Is .45 the most versatile caliber?

[Single Six]

From bird shot to one ball for varmints or two balls for defense to .454 casull in a rifle to match or exceed .45-70 power....I can't think of anything more versatile.

[Tracy]

Have you ever read any of Jim Taylor's articles about the .45 Colt? Some of them are at Paco Kelly's Leverguns website, but Jim used to have a sixgun website with more of them. Of course, I don't have to tell you about John Linebaugh. You already know him, don't you?

[500Smith]

500 S&W.

Plinker through hand cannon. 275gr -700gr. 850fps-2000fps.

To me that’s versatility.

[dragonrider]

I'm more on the side of 30 caliber. Large range of boolit weights, large range of cartridges. Velocities for ho hum to holy freaking frijoles that's fast. How many diffferent rifles are chambered is some 30 caliber?? and some handguns. I think 30 has the edge.

[btroj]

Ummm, a 30 cal rifle will do well too. Uses less lead and powder too. Economics is always a factor.

This is an arguement with no answer. Use what you like, that is all that matters.

[David2011]

I have a lot of pistols in the safe and a fair collection of rifles. If I had to get it together before "it hit the fan" day arrived and was told to pick one handgun and one rifle, I would probably take my Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt and my M-1 Garand. The Garand might be a little heavy duty for some purposes (small game) but I would never be under-gunned. The .45 Colt will handle anything from rattlesnake shot loads to big feral hogs and black bear. The Garand would provide both long range power and the rapid dispensing of defensive rounds as required.

David

[Single Six]

500 S&W.

Plinker through hand cannon. 275gr -700gr. 850fps-2000fps.

To me that’s versatility.

Too much overkill methinks.

[Single Six]

I have a lot of pistols in the safe and a fair collection of rifles. If I had to get it together before "it hit the fan" day arrived and was told to pick one handgun and one rifle, I would probably take my Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt and my M-1 Garand. The Garand might be a little heavy duty for some purposes (small game) but I would never be under-gunned. The .45 Colt will handle anything from rattlesnake shot loads to big feral hogs and black bear. The Garand would provide both long range power and the rapid dispensing of defensive rounds as required.

David

I agree. I was thinking about the 45LC or 454 in both a handgun and a rifle would be pretty versatile.

[Single Six]

I'm more on the side of 30 caliber. Large range of boolit weights, large range of cartridges. Velocities for ho hum to holy freaking frijoles that's fast. How many diffferent rifles are chambered is some 30 caliber?? and some handguns. I think 30 has the edge.

I tend to agree, though there isn't much for handguns. I guess the downside to 45 is lack of brass, unless you include ACP.

[fcvan]

Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt, H&R Classic Carbine in .45 Colt. I've enjoyed mild loads of .454 round ball to warm loads of 300 grain round flat. Pretty versatile indeed. Frank

[Gunnut 45/454]

Single Six
I used to have the 454 Casull pistol/rifle combo! But the SRH went down the road - but I still have the Lever gun in 454 Casull. Also have a 45 LC Win 94. Loaded correctly there is anything on this earth I wouldn't shoot with either.

500Smith

Yea thats great if you got a set of wheels to roll it around!

[Tracy]

I love my .45 Colt revolvers and consider a 4 5/8-inch Blackhawk (large frame) a great choice for all-around use. I have loaded everything from round balls at BB gun velocities to 325 grain boolits in loads that outperform the .44 Mag with less pressure, and I have killed snakes and rats with shot loads both in .45 Colt brass and in .410 hulls cut down to fit the cylinder.

As time goes by though, I become more and more a fan of the lowly .38 Special. For one thing I have thousands and thousands of cases. For another the .38 delivers killing power far beyond its paper ballistics, while keeping the lead and powder bill very low. Lastly, it is available in smaller guns than the .45 Colt, and an excellent quality .38 is far cheaper to buy than just about any .45 Colt. So I'm not planning on getting rid of my .45s, but my old model Flat Top .357, unsullied by any transfer-bar "upgrade", gets more use.

Skeeter wrote something along those lines about his old Blackhawk .357, too.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

push comes to shove, I have a stainless Para P-14 in 45acp and my trusty DPMS Panther LR model in 308Win.

Otherwise, my 4" Colt Anaconda in 45LC is the Perfect Packing Pistol.

Rich

[btroj]

Where in the original post does it specify handguns?

I will take a 30 cal rifle over a 45 handgun in most situations any day.

[Bret4207]

35 cal in handgun or rifle.

[Beerd]

35 cal in handgun or rifle.

35 cal in handgun and rifle.

just sayin'
..

[Single Six]

Where in the original post does it specify handguns?

I will take a 30 cal rifle over a 45 handgun in most situations any day.

Well, I didn't spec it, but relegating to rifles-only negates significant versatility. I agree .30 wins in rifles.

I live in the desert but we recently got some rain. I went out for some very informal mud ballistics testing, just for fun. From .22 CBs to shotgun. The biggest and deepest hole was .30-06 180gr soft point. A 3" slug would probably have been bigger, but I neglected to bring some. 125 '06 grain was a big shallow hole. 350 grain 45 colt was not a large hole, but deep, it and the 180 gr TC 357 penetrated the mud so deep the holes filled up with water. The most surprising was .22 magnum. The holes from it were almost as big as the lighter bullet .357 holes. That's a potent little round.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I don't want more versatility, I want more GUNS! What happens if I tell my wife that a single gun will do everything???

[David2011]

This thread just reminded me of the articles in the early 1980s. Seems like every magazine had a new "Hottest load for the Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt" every month. My buddy Mac and I had to try them all. They were so brutal that I still have a box full of 290 grain .45 boolits that may be saved until I leave this world just to remind me of what stupid loads can do to me. The gun may handle it but even when I was young those loads took a toll on tendons and ligaments. The Blackhawk is just too light to dampen the recoil of loads that belong in a heavy .454.

David

[btroj]

I agree David. I have rip snorting 45 Colt loads too. I have a box of 50 or so left. When I decide I am up to it I shoot 10 per range trip to empty the brass.

45 Colt just works well without extreme velocity. I like a 290 at 900 just fine.

While it doesn't say much about "versatility" but I shoot far more 35 cal bullets than I do 45. A 357 with 38 loads is just so darn shootable. Great gun for new shooters too. What more do I really need?