45 Colt VS 44 Mag Target Shooting

[bouncer50]

Like most of use guns to kill paper targets. I reload so when i use the 45 Colt i reload to factory levels i can shoot a lot of rounds in comfort and not worry about muzzle blast and recoil. Its rare if i shoot 44 mags to target shoot instead i use 44 special. The 44 mag has the power if i need it but the 44 special is a nice target round. That why i like the 45 Colt better one load for all my 45 Colts Rugers and Anaconda it has all the power i need. I guess i am old school about the 45 Colt their some thing about being around about 1873 and it here to stay. Just like the 45/70 the old best is hard to beat. :grin:

[gray wolf]

Nice that your pleased with what you do.
Sometime that's hard to achieve.

[johnson1942]

the 45/70 and the 45 long colt are very accurate reliable cartridges. so is the 22 long rifle which is really a mini 45/70.

[tja6435]

I hadn't thought about the 22lr being a mini 45/70

[44man]

I hadn't thought about the 22lr being a mini 45/70
Tough to seat my 500 gr boolit in it though.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Yes, the 45 Colt at factory pressures and full weight boolits is a great round for a day of shooting. Paper trembles at the mention of it's name.

[Butchman205]

+1 to what Silver Jack said...
I prefer an old standby load on my 45 Colts. 8gr of Unique under a 250 cast boolit is pleasant with a good but manageable recoil. Not just close, but the near exact weight and pressure that's been around for a looooong time. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Lefty Red]

When settling on on of the big bore calibers, I choose the 44 magnum. It was developed from a target round and is a very accurate round. Yes, its actually a 43 Magnum, but have yet to have a deer jump back up and take off after a proper hit.

Will the 45LC do the same on game? Yep, doubt it would notice the differance. But you asked about target shooting, so my nod goes to the 44. :)

Jerry

[NC_JEFF]

I think that all thing are equal in a target intended boolit., especially if your the one that hand loaded the round. There is no need to feel like you have to choose between the 44 & 45, enjoy both. I don't have every handgun I want but I certainly enjoy all of them equally when shooting paper because I have developed low recoil, accurate loads for most of them. I too load down quiet a bit in 44 when paper is the intent but I keep some loaded to true potential also. (20+ gr 2400). 357/38 the same way. A 45 Colt doesn't have to be reduced much at all to produce a lower recoiling version. Even the 22s are a blast when target shooting but I'm conserving them right now. I also have several light loads for the '06 that make it very enjoyable at the range.
I have "standard" loads for each gun as well and I do think it is important to get enough trigger with these loads so I know where POA vs POI is. I just enjoy the fact that most guns have enough versatility that I can shoot gallery loads and standard pressure loads through them all. Enjoy the 45 bouncer, great choice

[Thumbcocker]

Theoretically both cartridges should be equally accurate in a properly dimensioned revolver. I have had terrible luck with the .45 Colt and have had excellent results with most all .44 magnums. Put me solidly in the .44 magnum/special camp.

[Lloyd Smale]

another vote for the 44. Ive had to struggle much more with 45 colts trying to get accuracy then with 44 mags or specs. Especially if you shooting light to mid range loads with 240-260 grain bullets. Move up to 300s and the gap closes.

[Bigslug]

Equivalent guns?

Color me indifferent.:neutral:

[USSR]

I am hoping that in a couple weeks I can get away from my job of processing brass, and start casting with my new .45 caliber 250gr full wadcutter mould. Looking forward to having a .45 Colt, bullseye powder version of the classic .38 Special wadcutter load.

Don

[LUCKYDAWG13]

my vote goes to 44 i have this on the way http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=43-260K-D.png i just hope
that it shoots as good as it looks

[runfiverun]

I use the same loads and boolit profiles in the two rounds.
the 452664 versus the 429667 and the 429241 versus the 454424,
deer, rocks, paper, revolvers, lever guns, sight settings, and velocity's over the chrono.
good luck telling one apart from the other, unless you can really feel the 5-10gr weight difference of the boolits recoil.

[Lonegun1894]

Tough to seat my 500 gr boolit in it though.

Whatever you do, please don't force it. Just use a bigger hammer! :kidding:

[44man]

I found no difference. Both shoot. Watch twist rates, Ruger is 1 in 16" for the Colt and does not need shot as fast as a .44 with a 1 in 20". Some Colts are 1 in 24" and you just can't shoot them slow, need balls to the wall.
Some say a .45 can equal a .44 but you need a 5 shot cylinder to reach into .454 ranges. The slower 1 in 24" is still a challenge.
Even heavy boolits from the Ruger .45 colt will need about 200 fps slower then a .44.

