45 long colt?

[garzaglass]

I'm going to be carrying a 45 vaquero as a side arm this gun season and I was wanting to shoot a deer with it if its close enough.  I have read through the forums and see that it is an aceptable caliber for deer but was wondering if the over the counter loads are good enough or should I reload some of my own with a larger bullet and more powder.  the reason I say this is because I don't know how good the factory loads will be in dropping the deer and I don't like following one.  I would rather have it drop within 50 yards instead of having to track it.  Another thing I wasn't sure of is the fact that all I'm seeing in load data is for 45 colt and I thought this round was called a 45 LONG colt.  are those the same thing?

thanks for your help.

[John R.]

The correct name is 45 Colt, there has never been a cartridge named 45 Long Colt. The best factory loads for hunting will come from Buffalo Bore or Corbon. If you reload there are a lot of good choices. Try these two loads. 24 grs. of H-110 over a Hard Cast 260 gr. Keith or LBT type bullet. This will give you roughly 1280 fps depending on bbl length. (You can go as high as 27 grs. at 1450 fps in the Ruger with no problems, but 24 grs. is plenty for deer and doesn't kick as bad. If heavier game is being hunted you can load a max of 24 grs. of H-110 with a 310 gr. Keith or LBT type bullet. I will run roughly 1250 fps. (one note on the factory ammo I mentioned, a 50 round box costs $58.00, a 20 round box runs $25.00. Reloading is much cheaper). I have a Bisley with a 5.5" bbl. and both of these loads shoot great. Hope this helps. :grin:

[myronman3]

The correct name is 45 Colt, there has never been a cartridge named 45 Long Colt.

i read an article by mike ventureo on the subject once.  he tackled the above statement, and proved there was.   i am sure with a little digging it could be found.   all i can say otherwise is that a whole lot of folks call it that.

yes a 45 colt is the same thing as a 45 long colt.  just  like a 45 acp (automatic colt pistol) is also called a 45 auto by many.

[John R.]

John Taffin would argue you to death on that one. Whatever you want to call it ,its one fine cartridge (been killing things for a long time). :grin:

[garzaglass]

thanks for the help guys.  one more question, I am seeing a lot of 45 colt mag rounds.  can those be shot in my gun as well?

[rickyp]

you could and still can get 45 SCHOFIELD  the schofield is shoter then the 45 long colt.

you could chamber and shoot a 45 SCHOFIELD  out of a 45 long colt but the revirse.

[John R.]

Garzaglass, go to John Linebaughs website and look on the left side of the page. Click on the article called Dissolving the Myth; Discovering the Potential This is a must read 10 page article for 45 colt lovers. The loads I mentioned are in this article. You might have to log on to John Taffin's website to get to Linebaugh's. You will really enjoy this article as well as the other four posted there. Good Hunting!! :-)

[myronman3]

John Taffin would argue you to death on that one. Whatever you want to call it ,its one fine cartridge (been killing things for a long time). :grin:

well, he would have to argue with himself, cause i have better things to do!    seriously,  the real point is that they are one and the same.

  "Whatever you want to call it ,its one fine cartridge (been killing things for a long time)."    there is NO argueing that.

[rickyp]

I have to agree the 45 Long Colt is one of the best hunting rounds ( provided it is in a strong handgun with the right loads)

[New Hampshire]

At Colt peacmaker pressure levels it is still acceptable but not really the greatest.  However, loaded to its potential (and by that I DONT mean 44 mag pressure levels,) it is quite the killer.  And the Rugers are great guns to shoot them out of.  In my state we are allowed to use a few certain handgun calibers to hunt in the shotgun only territory.  Soon I hope to purchase a 454 casull bbl for my Encore so that I can shoot the hot .45 Colts in shotgun towns for deer, but still have the bigger punch for moose or bear in the rifle zones (plus I dont intend to ever shoot 410s in the pistol bbl anyways.)
Brian M.
P.S. I wonder why T/C dont offer the option of a strictly .45 Colt ONLY bbl for the Contender and Encore?

[Graybeard]

one more question, I am seeing a lot of 45 colt mag rounds. can those be shot in my gun as well?

