.44 mag or .45 colt?

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rem870hunter

New member
maybe if it all goes well with that tax check were supposed to be getting. i'll get a single action revolver. what i would like to know is:
1. which of the 2 calibers should i get? .44 mag or .45 colt
2. what barrel length 5 1/2" or longer?
3. which make? ruger saa colt uberti
4. should i want a heavy or balance gun?

would really prefer adjustable sights on it. will not using a scope on it. it will be used as a backup to my deer rifle for out of state hunting. not that my marlin in .35 shouldn't handle the task. hunting in virginia comes to mind for black bear and hogs maybe. and occasional range blasting. so a 50 yard sight in would be maximum.

a local shop i was in earlier this evening had a ruger i think it was a super blackhawk. not sure if it was old or new model. but it was in .44 mag. it had what looked like a 5 1/2" barrel. they had a .45 colt (can't remember the make) but it had fixed sights.

i don't have either caliber now and haven't shot any pistols that use either caliber. the largest and heaviest pistol i fired was a colt 1911 in .45 auto. if that makes a difference or not. i've heard that the .44 mag packs a whallop to your hands as far as recoil goes. i am guessing the .45 colt would too. so i am thinking on putting hogue or pachmyar rubber grips on it.
 
3

3-fitty-7

New member
check out the ruger bisley hunter, stainless for the weather, scope rings just incase you change your mind, .44 mag, damn sexy looking, the bisley grip frame does wonders for recoil, good price and very accurate so i've heard.
http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger_Bisley_Hunter.htm
i don't know if you can tell or not but i want one really bad :rolleyes: i wouldn't buy a high priced SAA or replica and strap it on my hip for backup hunting but that's just me. hope this helped you.
 
B

Bowhunter57

New member
rem870hunter,
I've been debating the same calibers, actions, etc. and I highly recommend a Ruger for a brand, 44 Mag. for a caliber, 7 1/2" barrel length and a stainless finish.

The Ruger in the Bisley grip style will allow the recoil to be better managed, if you're set on a single action revolver. If you're not opposed to a double action revolver, then the Redhawk or Super Redhawk will certainly meet your needs. :) If you can't find decent prices locally, take a look at Bud's Gun Shop, www.budsgunshop.com

* Ruger for their well known strength, reputation, reliability and accuracy.
* 44 Mag. will allow you to shoot/reload 44 Specials for lower powered target/plinking loads or load full powered 44 Magnum loads utilizing the same brass...44 Mag.
* A 7 1/2" or longer barrel will give you the best ballistics and a longer sighting plane.
* A stainless steel finish will last longer and require less maintenance.

Good hunting, Bowhunter57
 
M

mac45

New member
Adjustable sights pretty much leaves you with the Blackhawk.
I'd go with the .45 Colt if you reload, .44 Mag if you don't.
FWIW, I don't care for rubber grips on Blackhawks. Rubber grips keep the gun from rotating like it wants to, and transmit more of the recoil back to your hand.
At least that's what it feels like to me.
 
H

Hawg

New member
I like the smooth wood grips on a Ruger Super Blackhawk. They let the recoil roll it up in your hand. Checkered or rubber just make your hand/wrist hurt after awhile.
 
C

CraigC

Moderator
If you are a handloader, either cartridge can be utilized to great effect. If you are not, the .44Mag is a clear and logical choice. While heavy .45Colt factory fodder exists, it would be far too cost prohibitive to burn enough to become proficient. Adjustable sights are a huge plus, not only for their inherent adjustability but also for their typically superior sight picture.

Barrel length is highly subjective. You don't 'need' a long barrel for a field gun but there is an important sight radius advantage. Most find the 5½" to be a great compromise length, although I prefer a 4 5/8" or 4¾" barrel. I find that I not only shoot better with them but that they are also more comfortable. Custom gunsmiths have confirmed this strange phenomenon that seems to contradict everything you ever read about barrel length and how it effects recoil. Anything 4" or over will get you to 50yds if you do your part. Check your local game laws for barrel length requirements.

