45 Long Colt vs 357 Magnum for hunting

NE450N02 said:
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Which is more powerful 45 Long Colt or 357 Magnum?
What is the effective range of a 45 Long Colt?
Is 45 Long Colt a powerful cartridge?
Is 357 or 44 better for hunting?

In choosing a lever action in a handgun calibre, I recommend the following.

The 44 Magnum is the best overall choice, bar none...

Unless, you plan on pairing it with a 357 Mag handgun or a 45 Colt handgun.

IF you are a 357 Mag kind of guy, or a 45 Colt freek, then get one of them, to match your revolver.

IF NOT then get a 44 Mag lever, and later a 44 Mag handgun to go with the rifle.

Having a lever and a handgun in the same calibre is a pretty good idea, it has worked for me for seveal years.

My first centerfire rifle was a Ruger Deerstalker 44 Mag in the early 1960's. I have also had a Marlin lever and currently have a Winchester 44 mag Trapper. I have killed a lot of deer and a few pigs with a 44 Mag rifle. It kills like the Hammer of Thor.

It is the equal of most any calibre out to 100 yards.
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You should also be able to fire .44 special in the .44mag gun.

What you decide is of course up to you.

Having said that, you shouldn't be listening to anyone who tells you the deciding factor is ammunition variety unless you handload.

This isn't 1973, it's 2013; and ALL of the calibers mentioned are available in a dizzying array of choices. That includes the .45 LC even without pointing out that you can buy a carbine/pistol combo that fires the .454 Casull AND you can buy a pistol that fires the .460 S&W, which covers everything all the way down to the slowest moving black powder reproduction loads.

That is ALSO, by the way, without discussing the availability of even larger and more powerful pairings than you've mentioned, even to the point of the truly absurd; a revolver chambered in .45-70 and numerous lever action companion gun choices.

I can't really even take a side on this because I own single action pistols in both .45 LC and .44 Mag, a lever action in .45 LC and plan to buy one in .44 Mag as well.

In fact, the only advice I can give you is to decide which firearm you are really making this choice about.

Is it that you need to choose which REVOLVER you'll get or which RIFLE?

Because the one dictates the other in this scenario, so narrowing it down to which one really matters to you may simplify your decision.

And in the end, you can always make Choice A and then sell them to go with Choice B later on. Or do what I did. Get both.

Either way, have fun shopping, which as I think we ALL know, is the REALLY fun part of all this.

if the main point is nostalgia and being "period correct" then both .357 and .45 Colt are out, for an old west levergun.

.357 didn't exist until 1935, and NONE of the old west lever guns were chambered in 45 Colt. The original brass had a smaller, thinner rim than modern .45 Colt cases, and the old riflemakers believed it wouldn't work well in their leverguns.

Modern .45 Colt seems to do ok in lever guns.

SO, if the goal is to create a modern reproduction as historically accurate as practical, then .44-40, or .38-40 would be a more "proper" choice.

If that's not the prime objective, then either .357 or .45Colt will do fine, since you handload, you can take either of them up to the full power your rifle will handle. .357 has the advantages of being more versatile and slightly cheaper components (smaller bullets cost a little less on average), plus there are many good jacketed bullets for .357, some are built to perform well out of rifles, some...less so..

I am very fond of both cartridges in handguns. I've had a couple of the Marlin .357 carbines. Good LIGHT rifles. Never had a .45 Colt rifle, so can't help with personal experience there, sorry.

Loaded to max levels the .357 comes up below, but fairly close to the .30-30 levels in a typical carbine. Be aware that handgun bullets, built to expand at handgun speeds can be overdriven by the higher velocity of the carbine. Proper bullet selection for hunting is important.

If you have another gun in either caliber, I'd say get that caliber. If you don't, flip a coin, or use whatever criteria floats your boat. Both rounds are very good at what they do, but aren't identical, and neither does very well when expected to do something they aren't meant to do.

Thanks guys for all the input and suggestions. After tossing everything around in my muddled brain I have trashed the whole deal. I should stay off the internet gun sites. I found another 45-70 that I think I just have to have. The '73 is going to have to wait another year. It isn't as if I don't have one because I do in a Italian replica. I was just hankering for one of the new Winchesters. For now it is on hold.

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Late to this party, but, I do like your choice!

When I got into Marlin levers, seriously,... I was fortunate enough to acquire three pre safety models in 357mag, 44mag, and Marlin444.

As you can guess from my forum name, the 444 was my ultimate keeper. The other two were just to disappointing,... I think they make better handgun rounds,... they didn't seem to perform all that much better from a longer barrel, for my taste.

I like the 444 caliber, but, i think I Could have been happier with the 45/70, when I got started, 20 years ago.

All the best to you, with your NEW 45/70, it can be hand rolled to do everything a 357MAG or a 44MAG can do,... AND A WHOLE LOT MORE!!!

Which is more powerful 45 Long Colt or 357 Magnum?

357 Magnum rounds - on average - achieve a velocity of about 1290 feet per second (fps) while . 45 Colt (LC Long Colt) rounds travel at a velocity of 1050 fps.

What is the effective range of a 45 Long Colt?

45 Colt is plenty accurate for 100-yard antipersonnel and anti-warhorse work. The 250-grain bullet retains a degree of authority as well. While the practical merits of the shooting are debatable, the fun factor was huge. The good ol' Peacemaker has legs and can be useful at longer range than most would credit it.

Is 45 Long Colt a powerful cartridge?

Clearly the 45 Long Colt round can be an extremely potent hunting cartridge as it can outstrip the 357 and 44 Magnum in terms of ballistic performance. Only revolver rounds like the 454 Casull or 500 Smith & Wesson Magnum can outpace the 45 LC in terms of hunting performance.

Is 357 or 44 better for hunting?

44mag might be the better option. The much heavier bullets for the . 44mag give a lot more penetration than the lighter . 357 bullets and the force carried by the bullets is much greater at further distances which also make it a better choice for hunting or protection from larger game.