Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 44 Magnum or 45 Colt. Which one would you pick?

If I am, this forum made it so. I've been participating on online shooting forums for 18 friggin' years. I have NEVER encountered one as combative and cutthroat as this one.

That's funny coming from you, one of the nastiest members I've encountered here. You're completely incapable of having healthy, heated debate without turning it into a brawl rifle with personal jabs and bullshit. You probably have so many posts here because you'd be thrown out anywhere else.

And no, post count doesn't mean a damned thing. I'd be ashamed if I had the post count of some here.

Apparently, you are too stupid to recognize a healthy, yet respectful debate when you see one. No one has disparaged HawkI or made a personal comment in his direction. Why don't you piss off while the adults talk about .44's and .45's???

12BHN is plenty hard for a deer bullet. The point is that it allows the nose to deform and expand, which knocks the shoulder out of the equation.

That "pampered" bullet illustrates the point precisely. It passed through 16" of ballistic test media without putting any wear on the shoulder. The XTP next to it went 9" and expanded to 0.64".

I have an unusual idea. Let's get back on topic.

I have to admit to never owning a 44 mag and.I bought the 45 because I fell in lust over one I shot over 40 years ago. I have owned a 44 Sol and kick myself often for selling it. I also admit to not shooting double actions well but have a fondness for single actions.

Now I may b wrong but I really have a herd time believing a deer, elk, or hog will ever know the difference between the 45 and the 44 when hit with the same weight Ang velocity. Dead is dead.

Now i do find it educational to learn more about the performance of different cast bullet styles and hardness so please carry on as at 66 years old I still have a lot to learn.

As to time at the Fire, you all are newbies to me.

Sent to my phone while at the beach with my bride of 37 years and head out for a nice walk on a beautiful 57 degree morning.

Agreed!

Frank Gorshin's dog?

I will be the first one to admit i ought to stay silent, and i surely don't have the experience of some of those posting.
Having said that:
I have a number of 44's, including a first year production colt in 44.40 with an additional 44special cylinder.
Number of 44magnums, and some specials.
I have a number of ruger/smith 45's.
I also have been casting for at least 20 years.
In real life i don't see a lot of difference between them subject to how they are loaded. Like counting angels on a pinhead.
I do know a 41 magnum put the lights out on a elk quite efficiently.
I do know one of those rcbs 270grain cast to 280 grain hollow points i fired throught some pretty heavy stuff expanded over .9 inches.
I do know that 310 grain 44 lee bullet went through ten one gallon milk jugs and was not deformed.
And I do believe metplate is important in either round.
I have some 230 grain lead pills for 38/357 that look like a beer barrel, they thunk stuff.
And i think all of them in that caliber will take care of most anything most people would ever run across.
But, I myself think the 45colt does it without the blast, recoil nastiness associated with the higher level 44 loads.
and as i remember one statement posted here is incorrect, for sure the 45colt predated the 44special and the 44russian.
and i do think for the small differences in diameter, 41, 44, 45 no matter if loaded with black powder, smokeless or whatever to around 1000fps to 1100fps do pretty much the same thing. Some with less nastiness. But what do i know.

41 Mag??? Will they go through both shoulders of a mouse?

I didn't buy the 45 Colt/45APC convertable but may load some of my small stash of 45 auto rim brass just for fun and bring it Quemado.

Since we got off topic, in the campfire tradition let's go to porn:

My .44 mag 3 screw flattop:





My 3 screw .45 colt BBQ gun:

That is a bbeauty. It looks so nice I won't make a smart assed remark about the wrong caliber.

45colt dispensers...

If you decide to git rid of that rifle please let me know!

.44 S&W American & Russian - 1870
.44Colt - 1871
.45Colt - 1873
.44Spl - 1907



The two cartridges can be loaded to equal levels and at equal levels, they have equal "nastiness". The problem here, as always, is folks comparing full bore .44Mag loads to mid-range .45Colt.

That bottom one is stunning!

My exact sentiments!

absolutely not.
I knew him first
i have shot the rifle
i already made remarks to him about it
you lose.

as to that three screw, i just got a three screw in 41magnum.
which i have loaded 260grain pills. kind of like the other two calibers.

HA!!! I give him great cigars. You will have to wait until I am dead to get it and Ole Chocolate.

Too funny...

Keith up there in Wyoming laid claim to it first at Quemado a few years back.

Sorry to disappoint ya'all

Will bring it to NM in july though...

Who are you to say who gets it? You only own it, Ron and I will settle this.

That's TFF!!!