tdmoparguy
New member
Ballistic and recoil wise how do 45ACP and 44 Special compare? I do know 45ACP is cheaper and easier to find. I'm thinking of a S&W model 21 or 22.
45ACP vs 44special
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rodwhaincamo
New member
The 44 Spl has similar ballistics to standard 45 ACP loads. But you can get +P loads for the ACP. Also you cannot use a heavier than 200 grn HP in most cases since the heavier ones are designed to work at 44 Mag velocity. But a 200 grn 44 bullet is no slouch.
All things being equal (which they generally aren't) the recoil ought to be very similar. The weight of the handgun, as well as the design, will influence the recoil characteristics.
All things being equal (which they generally aren't) the recoil ought to be very similar. The weight of the handgun, as well as the design, will influence the recoil characteristics.
carguychris
New member
The ballistic and recoil differences are negligible IMHO. The two rounds are nearly identical on paper.
In terms of practical considerations, .45ACP factory ammo is more readily available, the cartridge allows lightning-quick reloads if you use moonclips, and if you handload, you have the added flexibility of using .45 Auto Rim cases if you don't feel like dealing with the moonclips and don't want to punch .45ACP cases out of the cylinder with a pencil eraser.
In terms of practical considerations, .45ACP factory ammo is more readily available, the cartridge allows lightning-quick reloads if you use moonclips, and if you handload, you have the added flexibility of using .45 Auto Rim cases if you don't feel like dealing with the moonclips and don't want to punch .45ACP cases out of the cylinder with a pencil eraser.
It depends on if you're talking about commercial loads or handloads. With commercial loads, the .45 ACP has it all over the .44 Special as you'll find much more choice with the .45 ACP, and the price will probably be a little less. With handloads, the .44 Special can be comfortably loaded to meet or exceed anything (commercial or handloads) in .45 ACP. The factory standard for the .44 Special is a 246gr LRN bullet at about 750 fps (307 ft-lbs). If that was all the .44 Special was capable of, then it would be a dead issue (except maybe for cowboy action shooting). SAAMI has no ".44 Special +P" designation, but several writers (Elmer Keith being one of the first, with Brian Pearce being one of the better modern writers) have advocated more strenuous .44 Special loads. It's no great feat to exceed 1000 fps with a 250gr LSWC bullet in the .44 Special, and at pressures that shouldn't harm a modern handgun.
For recoil, well it depends. A M21 or M24 shooting a factory standard 246gr load probably feels about the same as a 1911 shooting a factory .45 ACP 230gr FMJ round at 750-800 fps. But the recoil of a fast-stepping 200gr GDHP out of a S&W M396 Mountain Lite (18 oz empty) will get your attention.
For versatility, while there are both .45ACP semi-autos and revolvers available, I've never heard of a .44 Special semi-auto. But then, I've never heard of an 18 oz weapon in .45 ACP either...
For me, the .44 Special does 98% of everything I need a handgun to do, without the necessity of chasing brass all over the range...
For recoil, well it depends. A M21 or M24 shooting a factory standard 246gr load probably feels about the same as a 1911 shooting a factory .45 ACP 230gr FMJ round at 750-800 fps. But the recoil of a fast-stepping 200gr GDHP out of a S&W M396 Mountain Lite (18 oz empty) will get your attention.
For versatility, while there are both .45ACP semi-autos and revolvers available, I've never heard of a .44 Special semi-auto. But then, I've never heard of an 18 oz weapon in .45 ACP either...
For me, the .44 Special does 98% of everything I need a handgun to do, without the necessity of chasing brass all over the range...
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azredhawk44
Moderator
Or, you can do this:
That's a moonclipped .44 Redhawk. I can run .44 Russian, .44 Special or .44 magnum in it, clipped or individual cartridges.
I agree that russian/special ammo is scarce in retail terms, especially compared to .45acp. But, the .44 cartridges can be moonclipped just like the .45 can.
lomaxanderson
New member
Hammie good question
I think the cylinder still sits under the rim on the outside....but i don't know
Would like to know though....
I think the cylinder still sits under the rim on the outside....but i don't know
Would like to know though....
Duke City Six
New member
lomax,
You got it.
