Question about .45 cal for Redhawk Revolvers

[txbell1]

Hi everyone,

Since my last visit I've bought a 1911 compact Springfield 45 cal and I love it. However now, (this is never ending) I want to get a Ruger super redhawk .480. So my question is what is the difference between a 45 cal and a .45 Long Colt? I know that I can handle the .45 cal but wonder what kind of difference would be between the two if any?

[Liberty]

Hi everyone,

Since my last visit I've bought a 1911 compact Springfield 45 cal and I love it. However now, (this is never ending) I want to get a Ruger super redhawk .480. So my question is what is the difference between a 45 cal and a .45 Long Colt? I know that I can handle the .45 cal but wonder what kind of difference would be between the two if any?

I don't know much about revolvers but I thing you mean a Ruger 454 Super Redhawk. The 45 Colt starts at 300 + grain at over 110o fps, some serious energy, but the gun is a 4 pounder. and made to help handle the recoil.

Edit typo 254 to 454

[Greybeard]

Both .45ACP and .45 Colt (aka Long Colt) both shoot approx. .451+ bullets. But ACP is generally a semi-automatic pistol round while the ".45 Long Colt" is a few decades older (as exclusively a revolver cartridge).

I don't think it's a Super Redhawk, but Ruger does make a (Cowboy style) revolver with approx 5" barrel that comes with 2 cylinders and will shoot either.

I prefer the SRH in .454 as opposed to same gun in .480. Lots of versatility. The .454 will shoot everything from the .45 Colt "cowboy loads" (approx 200 grain bullets at around 700 fps) all the way up through full blown .454's (standard loading at approx. 300 grain bullet at around 1650 fps). Somewhere in the middle is what I prefer (for hunting), such as .45 Colt +P from Double Tap. http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalo ... a2dda1982e These develop roughly twice the ft/lbs. of typical 45ACP loads.

With 300 grain hardcast bullets, these 45 Colt +P laods (or particularly if same bullet in .454) will typically poke at least a .45 cal. hole all the way through the vast majority of 4-legged critters on this continent. .45ACP often ain't got the weight or the velocity to do the same.

.480 is in same performance category as .454, but is somewhat of a pricey "specialty" cartridge - with Ruger's name attched to it. To me, it's kinda like Gaston Glock's 45 GAP - maybe ideal for some needs, but in general, I percieve as a solution to a non-existant problem.

The weight of SRH makes shooting cowboy loads feel almost like 22s. Perceived recoil in same gun with 45 Colt loads likely about the same as ya Springfield. The +P loads start to get pretty punchy, but tolerable for most people. 454 loads can be downright un-fun for many people. (Same with 480 unless ya in a position to reload "sissy rounds".

[Thane]

The .45 Long Colt in the factory loadings has a similar overall recoil impulse as the .45 ACP; however, perceived/felt recoil for the two operates somewhat differently depending on whether you're shooting a revolver or semi-auto. The slide cycle of the semi-auto takes a lot of the brute force "kick" out of the perceived recoil. Firing a .45 ACP out of a revolver will feel quite different, and very similar to the .45 Long Colt factory loads.
That being said, if you can handle a .357 Magnum, I'd think you'd be able to handle a .45 Long Colt with little to no problems. If you can handle a .44 Magnum, you'll think the .45 Long Colt is a popgun.

Don't confuse the .480 Ruger with the .460 S&W. The .460 can also fire the .454 and .45 Long Colt ammunition; the .480 CANNOT. I've visually compared the .480 to the .45 Long Colt, and there's a definite diameter difference.

AFAIK, if you buy a .480, the ONLY thing you can shoot in it is .480 Ruger.

Now, the .454 Casull can shoot the .45 Long Colt as well. Ruger makes a Super Redhawk in .454, and it's quite a sturdy (and heavy) pistol.

If you want .45 Long Colt/.45 ACP interchangeability, get a Ruger Blackhawk "Convertible." It's a single-action revolver that has seperate cylinders for the two cartridges; due to the fact that .45 ACP, the shorter cartridge, headspaces on the case mouth, it's not possible as far as I know to shoot both out of the same cylinder.

Again, a .480 Ruger Super Redhawk CANNOT fire .45 Long Colt. A .454 Casull Super Redhawk CAN.