[odis]

my vote goes to 44 i have this on the way http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=43-260K-D.png i just hope
that it shoots as good as it looksI have the 250 k version of that mold and it works very well in both my redhawk at mag vel. and in my 624 with a mild red dot charge. My money is on you will like it.

[Petrol & Powder]

Back when I played with both, the 44 always out-shot the 45. The 44 magnum downloaded to hot 44 Special levels (250 gr bullet at about 900 fps) is very hard to beat.
Now the 45 Colt can be a good target load and lots of people use it as such but the 44 seems to be easier to dial in. Given the same bullet weights the 44 slug (43 caliber) is going to be a bit longer and I suspect that gives the 44 a slight accuracy advantage.
I left 45 Colt years ago and never looked back. YMMV

[44man]

Exactly, that is why I use heavy in the .45. It still comes down to twist stability. It is why I hate 180 to 200 gr in the .44. The .44 starts at 240 gr but the Colt might need 300 +.

[Mal Paso]

I love the 44 at 260g and 1250+ fps.

The whole point though is a hole you can see without a telescope and boolits you can see on the loading bench without glasses. :-)

[44man]

I love the 44 at 260g and 1250+ fps.

The whole point though is a hole you can see without a telescope and boolits you can see on the loading bench without glasses. :-)
So true, how do guys load those little things? I drop half on the floor even with large boolits. Rug down here full of dog hair so I have porcupine boolits! :kidding:

[telebasher]

Mine have corncob media stuck on them LOL!

[bouncer50]

Their one thing i really care full about is putting a 44 mag in the 45 Colt by mistake. Which i do know has happen before. I have seen some weird things at the target range. Like one guy trying to get 8mm Mauser in his 7.5 French rifle ? I was glad to stop him from trying to do it. Some people think if can chamber it you can fire it. You can be DEAD WRONG.

[Outpost75]

If you want to buy a standard factory revolver and shoot it straight from the box, without having to get cylinder throats reamed, and using common mass=produced molds from Lee, Lyman or RCBS, in my experience the .44 Magnum is a bit more forgiving and more versatile. with standard components.

Too often with the .45 Colt chamber dimensions are sloppy and cylinder throats too tight or too loose, etc.

You can buy a Ruger .44 Magnum of any model and it will most of the time shoot well out of the box. If you don't want to shoot full loads, about 6.5-8 grains of Bullseye in .44 Magnum brass with any bullet suited for the .44 Special is pleasant and accurate.

K.I.S.S. principle.

[Mal Paso]

Their one thing i really care full about is putting a 44 mag in the 45 Colt by mistake. Which i do know has happen before. I have seen some weird things at the target range. Like one guy trying to get 8mm Mauser in his 7.5 French rifle ? I was glad to stop him from trying to do it. Some people think if can chamber it you can fire it. You can be DEAD WRONG.

I heard putt putt putt from the other side of the RO Station and my buddy said that guy is keyholing most shots. Sure enough 44 Mag CCI Blazer in a 45. Just enough power to punch cardboard. No accuracy. See the case bulge.

Even more amazing a 308 fired in a 308 Norma Magnum. Normal fired 308 for comparison.

[tygar]

44 for me. No doubt. Never had a 45LC shoot as good as any of my .44s hot or mild.

[1johnlb]

45 lc is useless, they won't fit either of my 44 mags.:kidding:

[bouncer50]

45 lc is useless, they won't fit either of my 44 mags.:kidding: I bet a 41 mag will fit:kidding:

[RogerDat]

Using short pieces of 4 x 4 wood as targets I have noticed the kids 44 mag makes holes and some splits in the blocks, with the 45 colt we use the splinters that the block turns into as starter for the campfire. Paper the 44 is a bit more satisfying with it's accuracy but wood blocks the 45 colt is more fun. Then we trade for awhile - best way, some of both.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I know you can shoot a 44 Mag out of a 454 it was like a pop gun

[44man]

My revolvers will take a coffee cup! drop a .44 in and it will fall out the barrel.
Seen crazy stuff at ranges, never at a shoot, just city places but the greatest is shooting a ram rod out of a ML. Try and shoot a laser bore sight out the muzzle!

