Best .45 Colt Revolver
- Thread starter Sean17
- Start date
I tried 200 grain flat nose bullets and they were all over the place so I got a mould that casts round nose 230 grain bullets (Hard lead) and they are much better,I have also shot 230 grain copper plated Berry's bullets made for .45ACP and they worked great. Any half decent gun shop should have re-loading stuff on hand or you can order what you need.
You have to be very careful with the .45 Colt re-loading...there is enough room in the case to over-charge it by about 3X and you may have seen on another thread what can happen.
I am new to re-loading myself so maybe other more experienced folks can add to what I have said.
I guess I never thought about the fact that a .45 acp bullet and a .45 colt bullet are the same. They are right? If so do they even sell specific .45 colt bullets.
okcorral1881
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- East of Toronto
They don't make Anacondas anymore...from time to time you may find one on EE. (over a $1000)
The second is the real thing... a Colt 1873. (1873 is the first year it was produced) and it is still made after over 100 years with very little changes!
But for $800 you won't be able to get a Colt...like Bollox, Skinny and others have told you, you should be looking at Rugers or Italians (nice) repros!
OK
These are my Chaparral 1873's and my Chiappa '92
And my cast boolits (wheel weights). 252gr SWC and 5.4grs Trail Boss.
My 1st 5 shots outta my $370 dollar SAA pistol with 7.5" bbl.
Casting is way cheaper and fun
I've always wanted to get me a .45 Colt pistol and rifle so I sold & saved
Good luck with whatever you decide on. I like the Ruger's. Good sturdy, solid frame revolvers and worth every penny.
okcorral1881
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- East of Toronto
mudgunner49
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
First off, get a copy of "Sixguns" by Elmer Keith and read it (actually it's kind of hard to put down if you're any sort of gun guy) then start getting serious about handgunnery.
Secondly, the terminology .45 LONG Colt is in fact correct. I have a number of ctg boxes so labelled from the '20's thru the '50's and have seen some from earlier. Mike Venturino wrote up an article several years back detailing the history of the cartridge and everybody should look it up if that sort of thing interests you at all. Besides, if there are cement heads out there still calling magazines "clips" I can use the term "Long Colt".
Lastly, I vote for the Ruger Bisley or Bisley Vaquero...
blake
Secondly, the terminology .45 LONG Colt is in fact correct. I have a number of ctg boxes so labelled from the '20's thru the '50's and have seen some from earlier. Mike Venturino wrote up an article several years back detailing the history of the cartridge and everybody should look it up if that sort of thing interests you at all. Besides, if there are cement heads out there still calling magazines "clips" I can use the term "Long Colt".
Lastly, I vote for the Ruger Bisley or Bisley Vaquero...
blake
The best 45 Colt revolver is Ruger Redhawk like this one:
This is a current model with 4.2 inch barrel. If you look hard, you might find older versions with 5.5 and 7.5 inch barrels. Why this? It's made on VERY strong frame and there is no screw to get loose, just one on grips.
Personally, I prefer NM Bisley like this one:
Here is standard NM Blackhawk:
Also, this revolver is available as a combo with additional cylinder for 45 ACP, same ammo as for 1911 pistol.
Why Ruger? The best bang for the buck! And if you go with New Model, these guns are much stronger than Colt clones, because Ruger uses same frame for 44 Magnum. Also, Ruger single action revolvers could be loaded in all 6 chambers. Old Colt clones just in 5.
Blou32....It is a reproduction (Uberti) I bought it from the EE NIB for $600.00..they charge $140.00 extra for the Antique finish. I saw one at the range and really liked it so I jumped when one showed up on the EE. Here is a picture of two Uberti's the one on top is a cap and ball for black powder only, this is the normal finish for the Cattleman and the "Antique" version below:
Thumbs up for the Ruger New Vaquero, this is my third. Also agree with using Trailboss for loading your own, it works well and (in my very very limited experience) is almost foolproof.
I love this pistol, it puts a big stupid grin on my face whenever I pick it up!
(not homemade ammo for photos, usually shoot cast/w Trailboss.)
When I feel the urge to make noise with a more modern pistol I use my S&W .455 (altered to accomodate the .45 Colt).
Almost seems a shame to use it since its so minty! Haha. Seriously though, its a cartridge you can have a lot of fun with. Whatever vehicle you choose, consider loading your own. As was stated before, factory ammo is pricey, it really doesn't take long for loading equipment to pay for itself. If you only shoot factory ammo, the purchase price of the pistol will be negligible compared to what you burn punching holes in targets.
I love this pistol, it puts a big stupid grin on my face whenever I pick it up!
(not homemade ammo for photos, usually shoot cast/w Trailboss.)
