.44special vs .45lc

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canuck1911

New member
I have heard that the .44special has similar
characteristics to the .45lc - recoil, power, etc. except that it has slightly better penetration. I've never shot this, and was wondering what folks' experience with it is.
Reason si I'm thinking about getting a .44mag revolver, but using .44specials in it, for better recoil. I like the .45lc a lot, and I was wondering if the .44special feels and acts the same.
 
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WESHOOT2

New member
I own a 5.5" Redhawk in 44 Mag and one in 45 Colt.

Correctly loaded, the 45 Colt out-performs the 44 Mag.

What is your intended target?

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
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Stephen A. Camp

Staff In Memoriam
Hello. In standard trim, the .45Colt is more potent than the .44 Spec and has a bit more recoil, but is not bad at all. Both can be loaded up in strong guns, but as has been noted, the .45 Colt can be loaded to more powerful levels. Perhaps the ultimate rough comparison of hot-loaded .44 Spec and .45 Colt would be the .44 Magnum and .454 Casull, respectively.

Properly loaded, either is plenty potent for small or medium game, although I strongly suspect that the .45 Colt has more fans.

Best.
 
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Dr45ACP

Moderator
Nothing wrong at all with 44 special. I have a s&w 629 that i shoot with both 44 spec and 44 mag.

My personal opinion is the difference between the recoil with 44 spec and 45 colt is not much.

It seems like its easier around here to find 45 colt ammo than 44 spec, if that makes a difference.
 
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PreserveFreedom

Guest
A lot of people say that the 45LC can be loaded ballistically better than a 44 Magnum. I don't doubt it, but if you plan on using factory ammo, which is usually a must if you are using it for any kind of defense, I would stick with the 44 Magnum and still have the option of shooting 44 Specials from it.
 
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Grayfox

New member
Both are excellent rounds, but to get the best out of either you have to reload. I prefer the .45 Colt myself, but if you don't reload, I'd go with a .44 Magnum with .44 spls just because it does give you the versatility of a wide range of ammo.

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Roadkill on the information highway.
 
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canuck1911

New member
Weshoot2,
I had wanted a 625 mountain gun, in .45lc, but unfortunately they are no longer attainable. I am looking for a gun in that type of caliber that is accurate, good trigger, fun to shoot, light enought to take along hunting or backpacking, but with a recoil similar to the .45lc. I won't be reloading. The two I am considering right now are the 629 mountian gun, which I can use to shoot .44 specials, or a Taurus Ti snubbie, in .45lc. The Taurus is too shot to be accurate, and the recoil is probably harder than I'd like, but it is light, and .45lc. The 629 is accurate and good trigger, I've heard, and a reasoanble size for backpacking, but I don't like shooting .44mag, so I't typically practice with .44 special. Since I've never shot .44 special or the 629, I'm trying to get feedback from those who have more experience.
 
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C.R.Sam

New member
One of my carry guns is a S&W 696, .44spec, 3"bbl. With mild loads the results are about like the .45ACP. With the right ammo it is a 15yd one holer. I have the option of loading hotter, well into the .44mag range. I bought mine used, the first owner had nightmare problems with timing, trigger etc. A bit of work and it smoothed out. Would I get another?....probably not. Would rather have one in real steel.

Sam...if it goes bang it be cool...if it goes BANG it be real cool
 
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Archie

New member
Okay. It depends on what gun you have.

For revolvers in general, the 45 Colt beats the 44 Special in factory loadings. When reloaded, the 44 Special is what made the 44 Magnum.

Don't even think about reloading your 45 Colt into a 45 Casull unless it's a Casull. The original 45 Colt casing will give out before a 44 Special case will. Just the way they are made.

So... take your pick.

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Archie
 
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Brasso

New member
I get amused by all the people who say that the .45lc can be loaded hotter than the .44mag. While this is technically true, you have to buy a $1500 gun to do it. In factory offerings, they are equal in power, with the .44 having a penetration advantage due to a higher sectional density. If you're not going to spend the big bucks on a custom sixgun, then get the .44mag. Factory ammo is more plentiful in both full power and mild level lead loads. In addition, there are a plethora of self defense loads available in both .44mag and .44spl. The .45lc is almost strictly a handloading proposition, and doesn't even out do the .44 without high dollar launch platforms.
 
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Cosmoline

New member
Talk about an all-star fight, this one's Elmer Keith vs. Dick Casull! I'm more of a .45 Colt fan myself, but both cartridges have enormous potential.

Why not go for a customized Ruger trail gun in .45 Colt or a Keith No. 5 in .44? Either would serve you well.

