Which is more versatile? 45colt or 44special?

I have a couple of the new blackhawks in 44special, and 1 in 45colt.
I do reload for both, but really have not experimented to potential. Just common reload data.
The special seems to be a little more accurate, that is, I can shoot smaller groups with it.
Not really meant to be hunting guns. I have a 44mag for that. So I want to keep the loads reasonable.

Looking forward to relocating to central AZ in the next few months. Got snake loads for both!
Shopping for a new vaquero and thought it would be a 45colt, but started leaning toward 357.

The .45 in my opinion. Without going crazy, you can push bigger, heavier projectiles faster.

Agreed! Go Mild to Wild. ps

Depends what you are looking for. First off, preface that the 44spcl is essentially capable of handling almost everything a 44mag can do, 100% assumed risk of the user, naturally. With that in mind, there are a few realities:

Long story short is this: If you want to run low recoil, the 44spcl will go lower, easier. If you want to run high recoil, the 45colt will have higher momentum, but the overall race will depend on the day between the two. 45colt hot loads will be easier to find on a shelf than 44spcl, pup loads are pretty well available for either.

Long story long:

45Colt is larger and lower pressure:

1) Thinner cylinder walls, hence the top end 45colt loads top out at 30k instead of 36k of the 44magnum.

2) With that larger case diameter, the same powder charge will create less pressure in a 45colt than a 44mag, meaning more total energy APPLIED without going over the limit.

3) Equally, that means the 45colt can handle heavier bullets without spiking pressure. The larger diameter also means you can 'hide' extra bullet weight in the diameter and still fit within a max COAL rather than growing deeper into the case or sticking out the end of the cylinder.

44mag is smaller and runs higher pressure:

1) On a relative bore cross section basis: a .452" bore is 0.160sq.in., a .429" bore is 0.145sq.in.. Multiplied by their maximum pressure allowance, .160*30,000 = 4814lbf, .145*36,000 = 5204lbf. So the total energy potential for the 44mag is higher than that for the 45colt simply because it's able to withstand a proportionately higher pressure.

2) The smaller 44mag can manage lower bullet weights without giving up as much ballistic coefficient (not that it matters much at short handgunning ranges).

Which is more versatile? 45colt or 44special?

Yes

With the gun platform being equal ( single action army etc.) Elmer Keith preferred the 44 special due to the thicker cylinder walls of the smaller bore. This was an advantage to his thinking so he could load hotter and not worry about blown cylinders or top straps like he was getting with the thinner walled 45 colt.

Ron

I'd say versatility goes to the 45 Colt, with firearms like Ruger large frame Blackhawks, Redhawks, and Freedom Arms revolvers accounting for its most high end performance scale. 44 Special is a good cartridge, but in my limited experience, it is isn't so easy finding big robust revolvers that will tolerate pushing into 44 Mag pressure territory, unless you happen to have one in the aforementioned revolvers.

greenmtnguy said:

it isn't so easy finding big robust revolvers that will tolerate pushing into 44 Mag pressure territory, unless you happen to have one in the aforementioned revolvers.

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Therein lies the beauty of the 44special...near 45colt or 44mag performance without having that "BIG' gun.

I personally think that it is a toss up between the two...guns and cartridges are a tradeoff...find what works best for your application...I have both, but special works more for me than the colt.

Flip a coin.

mike56 said:

I have a couple of the new blackhawks in 44special, and 1 in 45colt.
I do reload for both, but really have not experimented to potential. Just common reload data.
The special seems to be a little more accurate, that is, I can shoot smaller groups with it.
Not really meant to be hunting guns. I have a 44mag for that. So I want to keep the loads reasonable.

Looking forward to relocating to central AZ in the next few months. Got snake loads for both!
Shopping for a new vaquero and thought it would be a 45colt, but started leaning toward 357.

Click to expand...

Just from reading your post, I'd guess that one would suit you about as well as the other.

From my personal experience:
Most .44 Spl 6-guns are closer to being in spec for their cartridge than most 45LC 6-guns. That is probably why you are able to ring more accuracy out of your own 44's.
More efficient "snake loads" can be loaded for the .45 than for the .44, and in a pinch, one can use a cut-down .410 shotgun shell in a 45LC revolver.
Using your "reasonable load" criteria, there aint any real difference in power between the two. Leastways nothing that couldn't be equalized with another half-grain of powder.
Of the choices you present, I'd rather have either than any sort of fixed sight .357. Reason is, most (but not all) of my .357-shooting involves using various 38 Spl ammo. Mixing different loads like that would be a nightmare without adjustable sights.

