.45 LC or .44 mag?

madluk18

madluk18

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Awhile back I created a thread on bear defense and got more then enough feedback on what rifle i should pick.

Well I've finally decided :p Its either gonna be a Lever .45 LC or a .44 MAG
I'm still a bit new to rifles and my knowledge is very limited, so i was wondering the differences/ Pros and Consto each one.

any feedback would be appreciated
thanks
 
If you don't handload, the .44 mag is going to have considerable more power. If you handload, you can load the Colt to similar pressures and kick ass on the lowly .44:p
 
madluk18 said:
Awhile back I created a thread on bear defense and got more then enough feedback on what rifle i should pick.

Well I've finally decided :p Its either gonna be a Lever .45 LC or a .44 MAG
I'm still a bit new to rifles and my knowledge is very limited, so i was wondering the differences/ Pros and Consto each one.

any feedback would be appreciated
thanks
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Just out of curiosity, why not a 45/70, 444 or 450 Marlin? You can get them in a short bbl'd Marlin Guide Gun(18.5") and they're way more versatile than the handgun cartridges you mention.
 
You don't see too many 45 colt double action pistols, more so with single action, with the exception of the super redhawk which has the strength for the longer 454 casull round. You might as well go for the 454 anyway.
The 44 mag is more common in double action pistols and can be double dutied for a common 44 rifle like a win 94.
I'll take a 12 guage over all them for bear repellant. Bears bolt when you fart by the way.
 
Real defence from bears and things that bite back should not be left to cartridges that don't stop things from happening right now. The levergun cartridge that does this better then other "factory" cartridge is the 45/70 with heavy handloads.
 
If we consider that a 45/70 using factory ammo launches a 300gr bullet at about 1800-1850fps, and a heavy load 45Colt will send a 300gr bullet out of a rifle barrel at 1600fps, the 45 Colt (and 44 mag) might be a bit bigger medicine than many think!:p
 
I can send a 480gr bullet at 1800fps in my Marlin 1895, 45 colt for all intents and purposes is not even close. If you seriously concerned about being eatin by a grizzly get a 45-70 and handload or pick up a 375h&h or 357 ruger.
 
Gatehouse said:
If we consider that a 45/70 using factory ammo launches a 300gr bullet at about 1800-1850fps, and a heavy load 45Colt will send a 300gr bullet out of a rifle barrel at 1600fps, the 45 Colt (and 44 mag) might be a bit bigger medicine than many think!:p
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If we are only going to be using factory ammo then the .375 H&H gets my vote, but a good stout load in a handloaded 45/70 lever would be my choice. I just wish I had an opportunity to need one. For now the .44 mag marlin will do alright for the blackies in my camping grounds. Don't get much further then the Arctic watershed in Ontario.
 
It's not "just" about using factory ammo..The point I am making is that factory 45/70 ammo has been used lots of times to successfully kill all sorts of animals, and it sends a 300gr bullet only 200fps faster than a hot loaded 45Colt in a rifle..so maybe a COlt 45 rifle isn't such a bad choice, especially if we consider most of these rifles are going to be carried more than shot.
 
Difference is we are not talking about KILLING, we are talking about STOPPING! It is the same as the 9mm vs. .45 ACP threads. I don't doubt a factory 45/70 or .44 mag/.45 colt will kill a bear, but when one is coming at you at 50km/hr I want that f cker in the dirt before it reaches me. The only thing worse than an angry grizzly is an injured one if you ask me.
 
A .454 carbine blurs the difference between rifle and handgun performance. But a heavy loaded .454 is still a handloading proposition, and when pressure tops out the .45/70 is well out in the lead. Of course the .458 Winchester trumps the .45/70, the .458 Lott trumps the .458 Winchester, and the .460 Weatherby trumps the Lott. The key is to find a balance between performance, bulk, and recoil. Nobody wants to carry a 15 pound rifle, neither does anyone want to deal with 100 ft/lbs of recoil. For the same weight, you can carry more .454 ammo than you can .45/70, but not by much. The .454 Puma is lighter than a M-95 Marlin, but again, not by much. Lever actions are more carry friendly than bolt guns, so the proper balance seems to lie with a .45/70.

I'll just ignore the whole discussion and continue to carry my Brno bolt gun in .375 Ultra, and if I was going to make the jump to a .45, I'd just load a .458/500 gr bullet on the Ultra case backed by about 90 grs of 4064. Thats my idea of a .45/90.
 
mlehtovaara said:
Difference is we are not talking about KILLING, we are talking about STOPPING! It is the same as the 9mm vs. .45 ACP threads. I don't doubt a factory 45/70 or .44 mag/.45 colt will kill a bear, but when one is coming at you at 50km/hr I want that f cker in the dirt before it reaches me. The only thing worse than an angry grizzly is an injured one if you ask me.
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You don't think anyone has "stopped" a charging bear with a 45/0 factory load?
:p

I shot a 1500 lb cow last month in the head with a 45colt and a 300gr FP hard cast bullet. Dropped him like a sack of hammers:p
 
Gatehouse said:
You don't think anyone has "stopped" a charging bear with a 45/0 factory load?
:p

I shot a 1500 lb cow last month in the head with a 45colt and a 300gr FP hard cast bullet. Dropped him like a sack of hammers:p
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There is stories of people killin bears with a .22lr or .45 acp also. Doesn't mean I wanna carry one of those. I want the biggest badest round that can comfortably cary, and get off multiple shots quickly. Thats all Im saying.
 
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