Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 45lc vs 44mag in ruger revolver

I cant help but want one of them ruger blackhawks.....even though I dont really need one.I already have a desert eagle in 44 mag,so I thought maybe Ill just get the ruger in 44 to make gettin ammo easier.I dont know much about the 45 lc,but I had the impression its kinda hard to find,BUT,if its really worth it to get a 45lc instead of the 44, could handload or order ammo in bulk I guess.I would mainly be using it for hunting hogs and deer.....maybe bear.Can the 45lc pass 44mag performance?

Dang......I just checked out the ballistics.44 mag pretty much blows away the 45 LC.....but maybe that was info for older revolvers that cant hold up to powefull loads?Maybe?

Ok,after a bit more reading,I found that the 45lc does surpass the 44 mag with heavy loads in a strong framed revolver like a ruger.I also read that the blackhawk with these heavy 45 loads kick like the devil and are downright painful.I read that the bisley has a better grip for the heavy loads.Is the bisley stronger than the blackhawk?Or is the only difference the grips and the cylinder not being fluted?I would much rather get the blackhawk since its about 100 bucks cheaper,but if its a pain to shoot with heavy loads,and isnt as strong as the bisley,I may shell out the extra money for the bisley.Does anybody find the kick from heavy 45 loads in the blackhawk painful to shoot?Im not recoil shy.....shoot a s&w500 with no problem,but Ive read a lot of people saying the blackhawk is PAINFUL.Thats something I dont usually read........maybe its them hard wood grips.

Dixiebanjo,

There is little practical difference between the .44 Mag and a "hot" .45 Colt. Yep, the .45 Colt can be loaded to surpass the .44 Mag, but the difference is minimal, IMO.

I'm always leery of trying to make a cartridge something it's not. I wouldn't buy a .45 Colt to try and out-perform a .44 Mag, I'd more likely buy a .454 Casull and fire .45 Colt out of it most of the time and .454 Casull when I wanted the extra performance.

The Bisley-type grip doesn't reduce recoil, but it does channel it in a way the might be more comfortable for the shooter. The Bisley grip tends to roll back in your hand transferring more recoil energy into moving the pistol. The grip shoulder of the Redhawk or S&W revolver is designed to prevent roll by using your hand as a backstop - ouch.

Shooters often fight "roll" since it causes the sights to move farther off target, or they perceive the roll as muzzle flip. Hard grips that have a little slip also help the pistol roll, but shooters often dislike that feeling too. A common occurrence at the range is a shooter that fights the roll and complains about it, then points the revolver up at 45-degree angle after each shot to reach and cock the hammer. Go figure.

I have my best luck with Bisley revolvers by letting them do their thing � roll � and incorporating the roll into reaching the hammer to prepare for the next shot.

The Bisley Blackhawk is not any stronger than a regular Blackhawk. The new stainless 5 1/2" ones with the unfluted cylinder and steel grip frame are heavier than the standard Blackhawk with aluminum grip frame and this mitigates recoil somewhat.

However - the shape of the Bisley grip frame makes a HUGE difference in felt recoil. I mean freakin' huge, night and day difference.

The regular grip frame will roll up and those square edges at the top of the grip, where the two horizontal screws go into the cylinder frame, those square edges will whack you hand. I took a file to my 4 5/8" .45 Blackhawk at that area to round those sharp edges off and that helped, but it is still a handful.

The Bisley does away with that step up and this area just continues the curve of the grip. A 300 grain bullet at full power, 1200 fps or so, still gets your attention but it is NOT painful. I mean, yeah, it blasts and jumps but it doesn't hurt. My old regular Blackhawks in .45 and .44 just plain hurt.

Speaking of .44 vs. 45 - another thing in favor of the .45 is that top end loads operate about 10,000 psi less than .44 loads. Don't know where you got that .40,000 psi figure for .45 colt loads, those would be okay in a five shot revolver. In a six shooter, keep it down to 30,000 psi. Anywho, that translates to 25% less muzzle blast. With me at least, the recol was only part of the equation. Having a .44 magnum let loose 40,000 psi two feet in front of my face was nasty. You can really tell a difference between the .45 and .44 in this regard.

Don't know if you've seen this or not but Linebaugh has a really good article on loading up the .45 Colt. Called Maximizing the Porential - I've read it and it used to be linked to from www.sixgunner.com but I can't find it now. That was a great read on the .45 colt.

I don't enjoy a Blackhawk standard grip with heavy loads in a 44 so I'm sure a heavy loaded 45LC would be as bad or worse. I also happen to believe that oversized rubber grips on a Blackhawk frame ruins the look of the gun. I know that's a subjective thing but just my opinion.

I have no doubt that the grip frame of the Bisley would spread a bit of recoil better but doubt it would make it as easy to take as my Raging Bull or 500 Smith. I don't know if aftermerket grips are available for the Bisley. I imagine they are but have never seen any.

