John Linebaugh settles misunderstandings on 45 Colt...

[Bear Paw Jack]

There seems to be a LOT of misunderstanding of what a handgun, particularly a 45 Colt, or a 44 Magnum round is capable of, or that they are marginally capable of handling big game including big bears. Not trying to start an argument but John is the expert in this category. I carried a 44 magnum for a lot of years in Alaska because I had great confidence in it's ability to handle a moose or a grizzly, with the proper loads. I carried for the most part a 328 grain hard cast I got from a guy named Ace Dooby. I'm sure many of you are familiar with this article but is a good update, and great for people who don't have the experience with these rounds. Enjoy. I'm posting the link because it's rather long and I don't want to take up space on here.

https://www.johnlinebaughcustomsixguns.com/writings

 

[Fox Mike]

That is a very interesting and informative article. Thanks for posting it.

 

[Paul B]

Good article. I noticed he mentioned Ross Seyfried. Ross did an article on the "poor man's" hunting sixgun in .45 Colt. He said the Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley with 5.5" barrel was just about perfect for someone wanting to have a .45 he could load hot in the Linebaugh realm of things. I found one NIB at a gun show for a decent price and I'm inclined to agree. My only gripe is it's very heavy which is good regarding recoil will definitely try to pull your pants down in a belt rig. :shock: I've done a little work with W296 and a 260 gr. bullets but am not all that fond of the very loud muzzle blast and bright flash. I may try 2400 as I like that one in the .357 and .44 Magnums.
Just an offbeat comment on the .44 Mag. and bears. Back in the mid 70's I was trying for a job transfer to Alaska and had purchased a Ruger NM Super B .44 Mag. The place for reloading and guns in Reno NV was Alpine Sports, a primarily gun store owned by two gay guys. They even had a big bore rifle club where the minimum was the .375 H&H. When my buddy and I took the trip to Reno to get stuff they were always trying to get us to go with some big bore cannon. Anyway to get back to the tale, I was looking for a holster for my Super B and he asked why the .44 Mag. Told him I was in the running for a transfer to Bettles Alaska and heard that was serious bear country. He said, "if you ever have to shoot a Grizzly or Brown Bear with that .44, only shoot him 5 times. Save the last one for yourself while he's chewing on your guts." The fact those two guys had several brown and Polar bear mount in their store and had shot them definitely made me think on that .44. Probably a Linebugh loaded .45 wouldn't all that much better but here in AZ the only bears I have to worry about are Black Bears and in the 39 years I've lived here I've only seen one bear and he was hardly visible with an 8X binocular.
FWIW, I never did get a transfer to anywhere in Alaska.
Paul B.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Early on in Alaska I shot a brown bear over near Haines Alaska where we have family. Lot's of bears there. When people heard I shot one they would come by and ask if I would shoot one over by their place. As I learned more I discovered the capabilities of handgun cartridges and many will out penetrate or penetrate equally to rifle cartridges. I know many people over the years that killed bears of all kinds including brown bears, grizzly, polar bears with minimal cartridges from 44 mag, to 30-30, to 7.62X39, 243 all of them kill bears. Most people shoot a rifle more accurately than a handgun. Not every bear is a 10 foot bear. In fact, it takes a lot of looking to even find one. Truth is bears aren't that tough to kill with a good shot, which applies to most critters. The round I used most of the time penetrated both shoulders of a moose. What more can you ask for? A good bullet is the big issue. Too many people use the same thing as they would use on a small deer. A good heavy hard cast is the key to bigger game, including big bears. Again not all bears are big.

 

[Rancher Will]

I have never owned a .45 Colt, but I trust John Linebaugh's report.

I especially noted that he made the comments that I have learned to be true about the bullets. I have no doubt that a properly loaded .45 Colt is just as deadly on any animal, including the largest Grizzly Bear in the world, as a .30-06 rifle, provided the animal is hit in the same fatal place with the proper Keith Type bullet.

I my life I have killed close to a dozen of large Elk with my Ruger .44 mag Blackhawk, loaded with 250 Gr Keith Type hard cast bullets. I have never recovered even one bullet since every one penetrated completely through the Elk, from any angle, even front to rear and rear to front. A bullet that will penetrate 4 feet completely through the body of a bull elk will certainly penetrate through a Grizzly. Every Deer and Elk that I have killed with my .44 Mag died just as quick as every one that I shot with my .270 win. I have never seen any Elk killed any quicker when hit with any other rifle, fired by hunters who have been with me. Some rifle shots did not kill as quick as with my .44.

The .45 Colt fires a heavier bullet than a .44 Mag and I am convinced that any such bullet that will completely penetrate the body of an animal, passing through any fatal organ, is deadly. Accuracy, bullet style, bullet weight and velocity to make penetration is the key.

 

[Don Lovel]

I love my 7 1/2" Bisley 45. For deer I use 300gr JSP CorBon, Grizzly or Buffalo Bore rounds.
I also have some of the 335gr LFN Doubletaps that are real heavy hitters.
I bought that Bisley the first year they came out, it has always been very accurate with everything I have shot out of it.
I have killed a Whitetail at 150yds with the 300gr CorBon load

 

[CraigC]

I always stir up a hornet's nest when I respond to these threads because some folks are so heavily invested in the idea that the .45Colt puts the .44Mag to shame but sometimes can't help myself. IMHO, Linebaugh dissolved one myth and created another. With modern loads, using available bullets and in similar guns, the two cartridges are ballistic twins. What the .44Mag does with slightly higher pressure, the .45Colt does with slightly more powder. The .45 is 'sometimes' slightly larger in diameter and the .44 is a better penetrator. The net result is a wash and no critter will ever tell the difference.

The reason I say 'sometimes', is because there is often very little difference in meplat diameter between the two, among commercial cast bullets. Sometimes there is none. While most do, one should never assume that a given .45 bullet is functionally larger than a given .44 bullet. For example, LFN's from Cast Performance are .300" for both calibers. If you look at Montana Bullet Works 340gr WFN's, the .44 is .350" and the .45 is .360". I'm not buying any argument that a 0.010" larger meplat makes a measurable difference. In other examples, such as 300gr WFN's, the difference is only .005".

The idea that the .45's lower pressure nets the shooter anything is false. Push a comparable weight bullet to comparable velocity and the recoil will be comparable.

The idea that the .45 handles heavier bullets is also false. Both cartridges peak at 355-360gr. In which case, the .44 slings them as much as 100fps faster and with higher sectional density and less friction, it penetrates deeper.

The article mentioning that when operated at the same pressure, the .45 produces more velocity. This is a given because the cartridge using more powder on a greater surface area will no doubt produce more velocity. The rub here is that the guns in question are not the same. If he tells us that the .45's are 80% as strong as the .44's and must be run at 80% the pressure, why are we even looking at loads in the same pressure range?

If we look at Buffalo Bore 340gr .44 +P+, which is 50,000psi and their 360gr .454 load, which is also 50,000psi, the velocity rating is identical. The .44 bullet's meplat is .344", while the .454's is .347". How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?