Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 45 Long Colt opinions

My opinion.....GREAT cartridge!

That's a great looking revolver and leather. It shows the character marks of honest outdoor use.

Picked the Ruger up today! Going to head to the range and run some 45 ACP through it this afternoon and will get some 45LC ordered this evening.

Will post some pics this evening. Now I just need holster/leather recommendations

Thanks Kenster. That barrel length is about perfect IMO. The reason I asked is because I have an old Uberti Cattleman, which came with my favorite SA grip of all, the 1860 Army. I cut it back to 5" and mounted a brass Skinner partridge front sight.

The only excuse I have for mentioning it here is that it was advertised as a 45 Colt, but arrived as a 44 Magnum. It turned out to be a great shooter.

https://www.thesixgunjournal.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220510_081418.jpg

My first revolvers were 357 & 44 Mag.

I shot 44 Mag's a lot and have had more than a dozen. Later I found that medium loads were effective and accurate. Now I shoot medium loads in my 44's, mostly. I bought a 44 Special, what fun, in a Colt 1873 clone.
Then I bought a 45 Colt in a Colt 1873 clone. Next a 45 Colt in a S&W.

I'll often take that 44 Special or a 45 Colt or a 357, or a 38, or a 22LR, or a 22 Mag, or even a 44 Mag. In my neck of the plains though the 45 will work on anything I'd shoot. I can load cast bullets in one and there's not much that it can't do.

I own a couple 45 ACP's, a derringer and a 1911 - I don't shoot them much. Semi-autos suck and the need for the derringer only arises when I go to a different part of the country.

Great cartridge. My gun of choice for it is a Colt New Service, 1920's commercial model. Loaded as hot as I dare go it's still namby-pamby compared to some of y'all's. That's ok, I like it. No bears here to whack with it, just the occasional small block Chevy.

That looks like one of the mid sized frame flattops. I dont think it would handle any high pressure loads. I believe that Brian Pearce did a reloading article in handloader when they first came out. He limited loads for both the 45 colt and acp cylinder to 45acp +p pressures.

Good morning here. Morning coffee and reading Watchin the sun come up in the mountain. First morning to get into the 40’s. Gonna try to get a hog with my new Ruger tomorrow morning.

Here she is! Now I need help choosing a holster. I carry an Exo pack so wondering if I need to go packbelt holster route, as well as a good belt holster. Maybe have both options for when I don’t carry the pack.

If you are not prone to falling in the creek, the 1AT from Milt Sparks for a single action is the only way to go.

I love my blue one. Mostly just target shoot.

Love the grips.

Mackay_Sagebrush that’s what I want to find. Very nice

Here ya go.
https://www.miltsparks.com/outside-the-waistband/200aw/

“I saddled old Satan up, rode over, and sure enough, the East Helena butcher was up a tree over there and the bull was going around after him. His .41 rod ejector Colt had shorts in it. I never heard of such a light load being used for the purpose, as an old bull has two inches of cartilage over the frontal skull plate, and his bullets were stopped by the skull. As soon as the bull saw me he came for me. I shot him square in the forehead, killing him instantly, and he turned a summerset towards me. The old .45 Colt slug went clear through his skull. My horse jumped over the top of him and watched him, but the bull was dead.”

—Elmer Keith, “Hell, I was There!,” Chapter Three, “Ranch Life.”

Too bad that book isn't in reprint. Used copies go for hundreds of dollars.

I very much like the .45 Colt cartridge, for both handguns and now rifles. I have taken several hogs with my S&W 25-5, most with a 250 grain JHP over 2400 powder. The bullet does not have to be all that fast to be very effective. Some years back, I had my local gunsmith make me a conversion cylinder in .45 ACP. I used to shoot a lot of bowling pin matches with that set up. I took the revolver out to the hog hunt in March, and shot pins there with good results. I should have entered the contest but did not. This year, I picked up a Rossi Puma M92 with brass frame and 24 inch heavy octagon barrel. I have developed a good load for it, and will take it hunting this fall.

Great pair of 45s there Mannlicher. I've had a couple of Rossi 45 Colt 92s, 16 and 20 inch. I change the sights on them right out of the chute, but they both ran and shot well.

Come with me back to early seventies. A sporting goods store on Arden Way in Sacramento, going belly up. A few new guns. The early model Ruger a new gun on final sale. Combo 45 LC & 45 ACP. Bought it. Some month's later from Jim's Guns, Watt Ave, N. Highlands, Ca... He'd installed a Ruger special order brass grip frame on a big Ruger Super Blackhawk, 44 mag and had the steel grip frame & grips up for sale @ $20. Bout a month later, I blinked as he chuckled. Fit my Blackhawk perfectly. Larger and swapping-in real steel for the smaller, lighter alloy original frame. A whole new & improved balance as well as more happy handful! 'Her' serialed to '72 and just realized the 'old gal now a 50th BD! Still with box, papers & original frame. (Tried for pix as resized smallest. No Joy!)

Postscripts! I've not shot her much at all. But do enjoy ownership. Also with four nice New Service revolvers in 45 LC, one a target model! Another a "mystery gun", SN to 1939, almost minty but bearing a tiny single Woolwich Arsenal on Thames stamp. A British Purchasing Commission gun making the round trip to England and back. Somehow without ever incurring the 'normal' billboard plethora of Brit proofs etc., markings.

The 45 Colt is a great, classic round. I'm entirely good with classic guns and factory rounds!
Interesting Thread! Thanks!
Best!
John

I like 45 Long Colt a lot...I don't do CAS, but prefer Mernickle leather. The hunter leather is a good option too!

Here's some pic's of leather and some then my naked 45 Long Colts. A model 92 take down gussied up by Turnbull, a 73 Beretta Renegade, a SAA from Nutmeg, an old style Vaquero with power custom innards, and my model 25-15 (it was in an N frame pic earlier. The leather without a holster is my wife's...basically unused. There's a 44mag oldstyle vaquero and 38-40 SAA in leather just so you can see how a revolver sits in them.

as soon as I could get one, I replaced the rear sight with a Skinner peep sight. It made a positive difference with accuracy.