Hope this helped.

DGW

I've never quite understood, nor been a fan of, the "biggest, fastest, heaviest" magnums. Of course they have their place. Just not so much for me.

So, the fact one can hotrod the .45 Colt (in an appropriate revolver) means little to me.

Having said that, I (regrettably) have almost zero experience with the .45 Colt.

Of the two calibers you mention, the .44 Special would be my choice. It does everything I need it to do, and it comes in a package (medium frame Blackhawk) that is smaller and lighter (with less recoil and noise) than the large frame Super Blackhawk. I have two of 'em; one is an old model Blackhawk converted to .44 Spec and one is a New Model Lipsey's Blackhawk .44 Spec.

(I do have a Super Blackhawk, but haven't put a magnum load through it in many, many years - I think the last time was in 1992. Might even sell it one day.)

Yes, but if the OP wants to hotrod the .44 Special he can just get himself a .44 Mag and call it done. I hear some folks deriding the idea of loading the .45 Colt hotter yet advocating the flexibility of the .44 Special as you can also load it hot. You don't have to turn the .45 Colt into a .454 Casull to handily out-hustle the .44 Special. Even if you limit the .45 Colt to 30,000 psi level loads, it can do amazing things to game. You can also load the .45 Colt down and frankly cowboy action level loads are very mild, but you can turn up the wick as well. .45 Colt hands-down for versatility - JMHO.

Yeah, all it takes is a .45 and about three hundred dollars worth of gunsmithing and you have a gun good as a .44 special any day. :wink: OR, you can shoot legendary accuracy out of the box. You can shoot .44 American and .44 Russian without extra cylinders. There has been a wide varity of bullet molds designed for it over the years and the loading data available from mild to wild is mind boggling.

The OP says he already has a .44mag.. These 44spec's and 45's won't be for hunting. So the 45's advantage at the upper end not important to him. So, they are equal in versatility. Go for variety instead. Look at the .357 mentioned.

.45 Colt in a Blackhawk can do it all, mild to wild. Hands down versatility winner.

As to the .44 spl having "legendary accuracy", I'd say the determining factor is the platform itself not the cartridge. Well built guns shoot well... :wink:

jgt said:

Yeah, all it takes is a .45 and about three hundred dollars worth of gunsmithing and you have a gun good as a .44 special any day. OR, you can shoot legendary accuracy out of the box. You can shoot .44 American and .44 Russian without extra cylinders. There has been a wide varity of bullet molds designed for it over the years and the loading data available from mild to wild is mind boggling.

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My .45 Colt Bisley out of the box has exhibited nothing but great accuracy without the aid of any gunsmithing. There is a boatload of load data for the .45 Colt as well. Don't see any downside to the Colt.

That's a beauty MaxP... 8)

And I'm not generally a fan of Bisleys or "shortish" barrels. But that gun just looks "right" somehow...

I like both calibers and shoot both. Both are reloader's cartridges, so no advantage either way given factory ammo.

But the .45 Colt just 'speaks to me' like no other. It will do (and did) all that needs doing. A bit bigger diameter than the .44spec (bigger holes), lower pressures to get same velocity, and heavier bullets if necessary give it an edge.... and from my point of view shoots just as well as the .44Special ... as MaxP alludes to without a bunch of expensive gunsmithing. If the platform is right, both cartridges will 'shoot' very well (you can say that for most all cartridges) ... Yes, I reamed all my .45 cylinder throats to .452 as I shoot exclusively lead bullets, but that didn't cost me anything but the tool (not the cartridge fault). All my .44Special and .45 Colt revolvers all went through a gunsmith for action jobs, but that has nothing to do with the inherit accuracy of the guns. I just shoot a tuned gun better.

As for Keith and the .45 Colt, look at what he was working with 'at the time'... So the .44Spec was a better choice 'for the time period'. Now we have FA, Rugers, and even the clones are made with better metallurgy to withstand a bit higher pressures than the o' peacemaker could withstand.

All in all, in my opinion, the .45 Colt is most versatile. But again, I like them both and shoot both and wouldn't be without both. But if only had one big-bore revolver ... it would be chambered in .45 Colt. Not .357, not .44mag ... .45 Colt.

Good post Rclark, sums it up nicely. I think everyone should experience and enjoy a .357 of some kind, dittos on the .44 mag, but if I could only have ONE pistola, I too would chose a .45 BH... :wink:

Well said, Rclark!