My personal choice if I were to look at a 45LC would be in a Redhawk. The oversized aftermarket grips look in place on that gun and the extra weight helps absorb some recoil with heavy loads.

'Course your best choice (in my not always so humble opinion) would be to wait until the 460 Smiths are out. Then you could shoot 45LC, 454 Casull, and 460 Smith out of the same gun. I bet the 45LC's (most of them) would seem like light loaded 38's out of the X frame. Can't wait to find out!!

Dixie-

I used to have a 44Mag Super Blackhawk, and now have a 5.5" stainless Bisley in 45LC. After having both, I have to say I am really sold on both the 45LC caliber and the Bisley-style grip. I can't get my whole hand on the Blackhawk grip, so basically have to grip with two fingers. The bisley has room for all my fingers, and a long backstrap to get my whole palm behind the gun. But the full-house loads are only a small part of the fun of the Colt. Since Cowboy Action shooting became popular, there is a huge amount of load data for the colt, and you can run the gamut from super-light loads right up to the heavy stuff, and everything in between. One gun can have about any personality you want it to have. It's just been plain fun to play with. I'm sure that a 44 mag can be loaded similarly, but the load development seems to be focused on full velocity loads or 44 specials.

I agree with Jim in Idaho that the lower pressure of the colt results in milder muzzle blast. The Linebaugh article he referred to is called "The 45 Colt, Dissolving the Myth Discovering the Potential", and will pop up if you "google" it.

When you start talking about the big frame double action Rugers, Smiths, and Taurus guns, you add size and weight and lose some portability. Sounds like you initially wanted a Blackhawk anyway.

C&B

OK....thanks a lot for all the info fellas.I was gonna try the blackhawk,but I thought about it some more,and not only is the painfull unpleasant shooting unapealing,but I hate guns with small grips! I had to get wide grips for the desert eagle.......the stock ones are too small to shoot comfortably.Sounds like the bisley in 45 colt is the one for me.Now........who wants to help me buy it?Ill let you see pictures of me shooting it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Jim, you stated my position as well. It took some more hunting but I found the article I think you're talking about. I printed it off two years ago so I would always have it. Here it is:http://www.gunsandmoreguns.com/html/45coltmyth.html
I think I found it somewhere else too, and PM'd CastandBlast last week with that address.

I too find the Bisley grip frame much more friendly than the Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk. I don't let the Bisley roll in my hand, but rather grip it like I'm trying to squeeze the moisture out of the grips. It took some practice to learn accurate shooting while holding that way, but I find that it also helps me with consisten wrist tension and it's really just a matter of learning to mentally separate the trigger finger from the rest of hand.
The muzzle blast is at least 25% more to my senses, and sometimes the recoil even seems a little stiffer. The 44mag is a great cartridge, with lots of good brass and bullets available. It's been killing animals for 50 years, and will do so today just as well as ever. The 45 Colt is a grand old round, that can put on different faces depending on which gun it's being fed into. The old Colt SAAs need lighter loads than the Rugers, while the Rugers have the ability to shoot light plinkers, clear up to the hand stingers. The 45s larger bore simply makes an easier job of pushing heavy bullets, and doesn't raise a large stink in doing it. We're talking hundredth's of an inch, but the .452" bullet will cause more damage to the target than a .429" bullet given identical hardcast lead bullet designs. To avoid rambling, if you want a 44, get one and you'll love it. If you handload, try the 45 and you won't regret it a bit at any power level. For hot loads in either caliber get the Bisley.
222Rem

The 45 Colt is more versilite than the 44 mag in Ruger guns. Rmember though, this is for handloaders only unless you are will to lay out big buck for custom ammo.

I have both the Bisley and SBH gripped 45 Colts. The SBH is not standard issue but this one was done up for me some 15 years agoby John Linebaugh in a conversion gun. It sports a 4 3/4" barrel and trust me, your hand will give out much sooner than the gun will.

I think the Bisley grip handles heavy loads well for most shooters, but that is a personal thing as it isn't true for me. When switching back and forth between guns, I forget to grip the Bisley differently and I get bit worse with it than the SBH grips. Now some hate the square trigger guard and say it is a knuckle buster. My hands handle it fine. I have nearly hit my forhead with the front sight on the gun, but the square trigger guard has never hit my knuckles.
I really just like the SBH grip. As I understand, Ruger is now coming out with a SBH Hunter SS 45 Colt and my pocket book is alread on budget. It will match my 17 Single Six Hunter 17 HMR I just bought.