[bouncer50]

Yes, Crazy people at the range. About 10 or so years back a car with four guys pull up to the range. A couple of them got out and put some target up. Got back in the car and started shooting out there car windows. five minutes later they took off. Maybe to do a drive by later ? Another time a guy had a shotgun leaning on the side of his truck. The gun fell to the ground and went off hitting a guy in his legs with bird shot.

[Char-Gar]

In any decent 44 Magnum sixgun, and most of them are, sterling accuracy can be had all the way up and down the velocity chart from 700 to 1,400 fps.

There are so many funky 45 Colt sixguns, with over/undersized charge holes, throats and barrels, that the same can't be said. Good accuracy can be had from many 45 Colt sixguns, but can't be had in many more.

Taken as a whole, the 44 Magnum is my choice for the above reasons. I do have multiple sixguns in both calibers. I am just trying to be honest and objective and not play favorites.

[Char-Gar]

Yes, Crazy people at the range. About 10 or so years back a car with four guys pull up to the range. A couple of them got out and put some target up. Got back in the car and started shooting out there car windows. five minutes later they took off. Maybe to do a drive by later ? Another time a guy had a shotgun leaning on the side of his truck. The gun fell to the ground and went off hitting a guy in his legs with bird shot.

Many years ago, while Whitewing Dove hunting, I saw a gun lean his shotgun against the side of his pickup, and put on this shell vest which was in the bed. He was standing behind the tailgate. The shotgun fell, hitting the extended rear bumper, discharged and hit the guy in the arm pit. He bled out before help could be summoned.

[Char-Gar]

Some years ago, I watched Jim Taylor demonstrate how rounds work in revolvers for which they were not intended. He used Ruger Blackhawks in 45 Colt and 44 Magnum.

He first put the 45 Colt cylinder in the 44 Mag. and fired several 45 Colt rounds. The bullets extruded down the smaller barrel and he was able to hit a target about 15 feet away.

He then fired 44 Mag rounds out of the 45 Colt barrel and cylinder, and although the cases were useless when through, managed to hit the same target at the same distance.

[Outpost75]

My boyhood mentor Bill Bender told me that when he was a kid in Montana during the Depression that as long as you stuck to blackpowder loads with soft bullets you could always "go down one caliber in size" and get acceptable results, using .44-40s in a .45 Colt, .38-40s in a .44-40, etc. He said he also used soft lead British .450 Revolver and .455 which were short enough to chamber in his .44-40 and they shot fine. He said the hollow-based Webley lead bullet round squeezed down easily in the .44 barrel and he never got any leading. Do not try this with WW2 jacketed stuff, he warned me!

[44man]

We learned safety without instruction at all. I think we had more brains back then. My dad never shot at all and how I got into guns is a mystery. But I got with old time hunters.
Once we were hunting and a guy in front of me had his .410 over his shoulder and it swung past me a lot. I told him to take it down but he said "The safety is on." I kept dodging it and it went off. He had a silly look after that. I trust guns more then people. They bring guns here for work and lean them. I tell them to lay it on the rug. I will check chambers, I do not trust them.
The only thing I know for sure is not a single one of my guns are loaded unless I am hunting with a revolver and I bring it in. But I know it. It is in the holster, do NOT touch. No kids to worry about.

[white eagle]

Theoretically both cartridges should be equally accurate in a properly dimensioned revolver. I have had terrible luck with the .45 Colt and have had excellent results with most all .44 magnums. Put me solidly in the .44 magnum/special camp.

I agree
bought many 45c handguns and just could not get them to shoot as well as a 44
so I have switched to the 44 for targets and hunting

[44man]

Ruger .45 Colt 137512Vaquero at 50 yards. Creedmore. I have shot 1" groups at 75 yards with this gun. The .45 might need some dimension work with throats but the caliber just needs understood.

[Fergie]

With a modern revolver like a Redhawk in .45 Colt, or a Mountain Gun in the same, are the cylinder and dimensional issues still there, or has the slop been taken out of the process?

[dubber123]

With a modern revolver like a Redhawk in .45 Colt, or a Mountain Gun in the same, are the cylinder and dimensional issues still there, or has the slop been taken out of the process?

Ruger seems to still be putting tight throats on their revolvers, which is better than the over sized ones of years ago, as it is easily correctable. My most modern .45 Colt S&W's, a Mountain gun, and a 625 Classic, both have .452" throats and have shot very well with no fiddling.