I used to think the same thing about guns cut for moonclips. The key is that the entire back surface of the cylinder is NOT milled down. If you look closely at azredhawk's picture, you can see that the milled area is an inner ring, leaving the outside edge of the cylinder intact to support a non-clipped cartridge rim.
You got it.
I used to think the same thing about guns cut for moonclips. The key is that the entire back surface of the cylinder is NOT milled down. If you look closely at azredhawk's picture, you can see that the milled area is an inner ring, leaving the outside edge of the cylinder intact to support a non-clipped cartridge rim.
skydiver3346
New member
.44 Spcl vs. .45acp:
Ditto what RidgwayCO said. That is similar to what I was going to say. I really like both of them and own a 3" model 696 in .44 soecial. Mainly shoot my .45s but something neat about the .44 special round. I found that the Hornady 80 grain JHP bullet is awesome. Accurate too.
Ditto what RidgwayCO said. That is similar to what I was going to say. I really like both of them and own a 3" model 696 in .44 soecial. Mainly shoot my .45s but something neat about the .44 special round. I found that the Hornady 80 grain JHP bullet is awesome. Accurate too.
azredhawk44
Moderator
Correct, hammie.
The .44 moonclip is also thinner than the .45 moonclip.
I have been 100% assured by the smith that did the machining, that this gun is completely safe to use with "Ruger-proof" .44 magnum loads from the top manufacturers, still.
However... I love how reliable the extraction is with moonclips, that I am unlikely to EVER use this gun again without moonclips.
The .44 moonclip is also thinner than the .45 moonclip.
I have been 100% assured by the smith that did the machining, that this gun is completely safe to use with "Ruger-proof" .44 magnum loads from the top manufacturers, still.
However... I love how reliable the extraction is with moonclips, that I am unlikely to EVER use this gun again without moonclips.
dakota1911
New member
As much as I love my .45 ACP revolvers, 625 and 325, I have thought of getting a 44 Mag like the 329 and shooting 44 Specials or light mags in it most the time, but still having a gun you could put hot 44 mags in if the need be. Also, as much I like my moon clips with .45 ACP, I think I would stick with speed loaders in the 44.
Mike Irwin
Staff
I have a Target Model 24-3 that I dearly love. Accurate as sin, and hardly recoils at all with lead semi-wadcutters and a case full of Trail Boss.
I recently brokered a deal for a Smith 696 for a friend of mine. I thought seriously about taking it myself, as I would LOVE to have a small, short barreled .44 Special, but I just can't get over the look of stainless steel. So I passed.
I recently brokered a deal for a Smith 696 for a friend of mine. I thought seriously about taking it myself, as I would LOVE to have a small, short barreled .44 Special, but I just can't get over the look of stainless steel. So I passed.
A .44 Spl. can be loaded to be the equal of a .45 ACP. It can be loaded considerably above that range in some guns. With the Charters and the S&W 696 going above a 200 gr. bullet at 900 fps is safe but it will beat up the gun in time and there's really no good reason to do it. Buffalo Bore does not recommend their loads to be used in the Charter for good reason-I have seen a lot of Charters shot completely into junk with hot handloads. I have and carry an old Charter .44 and an original no dash 696. Just from observing the effect of these guns and loads on pins and steel poppers I can't see any appreciable difference between a .44 Spl and a .45 ACP. (not scientific I know) Mike, I too wish my 696 was a blued gun as I am not crazy about bright stainless guns either but I dearly love the concept of an L frame .44 Spl. snub ( I figure no one will see it in the dark). Too bad that caliber is not real popular. I wish Ruger would develop a blued .44 Spl snub somewhere between their SP and GP sized frame. It could certainly handle some stouter loads than the Charter or the S&W.
Having owned a M21-4, my impressions are as follows:
The M21 is considerably lighter than most other N-Frame revolvers I've encountered (37.5oz as opposed to the 42oz for my M28 and 41.5oz for my 629) and that could become apparent when shooting. The heaviest handloads that I ever tried was a batch of 200grn Hornady XTP's loaded over 17.5grn of 2400 with a Winchester Large Pistol primer, while I don't have a chronograph, I'd expect that loading to be getting velocity somewhere in the 1200fps range. That loading was extremely uncomfortable and wore my hand out pretty quickly. The heaviest loading that I really found comfortable to shoot was a 245grn LSWC over 7.5grn Unique with a Winchester Large Pistol primer. This loading, according to the manuals, should have been getting me velocities in the 900-950fps range. The grips used for all of these were Houge Rosewood Laminate (putting rubber on a nickel gun is a mortal sin IMHO) as the S&W Factory Target grips that were on it when I purchased it tore up my hand even with Winchester Factory 246grn LRN.