The .45 Long Colt is a very easy-shooting cartridge, as normally loaded. Factory "cowboy" ammunition typically runs at an easy, soft-recoilling 700-800 feet per second for a 250-grain slug. .357 Magnum out of a revolver kicks considerably more.
With either the Ruger Blackhawk or the Redhawk, though, the .45 Long Colt can be "hot-rodded" very nearly to .44 Magnum levels (and in a couple instances, actually slightly faster than the .44). And if you own the Super Redhawk .454, you can shoot the full-blown Casull rounds as well.

A brief comparison of the velocities involved here, using Hornady's data for their .45 caliber 250-grain XTP-HP bullet:

.45 Long Colt "Normal Loads" (appropriate for Colt SAA replicas, and non-Ruger pistols)
Top speed, around 850 fps.

.45 Long Colt "Ruger Only Loads" (also can be used in the Thompson Center single-shot pistols)
Top speed, around 1400 fps.

.454 Casull (no data for the 250-grain, as it's jacket is probably too thin for these velocities)
Top speed, around 1850 fps (240-grain)
Top speed, around 1650 fps (300-grain)

I have no data for the .460 S&W.



My own "hunting handgun" is a Ruger New Model Blackhawk, chambered in .45 Long Colt. This fall, I'll be packing it with some 250-grain Hornadys, running around 1300 feet per second, more than adequate for ANYTHING I'll run across. Unless I plan on hunting Grizzly, I simply have no need for anything stronger than the "Ruger Loads" in this caliber.

BTW, if you look at Ruger's "Vaquero" line, do be aware there is a difference between the "Vaquero .45 Colt" and the "New Vaquero .45 Colt." New Vaqueros, for some odd reason, weren't built to handle Ruger-loads, but regular Vaqueros supposedly can. A friend of mine carries a regular Vaquero as his hunting handgun, and is quite fond of it.

[Greybeard]

For reloaders, Hornady differentiates their .452 XTPs that are suitable for loading to higher velocities with different ("magnum") marking. For me, after more than a cylinder or two of 250 or 300 grainers in .454, it can become un-fun.

A year or three ago, I bought a factory box (of 20) Hornady 240 grain XTPs. Muzzle velocity on the box was stated as 2,000 fps. I experienced some hard-to-eject cases with it - and others must have too because the next box like it I bought at Sportman's Warehouse was cranked down to 1,900 (with no problem ejecting).

Entrance hole with the 240 grain XTP on a big doe at about 45 yards was actually larger (about diameter of half dollar) than exit hole. My best guess is that the hollowpoint was twisting up hide in the same millisecond that it impacted a front rib.

[HankB]

If you handload for a .45 Colt Ruger, you can "soup up" the loads quite a bit . . . but it would not be prudent to try and make a .454 Casull out of a .45 Colt.

When Ruger introduced their .454 SRH, they changed to a stronger steel alloy and improved the heat treatment in order for it to stand up to the Casull's pressures.

[Thane]

If you handload for a .45 Colt Ruger, you can "soup up" the loads quite a bit . . . but it would not be prudent to try and make a .454 Casull out of a .45 Colt.

When Ruger introduced their .454 SRH, they changed to a stronger steel alloy and improved the heat treatment in order for it to stand up to the Casull's pressures.

Correct. According to the loading manuals, .45 Colt "Ruger loads" and .44 Magnum top out at the same general area (1300-1400 fps for a 250-grain bullet). .454 Casull is a heck of a lot stronger than that (well over 1600 fps for a 300-grain bullet. Faster speed with heavier bullet = ouch on my wrists). I'd shoot it, of course, but not often. It'd make an excellent "grizzly country" wheelgun, in addition to being handy medicine for rogue dump trucks and construction equipment.

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Txbell - I hope all this "caliber talk" ain't scaring you off the large-caliber revolvers. My mother can and has handled them as well; while they're not her cup of tea (as she prefers .38 Special and .45 ACP), I've not noticed them giving her any problems.

[txbell1]

You guys are AWESOME! Thanks so much for the information, this was really good input. And trust me I won't be afraid. I started out with a 380 and I keep progressing to larger calibers. I've shot the .357 that we have and love it, so I figure that I'm ready to go to the next level.