.44 Mag and .45 Long Colt Interchangeable?

Question

I've heard that you can switch out .44 magnum and .45 long colt in a revolver. I was wondering if you could shoot .44 rem mag from the Ruger .45 colt Blackhawk?

also can you mount a scope on the ruger blackhawk

I was thinking this was wrong i just wanted to be sure.

Answer 1

These cartridges are NOT interchangeable!
The .45 LC uses a .451-.454 dia. bullet & will NOT fit into the chamber(s) of a .44 Magnum.
The .44 Remington Magnum, which fires a .429-.430dia. bullet will fit into a .45LC chamber, BUT it is so loose a fit, and the firing pressures are so much higher than the Long Colt, that the .44 Mag round would probably blow out the cylinder walls of ANY .45LC, including your Blackhawk!
DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! (OR ANYWHERE ELSE, FOR THAT MATTER!

P.S: Yes, one can mount a LER handgun 'scope on the Ruger S.A. revolvers, but it requires drilling & tapping the frame for the 'scope mounts, which will always slightly weaken the frame.
I have seen many S.A. & D.A. revolvers so equipped.

Answer 2

I've seen .45 LC cartridges fired in a Ruger Blackhawk, with a .45 LC cylinder, but that was just to demonstrate the strength of the Super Blackhawk. I don't think it would be wise to try that stunt with anything other than a standard velocity cast lead bullet and I'd not want to make a habit of it.

As for shooting a .44 RemMag in a .45 LC cylinder, that would be an iffy proposition.

To begin, the .44 RemMag has a smaller case diameter so it would not be properly centered in the chamber for the firing pin.

If the firing pin did ignite the primer, the .023-.024" larger barrel diameter would permit lots of gas blowby resulting in a great velocity loss and abysmal accuracy. If you were shooting a cast bullet, it might swage up enough to fill the bore, but I'd not bet on it.

If you want .44 RemMag power in a .45 LC, you will have to use Buffalo Bore ammunition, or handload your own.

If you want to handload some magnum .45 LC ammo, I suggest you drop over to LeverGuns.Com and read some of the articles by Jim Taylor, Paco Kelly, and John Taffin. These guys are .45 Fanatics and they've been experimenting with the caliber for 40 years and more. They have some loads that tread mighty near to .454 Casull levels, and are safe in Super Blackhawks.

You can scope a Super Blackhawk, but as Lee Jurras, the Father of Modern High Velocity Handgun Ammunition, and a recipient of the OUTSTANDING AMERICAN HANDGUNNER AWARD, says: SCOPES DON'T BELONG ON SIXGUNS!

Doc

Answer 3

In some cases, the .45LC can have just as great or greater knock down power than a .44 Mag. BUT, that is only with a handloaded round or a premium round that is loaded up hot. Also the firearm must be designed to withstand the much higher chamber pressures of a "hot" loaded .45 lc. Most firearms are not designed to do that because factory loaded ammunition is not loaded to the cartridges full potential. The .45 hasn't been loaded to its full potential since the late 1800's, when the Army wanted their new rifles to shoot the same ammo as their colt revolvers. Only problem, the new rifles couldn't withstand the very high chamber pressures of the .45 LC so instead of improving the rifle, they dropped the powder charge of the cartridge. It has been that way ever since. The factory loads of the LC are not any more powerful than the shorter .45 ACP. Firearms manufacturers saved money by making the weapons only strong enough to take the lighter loads. In recent years some manufacturers have started making their weapons strong enough to take the high pressures of a full-potential .45 LC. If you get one of those and either handload or use some of the premium +p factory ammo, the .45 will outdo the .44 mag. But if you are looking at something like a winchester lever gun, stick with the .44 mag. The 45lc version is not designed for the hot loads. