The .45 Colt

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JimT
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The .45 Colt

Post by JimT »

This is an old piece I wrote 20-some years ago for the Sixgunner.Com site ...


I make no attempt to hide it, the .45 Colt is my favorite cartridge and sixgun and has been for over 40 years. As much as I like some of the other calibers I would just as soon use the .45 for hunting, long-range shooting and plinking at all ranges. It will do the job for about anything including self-defense and defense of home, family and country. If forced to use only one caliber sixgun, this would be it for me.

Beginnings

The .45 Colt - both the cartridge and the sixgun - was introduced in 1873 and served the military as it's main sidearm for some 17 years. The original loading consisted of 40 grains of Black Powder and a 255 gr. bullet and produced over 900 fps muzzle velocity. Tests I have conducted with original loads as well as handloads in the old balloon-head cartridge cases have demonstrated the accuracy of those velocity figures. Until the advent of the .44 Magnum the .45 Colt in it's factory loading was preferred by many over the .357 Magnum, especially by those who traveled in big bear country.

The Colt Single Action Army Revolver is a fairly simple firearm consisting of only a few moving parts. This was one of it's selling points to the men on the frontier. In 1876 at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia it was described as "...combining strength and simplicity of action; not liable to get out of order; readily taken apart and easily cleaned; having entire changeability of parts, with a high order of finish ...." That the description was not just marketing hype was proven by the continuous production of the Single Action Army from 1873 until 1941 when declining sales combined with WW II halted production. In spite of its "On Again - Off Again" production over the years, you can still buy essentially the same gun today from Colt .... a testimony to it's design, style and appeal. And of course there are the copies - again testifying to the same thing. 

The Cartridge

The .45 Colt cartridge probably grew out of the .450 Adams cartridge invented by the British. Known variously as the .450 Short or the .450 Revolver, it was developed around 1868 and was the first centerfire handgun cartridge used by the British Army. The British used the .450 until 1880 but it was fairly popular in the US and was loaded commercially here until around 1940. The cartridge case was a little short stubby thing that held 13 gr. of Black Powder under a 225 gr. bullet. The case is shorter than a .455 Webley. Looking at the .450 Adams, the body and rim of the case look like the .45 Colt and it is easy to see how by lengthening the case the Colt cartridge could have been born. Both cases have the same body diameter (.476" to .480") and both used bullets of the same diameter.

Some of the early .45 Colt cartridge cases were of the "inside primed" type... that is, they were centerfire, but the primer was contained inside the case head and was not visible from the outside. These type of cartridge cases were normally of the "folded head" variety. The rim of the case was folded, and the case was so thin a separate piece was crimped in place inside the case, reinforcing it so it would hold the pressure. Looking at an inside-primed cartridge from the rear, it looks quite like a rimfire. I have seen .45-70 Government cases of this type also. I understand many early center-fire cartridges were of the inside-primed type.

Later cases were of "balloon-head" construction. Stronger than the folded-head, they still were much weaker in the case head than the modern solid-head cases. Early balloon-head cases could blow the rims off with higher pressure loads or when the cases were weakened by use of mercuric primers. This is one reason Ruger started counter-sinking the chambers on their early .45 Colt single actions. At that time there were still balloon-head cases being reloaded by some handloaders.

Power

In 1936 Elmer Keith had this to say about the grand old cartridge: "...Up to the advent of the .357 Magnum Smith & Wesson I considered this cartridge loaded with 40 grains of blackpowder by Remington, as being the most powerful and most killing factory load obtainable in revolvers." (Sixgun Cartridges and Loads) 

Properly loaded the .45 can be used for anything from mice to moose. And you do not need to load fire-breathing, earth-shaking loads to do it. The 260 gr. Keith semi-wadcutter will shoot end-to-end through most deer when fired at moderate velocities. The caliber has enough punch just as it is without worrying about expansion. It starts out as large as most are trying to expand to. Just punch a nice hole in and one out and if it is in the proper spot, you have meat.

My favorite powders in the Colt SAA .45 are Unique and 2400 though lately I have been burning an awful lot of 700X. At the CSA II I used the Cast Performance 265 gr. WFN over 6.0 gr. of 700X and was able to whang the 300 yard gong once in a while with my old First Generation Colt. The heavy .45 slugs do not need a lot of velocity to reach out quite a long ways.

In the Ruger's and the custom 5-shot guns the .45 Colt can be loaded up to exceed the .44 Magnum by quite a lot. It is not my intention to cover that ground here since it has been done quite well by many others. What I am saying is that at standard Colt pressures and velocities the old cartridge will do the job! In all the high-power, high pressure, ultra-heavy bullet testing and shooting we do we often overlook the fact that the .45 Colt with a 260 gr. bullet at 900 to 1100 fps will work very well.