The 45 Colt is a wonderful thing. I now keep most of my loads inthe 1000-1100fps range. It is easier on my hands which helps me with shot placement consistancy. Trust me, a 325/350 gr bullet at 1250-1300fps take considerable mind control to shoot consistnatly well, unless you are the rare type that shoots big six/five guns well. My wrists have developed some problems from a lifetime of shooting big revolvers. I don't like hurting myself anymore. Besides a 310gr or 325gr hard cast Keith or LBT at 1000fps will shoot through two deer and a bear anyway. 13grs HS 6 will produce all the killing power I saw from 24grs H110 and mush less blast and pain. It still works at long range rock shooting and I can't tell any difference between starting the bullet at 1000fps or starting it at 1300fps at ranges past 500 yards. At 1000 yards, I think I do better with the slower slugs.

HAve fun. Long live the king of cartridges: the 45 Colt.

CM

Dixiebanjo,
My vote goes to the .45 LC. I own a pair of Ruger Bisley Vaqueros in this caliber, which I bought for CAS shooting. I load up a hot, 260 gr. bullet round, which chronos at 1250 fps, for hunting. One benefit of the .45 is that there is abundant, cheap factory ammo for CAS, which is low velocity and carries very little recoil. It is great for practice and plinking.

Velocities with the 260 gr. load are around 400 fps less than what I get out of my FA Casulls in .454, but are a heck of a lot more pleasant to shoot.

I have a Winchester 94 Trails End rifle, which shoots the hotter .45 loads with greater velocity and energy than the handguns. This makes a great short-range or brush rifle for deer, as well. I kind of like having the same ammo for two different firearms.

OK I'll concur with the rest just for an added member to the "I love the 45 Colt" Club. I own one in the Bisley Vaquero, two Vaqueros, a 3 screw Blackhawk and a Winchester '92 all in 45 Colt. I load a 250 gr LRN for Cowboy action and general carry and I whack at my uncles Feral Hogs in Texas with the 265 gr Speer JHP and a 300 gr LFP Hard Cast. I own one 44 Mag and thats cause when I sold my Colt Anaconda I wanted to keep the brass and dies that I already had. The 45's a great cartridge, factory loads that are fun to shoot are the Winchester 225 gr Silvertip Hollowpoint. I think you'll like the versatility and the lower presure. The bisley does help me tame the heavy recoil loads in mine. Ryan

I know I'm coming in late, but I had the same dilemna and decided not to decide. I sent both a .45 and a .44 5-1/2" SS Bisley to Dave Clements and let him work a little magic.



I prefer the .45 if handloading. I've now wandered from the heavy 320 gr. LBT loads and use the 260 Gr. LBT's at around 1200 fps. I think the load is fine for what I need it for, although I haven't been lucky enough to try it on any game yet.

257heaven-

Never too late to jump in with good stuff like that. I was torn between the two guns you you have pictured. First I ordered the 44, then later that day called back to change it to the 45. A bigger bank would have let me go the route you did! What all did Clements do on them?

C&B

257, those are fine looking revolvers. It's time for fancy stocks now! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Dixie,

I bought a new Ruger Blackhawk in 1969 in response to the 44 mags that others were shooting. I wanted to do it my way.

I always liked that Ruger and it withstood some very hot loads. I should take some of them apart as they have been sitting there for years.

I settled on the Saeco 250 gr plain base cast from linotype and 9.5 grs of Unique. It makes about 1000 fps out of the 7.5" barrel.

I find the standard grip frame ok but the Colt New Frontiers that I have hit my finger below the trigger quard.

There are more choices today than before so I would pick the 44 mag or some other new large cartridge if hot loads were required. Otherwise the 45 Colt is a good one.

He recut the forcing cones, installed Belt Mtn #5-style base pins w/big lock screw, free-spin pawls, custom front sight blades, Bowen rear sights, performed trigger jobs, removed the warning lettering on the barrels, and bead-blasted.

The only additional work was on the .45 - he reamed the cylinder throats to .452 or whatever (I can't remember the exact dimension).

I smoothed and refinished the grips with an oil finish.

They are smooth-shooters, but I guess I like the .45 better - maybe because I'm just sentimental about the old cartridge.

Those Bisleys look great!

I've got a Ruger SBH that I have had since 1978. I found it was uncomfortable with full power loads. Over the years I've cut the barrel back to 4 5/8", put on a Belt Mtn #5 pin, a steel ejector rod housing, Bowen rough country rear sight, and Hogue rubber grips. The grips took some getting used to, but make the revolver fun to shoot again.

If I were to do it all over, I'd go the 45LC/Bisley route. The Bisley form meets function in a superb way. Being a reloader, the 45LC is just plain hard not to like.

Here's a look at my SBH.

You put a "Rubber" on you SBH? There should be a law against that. I better call congress.

CM

If I were you and already had a 44 mag in the DE. I would get the 44 mag. I have the 45LC Bisley and like the heck out of it but if you don't have a real hankerin for the 45 and could go either way get the 44, cheaper cause you already got the accessories and performance is like debating 270/280.