Set me straight...

[Calpoly93]

OK, I thought I had read a lot, but I must be missing something fairly obvious. I know Elmer Keith helped develop and promote the 44 magnum... But why wasn't it a Colt 45? I read about how, with a little effort, the 45 can equal a 44 mag, and wonder why he didn't go that way...

Was it the availability of a platform? The Colt SAA too weak and the only 45 available? If he had a Ruger, could history have been different, and Dirty Harry have said, "This is a 45 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world..."?

Maybe I need to buy "Sixguns" and, he explains it there..?

[shooting4life]

Many week framed saa kept the loads light. Same reason most of the off the shelf 45-70 ammo is week compared to its true potential.

[RR.44]

.45 Colt is notorious for having a weak rim and can't stand up to the rigors of multiple reloading, the rims on the .44 Mag cases are stronger and tend to last longer

[Calpoly93]

I didn't know about the "weak rim" issue.

[Calpoly93]

I heard there were old "balloon head" cases, is that what made them weak?

[bruce381]

cause he made it on a stought 44 special and wanted thicker cylinder walls than the 45 colt could give

[oso grande]

OK, I read about how, with a little effort, the 45 can equal a 44 mag, and wonder why he didn't go that way..

I find that very hard to believe. Could you give us your source?

[Calpoly93]

http://www.handloads.com/articles/?id=1

http://www.chuckhawks.com/high-pressure45.htm

and many others I recall having read over the years... hence my musings

[oso grande]

http://www.handloads.com/articles/?id=1

http://www.chuckhawks.com/high-pressure45.htm

and many others I recall having read over the years... hence my musings

Wow...I stand corrected. Appears that it already shades the .44.

[sghart]

I find that very hard to believe. Could you give us your source?

I am a huge fan of the .45 Colt and have been for years. I routinely load my 255 gr lead bullets with 20 gr of 2400. That pushes them downrange at over 1200 fps.

This is why there are "Ruger only" loads in the manuals.

I suspect they were trying to repeat the success of the 38spl/357 mag transformation. The 44 spl was and still is one of the most accurate and balanced calibers. By "souping it up" they hoped to achieve success and they did.

http://www.customsixguns.com/writings/dissolving_the_myth.htm

This is a link to a great article by John Linebaugh. He loves the 45 Colt. He also dispels a few myths such as weak rims, etc.

On a personal note, I have loaded and reloaded my 45 Colt brass for years and have seen no evidence of weakness.

[Wrangler John]

.45 Colt is notorious for having a weak rim and can't stand up to the rigors of multiple reloading, the rims on the .44 Mag cases are stronger and tend to last longer

It was the old balloon head cases that were weak. They had a rim that was folded from the thin brass case walls similar to a rimfire, see the link here: http://www.frfrogspad.com/miscellf.htm The balloon head case was sufficient for black powder pressure levels, and even made the case more voluminous to hold more black powder. That rim was subject to blow out when subject to smokeless powder pressures. Modern solid head cases are as strong as any other. Although I purchase Starline cases for .45 Colt, Winchester cases also work well. Never had any case failures in my Colt New Frontier, Ruger Blackhawks, or Colt Anaconda, the case will withstand any pressures the revolver will. The firearm is the limiting factor, not the cases. Just use common sense in loading, the .45 Colt with a 250 grain bullet launching at around 1,200 fps in a Blackhawk is still a handful, as is the .44 Magnum with a 240 grain bullet running at 1,300 fps.

[mark501w]

SAA .45 has thinner cylinder walls they blew them up. .44 special stayed together thus the .44 mag. You can make a .45 mag with a Ruger & little research, it used to be a popular conversion.

[Biigg50]

The 45 Colt is my favorite. It is very easy to load light or HOT and can meet the needs of plinkers and hunters alike. I have loads for my kids to shoot that have a 165 gr lead bullet going under 900 fps and I have my "pig loads" that have 335 gr hard cast wfn bullets going 1275 fps.
Buffalo Bore has 325 gr loads doing 1325 fps. Try to get that from a 44 mag!

[opos]

Love the Colt and load it a lot..have for years..I think the major reason the hot Colt loads are sort of downplayed by many is the number of 45Colt level one and two revovers out there with limited pressure capablilties...I'm an old guy so seldom "load up" any more and never share loads with anyone...I'd hate to see someone with a level one revolver get ahold of some of the loads that equal or exceed 44 mag ballistics..might get a really nasty surprise. The 45 Colt is one of the very few examples of a caliber that is used in very old and very modern guns at the same time and there have been some nasty examples of folks not really knowing the limits of the particular gun they have or people getting some hot loads from a friend or buying them from an unknown loader...I'd hate to shoot the Buffalo Bore heavy duty stuff in my SAA clone..might hold together but things might get awfully loose very quickly. That's a very big case that was meant for black powder...easy to double charge or worse.

I'm a bit leery of "Ruger only" loads in some cases..just because a gun says Ruger on it doesn't necessarily mean it's capable of the really hot loads..I heard that Ruger has really tried to downplay the words "Ruger only" in the loading population...that sort of implies that any Ruger in 45 Colt can handle the huge loads...I got a couple of very well used Ruger revolvers that would probably not survive long with some of the "Ruger only" loadings. I have several 45 Colt "original" Vaqueros that I'd have no issues with firing the heavy loads in but I hear the "New Vaquero" is a level two load capable revolver and might be pushed to handle "Ruger only" loads...I don't have one and never have so have not pursued that.

[mark501w]

Reloaders tinker but, you shouldn't tinker with high pressure. Leave that to a firearm that's designed to hold it. .44 special .45acp .45LC are all the same, lead bullet cartridges, accurate, fine for self defense ,easy to load for, a joy to shoot.