It really comes down to the type of handgun you like best more than the cartridge.

I speak this way because I have a FA 97 in .45 Colt with an ACP cylinder to go with it. Plus a Smith and Wesson .45 Colt model 25-5. Also have a couple of S&W 44 Magnums and a couple of S&W .44 Specials (model 24 and 696) so pick the gun you like best. If you handload and cast the bullets as I do it is a toss up.

If you are reloading I don't know. If you want to buy loads get the .45 colt. If all you wanna do is hear something go bang and punch a hole in something you can buy .45 colt cowboy loads in bulk now cheap cheap compared to most other stuff.