.45 Colt
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The .45 Colt cartridge (known commonly as the ".45 Long Colt ") was introduced by Colt in 1873 for the famous Colt Single Action Army, often known as the Peacemaker single action revolver. The US Army adopted the cartridge in 1875 and it remained in use until 1892, when it was replaced by the .38 Long Colt. The US Army briefly reintroduced the .45 Colt in 1902 for use in the Philippines, but it was made obsolete by new automatic pistols firing .45 ACP.
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[edit] Cartridge loads
Originally a blackpowder cartridge, modern loadings use smokeless powder. The original blackpowder loads called for 30 to 40 grains of blackpowder behind a 255 grain lead bullet. Original loads developed muzzle velocities of up to 1000 feet per second (305 m/s), for a muzzle energy of 566 ft·lbf (766 J.)<ref name="fn2">John Taffin (July 2001). "The Custom Loading .45 Colt". Guns Magazine.</ref>. Because of this, the .45 Colt was the most used cartridge of its time, preceded by the .44 WCF (also known as the .44-40). It was said that the round was powerful enough to knock a man to the ground in a single shot. It is also extremely accurate. With careful handloading the original loads can be safely replicated using modern powders.
Today's standard factory loads develop around 400 ft·lbf (542 J) of muzzle energy at about 860 feet per second, making it equavalent to the .45 ACP. However, there are Cowboy Action Shooting loads which develop muzzle velocities of around 100 feet per second less.
Some very heavy handloads and some cartridges loaded by small companies are around that put this round in the same class as the faster .44 Magnum. Such loads are NOT the standard ammunition put out by the major companies such as Winchester and Remington.
These loads cannot be used in any original Colt Single-Action Army, or any replica thereof (such as those produced by Uberti or Beretta, and guns like the Taurus Gaucho, or Ruger Vaquero.) They should only be used in modern large-frame revolvers such as the Ruger Blackhawk, any gun firing the .454 Casull cartridge, or single-shot hunting pistols and rifles chambered for the cartridge.
[edit] Uses
Over 133 years after its introduction, the .45 Colt still enjoys a wide range of uses. The .45 Colt makes a good hunting load, within its range limitations. Standard loads are good for animals the size of deer and black bear, and the heavier hunting loads will take about the same range of big game animals as the .44 Magnum, but less effectively, as the bullets of the factory loads move comparatively slowly and have a steep trajectory making long range hits harder. A two-barrel derringer is also still sold that is chambered in .45 Colt, and these derringers will also chamber a .410 bore shotgun shell without any modifications being required. Similarly, .45 Colt cartridges are still occasionally fired in .410 bore shotguns by U.S. farmers needing to kill a mule or horse humanely. However, the most popular use for the .45 Colt today is in Cowboy Action Shooting, where the round is fired from either originals or replicas of the 1873 Colt Single-Action Army or similar guns of the period.
[edit] Comparisons with other cartridges
The .45 Colt is the basis for the more powerful .454 Casull cartridge, with the .454 Casull having a slightly longer and stronger case. A .454 Casull gun will also chamber and fire .45 Colt.
The .45 ACP round produces inferior game killing ability, as it cannot use heavyweight bullets. It uses a much shorter overall cartridge length, with faster burning powders and higher chamber pressures, allowing it to be used in more compact autoloading pistols and submachine guns. Because of this, the .45 ACP is superior to the .45 Colt for military purposes.
[edit] Trivia
The unofficial designation ".45 Long Colt" for this caliber originated amongst military personnel to prevent confusion with the smaller .45 Schofield. In reality, there is no such thing as a ".45 Long Colt"; only .45 Colt and .45 Shofield.
Loading a .410 shotgun shell into a revolver or other pistol chambered in this round is sometimes referred to as a "gambler gun", based on the story that such a combination was sometimes used to shoot someone from under the table for cheating in a card game.
The character Vash the Stampede in the anime series Trigun carries a revolver chambered for this round.
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
- Handloads.com article on the .45 Colt
- Another article on the .45 Colt, by Chuck Hawks
- Article on the .45 Colt and the handloading therof
- John Linebaugh discusses loading the .45 Colt
