44 Mag or 45 Colt for hunting?

[huntersdog]

Which handgun do you use the most for hunting 44 mag or 45 colt.

[Tatume]

Both, equally. However, I recommend the 44 Rem Mag to others. There are no concerns about magnum loads, as that's what it was made to do. Not everyone is savvy enough to work with the 45 Colt; anyone can buy a box of 44 Mag factory ammo.

Take care, Tom

[Jupiter7]

For the sake of utility, I went 45colt. Can use the same molds with my 1911's. Also, with Ruger Blackhawks/SBH or red hawk/SRH you're not giving anything up to the 44mag. Oh, not to mention the commonality up the food chain to .454 and 460s&w if desired.

[CastingFool]

Easy choice for me, 45LC. Don't own a 44 mag.

[C. Latch]

I went with the .45 Colt. If someone was starting out with handgun hunting and asked me for advice, I'd probably steer them towards not the .45 Colt, and not the .44 Magnum, but a 6.5" Blackhawk in .41 Magnum.

With the .41, it seems like you can give up a tiny bit of meplat size in exchange for a bullet that has good SD without being so heavy as to be uncomfortable when loaded hot; a hollowpoint in the .41 that weighed between 220 and 240 grains can be driven downright quickly, at relatively mild pressures, and I personally think that the 6.5" barrel length is the ideal single-action barrel length, and neither the .44 or .45 is commonly found in that length.

[subsonic]

I have never hunted with a .44 mag.

I think the .44 is an easier choice and if I knew what I know now may have started with a .44 and never looked back.

But I also think that the .45 Colt (in a strong gun) is a better killer with all other things equal - which they seldom are.

[35 Whelen]

I've been using a 44 Special but have recently done a lot of work with a 45 Colt. This fall I'm going to use it instead of my .44's. On one hand I think the 45 is far more versatile, but it certainly takes a heavier bullet, and therefore more recoil, to get the same penetration with the 45 as with the 44.

Neither of them have to be loaded to magnum levels in order to kill deer. You can read here the preferences of a man who builds hunting handguns for a living.

35W

[Larry Gibson]

If one is going to use an "off the shelf" revolver such as S&W or Ruger then the .44 Magnum is the obvious choice if one wants full power, especially if only factory ammunition will be used.

Yes the 45 Colt can be loaded to very effective levels. The revolver must be capable and the reloader must be capable of producing such loads for the revolver used. A lot of wiggle room there for something to go wrong.

With the 44 Magnum cartridge the revolver will be made for that level of loads and safe load data abounds.

Larry Gibson

[35 Whelen]

I think with the 45 Colt people just presume that it must be loaded to 44 Magnum levels to be effective and therefore any handloader who buys one is going to automatically start pouring 45 Colt cases full of powder in an attempt to duplicate 44 Magnum levels. I don't think either presumption is correct.

35W

[LUCKYDAWG13]

out of the two i would get the 44 magnum its the 30/06 in pistols can do it all.

[Hickok]

I use .44 mag more, but .45 Colt has always put deer down for me when I used it, and I prefer my .45 Colt ammo loaded with a good SWC to 900 fps.

[USSR]

I'm using a .45 Colt with 265gr SWC HP's at 1000 - 1100fps. REALLY does a number on whitetails.

Don

[butch2570]

This is another 06' vs 308 debate, One would be hard pressed to prove the worth of the better round, personally the factor of the compatability of the shooter/gun /confidence would be the larger issue. Both are excellent.

[TXGunNut]

45 Colt because I can handload it to do anything the 43 Mag can do, probably more. I've loaded it with smokeless from 45acp velocities up to speeds I'd rather not admit to with a 300 gr J-word. What I enjoy best is BP loads in a SAA, someday I'll even take some hunting. Nothing wrong with the 43, at times I'll even admit to having one. There's no right or wrong answer here, they're both awesome hunting rounds. There are no finer BP revolver rounds than the 45 Colt and the 43 Spl but loading BP in a 43 Mag just doesn't sound right. Yes, I'm a bit biased, I love my 45's.

[500MAG]

Got my 44 Redhawk scoped and ready to Hog hunt 2 years ago. I can't wait to go. Lol!

[TXGunNut]

45 Colt because I can handload it to duplicate the 45 acp or anything the 43 Mag can do. On top of that I can load it with BP and shoot it like it was designed to be shot. I'm not at all biased, some days I'll even admit to having a 43. Somedays I forget about having a 43 but just thinking about my 45's makes me smile.

[RED333]

Loaded correct, ether 45 Colt or 44 will get the job done.
We have both, I have not hunted with them.

[6bg6ga]

What are you comfortable with? Either will do the job. Someone mentioned there is a lot of wiggle room for things to go wrong with the 45 but isn't this true when reloading for any caliber? I have two 45's and no 44 mags and its a matter of choice.

[patrick_ford]

Whether .44 special, .44 magnum or .45 colt, they all are very capable of getting the job done with certain factory loads or judicious hand loading. The real question depends on the launch platform. The gun determines what you can really get out of the cartridge. I've been a diehard 45 colt fan for over ten years, especially in a late framed ruger blackhawk, but since I got my hands on a medium framed 44 special blackhawk, it's starting to get my attention for general outdoor work and my personal comfort.

YMMV. Happy hunting!

Patrick

[str8wal]

They are equally effective for the most part, but I prefer the 45 Colt. You can run heavier slugs at lower pressures than a 44.