.45 Colt

About .45 Colt

.45 Colt dates to 1873 and is still in production because single-action revolvers and lever guns never went away. In standard loadings it is a large, slow, mild-recoiling cartridge with an excellent reputation on game at close range and a following among cowboy action shooters that keeps ammunition readily available.

The important buying caution is that .45 Colt is loaded across an enormous pressure range. Standard-pressure ammunition is safe in any modern firearm chambered for it; heavy 'Ruger only' or 'Thompson Center only' loads are not, and should never go into a replica single-action or an older gun. Many .410 shotguns will also chamber .45 Colt, which is a feature of those guns specifically and not a general rule.