45 Colt or 44 Magnum??

[CraigC]

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Both peak with 355/360gr bullets but the .44Mag gets any bullet weight 50-100fps faster. Only if both are loaded to 50,000psi in custom five-shots or Redhawks/Super Redhawks does the .45 overtake the .44 by 100fps. Difference in meplat diameter is typically much less than the difference in bullet diameter. No critter will ever know the difference. It's purely personal preference. Less chance of odd chamber/throat dimensions in .44's.

 

[DanK3Pos]

Just as an FYI, there is a short version of the 45 Colt cartridge. It is said to work in most revolvers chambered in 45 Colt. 45 S&W Schofield is kinda like the 44 Special is to the 44 Magnum.

Schofield brass is available from Satrline: https://www.starlinebrass.com/45-sw-schofield-brass/

There is also a long version of the 45 Colt, the 454 Casull.
There is also a long, long version of the 45 Colt, the 460 S&W.
For ultimate loading versatility, you get a 460 S&W. But that Schofield would be a long, long jump to the lands. Something like .7" of jump.

 

[Alex Clayton]

If I was only going to have one, and we are talking a full size gun? Then I would go with .44. That way you can load up anything you want for any use. Lighter stuff for "fun" all the way up to full house loads for hunting if you like. You "can" hot rod the .45 and many do but, if you really want to do that why not just buy a .44 mag?

 

[Dhom]

I think so many of us had to make that same choice at one time or another. The chances are that most of us end up owning both. The effectiveness on target and hunting is very similar. My only thought would be if you are only going to shoot cast, go for the larger diameter bullet. [hunting purposes]

 

[dh1633pm]

We have this debate about once a month. The science is settled, 45 Colt trounces 44 Magnum every time. NOT. Like most are saying it depends. I went with 45 colt because I felt I had more options. Could load to magnum levels in modern firearms and to low slow levels in older.

 

[Sistema1927]

I have six guns in .45 Colt. As a result, I have not seen a need to have a .44, special or magnum.

The .45 Colt does what I need, YMMV.

 

[mcb]

Being a double action revolver enthusiast and a S&W fanboy I went with 44 Mag as I am partial to the N-frames. Yes I could have gotten a Model 25 in 45 Colt but went with a Model 29 to go with the M92 I already had in 44 Mag.

 

[Jack B.]

When I stated reloadind for 44 magnum I had considered 45 colt. At the time 45 colt brass was expensive and difficult to find. One day a friend who decided to quit reloading gave me a big bunch of brand new 44 magnum and 44 special brass so that's what I went with. Now I own 4 guns in that caliber. Never got around to owning a 45 colt. It is officially of my radar. What I'm trying to say is get what is avaliable to you and what you can get your hands on.

 

[Riomouse911]

I’ve been reloading for these two cartridges since the mid-1990’s. I like them both, can load up or down for them both, and like some of the others I have lever guns for them both as well.

Find the make/model/price of firearm that fits you the best and go from there. If you hi with Ruger, the overlap between the .44 Mag/Spl and .45 Colt in strong, modern Rugers is so great you can’t go wrong with either one.

Stay safe.

 

[Sneakshot92]

I’ve been reloading for these two cartridges since the mid-1990’s. I like them both, can load up or down for them both, and like some of the others I have lever guns for them both as well.

Find the make/model/price of firearm that fits you the best and go from there. If you hi with Ruger, the overlap between the .44 Mag/Spl and .45 Colt in strong, modern Rugers is so great you can’t go wrong with either one.

Stay safe.

Seeing as I own a stainless Blackhawk in 357, it'd be nice to give her a big brother in 45 Colt. I think it'll depend on what I find "in the wild". I'll probably end up ordering a new super Blackhawk in 44mag as stainless 45 Colt Blackhawks were/are distributor exclusives.

 

[Riomouse911]

There may be one out there... keep your eyes peeled and one will pop up. A SS .45 C Blackhawk would be a great carry gun in the fields/woods .

I’m awaiting the arrival/waiting period on a 5.5” Flat top Blackhawk in .44 Spl for that very reason.

Stay safe.

 

[TTv2]

It's up to your personal preference. I decided that I liked the idea of having revolvers that could also shoot .45 ACP (and Super) while with .44's you're stuck with .44. This made buying a Taurus Judge a lot easier of a decision since it's also a .45 and will make buying a .45 semi auto in the future easier too.

I don't really know what difference there is between .44 Mag and Ruger only .45 Colt. Both are gonna hit hard and do the same thing.

Ammo availability is more in favor of .44 tho, however with Walmart no longer selling ammo other than shotgun and .22, people are finally looking elsewhere and seeing that there are calibers other than .22, .380, 9mm, .40, .44, and .45 ACP.