Gun Weapon question. a pair of 45s.?

Question

How much did they cost in 1889. How accurate were 45 revolvers. Why are they called 45s?

Answer 1

The Colt .45 Caliber pistol was (and is pretty accurate) The Smith and Wesson's .45's were pretty popular. If they weren't effective they would have gone belly up. The Remington Army's accuracy has been reported as pretty poor, mainly because it was an attempt to rip off the Peacemaker design.

Answer 2

They were expensive to purchase and one gun probably cost a months wages.Two would run two months wages which may have been 40 dollars or so.
Colt revolvers were very accurate and generally could do more than the shooter could.They still can and some of the other brands can.Beretta makes some very good ones through a sibsidary company.
They are still made and are popular in a lot of shooters minds.
A modern .45 made by Ruger,Colt or Beretta can split a playing card turned sideways by an expert shooter.
Put a scope on it and YOU become an expert shooter in no time.
You can do anything that is doable with a pistol with a .45 single action.
They are called .45 because that is the diameter of the bullet.It is 45/100 of an inch wide.
Likewise a .44 is 44/100 inch wide.A .357 is 357/1000th inch wide.
In closing:the word caliber means one inch in diameter.
I would trust a modern .45 single action in any circumstance today or yesterday:including taking it to war in Iraq.
You now know more than most of America ever will.

Answer 3

".45" is a common term to describe the Colt .45 calibre Single Action Army (SAA) pistol, which was the predominate handgun of the Old West and known as the "Peacemaker".

It was adopted by the U.S. army in 1873 and was made by Colt from 1873 until they stopped production for the war effort in 1941.

In approximate 1889 U.S. dollars, a Colt revolver was about $20 and a Winchester rifle was $25. Considering a horse cost $5 to $15, this was a high end item for the time. A good holster was about $1.50.

Calibre is a term meaning diameter in inches, so .45 calibre is 0.45 inches.

In terms of accuracy, I know I'll get flamed for this but they were not accurate at all in modern terms. A really good shot, carefully aimed, was accurate to about 20-25 yards and not much more. The .45 colt of the Old West used black powder, which was no where near as powerful as modern powders and it also created a blast of smoke and soot that often obscured the shooter view. Anything one wanted to shoot past that was the duty of the rifle.

Hollywod has really distorted the true operation and nature of firearms and how they work and the Old West Revolver is no exception. Single Action means you need to cock the hammer and then pull the trigger (the trigger has a single action---releasing the ****** hammer). In a gunfight, you did this with two hands for speed. No one got into a gun batle with two Colts blazing, you would use one at a time. It is possible for one handed operation, but much, much slower in rate of fire.

Besides the Colt, there were dozens of models and manufacturers and calibers used in the Old West.

Answer 4

they are called 45 because that the caliber of bullet they fire

the accuracy depends of the brand, the shooter, and the make.

not sure how much they cost, not as much as today,
i guessing like $25 not sure though