The grip style is also highly subjective. A great many prefer the Ruger Bisley for the hard kickers, myself included. Do yourself a favor and handle the Bisley, Super Blackhawk (7½" or longer) and the standard grip frame of the shorter barrelled Supers.
 
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Zombie Steve

New member
44mag is more versitile. .45 colt is more romantic. take your pick
Click to expand...

I'd agree for the most part - but shoot a .45LC cowboy load, then something from Cor-Bon going 1400 fps... that's quite a difference.

I just went through the same thing recently. I already own a .44mag, so for a single action gun, I went with the .45 long. It just seemed right.
As mentioned before, if you don't load your own, your choices will be limited at the local store with .45LC.

Temptation?
DSCF1630.jpg


I really got to get a new pic with the walnut grips...
 
E

Erik

New member
"I'd go with the .45 Colt if you reload, .44 Mag if you don't."

I concur.

There's more than an article or two floating around the 'net written by big bore afficionatos explaining their preference for the .45LC; despite their admiration for the .44 magnum.
 
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halleen1018

New member
.44 Mag or .45 colt

I've had the same type question after I loaned my .44 Mag to my son.:( I've had three Ruger Super Blackhawks and loved them. I just thought I wanted something different and considered the .45 colt but ended up going back to the .44 again. I still want the .45 so some day I'll have both. The one thing that turned me was the .45 I was looking at didn't have adjustable sights. I'm a sticker for accuracy so if I can't dial a gun in, it isn't quite my style. I still like the looks of the .45 colt and will get one one of these days. The comments made by others about recoil is correct. The single action revolvers when fired actually roll back in your hand. This lessens the felt recoil on the shooter as compared to a double action which tends to push straight back. I have a funny story to tell about my first Ruger .44 Mag. A gunsmith friend of mine had a set of target grips for his Super Blackhawk sitting on a shelf when I went to visit him one day. I asked him about them then he handed them to me and said here you can have them. I said wow, thanks and went home and installed them on mine. I took it out to shoot it later. I only shot it once. That was enough for me. It about ripped the web between my thumb and first finger, ouch! I took them back to the fellow, he about fell off his chair laughing. He'd done exactly the same thing. Anyway, the grips stopped the rocking in my hand when fired. Smooth grips is the way to go.
 
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jamaica

New member
My taste would run to the Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 Mag. Yes get the smooth wood grips.
5.5 inch barrel.
I have one question, could you get Ruger to put a Bisley grip frame on that?
 
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S

Socrates

Moderator
Ok:
I'm not going to the caliber issue, but, I'll talk about the guns.

First off: if you can find one used, a 454 FA 83 is THE gun.
You can chop the barrel down, and, load it mild to wild.
Mine started life as a 454, and is now a one hole 475 Linebaugh. For carry, and your issues, I'd seriously think about a shroud to 5.5 inch barrel.
475right2.jpg

http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=16497471&selected=

Second choice: Best kept secret in SA pistols:
BFR regular length cylinder, revolvers. Again in 454, but, you can load it down, or use 45 Colt in it:
BFR_Short-Cyl-w-base.jpg

These are really rugers, and parts interchange, but made like a custom gun:

http://www.magnumresearch.com/Expand.asp?ProductCode=BFR454C6
Here's a custom shop gun converted to .500JRH, but, the barrel length on both guns is REAL packable:
Eds500vsBFRcustom5gripsright.jpg


Now the other guns.

If you can find a Colt, I'd grab it, if the price is right. People don't loose money on colts.

Rugers are fine, but, the 45 Colt Rugers have a spotty reputation when bought used, and, I don't know how well they are currently being made. Oversized chambers have been the problem. I don't like gambling on guns, i.e. if I got a gun that had the cylinder bored with new drill bits, or old ones. Seems the quality control on the 44 is a bit better.

I like the wide range of loads I can use in the 454, so, I'd go with that, and shoot 45 Colt out of it.