I'm not at all sure what you are talking about here. There is no such cartridge as a .45 Colt Magnum. So be careful. Correct headstamps should say .45 Colt or .45 Long Colt in some cases. If it doesn't say one of those I'd not try to use it.

Now you "may" be referring to some of the hotter loaded stuff from folks like Buffalo Bore or COR-BON. If so then if desginated as a magnum level load for a Ruger chambered to .45 Colt then it should be OK.

[bigjeepman]

I shoot the .45 lc quite a bit as it is my favorite caliber. I shoot it through a 5.5" Bisley Vaquero, a Marlin 1895 CBC rifle, and my son's Beretta Stampede. I reload now and it is twice the fun it used to be. Last year, we took the Marlin boar hunting in Tennessee and dropped two boars with one shot kills using Corbon's 45 Colt Magnum +P 265gr Bonded HP with a velocity in the neighborhood of 1350 fps. The two boars weighed 225 and 240 lbs and that .45 lc laid them to rest in an instant.

Graybeard's reference to your stated .45 Colt Magnums is correct. Corbon uses "Magnum" to reference their "hot" ammo. I paid $28.50 each for three 20 round boxes. Wow ... I now load my own hunting loads for around $0.20 each and plinking loads for around $0.12 each or less.  

Good luck with your hunting.

[TNrifleman]

Actually, at one time T/C did make 45 Colt only barrels for the Contender. I have a 10" one that shoots great . I don't have much use for the 45/410 barrels.

[Lone Star]

P.S. I wonder why T/C dont offer the option of a strictly .45 Colt ONLY bbl for the Contender and Encore?

As stated above they have done so, and more than once.  I have a non-choked octagonal 10" .45LC and two 10" bull barrels ( one a Bullberry).  The octagonal barrel is for standard loads ONLY!  The barrel walls under the flats are 'way thin, so much so that it scares me to shoot it with anything more than a 250SWC and 8 grains of UNIQUE.  Recoil is relatively high even with this load because the barrel weighs almost nothing.

The 10" .45LC didn't sell well at all, but the .45/.410 barrels did and still do.  That's why they make them, and not the .45LC-only barrels.

To add my 2 cents worth on the nomenclature issue - with the large number of new shooters entering the hobby there is a very real potential for confusing the cartridges.  Yes, it is the responsibility of the shooter to know his ammunition, but the reality is there is a lot of confusion with .45 Colt and .45 ACP.  By using the term .45 Long Colt we eliminate that potential confusion and may save an injury, or an inappropriate purchase.  Hornady loading books listed the cartridges as the .45 Long Colt for many years so there is a modern precident.  Actually, those posters who are anal enough to be upset by this nomenclature issue clearly have 'way too much spare time on their hands - they would be well advised to just go shooting rather than beating a dead horse...again and again.  
:wink:

[Lawful Larry]

I believe the army started the Long Colt name.  They used it to differentiate between the .45 Schofield and .45 Colt.  

Here is what I use in the field for deer and hogs:



Nice ain't it?  

[SLAVAGE]

i tell ya every time i see one of them back hawks i start to tear up an want to run out an bounce a check an get my 41 off of layway lol
quick question if u dont mind lary
is the gun a good abount of front heavy with the scope being on the barrel compaird to the reg super blawk hawk?
or is it balanced nice?
thanks
dave

[bigjeepman]

Thanks a lot Lawful Larry .... now you got me thinking about the SBH Hunter in .45 lc again.

[Lawful Larry]

i tell ya every time i see one of them back hawks i start to tear up an want to run out an bounce a check an get my 41 off of layway lol
quick question if u dont mind lary
is the gun a good abount of front heavy with the scope being on the barrel compaird to the reg super blawk hawk?
or is it balanced nice?
thanks
dave

Hey Slavage,
Their is a noticeable amount of weight forward for sure.  But it is not the type that will bother you and will help you when you pull that trigger.  It is very comfortable when the gun is held in a good two handed grip.  It is a dream to shoot.  

I use a 300 grain hornaday XTP with 19.5 grains of WC820 (Hodgdon H108 - Military pull down powder).  I also load a 230 grain XTP with 23 grains of the same powder.  

She will be coming with me this season along with my TC Contender in .44 mag:



 :-D