I once shot a Corsican Ram from about 50 yards using a Colt Single Action .45 and the Keith 260 gr. SWC over 18.5 gr. of 2400. Dad was standing to my left, downhill, about 30 yards from me and about 20 yards in front of the ram, who was eyeing him. At the shot the ram folded. Dad said the bullet strike sounded like a hardball being hit real solidly by a bat. The bullet took the ram on his left front shoulder and exited behind his right ribs. The shot was video-taped and while you cannot hear the bullet strike you can see the ram drop at the shot and hear my Dad yell "You got him!"

I have used that load on deer, pigs, dogs, coyotes and burro. It has never let me down.

Loading Tips

Some people complain about getting 2400 to burn clean in the .45 Colt. I have found that heavy bullets help, but so also do proper size dies. One problem getting powder to burn cleanly is lack of proper bullet pull. To get good bullet pull the cases should be sized small enough that they help hold the bullet. That, along with a good heavy crimp, helps ignition and proper burning of the powder.

The sizing die should size the cases down far enough that you end up with an inside diameter of around .448". I use a tight carbide die and it gives me an ID of .447" to .448" on my cases. Then, instead of using a neck expander, I use a tapered plug that only "bell mouths" the cases. I open the mouth of the case just enough to get a bullet started. This produces a loaded cartridge that is "stretched" over the bullet tightly. If you "shine" the case by holding it under a bright light you can see what appear to be ripples where the grease grooves/ bullet bands are. 

This not only aids bullet pull and cleaner burning, but it also reduces the chances of a bullet jumping the crimp, when done in conjunction with a heavy crimp. I normally seat the bullets in one operation, then go back and crimp them all using a Lee Factory Crimp Die.

Problem Areas

Every cartridge has it's own problem areas and the .45 Colt is no different.  

1. The rims are small and can be pulled off, bent or otherwise damaged. In a gun that has recessed chambers this can keep you from seating the cartridge all the way into the chamber or affect the headspacing and make the case drag when you try to rotate the cylinder.

2. Light charges of fast-burning powders do not take up much case capacity, leaving room for an accidental double-charge. ALWAYS DOUBLE-CHECK YOUR POWDER CHARGES BEFORE SEATING THE BULLETS WHEN HANDLOADING!

3. Barrel diameters / cylinder throat diameters... Apparently the .45 has always suffered from over-size and under-size chambers and bores. Elmer Keith wrote about this in the 1930's saying that some of the early Colt's had bores as small as .450" and as large as .456". He said chamber throats varied just as much. It seems that even today we encounter similar problems at times.

Still My Favorite

When I started shooting the .45 Colt there were no heavy bullet loads available. Even the handloader did not have much choice unless he had a mold specially built. For heavy-bullet loads I started out using the old Lyman #457191 .45-90 rifle bullet since it was about the only one that would work easily. That, and Elmer recommended it. He said it was one of the most accurate bullets he ever used. I find it still is, even today.

But with all the fine heavy ammunition available, I find myself shooting a lot of the old loads.. the Keith SWC and the old Lyman #454190 round nose 255 gr. factory bullet... both at 800 to 900 fps. They are pleasant both as to noise and recoil, and they will get the job done.

For Cowboy Action Shooting I prefer the old full-power Black Powder loads. If you have never shot any you surely do need to try them. You will see the oldtimers were not underpowered in any way. They make the .45 Colt come alive.

Still one of the best after all these years, may my grandchildren and great-grandchildren be able to enjoy it. Long live the .45 Colt!
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by gamekeeper »

Great article Jim, I had not read it before so now I know a bit more than I did before... :D
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by wvfarrier »

Im attached to a 300 grain loading about half way between standard pressure and a paco loading. Its fearsome
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by JimT »

wvfarrier wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 11:49 am Im attached to a 300 grain loading about half way between standard pressure and a paco loading. Its fearsome
I settled on 1100 fps with the 300 gr. bullet and it worked wonderfully.
At my age now I don't like the recoil and shoot much more sedate loads. :lol:
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by piller »

My experience is next to nothing compared with Jim's and a whole bunch of other people. I have some heavy 325 grain bullets for my .45 Colt caliber Ruger. I have settled on a load that gets 900 fps average with that bullet. So far, I have never recovered one. Last animal I used it on was a wild pig about 150 pounds. No damaged meat, and the exit hole was about the same size as the entrance hole. Bang. FLOP. It was as simple as you could ask for. I have loaded some 300 grain Speer JSP over a max load of H110 for 1150 fps over a chronograph. That extra 250 fps kicks a lot more. It isn't much fun after about 20 rounds. The 900 fps 325 grain bullets are more of a push that you just ride it back.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by JimT »