[bouncer50]

With a modern revolver like a Redhawk in .45 Colt, or a Mountain Gun in the same, are the cylinder and dimensional issues still there, or has the slop been taken out of the process? I believe pre world war 11 ammo for the 45 Colt used to be 454 dia bullets. After the war they went to 452 size bullets. I believe the more sloppy chamber size goes back to the black powder era. Due to fouling in the chamber. There no reason for it nowadays I have notice no slop in my Rugers or my acaconda

[Tar Heel]

The 45 Colt is a "ballistically balanced cartridge." The 44 Magnum is not. The 45 Colt has the capability of delivering more accurate fire based on that alone. Of course, accurate fire is contingent on your capability to deliver it. All things being equal, the 45 Colt should outperform the 44 Magnum on paper.

[Tar Heel]

Ruger seems to still be putting tight throats on their revolvers, which is better than the over sized ones of years ago, as it is easily correctable. My most modern .45 Colt S&W's, a Mountain gun, and a 625 Classic, both have .452" throats and have shot very well with no fiddling.

Ruger and other manufacturers are using .451 cylinder mouths to accommodate the jacketed bullets available to hand loaders, and bullets used in ammunition manufacturing, which are .451 in diameter. Hand loaders typically size to .452 and the manufacturers know this as well. That folks is why Ruger and all the others now generally have cylinder mouths sized to .451 inches.

[Char-Gar]

The 45 Colt is a "ballistically balanced cartridge." The 44 Magnum is not. The 45 Colt has the capability of delivering more accurate fire based on that alone. Of course, accurate fire is contingent on your capability to deliver it. All things being equal, the 45 Colt should outperform the 44 Magnum on paper.

why is the 45 Colt balistically balanced and the 44Magnum us not? This is a new idea to me.

[Petrol & Powder]

I'd like to hear the "ballistically balanced" story as well.

[EDK]

The 45 Colt is a "ballistically balanced cartridge." The 44 Magnum is not. PLEASE DEFINE THIS.

The 45 Colt has the capability of delivering more accurate fire based on that alone. DEFINE THIS ALSO.

Of course, accurate fire is contingent on your capability to deliver it. All things being equal, the 45 Colt should outperform the 44 Magnum on paper. The sad FACT that 45 Colt dimensions are not very standardized...or adhered to!..doesn't do much for "All things being equal" when referring to factory issue firearms.

You've thrown some interesting new concepts into the everlasting 44 versus 45 discussion. Why does the name "Jug Johnson" come to mind? Remember Skeeter Skelton?

[Tar Heel]

Read the old texts gentlemen. Ballistic Balance is a ratio of bullet diameter, bullet weight, and cartridge case capacity (volume). It was only used in context with straight wall cartridge cases.

Regarding the Jug Johnson reference....I am neither Jug or Skeeter. I do have a voluminous collection of books however including some older Shooting Times volumes. Readers are welcome to "google" the term since I am not inclined to look up the references for everyone. The information is out there if you wish to research it. I was simply speaking a thought.

Which is more accurate? Neither will be if you can't shoot for ****. Both will be in the hands of a good marksman. Splitting hairs is what we are doing. I would rather be loading 45 Colt loads with the brass I finally got at Cabela's so..... I am off to the man cave.

[Petrol & Powder]

Read the old texts gentlemen. Ballistic Balance is a ratio of bullet diameter, bullet weight, and cartridge case capacity (volume). It was only used in context with straight wall cartridge cases.



OK, what "old Texts" ?

Be warned, I'm dangerously close to calling BS on this "ballistically balanced" supposition.

[Lloyd Smale]

there you go. You yourself have found its more finicky. I can get a 44 mag to shoot anything from a 210 to a 335 just fine. 45 colts and I have struggled with anything under 300 (for sure under 280). Not that with enough work I can find an expectable load but rarely do I find an exceptional load
Exactly, that is why I use heavy in the .45. It still comes down to twist stability. It is why I hate 180 to 200 gr in the .44. The .44 starts at 240 gr but the Colt might need 300 +.

[Lloyd Smale]

I wouldn't call it a ballisticaly unbalanced round. What I will say is its chambered in a lot of guns that are ballisticaly challenged. 45 specs are all over the map compared to 44s. That and so are the twist rates and a good many of them are wrong. I also have a very gun savoy friend that swears that the rifling depth in rugers and most 45s are shallower then the 44s he sees in the same gun. I cant verify that one though. I do know that my smith 45s have shallow rifling similar to a 1911. Even the 45 colt smiths. Ive owned at AT least a dozen of each and to be honest more then that and I know that about every 44 I buy is a shooter with little work and every 45 Ive owned including even high dollar customs have had me on the bench for a lot longer.
The 45 Colt is a "ballistically balanced cartridge." The 44 Magnum is not. The 45 Colt has the capability of delivering more accurate fire based on that alone. Of course, accurate fire is contingent on your capability to deliver it. All things being equal, the 45 Colt should outperform the 44 Magnum on paper.