Now, when you start stepping into the 44 mag range of recoil, or even heavy 45 Colt, your ability to shoot the gun is going to be directly related to how well the grips fit your hand. Mud and Snows if they fit, are all right, but, you may end up with a torn up palm. Heavy revolvers are generally better shot by letting the gun rotate up in your hand, and not trying to death grip the gun. That's why I love the custom grips on my 83, fitted to my large hands. Without such grips, the guns were unshootable for me.
 
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rugersp101

New member
.45 colt is a sweet goblin stopper. there are some really potent .45LC+P rounds out there and everyone knows a .45LC punches BIG holes in a bad guy!
 
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44 AMP

Staff
Either is fine, depending on what you want

I love Rugers, and have had Blackhawks in .45 caliber since 1983. I originally bought the 7.5" convertable, with the idea of shooting .45acp without having to puck up the brass, but I made the mistake of firing a box of Winchester .45 Colt through it first. After that, .45acp just wasn't much of anything. I then spent a few years working with loads from mild to wild. What I learned from this was that, for ME, loads significantly heavier than factory .45 Colt hurt. The gun rolls up in the hand just fine, but the back of the trigger guard smacks my middle finger. My solution was a set of Pachmayr grips, which fill in behind the triggerguard, as well as being oversize. I eventually settled on a 250gr SWC @ 1,100fps for my "working" load, and have no trouble with it or these grips.

I like them so much that I put them on my Super Blackhawk, and on my .357 Blackhawk. They fit my hand well enough, the gun does roll up some (but not as much as with regular small wood grips), and I do not find them unpleasant to shoot, particularly when compared to DA revolvers in the same weight and power class. My model 28 and 29 both wear Pachmayr grips as well. I just like them.

Pachmayr grips are not needed on Colt SAAs, because they will not handle the heavy loads that make them a pain to shoot. And on lower recoiling loads they are not needed, I have a Blackhawk that I leave the .45 ACP cylinder in (I bought a second convertable just for this), and it has oversize checkered wood grips.

For the purist, buy a Colt (or a clone) and use "traditional" grips. For the shooter, get a Ruger, and use whatever grips feel best to you.

The Super Blackhawk is slightly heavier than the Blackhawk, due to the unfluted cylinder, and steel grip frame, and had a grooved trigger that the Blackhawk lacks. The Super also has a lower and wider hammer spur, which gives it a slightly different feel. Both guns can handle the max loads for either caliber, and are very pleasant to shoot with reduced loads.

I know this doesn't help you decide, sorry.;) I got the .45 first, because I already had a .45 auto. I got the .44 later. Either way, you should look in to handloading. Not only does it increase the versatility of the guns tremendously, it is the only way to afford regular shooting, unless you are wealthy. I'm not, and while the price of components has goen up, it is still cheaper than buying factory ammo every time.

Let us know which way you go, so we can all tell you you picked the wrong one!:D (each one will be the wrong one to somebody)

Good Luck, and good shooting.
 
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rem870hunter

New member
the .44 mag shouldn't be a problem. my father has alot of reloading supplies. it looks like i would need dies, projectiles and powder to reload. having said that, would hercules unique powder be suffice for handloading? and i think it would be a really good idea for me to be able to shoot a few different models of SA revolvers in .44 mag and .45 colt before making up my mind. but i doubt that would happen. if i like both i'll get one and then later get the other caliber. or maybe just for the hell of it get the convertible model so i have both calibers to begin with.

yes obviously the .45 colt would put a bigger hole in a goblin and a black bear,deer:D. and make a good bit of noise too. the ruger super blackhawk that was in the local shop had what looked to be a 5 1/2" barrel. if a 7 1/2" model would be better for what i want to use it for. i will look for one. if i recall right the shop wanted $325.00 for the ruger SBH .44 mag it was the only make they had that was .44 mag. im pretty sure it was used. but looked really great. wood grips on it with the ruger bird emblem. i have shot DA revolvers in .22 lr,.38 spl. and .357 mag. my father and i don't have a revolver larger than .357 mag. the .44 mag in SA would be my first SA revolver. much less my first .44 mag handgun. dad will probably smack me for buying it :rolleyes:. but i'll let him shoot it too. thank you all for your input and suggestions so far.
 
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