The overall fit and finish of the gun was excellent. The revolver had probably the best trigger I've ever had on a S&W (rivaled only by my dad's M29-2) and the Nickel finish was breathtaking. The gun ended up being sold because I wanted something capable of real .44 Magnum ballistics (I was scared to push my handloads any further) in something the size of a 4" N-Frame (the only .44 Magnum I owned at the time was a 5 1/2" Ruger Redhawk). It was replaced by a 4" S&W 629-6, but sometimes I wish I'd have kept it.
The M21 is considerably lighter than most other N-Frame revolvers I've encountered (37.5oz as opposed to the 42oz for my M28 and 41.5oz for my 629) and that could become apparent when shooting. The heaviest handloads that I ever tried was a batch of 200grn Hornady XTP's loaded over 17.5grn of 2400 with a Winchester Large Pistol primer, while I don't have a chronograph, I'd expect that loading to be getting velocity somewhere in the 1200fps range. That loading was extremely uncomfortable and wore my hand out pretty quickly. The heaviest loading that I really found comfortable to shoot was a 245grn LSWC over 7.5grn Unique with a Winchester Large Pistol primer. This loading, according to the manuals, should have been getting me velocities in the 900-950fps range. The grips used for all of these were Houge Rosewood Laminate (putting rubber on a nickel gun is a mortal sin IMHO) as the S&W Factory Target grips that were on it when I purchased it tore up my hand even with Winchester Factory 246grn LRN.
The overall fit and finish of the gun was excellent. The revolver had probably the best trigger I've ever had on a S&W (rivaled only by my dad's M29-2) and the Nickel finish was breathtaking. The gun ended up being sold because I wanted something capable of real .44 Magnum ballistics (I was scared to push my handloads any further) in something the size of a 4" N-Frame (the only .44 Magnum I owned at the time was a 5 1/2" Ruger Redhawk). It was replaced by a 4" S&W 629-6, but sometimes I wish I'd have kept it.
If you reload-the 44 special.
If you buy your ammo-the 45 acp.
You can get great bulk buy deals off the internet on 45 acp.
You won't find any deals like that for the 44 special or the 45 Long Colt either.
And-you could buy a 1911 pistol just to complement the revolver and shoot the same ammo.
If you buy your ammo-the 45 acp.
You can get great bulk buy deals off the internet on 45 acp.
You won't find any deals like that for the 44 special or the 45 Long Colt either.
And-you could buy a 1911 pistol just to complement the revolver and shoot the same ammo.
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I had a Lew Horton 3" M24 several years ago. It was a neat gun. In a moment of weakness I sold it to a friend of mine who still has it. I have owned several 29's and 629's over the years, as well as a couple 625's.
I shoot mostly for recreation and normally do not load any of them real hot.
As I hand load, a 44 Special is no problem for me what so ever. Get a box of brass and you are set for years of shooting. With an N Frame S&W one can up the power level of a 44 Special well above a factory 45 acp with no problem. It is mostly a matter of what you want. If I came into a good buy on a 24 or 624 I would probably own it. I like my 625 just fine also. I had mine rechambered to 460 Rolland several years ago, so I can up the power on it if I wish to. Most of the time I am shooting 800 fps lead reloads in my 45 acp gun. If I again had a 44 Special (N Frame) that is about what I would be shooting in it most of the time.
I shoot mostly for recreation and normally do not load any of them real hot.
As I hand load, a 44 Special is no problem for me what so ever. Get a box of brass and you are set for years of shooting. With an N Frame S&W one can up the power level of a 44 Special well above a factory 45 acp with no problem. It is mostly a matter of what you want. If I came into a good buy on a 24 or 624 I would probably own it. I like my 625 just fine also. I had mine rechambered to 460 Rolland several years ago, so I can up the power on it if I wish to. Most of the time I am shooting 800 fps lead reloads in my 45 acp gun. If I again had a 44 Special (N Frame) that is about what I would be shooting in it most of the time.