[Rant warning]
BTW, where is this stuff about "weak" long colt brass coming from?? It made some sense 80+ years ago, when old cowboy brass might have been tainted with residue from black powder and corrosive primers. But it should have ended once and for all when Casull used that same "weak" brass for the experimental triplex loads which gave birth to the world's most powerful handgun cartridge.

It's not like there's a factory in Belize cranking out all the world's long colt brass. Obviously, some factory ammo is going to use better brass than others. But this goes across the board. There's absolutely nothing per se "weak" about .45 colt brass.
[Rant over]

All the same, you don't want to try that triplex load at home ;-)
 
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Cosmoline

New member
And I have to add. Yes, you CAN get an excellent, extremely strong Ruger in .45 Colt for a whole lot less than $1,500. I'd trust Ruger over Freedom Arms these days, anyway. You can even get a Casull for under $700 now.

That said, I have to admit you can't buy the powerhouse Colt loads over the shelf. For factory loads, .44 has the edge. The factories are afraid someone might drop a hot .45 Colt load into grandpa's Peacemaker, so they won't load the catridge to anywhere near its full potential.

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GRH
My government is a 45/70
 
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canuck1911

New member
This past week I rented both .45lc and .44mag
range guns, and took the range ammo in each case. The .44mag just wasn't fun to shoot. The .45lc was great. (The .44mag was a Ruger and the .45lc a colt anaconda.) I don't think I want to regularly shoot anything with worse recoil than the .45lc. The versatility of the .44 is nice, but only if there are loads in .44mag and .44special that give it recoil like the .45lc. Are there such loads that can be purchased?

BTW, how woulda short 3" or 4" barrel affect the accuracy/power of either load? (Looking at S&W mountain guns).
 
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thanatos

New member
Given that I enjoy shooting hot loads from my S&W 629 Classic, hot enough that the lock work was destroyed on my old M29 by the same loads, I do not find commercially available .44 Mag loads a problem. I have taught 13 yr old girls to shoot w/ the 629, and they prefered the Magum ammo to the .44 Special. A .44 Special load shoots as soft as a .38 Special (subjectively) out of a heavy gun. N frame Smith's are not especially light guns.

If the recoil of a .44 Mag is more than you want, I would still encourage you toward the .44, and use Specials for plinking, yet have the readily available Magnum ammo for those occaisions when you want to knock something down. The .45 Colt is a great round, but only practical if you reload!

p.s. > I tend to agree w/ Col. Cooper: if the power and recoil are too much for you, you ain't shoot'n' it enough! Put several hundred rounds through it, and you definitely get used to it. When shooting .45acp for extended periods w/o shooting a .44 or .357, the Magnums seem INCREDIBLE, but I am quickly acclimiated back to the more powerful rounds.

[This message has been edited by thanatos (edited November 09, 2000).]
 
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TMB2

New member
I believe CorBon hunting ammunition in 45lc is readily available in loadings that match or approximate the 44 magnum:

45 COLT Magnum+P 265gr BondedCore HP
1350fps/1073ft/lbs

45 COLT Magnum+P
300gr JSP 1300fps/1126ft/lbs
45 COLT Magnum+P
335gr HardCast
1050fps/820ft/lbs
 
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Grayfox

New member
The myth of weak .45 Colt brass goes way back to the days of ballon head cases. Modern .45 Colt brass is just as strong as any other caliber and can safely be loaded to magnum levels and beyond.
And no, you don't have to spend $1500 on a custom gun to shoot magnum level .45 Colts. The Ruger Blackhawk is plenty strong enough and a whole lot cheaper. Its only when you get up into the Super Magnum levels such as Ross Sigfrieds Buffalo Busters that custom guns are needed.
As I've said before, in the past I have experimented with hot .45 Colt loads that make the .44 Mag look like a weenie. But have come to realize that standard velocity .45 Colt loads are capable of dealing with just about anything the average hunter or shooter will likely run into in this country without all the buck and roar of a magnum. At most you might occasionally have use for a .45 Colt+P load which is still relativly mild to shoot.

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Roadkill on the information highway.
 
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canuck1911

New member
Everyone,

Thanks for the feedback. I've been inundating the forum this week with various questions, because after new year's, I won't be able to get many guns here in California, and so I have to make some decisions quickly. I've decided to go with a 625 .45lc Lew Horton that I found new. I think the .45lc will be adequate for any wild game out here, and the weight and recoil are right. Perhaps I'll try
a .44 special later on.

Thanks again.

Canuck
 
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