In the 1971 movie Dirty Harry, Clint Eastwood’s character refers to his .44 Magnum ammo firing S&W Model 29 as “the most powerful handgun in the world.” This may have been true at the time (for market-available cartridges), it’s not entirely true these days. Because the size of 44 Mag is smaller than 45 Colt, and the weight of balls 44 Mag is lighter than 45 Colt. Both of these cartridges are commonly found in six-shot revolvers, but for the .45 Colt, that’s basically where the story ends. as a side note , loaded with a full packed case of BP. Cartridges intended for lever-action rifles play out this trend. is 1.6. However, the rim of 45 Colt has the same length as 44 Mag, which is 1.285’’. The golden age of an untamed American West, with cattle drives and gold rushes and homesteads sprouting across the landscape, as faded into the past. Also, feel free to head over to the new members area and introdice yourself. Therefore, the 44 Mag can be fired and go faster than the 45 Colt. And the conclusion is the bullets from 44 Mag weapon can come out with the speed of 1270 fps (feet per second) while that of the 45 Colt is only 957 fps. The chambering selected was a .45 caliber black powder cartridge manufactured by the Union Metallic Cartridge Company of Bridgeport, CT. Based on the slightly older 44 Colt round, this new cartridge used the same rebated heel type bullet. That is not a misprint. I recently got an email from Taurusabout one of their newer lines of big bore magnum revolvers, the Raging Hunter series, which was initially available only in .44 Magnum. "The great thing about the .45 Colt in modern cases as compared to the .44 Magnum is that the .45 Colt can be loaded to more power with less pressure than the .44 magnum. Either one launching a 250 or heavier bullet at 1200 fps or faster will take anything on earth, with good bullet selection, that being the key. However, this gun doesn’t have a long barrel, so the size of the firearm using 45 Colt is more compact than 44 Mag. You may wonder what the difference between 45 Colt and 44 Mag is? HSM Bear Load .45 Colt $45.99 Cabelas.com Winchester .45 Colt $46.99 Cabelas.com.44 Magnum. .44 magnum is Dirty Harry cool but the history of the .45 Colt and its softer shooting nature won me over. You'll find rifle data for the .357 Magnum operating at 35,000 psi - with velocities around 1800 fps for 158 gr bullets and 2200 fps for 125 gr bullets in 20" barrels. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. All Model 94's chambered for revolver cartridges have since been discontinued. The MagTech 250-grain .45 Colt has a muzzle energy of 321 ft-lbs and at 50 yards maintains 300 ft-lbs. Thanks again to my wife for the editing! After 50 yards, it is traveling at 828 fps. and a 255 gr cast bullet, makes an impressive kill at 50 to 80 yards. The.44 Remington Magnum is, in almost all comparable situations, a faster cartridge. From wimpy 450 Adams to 450SMC and beyond. If you love the old cowboy style in the movies, the gun using 44 Mag is the one which satisfies your desire. These are decent numbers, but a 240-grain .44 Magnum round from the same product line flies out of the barrel at 1,230 fps; after 50 yards it is still traveling 1,117 fps. If you find this article helpful, please share it with your friends who have the same hobby about firearms. The 45 Colt can be made to perform equal to 44 magnum velocities with less pressure than the 44 magnum simply because the gasses have more bullet base for the gasses to push on..452 diameter vs.429 diameter. A popular debate about 10 years ago was the hot loaded 45 Colt vs. the 44 Magnum. We can see that the 45 Colt has excellent durability and accuracy than 44 Mag. By the time you get past the 44 Mag in power with the 45 Colt it's not much fun to shoot. load above from a rifle, at basically the same velocity as the 275 gr./45 long Colt from a rifle has the same killing level potential as the 45 long Colt. If you are a handloader the 45-70 is great. I, load my 45 colt to 22,000 psi and with the right powder and bullet it does the job as does the 44 mag . Compare all 45 Colt ammunition manufacturers on one easy chart. Otherwise, the 44 Mag can go farther than the 45 Colt as the result of the lighter materials in 44 Mag. Another information is the 44 Mag was made after the first appearance of 45 Colt, which is about 80 years. For the most part, the 45 Colt is far more fun to shoot than the 44 Mag. The .44 Magnum is what most people consider to be the best of the “old-school” straight-walled cases. I too as a hand loader, find them both to be good as gold in the field. These cartridges tend to range from about $0.50 per shot to as much as $2.00 for premium products. The late Elmer Keith's pushing the .44 Special to quasi-magnum ballistics eventually led to the .44 Magnum round and in Contenders and Ruger revolvers, the .45 Colt can be similarly jacked up. The .44 Remington Magnum was released in the 1950’s and was based on the .44 S&W Special. These included Smith & Wesson, Ruger Vaquero, an Italian copy of a Colt … Otherwise, the 44 mag or 45 Colt are very close to each other, especially in a carbine. 6.5 Creedmoor Vs. 270: Which Is The Best For Hunting? The 225-grain .45 Colt has a muzzle velocity of 860 feet-per-second (fps). but taking game with Both, and having done so at over 60 yards I find no difference in the two. Today, the cartridge is a popular option for nostalgic handgun owners, especially those with a fondness for the American West. The real diameter of the 45 Colt is .45 inches, which is similar to its name. 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