I would have to take issue with the statement about the .45 Colt (the "Long" was not an official name, it was used by soldiers to define the difference between it and the shorter .45 Schofield round, eventually even Colt picked up the vernacular and used it) being designed to take down horses. The .45 Colt round was a developmental effort by Colt and UMC. Of course the .45 Colt was designed in conjunction with the design of the 1873 Single Action Army, which Colt's hoped would be adopted by the Army, and did lead to it becoming one of the longest, if not the longest, tenured cartridge in continuous production.casingpoint wrote:By overkill I meant more caliber than necessary when used against the average person. The 45 ACP was a takeoff from the Colt 45 Long, which was designed to take down horses when armies used mounted calvary. The 44 Special was intended to duplicate in a revolver the ballistics of the 45 ACP. The 44 MAGNUM is simply off the charts for people. This is not to say they aren't all highly effective rounds when used against humans. But they're not going to kill 'em any deader than a properly placed shot from a 38 Special.
If I was buying a new gun, I might run in the opposite direction and get the 327 MAGNUM in a six shooter. It's a shame the first truly modern revolver ammo design since the age of the dinosaurs seems to have hit a brick wall and could crater out. It's got great power to weight ratio, superb ballistics, expansion and penetration. The guns for it are light and easy to handle and conceal. What more could you ask for in a carry gun for PD? They're gonna sell a million copies if it gets chambered in an eight shot K frame 315 Night Guard. Or an aluminum SP101 Ruger.
OTOH, I am also very interested in the .327 Magnum, I would like to see a large capacity revolver combined with an M1 Carbine, or AR chambering.