.45 LC vs .44 Magnum

[gobe]

Not trying to start a 'Range War' here, but I'm confused. If I were to get an old Vaquero or a Blackhawk, which caliber would be more powerful? I'm talking using 'store-bought' ammo. Which would be the more powerful handgun; .45LC or .44 Mag?

 

[Knuckles]

Many more choices for the .44mag.

Some new 'HOT' .45LC on the market.

Both can be Smoke'n rounds.

I choose .45LC because... because... well, because it's the biggest and I'm a wimp when it comes to most .44magnum revolvers.

The .45colt just doesn't seem to bite at me so bad... even stoked with the MONSTER factory ammo.

I've heard the same thing with the Ruger .480 being less punishing on the shooter then the 454 Cas'

With that being said, NOBODY has any .45LC for sale around me.

 

[skip]

if you reload .45 colt you have all thr choices anyone could want...i shot and reloaded .44 mag. all through the 70"s..now i have 5 .45 colts that i reload for..less muzzle blast...larger hole..may not shoot as flat as .44 mag. , but i don.t much beyond 75 yards anywho..

 

[Aggie01]

Take the red pill.
http://www.customsixguns.com/writings/dissolving_the_myth.htm

 

[coloradofarmboy]

With that being said, NOBODY has any .45LC for sale around me.

I was thinking that the other day. At least in the circles I hang out with, .45s don't change hands much. People tend to like em and hang onto them.

The 44 mag is a fine caliber, but prefer the 45 for all the said reasons out there. Lots of fun to shoot!

 

[oldgoat46]

You can shoot 45LC cowboy action loads for practice and bought in bulk they are not too pricey. then for serious stuff you can buy some Buffalo Bore 325 grain jacked up to 1325 fps. by the same token you can shoot 44 target ammo in the 44 mag. cost of shooting wise I think the 45 LC wins.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

With care, you can come up with a good variety of ammo for either gun.

You can also reload for either one.

The real choice is with the sights you want. The Blackhawk provides adjustable sights so you can get the most out of any load you come up with. With the Vaquero, you just have to take what you get . . . as a matter of fact you will probably have to search for a load that shoots to point of aim.

JMHO

 

[dougader]

I prefer the 45 Colt, mostly for nostalgic/historical reasons but the 44 mag is a great cartridge too. I like loading for both.

When you get into 300+ grain slugs, as a general rule, you can match the 44 mag velocities with 45 Colt, only 44 mag takes 36,000 psi to get there and 45 Colt uses ~ 30,000 psi.

The articles by John Linebaugh linked above tell all about it in detail.

 

[Rclark]

which caliber would be more powerful?...I'm talking using 'store-bought' ammo.

.44mag . You can buy 'special' .45 ammo that meets or exceeds .44mag. For for 'normal' store bought ammo, .44mag is it.

That said .... I prefer .45 Colt. For all of the above given reasons. I reload.

 

[flatgate]

The only real solution is to have at least one of each....

.44 mag. Flattop and a .45 Colt cal. OM Blackhawk.

"Packin' Pistols"

flatgate

 

[andyo5]

If you intend to buy a Redhawk, get the .44 Magnum. It has the interchangable front sight system, while the 45 Colt Redhawk has only a pinned red ramp front sight. If you don't like it, you are screwed unless you have a gunsmith install a custom sight.

 

[gobe]

You guys are great! I've read and reread all your comments ... and also read the entire link that Aggie 01 'John' posted. I just recently had the pleasure of shooting a friend's old model Vaquero .45LC and was very surprised at what a 'mild mannered' shootin' iron it was ..... my .38 Spl S&W j-frame has a more punishing felt kick than the Vaquero! In fact, my SP-101 has a sharper kick than the Vaquero. Having never shot a .44 Magnum, I had no frame of reference for the difference between the .45LC and .44 Mag.

The impression that I get is that, on the 'receiving end', there's not much difference, but on the 'delivering end', the .44 Mag will probably feel 'snappier'. Once it leaves the barrel, the device used to launch it doesn't much matter. Bullet weight, velocity and cross sectional density are the factors at the impact point. (Barring HEI, of course )

Thanks for all the info, guys.

 

[gobe]

BTW Flatgate ...... those are a couple of beauties!

 

[skip]

all ewe hoty toity guys with your shinny brass frames showing them off every chance you get making the rest of use feel like inferior slime...i bought a BH .45 so I to could put a brass frame on it and the day I recieved it nobody nowhere had a brass frame to sell under $300 bucks so it sits in my drawer half apart waiting for what I don't know...I will probably put it back together with that dull cheesy aluminum frame and sell to somebody with a box full of brass frames...the world is not a fair place....and besides the more I looks a those BH's with those brass frames I'm thinkin I really don't need one any how so why do I feel like there is a big empty hole in my ...oh to hell with it anyhow....

 

[Sonnytoo]

If you're lazy, get the maggie. If you think reloading is fun, get the .45 LC. You can buy dinosaur-killers for either one thru Buffalo Bore, Grizzly, CorBon, etc.
Or, if you're a lazy reloader, like me, get some of each. I tend to think that the .45 kicks less; it certainly sends a similar bullet downrange at 10,000 # less chamber pressure. And I am a recent convert to the Maggie, but I think both calibers are fine.
sonnytoo

 

[dougader]

The only real solution is to have at least one of each...

At least one of each.

Man, those are nice Flatgate!

 

[twobisquit]

There is always be a better selection of .44 Ammo on the shelves just because there are more owners of .44 mags. A lot of people like to shoot .44 Specials in their Maggies and that is an extra bonus of owning a .44 Mag.
Having said that, I am a reloader and prefer the .45 Colt. If I did not reload I would go with .44 Mag.

 

[Bucks Owin]

I love 'em all when they start with a "4", be it .41, ".43", or .45. (And a .500 Wy Express would REALLY float my boat!..sigh) But I think I'll throw in with Sonnytoo in regard to handloading. If you want to shoot the real stumpthumpers in a .45 Colt, you'd best roll your own. The "hot" .45 factory fodder is liable to cost you around a dollar every time you pull the trigger! :shock: ......Recoil? "For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction" (or something like that...) The heavier and faster the bullet, the more you get an "opposite reaction" :wink:

 

[don44]

A 44 magnum, preferably in a Ruger. Stops 'em every time.

 

[dougader]

I have never seen a box of 44 Specials for sale in any shop or store I have ever been in. I do see a box of 45 Colt once in awhile, but its always the factory loads at 14k psi.

If I want to shoot downloaded ammo in a 44 mag, I better be a handloader; same goes true for heavy loads in 45 Colt.