Gettin' talkative.........

[Bob Wright]

Forgive me for getting a bit loquacious, I reckon stayin' in is sort or getting to me. I've been mulling over my Rugers. Y'all know my penchant for the Super Blackhawk and the .44 Magnum. But I have not ignored the .45 Colt, either. And for me, its .45 Colt. Period.

Around 1983 or '84 I dabbled around with the .45 Colt in a Blackhawk. Actually compared the Bisley, Super Blackhawk and Blackhawk grip frames over different barrel length and different handloads. I had one .45 Colt load that was a doozy. I had a 350 gr. RNFP bullet intended for the .45-70 sized down to .454" and loaded with IMR-4227 for around 1300 f.p.s. This was the heaviest load I believe I ever shot in my Rugers, though did have a 325 gr. .44 Magnum load but never went anywhere with it.

Here is the load in full recoil, photo ca. 1984:

While I didn't make it a standard load to be shot daily, I put quite a few of those loads through this .45. And, some thirty years later, the same Blackhawk:

Here is another .45 Colt which I do enjoy. It was a Bisley during my testing days, but now is the more comfortable "Super" Blackhawk configuration:

This .45 Colt was later fitted with an auxiliary cylinder and used (with the ACP cylinder) for my .45 Special trials:

The same .45, but back as a plain Blackhawk:

Don't get me wrong, still have that same feeling for the .44 Magnum, but have found favor with the .45 Colt as well.

Bob Wright

 

[Kevin]

Bob... go for it and talk away!

You've talked before about studying different aspects of guns and calibers, is there anything you always wanted to study but never got around to doing yet? Or the opposite: any caliber you've never been interested in and don't care to shoot?

 

[BDM1]

I love seeing older gun/shooting pics, thanks for posting!

 

[bogus bill]

This picture was in my grandpa`s stuff. I am guessing it was taken around 1900 in Bettendorf Iowa as that is where he was from.
https://i.postimg.cc/prt3qb3T/Idonotknow3.jpg

 

[bogus bill]

Picture of my dad and a little buck he shot.
https://i.postimg.cc/6QDtdftr/Dad-in-1946.jpg

 

[WendyZXZ]

Very nice revolvers, and in my husband's all time favorite centerfire handgun caliber! His is a S&W model 25 though:

Fine handgun and caliber but the N frame is a bit big for my small hands.

 

[wvjoetc]

Bob, that makes my hands hurt just looking at it. Congratulations! Would you mind to tell me a little about the 45 Xtra Short? Looks very interesting,

 

[Bob Wright]

Kevin asked:

You've talked before about studying different aspects of guns and calibers, is there anything you always wanted to study but never got around to doing yet? Or the opposite: any caliber you've never been interested in and don't care to shoot?

As far as my interests go, the .44 & .45s have been the height of my interest. If it takes a five shot cylinder, or something heavier that the Blackhawk/N-Frame then that is beyond my realm of interest. My idea of the handgun is one than could conceivably be drawn and fired with one hand.

As for the .45 Xtra Sort, it is the .45 Colt case cut to the same length as the .45 ACP. It is very close to, or the same, as the .45 Cowboy Special. I use salvaged (split necks) .45 Colt cases. I load them using ACP dies and .45 Colt shell holders. They work in .45 Colt chambers as well as the ACP cylinder. I now call them the ".45 Special" as that is what S&W would have called them had the .45 M1906 revolver cartridge become a commercial reality.

Bob Wright

 

[Heliman]

45ACP/45Auto Rim like my Grandpa carried in the Great War..... and a one handed shooter.

 

[wvjoetc]

Bob, would this be a rather mild recoiling round? My arthritis has limited my shooting capability, my 1911's are now gone due to my RA. I love shooting the 45 acp, and a single action would be ideal as long as the recoil is not to intense. Thanks for your comments.
Joe

 

[Mus408]

Lovin' this .45 talk!

I like the .45 Specials loaded with 5.7 gr. Unique. They shoot well out of my Bisley BH at 860-879 FPS,New Vaquero and my Uberti .45 revolvers.

 

[Bob Wright]

In the .45 Special, or Xtra Short, I'm shooting a 200 gr. cast bullet at 795 f.p.s. Not exactly a .22, but close enough!


Bob Wright

 

[Rclark]

No matter what I shoot, I keep coming around to the o' .45 Colt. Just 'feels'/'looks'/'shoots' right. No way of explaining it other than like a good comfortable pair of shoes... Growing up it was .22s ('06 for big game hunting of course), then my Uncle got this .357 BH which was more gun than I'd ever seen up to then . Of course as a late teen, I had to have one. Carried my .357 BH all over the hills hiking/camping/fishing. Then in my 20s I had to get a 'gasp' .44 Magnum. That 'kid' thing.... Almost walk down that barrel so it seemed... Wasn't until I was in my late 30s that my attention turned to the .45 Colt. Haven't looked back since. Why I didn't get one earlier I'll never know... Standard .45 Colt just 'fits' me and my style of six-gunning.

 

[bogus bill]

I have .45 colts in single actions plus a s&w 25-5. Also have several colt saa`s in .44 special plus some in smiths and one ruger..
I dont know if my concerns are valid or not, but I feel a little safer shooting the .44 specials than the 45 colts due to the paper thin meat over the notch`s in the .45 colts.
These are all in .44 special.
https://i.postimg.cc/JzRVzvzk/IMG-1417-edited-1.jpg

 

[azleite]

Those are really nice Bill. That top right one sure has a tall front sight

 

[bogus bill]

That is a Triplelock made I think (without digging for the factory letter) in 1909. It was sent back to the factory in 1950 and had the adjustable sight added. The other 6 1/2" is a 1950 model made I think in 1955, both front sights are the same height when you hold them muzzle to muzzle. The rib on the barrel of the 1950 target model lower left makes it appear shorter. Thanks. I once took three or four of them out together to compare them off the bench. The Triplelock was the most accurate.

 

[Rclark]

I dont know if my concerns are valid or not, but I feel a little safer shooting the .44 specials than the 45 colts due to the paper thin meat over the notch`s in the .45 colts.

Not valid at all ... as long as you stay close to the SAAMI specs. If you are talking Rugers SAs (you probably know this), then you even push the .45 Colt a bit with Tier 2 and with the large frame Tier 3 loads. So no worries. For most of my shooting top of the Tier 1 loads is all I need for most of my activities. That said, nothing wrong with the .44 Special. I like shooting that cartridge too. Not quite the same though as the o' .45 Colt.

 

[bogus bill]

I bought this colt .45 used but looked new about 1994. I think it was made a few years before, late 1980`s. Upon firing it I had to hammer the cases out as they were swollen. I sent it to colt with the request that if it needed a new cylinder could they give me one with the removable bushing. They did! They also numbered the new cylinder to the gun. Also sent back the original cylinder and didn't charge me a dime!
I never had that type problem with the .44 specials. I have read quite a bit about others with colt saa`s with oversize cylinders for the bores too. Colt invented the the .45 colt, other company's seem to get it right, why cant colt? https://i.postimg.cc/fybCP7zk/Colt-SAA-SA-47021-45-colt.jpg

 

[Don Lovel]

I have a pet load for my 7 1/2" Bisley running a 300gr cast over 15gr IMR 4227. Easy recoil, cloverleaf accuaracy at 35yds out of my Bisley.