Thinking about another new caliber to my line up

[1911crazy]

For some reason the 45 long colt has been calling me lately.  I'm thinking of adding another new caliber to my line up.  Here we go again with reloading dies,  new ammo,  brass and bullets.  I been also eyeing the ruger blackhawk w/7 1/2" barrel and the S&W N frame w/6 1/2" barrel too.  My thoughts are of maybe getting a 454 casull that can also shoot the 45 long colt too.  The 454 casull for bear and the 45colt for deer sized game.  We have to have more than one gun to make the new caliber worth having right? So is the 45 long colt worth playing with?               CZY

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  1911, I only have one Long Colt..it is a new model Ruger with rubber grips and a 5 1/2 " barrel..I had a Bisley for many years and sold it to my pal..he loves it..infact has sold all his .44 mags. I like mine a lot..havent shot this one much, but used the Bisley for some hog hunting in Tx..worked fine..One of the famous big bore pistolsmiths who has two wildcats that are very popular, told me the .45 Long Colt is his person choice for hunting..when we visited last he said his big calibers were only for sale..he used the Colt for hunting..He was also partial to the S & W in that caliber..we talked abit about loads..he loaded a very heavy bullet for camping in grizzly country, but for hunting he said a 250 grain at 850 or 900 would shoot though both sides of a elk..  I like my .45 as yet I haven't shot it a bunch, but the Bisley had thousands down its bore..nice caliber...I think I favor the .44 a bit more, plus here in Wy. the 45 is NOT legal for big game hunting..however I would not want to be without my .45

[1911crazy]

Afterall the 45 long colt is part of our american history.  Being 100% american we have to own a few right?  Well at least one...

I like the single actions lately too.  I think a ruger blackhawk in 45 long colt will serve me well w/7 1/2" barrel.

[Mike in Virginia]

I got rid of my 44 Magnum for a 45LC.  I can load it heavier and faster than the 44 while keeping pressure lower.  My deer stomping load is a large dose of 2400 under a 300 grain hard cast flat point.  Another thing I like about the 45 over a 44 is the reduced blast, even when I'm getting higher veocity.  I think prejudice and how we got started shooting has a lot to do with people preferring the 44; that and the fact that most people have never taken the time to get to know the 45LC. 

If I were going to shoot heavy loads all the time, I wouldn't get the Smith.  A Smith 45LC is not built like the Model 29.  Same frame, but not as strong.  A Blackhawk or Redhawk are my picks for a LC.   

[1911crazy]

You guys may have a point there with the heavier weight bullets.  I been wanting to up grade my 44's to the 270gr & 300gr bullets.  Maybe i should get a Ruger blackhawk in 45 long colt and play with that since its better with the larger bullets.  I know the ruger blackhawk is heavier built than the n frame smith and i can't hot load the smith either the way i can beat on the ruger.  CZY

BTW;  I had a ruger super blackhawk in 44mag w/ 7 1/2" barrel and we loaded it with very stout loads.  This revolver handled every round loaded like this we put thru it.  I did find that the grips were harder to hold the gun with the higher loads.  My point is what grips are you using on the 45LC blackhawk with the heavier rounds?  Do they make he pachmayer rubber presentation grips for the blackhawk?  I like to compress the rubber grips with my hand when i grip it.  The gun seems to become part of me when i grip it tighter. There's just no way it can turn up or slip when its fired with stout loads. Most of the single actions try to turn up when fired and i think its the design of the grip frame. With me anyway.

[Redhawk1]

The 45 Colt will work well on black bear as well. With the right bullet, the 45 Colt will do just about anything the 454 Casull will do. You don't need the extra recoil and speed to kill a bear.  A 300 or 325 gr. hard cast bullet at 1200 to 1400 fps will kill just about every animal out there.

The 45 Colt and the 45-70 have been around for a long time, there is a reason why, they work! 

