Ammunition

When we speak of big-bore handguns and the calibers that begin with a 4, the 45 Colt cartridge is among the most respected. (Sometimes the 45 Colt is called the 45 Long Colt, we wont rehash that one here.) The 45 Colt in its original loading was introduced in 1873. This hoary old cartridge is the oldest centerfire handgun cartridge still in common use. The 45 Colt was designed as a martial cartridge. While we usually view handguns as short-range personal defense tools, the 45 Colt cartridge was often used at longer range in fighting aboriginal opponents. The cartridge was reputed to be capable of taking down an Indian war pony at 100 yards. The 45 Colt cartridge earned its reputation as a defense cartridge the hard way-not through opinion, but through front-line use. Aside from the Army and Marine Corps, the Texas Rangers, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the New York State Patrol were just a few users of the 45 Colt cartridge.It is interesting that there are currently three and perhaps four power levels loaded in the 45 Colt. Two we are not concerned with. First, there are ultra-hot loads designed for hunting revolvers. The Ruger Blackhawk and the Freedom Arms 454 Casull will handle such loads. Your Uberti would probably be turned into a hand grenade. The second class of loading we are not concerned with are Cowboy loads. These usually use a 250- or 255-grain bullet running at 800 fps or less. We have clocked these loads as slow as 650 fps. While in the .455 Webley class, these are not loads we deem suitable for personal defense.For much of its service life in the West, the 45 Colt was castrated by expedient. To make the same load usable in both the short cylinder "backup issue" Smith & Wesson 45 Schofield and the 45 Colt, the Schofield, a shorter, less powerful cartridge, was the general issue cartridge for both revolvers. One of our raters remarked that this is most interesting because today the 45 Colt standard loads and the 45 Colt +P defense loads offer much the same relationship. When we are testing 45 Colt +P loads, we are testing loads suitable for use in the Taurus Judge, Smith & Wesson double-action revolvers, and the strong US Fire Arms (USFA) single-action revolvers and the Ruger Vaquero. These are not Ruger Blackhawk-only loadings, but neither are they pipsqueaks.The original 45 Colt full-power load pushed a 255-grain conical bullet to more than 900 fps. Today, outdoorsmen use a standard handload of a 250-grain semi-wadcutter at about 1000 fps. While this is a powerful load, a personal-defense load should use an expanding bullet for greater wound potential and also to limit penetration in the interest of public safety. It is interesting to note that although there are revolvers in this caliber available in the double-action format from Ruger, Smith & Wesson, and Taurus, there are few defensive loads available. We were able to test four loads from three different makers.

On GunReports.com, this Ruger video covers the essentials. Learning grip and body position are crucial to controlling your firearm's recoil. Dave Spaulding puts special emphasis on trigger control for managing your gun, as well as other essentials like grip and body position.

(GunReports.com) -- A recent tabulation of 529 respondents to a GunReports.com survey question, “Is the 9mm suitable for self defense?” showed a strong preference for the round. However, almost all respondents added comments to qualify their 'yes' votes.

(GunReports.com) -- In its second major ruling on gun rights in three years, the Supreme Court Monday extended the federally protected right to keep and bear arms to all 50 states. Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the five-justice majority, saying 'the right to keep and bear arms must be regarded as a substantive guarantee, not a prohibition that could be ignored so long as the States legislated in an evenhanded manner.'

GunReports.com presents a Ruger video: Proper training is essential for good gun technique. This series is a collection of self-defense tips with career law enforcement officer Dave Spaulding designed to help individuals learn proper skills and techniques to defend themselves.

Three 22 LR conversions for centerfire pistos earned 'buy' recommendations in the June 2010 issue of Gun Tests, says its editor, but the magazine showed a strong preference for one unit.

Video: Larry Potterfield of Midway USA talks about the 38-55 Winchester Centerfire, which started life as a Ballard target cartridge in 1884. Winchester later chambered this cartridge in the 1885 single shot along with the 1884 lever action.

Ruger Video on Mental Preparation: Before self-defense training can begin, you must mentally prepare yourself for combative situations. (4:46)

This Ruger how-to video covers fast pistol reloading. (4:45)

Cheaper Than Dirt is running an ammo special that will interest 40 S&W owners.

Check out several new GunReports.com videos are loaded this week: A super slow motion video of bullets hitting stuff 0:47; Sighting In Crimson Trace Lasergrips, 2:43; Ruger Tactical Tips - 2: Handgun Fundamentals, 4:48; and Sinclair Reloading Series Part 3: Introduction to the Components of a Metallic Cartridge, 4:14.

'Sandlew3' Wins Insight Technology M6X Laser/Illuminator in the GunReports.com survey: Be sure to register for our free weekly eReport to keep up with the latest gun news, reviews, and future drawings.