[TheDoctor]

Try and shoot a laser bore sight out the muzzle!

Saw that kinda happen once. Guy (and I won't get into THAT individual) was bore sighting a new sako 338 lapua. Pulled the bore sight ought, and the mandrel stayed in the muzzle. No injuries thankfully, but that was probably the most expensive round he ever touched off.

[Petrol & Powder]

Back when I played with the 44 Special, 44 mag and 45 Colt, I always found the 44's outshot the 45's. Now that doesn't prove anything but I find it hard to believe the 44 is somehow fundamentally inferior. I'm certain that the 45 Colt can be made to shoot very well but I gave up on it a long time ago and have no regrets.

[44man]

Lloyd has a pretty good handle on it. The .44 for me starts at 240 and ends at 330 gr though. Much has to do with twist rates with the Ruger .45 having a 1 in 16", it Should shoot a lighter boolit slower then the .44 but mine shoots best at 300 and up, slower then the .44 of course. The 335 LBT is great and the group I showed was shot with the Lyman 452651. That darn thing drops at 347 gr. The .44 needs a little more speed, in the 1300 fps range for heavy while the .45 with the same weights are best at 1100 or a little over. You just can't shoot heavy boolits too slow from either.
The Freedom .45 has a 1 in 24" rate and needs shot VERY HARD to stabilize.
I had to lap the throats on my Vaquero and still do not understand why they made them so tight, nobody with a Colt will shoot .451" ACP boolits or small jacketed. Everyone makes .452" bullets.
Long ago a gun writer complained about neck tension from RCBS dies for the .45, seems they had an expander for .454", soft boolits. RCBS changed it and it worked better but my .44 dies were also wrong for .430" to .432", not enough tension, don't know if they changed them. I would NOT buy CA dies for accuracy in any case. Seem made for soft boolits.
No way, shape or form I will expand too much for a revolver.
There is always a question of one cartridge being more accurate then another, might be true when you start to talk over bore for rifles, the old .222 was easier to get accuracy compared to large but It never beat the .220 Swift at range, just closer. The Swift was better at range then the 22-250 with heavier bullets, twist rate! Now look at all the fast rates for the .223. The trend to heavy bullets means a faster twist. To compare a .44 to a .45 is apples to oranges, both will shoot the same if you consider what the gun needs.
Too many say the .45 will equal a .44 in power and it is not true unless you have a gun made to handle the velocity, spin and pressures.
It is true the .45 gun dimensions go all over the place and it is the crutch we bear.
Is the .45 a better balance then the .44 mag? I don't buy that with any caliber ever made.
Now MR is making a .44 with a 1 in 16" twist and I would love to play with one but I hate the barrel length offer. Slap a 7-1/2" barrel on it and I bet it will shoot some very heavy boolits at reduced velocities without extreme pressures.
My most accurate revolvers that will handle a wide range of boolit weights are the BFR's with faster twist rates.
If you can't make a .45 shoot, you are ignoring what it needs.

[Char-Gar]

Read the old texts gentlemen. Ballistic Balance is a ratio of bullet diameter, bullet weight, and cartridge case capacity (volume). It was only used in context with straight wall cartridge cases.

Regarding the Jug Johnson reference....I am neither Jug or Skeeter. I do have a voluminous collection of books however including some older Shooting Times volumes. Readers are welcome to "google" the term since I am not inclined to look up the references for everyone. The information is out there if you wish to research it. I was simply speaking a thought.

Which is more accurate? Neither will be if you can't shoot for ****. Both will be in the hands of a good marksman. Splitting hairs is what we are doing. I would rather be loading 45 Colt loads with the brass I finally got at Cabela's so..... I am off to the man cave.

I have a goodly portion of the older writing about such things that go back to the early 1920's. I am not about to spend a couple of days pouring over dusty books trying to locate something that is either misinterpreted, misapplied or is essentially nonsense.

I am not joining the debate that one round (45 Colt or 44 Magnum) is clearly superior in terms of accuracy. Either round can do very well in a firearm with good dimensions and the rounds are tailored to the revolver. However, having made the transition from black powder to smokeless powder there are lots of 45 Colt revolvers out there that have some pretty funky specs that are not conducive to fine accuracy.

After 50 years of reloading for both rounds, I can say with a degree of certainty, that the 44 Magnum is much more cast bullet friendly, in terms of accuracy, although modern 45 Colt revolvers are or can be made to be just as accurate.

[Lloyd Smale]

If you can't make a .45 shoot, you are ignoring what it needs I guess that's where we differ. I look at what I need out of it not what it needs out of me. Shouldn't have to struggle to get decent accuracy out of a 45 made today with modern manufacturing practices. Theres absolutely no excuse for the **** that ruger and smith have pushed out with 45 stamped on them in recent years. To many bean counters and not enough gun cranks! Like I said I can buy a smith or ruger or about any brand of 44 mag revolver and at least its in spec and most likely will shoot with little bother on my part with about anything I try in it. I don't mind making special effords for exceptional loads but I shouldn't have to do it to get just average groups. One other thing to keep in mind here is that some think the 45 is just fine and some of those people think a minute of beer can load at 25 yards is accurate. A good revolver should shoot a 3 inch 50 yard group without a lot of drama. A good load should knock an inch off of that. I just don't have and haven't owned 45 colts that will do that consistently. Ive got a couple that will do it because I invested POUNDS of powder and POUNDS of lead. Ive probably have had that level of accuracy with 80 percent of the 44 mags ive owned the first day at the bench.

[44man]

I have a goodly portion of the older writing about such things that go back to the early 1920's. I am not about to spend a couple of days pouring over dusty books trying to locate something that is either misinterpreted, misapplied or is essentially nonsense.

I am not joining the debate that one round (45 Colt or 44 Magnum) is clearly superior in terms of accuracy. Either round can do very well in a firearm with good dimensions and the rounds are tailored to the revolver. However, having made the transition from black powder to smokeless powder there are lots of 45 Colt revolvers out there that have some pretty funky specs that are not conducive to fine accuracy.

After 50 years of reloading for both rounds, I can say with a degree of certainty, that the 44 Magnum is much more cast bullet friendly, in terms of accuracy, although modern 45 Colt revolvers are or can be made to be just as accurate.
In a nutshell, it is here. i refuse to swing either way because I love both.

[Lloyd Smale]

don't get me wrong. I just counted and there 6 45 colts in the safe so I sure cant claim to be a hater either. Im one that allways liked old school. Id rather have a 45 colt that shot exceptional then a 44mag but it just doesn't seem to work that way.

[Lonegun1894]

As much as I enjoy these discussions, I have both, love both, and don't plan on giving up either in favor of the other. If I had to pick a side, I would say the .45 Colt, but that is because I have had my .45s longer than my .44s, and the history behind them, but not because one is better than the other.

[DrCaveman]

If 44 special was thrown into the discussion (using an EK #5 style or a triple lock or a 1950 target masterpiece) would the tune change? In strong guns, im thinking the efficency and probably "ballistic balance" are way up there

It was born as a target shooting round, no?

[44man]

I wonder what dimensions are on all the Colt clones?

[EDK]

I wonder what dimensions are on all the Colt clones?

Probably better than the 140+ years of manufacture here in the US. The italian manufacturers have rigorous proof requirements, so I would think that dimensions should also be regulated.
When RUGER and SMITH & WESSON started making 45 Colt revolvers back in the 1970s, there were horror stories about .456 throats...and how to get around the problem. Now you hear about tight throats. (Similar comments about 44 guns on occasion.)
I bought a SCHOFIELD clone last fall. I have to get my pin gauge set from storage at mom's now that I've acquired 200 empties and the dies, etc from DILLON. (Most of my reloading stuff has been stored for the last year until the divorce got settled FINALLY! and I bought the house.)

PS I have to throw the Original Poster something. IIRC Elmer Keith commented on the relationship of boolit weight and BLACK powder charge in the ORIGINAL S&W cartridges of the 1870s. Smokeless powder has to change the equation.

[bouncer50]

If 44 special was thrown into the discussion (using an EK #5 style or a triple lock or a 1950 target masterpiece) would the tune change? In strong guns, im thinking the efficency and probably "ballistic balance" are way up there

It was born as a target shooting round, no? First was the 44 Russian a BP round then the 44 Special smokeless and a little longer case. All way know as a accurate round. Some gunfighter use the 44 Russian. Same as gunfighter learn about the 44/40 sometimes it would bind up the cylinder from turning