On 3/30/14, 12:57 PM, wrote:
On Sun, 30 Mar 2014 12:11:27 -0400, F*O*A*D wrote:

On 3/30/14, 11:23 AM, wrote:
On Sun, 30 Mar 2014 05:49:50 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

On Sunday, March 30, 2014 5:30:34 AM UTC-7, John H. wrote:

I'm wondering if the .45ACP capability of the S&W is worth it. How hard is .45 Colt to come by. I

sure don't ever see it in my favorite, most beloved, WalMart store.

Probably harder than you think, and more than you care.

I like the LC but not every place has it because there's not much demand for it.

I think the attractiveness of .45 ACP is that they tend to go cheaper
than .45 LC

If you shoot a lot, this can make a lot of difference.



The attractiveness of the .45 ACP has a lot to do with the fact that the
round, its size, its casing, its powder charge, were redesigned for
semi-auto pistols, while the .45 LC round is used mostly in revolvers
and "cowboy" style lever-action rifles. There are far more "Automatic
Colt Pistols" in use these days, I would guess, than .45 LC wheel guns.
You are also correct that the ACP rounds are cheaper..about half the
price these days of a LC round.

http://tinyurl.com/kw9qz8b

The real problem with .45LC is the archaic history of it. A commercial
loader is pretty much limited to 14,000 PSI pressures where a .45 ACP
can load over 20,000 PSI.
Those are both over 100 years old tho. When you look at modern stuff
like .357SIG you see what you can do with a modern round in a modern
gun.

If you have a modern gun, know what it is capable of and load yourself
you could get .45LC up to .44mag performance. The problem is if some
yahoo put that round in an old .45, you have a grenade.
Personally, if I wanted a big bore revolver, I would go with a .44 mag
in the first place. Then I would have a great range of off the shelf
ammo. You can shoot anything from a very modest .44 spl to a hot .44
mag. Wheel gun guys should really look at reloading anyway. Catching
the brass in not a problem and cheap cast bullets are a viable
alternative to pricy factory jacketed stuff for your day to day
plinking.
If you are willing to cast your own bullets, you can shoot .45 for
about 6-8 cents a shot. That assumes your time is not as important as
your money. I used to reload pistol but I never fooled with shotgun
and I did not cast my own bullets.



I would guess a huge percentage of guys shooting .45 Colt are engaged in
"cowboy" shooting, and are not looking for high pressures. I've even
seen some .45 in what was called Smith & Wesson .45, a round shorter
than the .45 Colt round.