45 Colt -Taurus titanium help

01 July 2004, 18:18

In the loading manuals there are loads listed for older single action revolvers in 45Colt and loads listed for newer Ruger/Contender handguns. Where on the scale of safety could one load a Taurus titanium 45Colt? The barrel is ported- at what velocity would recoil become a bear with say 260gr bullets? I'm considering this as my bear insurance for northwest Wyoming. I don't want to pack a big, heavy revolver. Would I be better off with say a 4" S&W 44mag? Having read the journals, I think I'll shy away from the Airlite or whatever it's called. Taurus also makes the titanium in a 41mag. Any thoughts?

02 July 2004, 03:57

onefunzr2

This applies to the raging bull 6 shot in 45 colt. It is all steel not titanium. I don't know if that matters.
I always wondered why the hot loads were listed for Ruger, T/C, Anaconda but not the Taurus. I called Sierra's hotline and Speer and Nosler's customer service and they all said without reservation that my gun was just as strong as the others and could use the hotrod loads for hunting. I chose the Hornady XTP 300 grain bullets, ww296 powder and get 1125 fps. That's good bear medicine!

Recoil is indeed subjective, but I doubt if there would be much difference using the same weight bullet in a 44 mag. You can figure the recoil yourself.

E = 1/2 (Wg / 32) (Wb x MV + 4700 x Wp / 7000 x Wg)squared

Where E = recoil Energy in ft. lbs., Wg = Weight of gun in pounds, Wb = Weight of bullet in grains, M = Muzzle, V = Velocity in feet-per-second, Wp = Weight of powder in grains

As an example, my Taurus generates 23.9 ft\lbs. But less is felt because it is ported and has an excellent rubber grip to absorb the sting. Anyway, you'll never feel the recoil when it actually comes time to face down that angry bruin. Your mind will be on other, more important things.

02 July 2004, 03:10

Hot Core

Quote:

...Where on the scale of safety could one load a Taurus titanium 45Colt? The barrel is ported- at what velocity would recoil become a bear with say 260gr bullets? I'm considering this as my bear insurance for northwest Wyoming. I don't want to pack a big, heavy revolver. Would I be better off with say a 4" S&W 44mag? Having read the journals, I think I'll shy away from the Airlite or whatever it's called. Taurus also makes the titanium in a 41mag. Any thoughts?

Hey pharmpoke, You can load the Taurus with the HEAVY Loads and it will do just fine. They are excellently made firearms.

No way to answer your second question concerning "Recoil" because everyone has their own tolerance level. One good thing though is if you do Reload for it, you do not have to start "wide open". You can develop a feel for the revolver as you gain experience with it and then increase the Load accordingly.

At revolver velocities, BIG is better than small and FAST is better than slow. Obviously the best is BIG and FAST. But, if you can't shoot it accurately at 15yds, you would be much better off with a short barrelled rifle.

...

I was at the Range a couple of years ago and a very old and seasoned revolver/pistoleer showed up. He had one of the "small" Ti S&Ws in 357Mag and I think it had about a 2.5"-3" barrel. Small grips and small all over. He had just gotten it at a Gun Show and was anxious to see how well it shot.

I looked it over and noticed just how light it was. And the small grips didn't fit my hands well at all. (That is not a problem with the big Taurus.) Then I noticed he was opening a box of 125gr Federal 357Mags. These are noted for their "performance".

His first shot was a Bullseye at 25yds and he STOPPED! He mentioned it had a "bit more" recoil than he expected. I can't remember if he was able to hit the paper again after that or not. He did offer to let me shoot it and I passed.

After that one cylinder full, he looked at me and said, "Well, it will make some fine Trading Bait!"

Had he started with 38Spls, it would have been a good bit easier to handle, but neither of us had any of them. Normally I carry some Target Level 357Mags to the Range, but didn't have them that day.

...

So, my recommendation would be to find an Indoor Range where you can "rent" one and shoot it for an hour or so. Or ask at your local Gun Shop if one of those guys has bought one and when he is going to go shoot it.

But, if you plan to Reload it anyhow, then whichever the BIGGEST one you are the most comfortable with is the one to get. Remember you have to carry it somewhere and that "might" influence you right back into a rifle.

Best of luck to you.

02 July 2004, 06:25

Lar45

I have a stainless 4 5/8" Blackhawk in 45colt. It is real light and packable. With Houge Monogrips on it, it isn't too bad to shoot with heavy loads. The Taurus is much lighter. You might find your best load to be a heavy bullet at moderate velocities. But then Heavy bullets add more weight in ammo to pack around.

I have a buddy that lives in a cabin on the Yukon River in AK. He was tired of carrying his FA 454 and thought he'd go light weight. I think he's spent too much time in the bush because he ended up with a 9mm. His first encounter with a Sow Griz and cubs left him almost eaten. While running for his canoe, he sliped fell and knocked him self out. She must have left him alone when he didn't move. He said that he saw one of the bullets bounce off and hit the brush next to her. He went back later with a real gun to make sure she wasn't wounded somewhere, but couldn't find any sign that she was.

Maybe the Keith 265 hard cast around 1100 to 1200fps would be managable in the light Taurus?