When I feel the urge to make noise with a more modern pistol I use my S&W .455 (altered to accomodate the .45 Colt).
Almost seems a shame to use it since its so minty! Haha. Seriously though, its a cartridge you can have a lot of fun with. Whatever vehicle you choose, consider loading your own. As was stated before, factory ammo is pricey, it really doesn't take long for loading equipment to pay for itself. If you only shoot factory ammo, the purchase price of the pistol will be negligible compared to what you burn punching holes in targets.
The cartridge was never meant to have the word "long" in it. The long colt name came as a pseudonym that people used to differentiate it from the common (at the time) 45 schofield.
I do agree that some boxes have been labeled thusly.
Yes, they're the same diameter, although most bullets for the .45 ACP are 230 gr. or 200 gr, whereas the traditional .45 Colt bullet was 250 or 255.
The Bullet Barn here in BC does good stuff, although the shipping to Ontario might be a bit steep.
As I'm guessing you're new to this, it might be worth mentioning that although the traditional .45 revolvers such as the Uberti Cattleman etc. are "six-shooters", usually they are only loaded with 5 rounds since when the hammer is down, it will rest on a live cartridge. This is not such a big deal when you're shooting at the range (alas, the only place you can shoot dastardly restricted firearms!) but for carrying, loading all six cylinders was a no-no as a bump on the hammer risked setting off the round underneath it. Newer designs such as the Ruger Blackhawk have a frame-mounted firing pin with a "transfer bar", a thin steel bar that rises up as the gun is cocked and remains in place when the hammer drops, thus transferring the blow of the hammer to the firing pin. It then retracts out of the way. Some double-action revolvers achieve the same thing by having a rebounding hammer that resets after the trigger comes forward and keeps the hammer away from the firing pin.
BTW, I just came across this webpage: www.genitron.com/Basics/Revolver/P2Revolver.html which might be informative.
x2 on getting the Keith book on sixguns. It's one of the classics, although it isn't cheap. If you don't know about Elmer Keith, do a google search. One of the great gunwriter icons of the 20th c.
Stuart
Though not part of the question, have a read over this link.
http://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylor/45_short_colt.htm
Thanks for all the great info. But one more question on reloading with a .45 acp bullet. Is it a good idea? Does it affect accuracy?Yes, they're the same diameter, although most bullets for the .45 ACP are 230 gr. or 200 gr, whereas the traditional .45 Colt bullet was 250 or 255.
The Bullet Barn here in BC does good stuff, although the shipping to Ontario might be a bit steep.
As I'm guessing you're new to this, it might be worth mentioning that although the traditional .45 revolvers such as the Uberti Cattleman etc. are "six-shooters", usually they are only loaded with 5 rounds since when the hammer is down, it will rest on a live cartridge. This is not such a big deal when you're shooting at the range (alas, the only place you can shoot dastardly restricted firearms!) but for carrying, loading all six cylinders was a no-no as a bump on the hammer risked setting off the round underneath it. Newer designs such as the Ruger Blackhawk have a frame-mounted firing pin with a "transfer bar", a thin steel bar that rises up as the gun is cocked and remains in place when the hammer drops, thus transferring the blow of the hammer to the firing pin. It then retracts out of the way. Some double-action revolvers achieve the same thing by having a rebounding hammer that resets after the trigger comes forward and keeps the hammer away from the firing pin.
BTW, I just came across this webpage: www.genitron.com/Basics/Revolver/P2Revolver.html which might be informative.
x2 on getting the Keith book on sixguns. It's one of the classics, although it isn't cheap. If you don't know about Elmer Keith, do a google search. One of the great gunwriter icons of the 20th c.
There's nothing actually called "an ACP bullet" although there are bullets more appropriate to that calibre. The original military load for the .45 ACP pistol used a 230 gr. round-nose bullet. The original .45 Colt bullet was 250 gr. As long as the bullet is the right diameter it should shoot just fine.
If you're going for a .45 Colt revolver, such as a single-action like a Uberti or Ruger Blackhawk, I'd just go with a 250 gr. or 255 gr. and be done with it. Once you get the hang of shooting and reloading you can try other weights if you feel so inclined. (And you'll want to get into reloading as it will save you quite a bit.)
If you eventually get into an .45 ACP pistol, you'll want to load 230 gr. or 200 gr. The heavier bullets run out of steam in that smaller case, at least in a semi-auto pistol. I have a S&W 625 revolver chambered in .45 ACP (the story behind that chambering being a whole 'nother subject) and it can push 255 gr. bullets to 950 fps. or a more because revolvers don't have to worry about recoil spring weights and such. But that, too, is another story.
Stuart
