Well, I have a hankering (desire to you non rednecks )for a new rifle. And of all things- a 45 long colt!Anyone got one of these? Like it or no? I have been told that with good brass, one can get power similiar to a 44 mag. Can this be? I am looking at the win 94. it would be strong and comes with a short barrel. Wouldn't 16 inches of barrel be enough to get what power you could from that cartridge? Sooo...Tell me about your experiences. Thanks, Dale

DE

A one time I had three 45 LC rifles, the 94 Win Trapper with 16 inch barrel, the Marlin Cowboy with 24 inch barrel, and the Rossi 92 Win copy with 20 inch barrel. I sold the Rossi and still have the other two. Yes you can reach 44 mag energy and velocity with them. I shoot the RCBS 255 gr SWC out of mine with various types of powder, depending on what I'm wanting to do with it. Even at the higher velocities I haven't gotten any leading. The lube I use is Javelina. The 94 Win, has a fat chamber compared to the other two, at least mine does. Even with that fat chamber I haven't lost any brass in it. I've shot groundhogs and deer with my 94 Win. Both the Win and Marlin are extremely accurate. I have receiver sights on the Win and the factory buckhorn sights on the Marlin. If you have a 45 LC handgun I think the addition of a rifle in that caliber is a great idea. Shooting the pistol power lever reloads out of the rifles does give them a little more oomph. The 45 LC is one of my favorite caliber so I have quite a few handguns for it and those two rifles.

Joe

If you want to see what it will do, get yourself a Rossi '92 to play with. Loaded with AA#9 or H110 you can get to some very suprising speeds, quite a bit more than a 44 mag revolver is capable of. I wouldn't load a Winchester 94 that hot, keep it down to book loads due to the different locking method. Recoil does get to be rather eye opening at top speeds though!

I purchased a Puma 45 Long Colt/454 Casull rifle a couple of months ago. I love it! It is stainless steel and certainly is capable of handling the heaviest of 45 Long Colt loads. I don't shoot many 454 Casull due to lack of brass.

One of the main benefits of the 45 LC/454 Casull Puma rifle is that you can load it at the top of the magazine tube like a lot of 22 Long Rifle lever actions. Major convenience! You still have the regular loading gate in the receiver, although it won't work for really long 454 Casull cartridges. That's why they allow loading at the top of the magazine tube.

I put a Marbles tang sight on mine. It really improved my ability to shoot the rifle. My eyesight is getting rather poor in terms of seeing the sights and the target at the same time. The Marbles tang sight is adjustable for windage and elevation and it extends the sight radius several inches over the factory sights.

The 45 Long Colt in a rifle is just plain fun. PhotonII (aka Turbo)

Dale -



If you are asking will a 45 Colt round shot from a rifle give similar performance to a 44 mag shot from a revolver, the answer is the 45 colt stomps the 44 mag. A 45 Colt from a rifle equals and in some cases exceeds the velocity capability of the 454 Casull for all bullet weights.



Just an FYI: I am going to sell my Marlin 1894CB 45 Colt...if you are interested, drop me a line and I'll give you the particulars.

I have an M94 in .45LC. I load a 300 gr. cast bullet to 1500 FPS, which gives me the equivilant of the 45-60 Winchester round that was chambered in the 1876 Winchester. Accuracy is certainly sufficeint for deer to 150 yards, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it on elk if I could get within 75-100 yards of the animal.
Paul B.

Rule of thumb......loads that produce X fps in a 6"-7 1/2" revolver will on AVERAGE produce approximately +300 more fps in a 16" Trapper Carbine.

The Carbine is easier to shoot than a pistol, short,compact and easy to carry and holds a mess of ammo. Fun gun to plink with too with lighter cast bullet loads.

There have been several good articles written on loading for the pistol caliber carbines too.

FN in MT

Thanks to all who replied! I guess I really wanted to compare 45 LC in rifle to 44 Mag in rifle. Does the brass last just as long- just as accurate- etc.etc.

Is this really an excuse to buy another caliber? YES! Er.. Well, maybe....

All my friend have 44 carbines and they are impressive.... No, not 30-06... but not Whamo wrist rockets either!

I don't forsee getting a pistol in this caliber. If I need that kind of power, well I want something you can hang onto with 2 hands. Yes! Fun does enter into it. And economics. I have several good molds in .452....That brings up a good question. All your bores are .451- Yes? Size to .452? Anyone use 45 acp bullets (cast) for fun?

We have muzzle loader,shotgun, and handgun seasons here in the State of Ill. Plus automobile season year around. ( I got one that way 2 months ago- First I seen of him was when he was landing on the road 10 feet in front of my headlights! (he jumped off a high bank into the pool of light which were my headlights).... centered him in the grill- but he got up and ran off...... My blazer didn't get up and run off though......)

I live 6 miles from a very small town and usually see 10 each night going home. But some have seen herds of 50 to 100. We are not talking little dear. They eat the best grain in the world ( and a lot of it) and the hay for the cows when they get hungry enough. We try to keep any preditors under control. They have a life of ease...except when they get branded with a Ford or Chevy emblem! I think permits for deer should be $100. IF you don't get one- it costs you $100! LOL! OK- rant off!

I have a '94 Cowboy and like it a lot. I bought it for SASS shooting but ordered some Hawk 250gr jacketed bullets for hunting. Using W296 I was getting 1650fps. Did a good job on that doe this past fall.

Ian