[1911crazy]

I went to the ruger site and noticed the super blackhawk isn't offered in the 45 long colt anymore.  Whats up with that?  Ruger and Colt seem to be discontinuing everything lately.  For new wheel guns i'm going with the smiths now while there still offering just about all of them from the classics to the N frames of yesteryear.  The only other choice is the BFR MR.  Is the ruger factory still operating?  CZY

[Redhawk1]

You can still buy a 45 Colt blackhawk at gun shops. I see them all the time. If you can find a Redhawk in 45 Colt, I would get it.

As for why Ruger does anything, I don't know. Sometimes I think they just like messing with us gun owners.. 

[Eltweed]

I have been shooting .357 and .44 Magnums since the 1960's and have a great fondness for the rounds.  I recently got into .45 Colt single actions and wish I had decades ago.  .45 Colt and .45 ACP are about the only centerfire handgun rounds I shoot these days.

The Ruger site still shows Blackhawks and Redhawks in .45 Colt.  Have they stopped making them even though they are on their website?  I know where several .45 Colt Blackhawks are for sale and might have to take a look at them if that is the case.

[oldfort]

My .45LC is a SS 5 1/2" Ruger Bisley. If you try it, you will like it.

[buck460XVR]

I'm thinking of adding another new caliber to my line up. 

Lately......I've been doing just the opposite. Since I began reloading a few years back, I've discovered that one can adjust their loads within limits of a few firearms to cover basically every need. Thus I've reduced my handgun calibers to 4. The .45 ACP is there,  because it is what it is.....no other explanation needed. My revolver calibers are .357, .44 and .460. Within these calibers with the guns I own, I can basically cover any need a handgun can fill. They also make damn good rifle calibers. Altho I've reduced my need for different calibers, it hasn't decreased my desire for more guns to shoot. Just sayin'.........

BTW.......Nuttin' wrong with the .45LC, it is a very versatile cartridge. Thanks to the internet and the increased interest in reloading, the caliber has made a strong comeback from where it was 15 years ago. 

[Fire Fox]

I have had a 45 long colt anaconda for a long time. It is  loaded with the 310 lee cast bullet over a heavy charge of H110 and a mag pistol primer with starline brass. It is close to a 44 mag in dispatching power but with less felt recoil to me. This load has worked on many deer, bear and large hogs. You have to use it in very strong actions such as the Ruger or anaconda and such . With the stronger frames in this caliber the 45 long colt is very vereitile . Under no circumstances use this load in any of the standard long colt revolvers not even the smith model 25 even though it seems to be strong enough. If you load  you know the routine of reducing the load 10 percent and work it up. I  also  have a 454  and find that the 45 long colt loads do not shoot as well in it as in the Anaconda. I assume that it is due to the difference in twist. I have also used a ruger 44 mag for over 40 years and it has served me well on everything I have hunted from deer to asian buffalo. However, I find that I carry the Anaconda more and more as the years have gone by because of less recoil and noise. I hope this helps.

[tacklebury]

I went to the ruger site and noticed the super blackhawk isn't offered in the 45 long colt anymore.  Whats up with that?  Ruger and Colt seem to be discontinuing everything lately.  For new wheel guns i'm going with the smiths now while there still offering just about all of them from the classics to the N frames of yesteryear.  The only other choice is the BFR MR.  Is the ruger factory still operating?  CZY

Don't think the super blackhawk was in .45 Colt.  I know you can still get the .45 Colt in the std. Blackhawk.  I personally went with the Convertible and I'm glad I did.  The ability to throw .45 ACP's down it also, is a nice plus for plinking.    My go to load had been a 300 gr. Hornady XTP Magnum with a heavy dose of H110, albeit that definitely has a lot of kick.  I've decided that unless I go to Alaska or somewhere with bear etc, the 250 gr. works great.  Just loaded up some 240 gr. Speer JHP's over 10 gr. Unique.  Has been pretty accurate too. 

Tried making some of these recently too, and they are great out to about 10 ft. 

 
This is the one I purchased. 
http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/Default.aspx?item=10463&mfg=Ruger&mdl=All&cat=1&type=Revolver&cal=45LC&fin=&sit=&inv=Y&zipcode=48858
 

[Savage]

I have one of the BlackHawk convertibles as well. Although I don't hunt anymore, I enjoy shooting it from time to time just for fun. Quite a boomer with the right loads!
Savage
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