44Special and 45C....Does One Have an Advantage?

Hey all,

I am going to get a 4 5/8 inch Blackhawk at some point in the next few months..I haven't decided whether it will be in 44 Special, 45 Colt or even 44 mag. I will be putting it on my hip for when I go bowhunting for feral hogs here in Texas. In Texas it is legal to take as many hogs as you want and by any legal means which includes pistols. I have always wanted to hunt with a handgun and I am going to do that too. I don't reload yet either. I understand that with the prices of ammo these days that if I want to do much shooting at all I am going to have to learn to load my own ammo.

So..I am curious what you all think about this. Do you think that one of these rounds has advantages over the others or are they all about the same when you consider all the factors?

Thoughts?

Thank for your time.

Nalajr

Either one will do what you want to do. I prefer the 44 special, matter of fact and I have sold most of my 45colt stuff, now. Neither of these calibers are affordable to shoot, if you do not reload...and the 44 special is probably a little more expensive and harder to find than the Colt will be.

In your situation, I would probably get the 44mag...you can buy ammo anywhere ammo is sold and it is considerably less expensive than 44 special and 45colt...can find it at most Walmart's.

As a reloader, I like the efficiency of the 44 Special.

But if you don't want to start reloading right away, you might consider the 45 Colt / 45 Auto convertible models. The 45 Auto ammo is readily available and relatively cheap for practice, and you can save the more expensive 45 Colt for field use. I have no experience with hunting feral hogs, so I have no idea if the 45 Auto is suitable for use on them.

45 colt in Ruger revolvers can be made into a potent magnum round!
The 44 special not so much.
Mild or Wild choose your flavor.
The 44 mag will shoot specials.
45 colt or 44 mag would be the choice imo. ps

45 Colt. With the convertible, you can shoot .45 hardball. If you reload, components are no problem (except pistol powders), as we have found that bulk cast bullets intended for the .45 ACP/AR do nicely on top of cowboy loads. And, as has been mentioned, there's always the "Ruger only" handloads and Buffalo Bore.

As a hunting round, the .45 Colt has the edge. It has the ability to launch larger, heavier projectiles at velocities equal too or greater than either .44 round. There are plenty of factory ammo options available from mild to magnum performance. If you found yourself in a situation having misplaced your ammo, I believe the .44 mag does have an edge in ammo selection and certainly in availability. Good luck.

For the non-reloader, I'd give the advantage to the 44 Mag. There is simply a better chose of ammo that can be bought fairly easily. If you do decide to reload, then I'd say go with the 45 Colt especially if you decide to get a Blackhawk 45 convertible. Store bought 45ACP ammo is still relatively inexpensive and reloading for the 45 Colt, you can reload from mild to wild, that will put most 44 Mag rounds to shame.

Given the two options and the intended game, I would opt for the .45 Colt. You can warm it up nicely and it is very effective terminally.

There is no replacement for displacement. The .452 will outperform either of the .429's when loaded to full potential, and can be loaded down to powderpuff levels as well. You can always have a 45 ACP cylinder fit, if it isn't already a convertable, and shoot cheap-er ammo. I have also seen guys load up 45 ACP to some pretty impressive numbers for use in the Ruger wheelguns. The only advantage to the 44 magnum is availability of commercial ammo, IMO.

There really is no significant difference in off the shelf performance. As a reloader the .45 colt has 'magnum' loads and the .44 magnum came from the special. Handloader magazine has loads to get the special close to the magnum.
The only advantage I see is that the .44 blackhawk is the same frame as the .357 blackhawk while the magnum and .45 are much bigger guns to pack.

RE: "44Special and 45C....Does One Have an Advantage?"

The .45LC works fine on medium sized game as is.
The .44Spl is a rather weak cartridge in it's "standard" form, but a prudent handloader can easily turn it into the equal of the 45LC. On the other hand, either cartridge can be made to best the other up to the point that both cease being fun to shoot.

So, which is "better"?.....it depends.
Me, I'm a .45 guy. That's what I started with, and that's what I've stuck with because it's allways done everything I need it to do.....no hot rodding needed.

DGW

If weight of the gun is a factor, and since it is a back up while bow hunting I assume it would be, I would go with a blued 45 Colt Blackhawk. With the aluminum grip frame it is the lightest of the three guns mentioned and may possibly have more "punch per ounce carried" than any other practical side arm. As mentioned a convertible model adds much to the versatility.

For a great read on the subject find Handloader #263, December 2009 and the article by Brian Pearce on his three favorite six gun cartridges. Just so happens that they are the same three mentioned by the OP.

Dan

Pick one. Be advised that the .44Spl is on the mid-frame, so it is really only fair to compare it to the .45Colt in the context of appropriate loads. In which case, there's 100-150fps difference between them in top loads. Same for .44Mag vs .45Colt in the large frame. With the caveat that the .45Colt is plagued with poor chamber/throat dimensions and the .44's are not.

glw3151 said:

As a hunting round, the .45 Colt has the edge. It has the ability to launch larger, heavier projectiles at velocities equal too or greater than either .44 round.

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Uh, no. The .44 will sling a bullet of comparable weight up to 100fps faster. Or a bullet of comparable sectional density up to 200fps faster.

I'd pick a 44!

I have both 44 sp and 45 colt. I use the 44 special as designed but load the 45 heavier. If not a reloader buy the 44 magnum

Sapo

s4s4u said:

The .452 will outperform either of the .429's when loaded to full potential, and can be loaded down to powderpuff levels as well.

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There is NO discernible difference in performance between the .452 and the .429 in the field...contrary to all that is said.

There is a reason that the 44mag is the market leader between these 2 cartridges...and it is not because the 45colt is a better performer in the field.

You guys kill me with this crap.

I have used all three cartridges on game, and unfortunately none of the animals were available to comment on which may have been more effective. :lol:

Looking at the OP again and since he does not currently reload I will join others and say get the 44 magnum. It really IS the best "do all" cartridge in my opinion.

Good luck in your choice.

Dan

There is NO discernible difference in performance between the .452 and the .429 in the field...contrary to all that is said.

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Believe what you choose. The 45 Colt is also easier on the shooter.

s4s4u said:

There is NO discernible difference in performance between the .452 and the .429 in the field...contrary to all that is said.

Click to expand...

Believe what you choose. The 45 Colt is also easier on the shooter.

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That is BS, also...I have shot them both...at full power...they are both knuckle busters...no difference.

It must be bad to feel compelled to put forward blatant lies to get folks to give something a try.

Jim Luke said:

s4s4u said:

There is NO discernible difference in performance between the .452 and the .429 in the field...contrary to all that is said.

Click to expand...

Believe what you choose. The 45 Colt is also easier on the shooter.

Click to expand...

That is BS, also...I have shot them both.

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Then you are lying.