KWYJIBO":ixxk7voj said:
I think the 45 Colt is great if any of the following conditions apply to you:
1) You are only using it for Cowboy style shooting and like the nostalgia it offers and you either
.....a) Reload cartridges yourself
...............or
.....b) Have lots of money to buy the very expensive factory ammo
or
2) You have a Redhawk/Blackhawk/Original Vaquero/Freedom Arms/Colt Anaconda and you like the versatility offered by the cartridge, from mild plinking to the Magnum-pressure "I'M AWAKE NOW" stuff, and you either
.....a) Reload cartridges yourself
.............or
.....b) Have disgraceful amounts of money to spend on the Buffalo Bore loads.
If you don't fit into one of those categories, the .357 has an edge over the old 45 for everything from self defense against human assailants to medium game hunting at short range to informal target shooting. In fact, the .357 is better for self-defense in any case; factory .357 loads have more energy than factory .45 Colts, except for a few specialized loads, and nevermind the handloads--I think it's a bad idea to use homemade ammo for defense, simply because of litigation concerns.
been a long time since i read a "GUNS AND AMMO" but there used to be an article written by a retired federal agent, he would write on facts and records from legal departments and their records around the country, back when Detroit Michigan had one of the largest drug problems in the world, he did a study on officers that had to use their sidearm in duty, and the results, he figured in everything, how many times the officer involved used a 9mm, used a 38 spcl. 357, used a 45acp or a .40cal. and what ammo they used, hydrashok's, w-w self defense speer lawman, etc etc, allong with bullet weight and construction, I don't recal all the cal. used but there were more than I listed.
The results were know surprise to me, they were all incidents where the oficers were being attacked, with wepons from ice picks to gun's, and usually by someone on narcotics, the one they said was the worst at the time, was pcp, and cocaine, because of the effects on the nervous system and how often these drug crazed attackers would attack them.
this was REAL LIFE REAL AGRESIVE ATTACKERS IN LIFE OR DEATH SITUATIONS, and very seldom did a 357 in these conditions did a 357 make a one shot kill, they recorded times after multiple shots with the 357 the attacker did harm to the officer using it! fact!! the single best and most proficiant round was the 200 grain 45 acp. usually with one shot the assailent was down and percentage wise the most ONE SHOT KILLS! hands down,
It had little to do with how hot the load is, 30 years ago I used a 357 to hunt deer, if it was over 70 yards, I was not very happy with the results, but it was the only magnum I owned, it did not kill deer as good as my 45 colt, and at that time my 45 colt was an old arminus, a very cheaply made copy of the colt SAA. so the loads were not hot or +p but believe me at 25 yards the rsults were as good and over 50 it was much better as a killing gun, there are enough shooters who have hunted aything bigger than a ground hog to know that any .44 spcl mag, 45 colt 41 mag you name the load it don't have to be hot as full house 357's to kill better and quicker, energy means little and for the 357 to kill anything that breaths better tha a 45 colt or acp for that matter it better be a very precisly placed shot. and the 45 a near miss!!!!!!!!!
The 9mm is the most widly used law enforcement wepon of the times, because of capacity and most can handel its recoil, that is all it has going for it!!!!!
I will take a big bore anyday over the 357 if my life is at stake!!!
I am not saying the 357 is not a good self defence load, but lets be real, if the person using it can handel a 41,44, or 45 as well, he has the edge proven time and time again!!!! The problem is there are a lot more people that can accuratly handel a 357 than there are that can handel accuratly the 45!
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