That is something some folks never discover. :D
A big bullet at moderate velocity works really well and does not hammer the shooter or the gun.
And quite honestly, the Keith bullet hardcast in .44 or .45 at 900 fps works really well and will give tremendous penetration.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Griff »

Worthy of reading again & again! I'm also a big fan of the 45 Colt, in either the Colt SAA or in a leveraction rifle.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by .45colt »

In the early 80's a friend had a Blackhawk .45 colt. was selling it because He got a Super .44mag. came out to the house and was blasting away with the .44.I was :shock: . He was selling the .45 , I'd never shot a Long Colt before. He had a bunch of Remington factory 250grn . I loaded it and at about fourty yards put all six on the target . that was all it took for Me. Love it. never looked back.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by cdsx »

I have tremendous respect for the .45 Colt, probably more so than any other handgun cartridge. I'm quite certain it actually has greater potential than the mythical .44 Mag, but it's performance is limited in factory loads out of deference to the age and metallurgy of many of the revolvers chambered for it. Unfortunately, being north of the 49th razorwire means I'll never be shooting this amazing round. In a most uncustomary show of insight, the bureaucrats realized that the .45 Colt was a formidable cartridge, even by "modern" standards, and any revolver chambered for it, even if almost 150 years old, is disqualified from antique exemption. This presumably applies to any previously-classed antique that is rechambered to .45 Colt, so - no loopholes. darned shame.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by FLINT »

I'm hoping to hunt with my .45 bisley blackhawk bisley next year. I've tried some H110 loads which shot the 250 gr. XTPs at 1350 fps, but those were a little much. I've settled on a mid range load of AA#9 which should launch the same bullet in the neighborhood of 1100-1200 fps.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Scott Tschirhart »

I shoot more .45 Colt than any other cartridge. I’ve pretty much settled on one load. 8 gr of Unique under any lead bullet from 250 to 280 grains.

With a 255 gr Hornady swaged bullet it shoots to the sights of my SAAs and has plenty of punch without beating me up. This is an 800 fps plus load. The .454 diameter also fills those chamber throats.

With a 270SAA bullet the velocity increases to around 950 fps and I think I can shoot through anything in Texas. Shot this cow and she never knew what hit her.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Scott Tschirhart »

Good for Turkey too.
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Re: The .45 Colt

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Scott Tschirhart wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 6:20 pm Shot this cow and she never knew what hit her.
I put down a big red Hereford cow with the 255 gr. 454190 and 35 gr. of FFFg black powder. I threw some range cubes on the ground and when she put her head down to eat some I planted it on X between the eye and ear. It went clean through and into the ground. She never knew what hit her.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Scott Tschirhart »

JimT wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 7:28 pm I put down a big red Hereford cow with the 255 gr. 454190 and 35 gr. of FFFg black powder. I threw some range cubes on the ground and when she put her head down to eat some I planted it on X between the eye and ear. It went clean through and into the ground. She never knew what hit her.
Old cowboys are pretty much the same. Click on the photo and look closely between the eye and ear. Pobably makes us more successful in certain types of social encounters. We are so used to doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done on the ranch.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Walt »

When reloading my .45 Colt brass there was always a tiny bulge in the cartridges just above the rim that bothered me. I found that Redding sizing dies are made with 2 carbide rings which size the brass a tiny bit larger toward the rim and smaller at the mouth. That irritating little bulge is now gone from my sized brass and the mouths are sized perfectly to provide excellent bullet pull. Seems to me that case life is improved as well.
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Re: The .45 Colt

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Scott Tschirhart wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 7:31 pm
JimT wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 7:28 pm I put down a big red Hereford cow with the 255 gr. 454190 and 35 gr. of FFFg black powder. I threw some range cubes on the ground and when she put her head down to eat some I planted it on X between the eye and ear. It went clean through and into the ground. She never knew what hit her.
Old cowboys are pretty much the same. Click on the photo and look closely between the eye and ear. Pobably makes us more successful in certain types of social encounters. We are so used to doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done on the ranch.
Yessir .. that is true. Works on unruly dogs and all types of critters.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Oldncrusty »

Gold. Thanks a ton Jim.
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Re: The .45 Colt

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Never caught on with me....must have been Elmers influence that made me shy away from it and to the 44 Spl. I've had and still have a few Colts, Model 25 Smiths and Old and new model Rugers but didn't get shot much....tolerances all over the place and it forced me to have 4 or 5 different boxes of ammo for each gun due to tolerances.

