Is a 45 1911 better than a 44 magnum?

Question

I have a Remington Rand 45 Model 1911 A that served in WWII with the original holster. I am wondering if a 44 Magnum revolver would be a better buy.

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

Better is a "relative" term! Not only are you trying to compare two different action styles, you are comparing two different "classes" of cartridges. To answer which is better, you must identify the purpose/mission of the pistol.

If you are talking in terms of a self defense pistol, the M1911A1 has it all over your .44 Magnum. First, the M1911A1 was designed from day one as a defense pistol. The M1911A1 allows for rapidity of reloading ... the .45ACP holds 7 rounds to your .44s presumed 6. Since the .45 ejects automatically, and the .44 doesn't ... plus to the .45. Reload time for the M1911A1 is half the time of the .44. The M1911A1's .45ACP has less perceived recoil than the .44, recovery time for follow-up shots falls to the M1911A1 ... another plus. Engage more than 1 aggressor with the .44, you may not be able to recover after the first shot for a well-placed follow-up shot.

Now, if you are talking hunting, the .44 has it all over the M1911A1. The .45 just does not have the power (energy) of the .44 to stop medium sized game. The .45 Hardball is not a good choice for game, and most game-appropriate bullets will not feed reliably in the M1911A1. In addition, the .44's revolver has a greater potential for accuracy at typical handgun hunting distance ... energy and field accuracy lead to two points for the .44.

However, if you are talking target shooting, you have a draw, because you will not shoot magnum rounds for target! In NRA bulls-eye competition, the .44 could be fired (using .44 Specials) in the Centerfire matches only. The match-tuned .45 can be fired in both the Centerfire and .45 events, and if your .45 is match-tuned for hardball, you are also set for "Leg" matches ... hence the M1911A1 is up for 2 or 3 events to the .44's single event ... making the .45 better.

On pure statistics, the .44 is a hunting round, the .45ACP (depending on bullet choice) is a defensive round, a target round, or in some instances, a small-game round.

As Clint Eastwood's charachter "Dirty Harry" was fond of saying ... "A man has got to know his limitations" ... so is true for handguns and cartridges ... you must know their limitations!

Good luck!

Answer 2

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RE:
Is a 45 1911 better than a 44 magnum?
I have a Remington Rand 45 Model 1911 A that served in WWII with the original holster. I am wondering if a 44 Magnum revolver would be a better buy.

Answer 3

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Better? That's too subjective a term. What purpose? Just range shooting? Shooting engine blocks? Anti-terrorist taskforce? The 1911 is much cheaper to feed. The .44 Magnum costs as much or more for a 25-round box as a .45 ACP would cost for a 50-round box. For sheer power, the .44 Magnum is almost unmatched. Apart from a few guns which have been developed recently for big-game hunting and bear defense, it's about as powerful as a handgun can get. The .454 Casull, .460 S&W, and .500 S&W are all significantly more powerful. The .50 AE is about as powerful as the .44 Mag. With all that power comes significantly heavier recoil, though. The question I pose is this: is the extra power (and recoil) worth the huge increase in ammunition price to you? If you're looking solely for accuracy, a .357 Magnum will work just fine for you. S&W even sells the Model 625, which fires .45 ACP, so you could just buy one type of ammo.

Answer 4

You have a Remington Rand .45 Model 1911 WWII vintage? Keep it.

The .44 Mag. is what, a S&W 29, 629 or a Ruger Super BlackHawk? The .44 Magnum is far more versatile able to shoot hot .44 Mag. ammo or mild .44 Special. The Remington .45acp will probably only shot ball ammo. In this regard the .44 is 'better.' If you are going to carry a pistol while hunting then the .44 is a better choice. If you want to have something for home defense the .45acp will probably serve you better as it won't penetrate as much as a .44 Mag. If you want to (lawfully) conceal-carry, the old 'slab-side' .45acp will be easier to conceal.

It all depends. The Remington Rand is far more collectable than the .44 with far more history. I would keep it and buy a revolver if I wanted one.

H

Answer 5

Depending upon the condition of the .45 and any provenance that you may have to go with it, it could be a pretty valuable gun for a collector. If you decide to sell it and buy the .44 mag. just be sure that you have a good appraisal of its value so you don't get cheated out of a collectors item for a cheap price. The .45 ACP is an excellent gun for self defense and you could do a lot worse than to have it for a self defense gun. The .44 Mag is a wonderful gun also but takes a bit more practice to get good with it due to its greater recoil. It also will penetrate much further than the .45 so presents a hazard to people other than the intended target. It can very easily go all the way through a person and hit someone behind them that you wouldn't want to shoot. The bottom line is that the .44 mag is a wonderful gun but is probably more gun than you need for self protection. The .45 ACP will do the job quite well. That's why it has been such a popular gun for almost a century.

Answer 6

The two guns are very different. You are trying to compare apples to grapefruits.

I own both. I have specific reasons for each. When I here a bump in the middle of the night I reach for my 1911 (Colt). It has more capacity and can be reloaded quicker.

The 44 mag is a very powerful cartridge. ( I've killed many deer with an 1894 chambered in 44 mag). But as a revolver it is incredibly reliable.

Take your pick. Neither is better then the other.

Answer 7

The remington rand 45 model 1911 from ww2 is a lot more valuable than the 44 magnum revolver, but the revolver has better quality and may be more acurate. I would buy the ww2 remington rand 45.

Answer 8

Both are good, serve different purposes. 44 mag great one shot hunting. 45 multiple shots fast.

Own 2 1911;s and 4-44 mags wouldn't part with any of them

Answer 9

well i have a 44mag and the new 500mag and I am looking to buy a 45, 44 and 500 are fun to shoot but the ammo lately is getting pricey a 44 and 500 is good for big game hunting but self defence i would go with a 45 with extra mags but the Desert eagle 44mag my look good to you to

Answer 10

Better's such a relative term. Have you tried going to a range and trying a .44? That's the best way to see if you'll enjoy owning and shooting one.