About the only very accurate one I had was that Colt slip gun that Elmer tested.....that and an old Colt DA 1878/1902 Alaskan I recently sold.

I looked at it like the same way people look at the 50-70 vs 45-70...big clunker.

I've shared this pic a mess of times...original ammo from before 1900...all b.p. including one of those Benet primed military ones. Those are the ones Custer used on his ill fated mission....---006

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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by AmBraCol »

I've long favored the 45 Colt over the newer 44's. Alfred John gave me a Taurus 431 way back when and that got me started on the 44 Special, then I picked up Jeff Quinn's Ruger Bisely Shootist 25th anniversary 44 Special and figure I'm fixed for 44's for the rest of my life. See no need for the 44 Magnum as the 45's will do all I need done. If someone were to gift me one, all fine and dandy, but I've still not figured out what it'd take to get me to buy one outright.

Just had Bobby Tyler build me a nifty 7 1/2" Ruger on an old parts gun picked up years ago. 45 Colt (it came as a 44 magnum - so I HAVE purchased a [non-funcitonal] 44 mag after all) is the chambering, now I need to do some load development for it. Didn't have but a .451 size die for my Lyman sizer, I know for a fact that ain't a diameter it likes, need to load up some proper ammo sometime and then see about using it to take game. Had fun last summer just playing with it, but with those skinny slugs it just wouldn't group worth sour apples. Bobby puts out some first rate firearms and I'm deeply grateful to him and Dusty for such a fine bit of firearm artistry.

The old Vaquero in the meantime continues to produce grins each time I take it out. It's digested everything from some Trailboss under Hornady swaged projectiles to some Buffalo Bore heavy hard cast, but usually has the lower range ammo in it anymore. Don't have time to work up to recoil tolerance and as you mention, a 255 grain bullet at 900 +/- will do pretty much anything that needs doing with a sixgun.
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Re: The .45 Colt

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I have a .44 Magnum, and it has a solid place in my small group of firearms, but I find myself shooting the moderate powered .45 Colt caliber loads much more often. As I get older, I find that the hard kicking guns are not what I spend the most time with.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by JOG »

My two latest firearm purchases have been in 45 Colt. 1996 Marlin 1894 Cowboy and a 1981 Colt SAA!
Super accurate out of the Cowboy! It's hard to miss with it! Hardly any recoil!
I've only put about 50 rounds thru the Colt SAA so far. Shooting at 15 then 20 yards tore the bullseye out of the target!
I'm enjoying the round very much.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Scott Tschirhart »

I’ve probably tried 20 different loads for my Second Gen .45 Colt SAA and nothing beats the Hornady swaged .454 dia swaged Cowboy bullet over 8 grains of Unique and just about any large pistol primer.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by marlinman93 »

Wonderful article Jim, and also my favorite revolver cartridge of all time!
The .45 Colt has been a favorite even before I was old enough to legally own handguns, and my first was a S&W Model 25 in this cartridge. A number of SAA styles from Colt, Ruger, and other Colt clones followed. I still have my old S&W and several SAA and consider them all old friends after all these years.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Walt »

I have numerous molds for .45 Colt but probably shoot more 250 gr machine cast bullets from SNS Casting than any other. I have a 3rd gen Colt New Frontier, numerous Rugers, an FA model 97 and several Smiths in .45 Colt and have settled on a couple of loads. The most frequently used is 6.2 gr of Titegroup for about 850 fps, a somewhat warmer load with the same bullet is 13 gr of HS-6 for 1100 fps. Both are accurate in my guns and are comfortable to shoot.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Scott Tschirhart »

This gun is like an old friend. Points like pointing my finger. I really need to get some good one piece wood grips for it.
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Re: The .45 Colt

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I agree Scott...ya figure that a new single action Colt is pushing 2 grand, you'd think Colt would at least use 2 piece walnuts. To me, nothing grips in the hand like wood......even ivory and stag split around and while I do have more than a few single actions with ivory, I'm always worried I'm gonna drop em.

I have these on a Ruger Flattop in 44 mag. #843 and while they look good for a barbecue, I prefer the wood version for shooting. Probably why Ruger used wood on their early 44's and hard rubber on the .357's. Both sides have the carved eagle....


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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Walt »

Beautiful, warm grips and gorgeous blue on your flattop. Great barbeque gun!
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Re: The .45 Colt

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Thanks Walt......gotta love those old models, especially the flat tops and the flat gates in the .22. The early .22 Single Sixes shoot much better before they went to dual chambered .22's....

I've been at this for a lifetime since around '72....I'm just a peon but in those days the early Rugers were somewhat around.

All three barrel lengths in the 44 and two in the .357....never could find a 10" 357 unless I wanted to pay what they were going for. The rarest is the 7.5 inch 44 and the dealer at the gunshow had it priced as a regular Blackhawk....I think $399.

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Couple of early like new .22 Flat gates.

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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by OldWin »

Hey! I just noticed the Moosehead box! My favorite brew!
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Walt »

Good eye, OldWin!

Very nice collection of flattops, Sixgun! The only flattops I have are newer .44 Spls, one Blackhawk and one Bisley. In new models I have a 45/8" SBH, a 7 1/2" OM and another one in SS. I love 5 1/2" barrels and had 71/2" Bisleys cut off to 5 1/2" in .44 mag and .45 Colt. I have regular Blackhawks in .357, .41 mag and .45 Colt in various lengths as well as a New Vaquero in .45 Colt. Love 'em. Like you I prefer blue over stainless.
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Walt »

.44 Specials; one of my two favorite cartridges...these are just shooters, certainly not like the collectors you have, Sixgun. Thanks for the superb pictures.

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Smith 624
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Grizz »

my redhawk shoots 44spcl, it's the house load. . . . :lol:
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Sixgun »

Walt,
Nice guns....all quality......how's that 624 shoot? My 624 is one of my most accurate revolvers, next to the Triplelock Target......

Even your Charter Arms are not bad.....I've had a few from back in the day when anything 44 Spl. was near impossible to get. Great hide out gun.....My 4" pictured is also a 24-3....had an original 4" but John Taffin wanted it more.

Thanks for posting those...we think alike...----006
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Walt »

Sixgun, the 624 is a good shooter but because of worsening arthritis in the base of my thumbs I tend to shoot more single actions than doubles, which have that hump at the top of the grip.
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Old Savage
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Old Savage »

The single action I shot the most is a Ruger 4 5/8” with 45 Colt and ACP cylinders. Let it get away but still have a 3 Screw in 45 Colt in the 4 5/8s.
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Griff
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Griff »

My 45 Colts:
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Colts
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ASM & Uberti
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Marlin 1894 17" octagon
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Uberti 1873 Short Rifle 18-½"
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Uberti 1873 Sporting Rifle 24-¼"
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Miroku 1885 Low Wall
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Uberti 1860 24-¼"

Plus a Rossi Short Rifle i can't find a picture of...

And the most used bullets: (mainly the 3 on the right, plus the one in the nickel case) From right to left: 225TC, 200RFN, 185WFN, 160TC, 160RFN, 185SWC, & 125Barnstormer, (the left 2 in C45S cases)
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Griff,
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marlinman93
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by marlinman93 »

My favorite grips for a SAA are stag. A close 2nd are ivory, as I think both make a nice contrast to color case and bluing. The stag just gives a nice look, and good grip also for me.
I have smooth wood one piece grips on my SAA in .32-20, and I like them with that pipsqueak cartridge.
Pre WWI Marlins and Singleshot rifles!
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piller
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by piller »

Nicely built stag grips look good as well as helping with control.
D. Brian Casady
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Walt
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Walt »

Sixgun,

I don't recall whether I read this in a magazine article or a book but in an article on .44 Specials, John Taffin counted 'em up and said he had 113 of them.....and that's been about a dozen years ago. One of them was yours.
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Sixgun
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Sixgun »

Walt wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 4:10 pm Sixgun,

I don't recall whether I read this in a magazine article or a book but in an article on .44 Specials, John Taffin counted 'em up and said he had 113 of them.....and that's been about a dozen years ago. One of them was yours.

Well, it's not mine anymore!... :D Yes, it's a S&W 1950 Target (pre-24) made in 1955 with the very rare 4" barrel....all in about 98% condition....he wrote a magazine article on some of his 44 Spls. and my old one was pictured several times. Then in his "Campfire Tales" he wrote up the Colt slip gun that Elmer Keith tested in 1928 and that "giant funnel in the sky" dropped it off at my house some years back...

It's the gun pictured in my avatar....---00

Top gun...the one below it is a Colt New Service Target (you don't see many in the Target version) in 45 L.Colt built in the same era as the single action Colt....around 1905

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Walt
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Re: The .45 Colt

Post by Walt »

Sixgun, I remember reading in Elmer Keith's "Sixguns" about one of his influences as a youngster. John Newman was an afficionado of the Colt slip gun and was apparently deadly with it. Yours is a beautiful example of a classic slip gun.
Thanks as always!
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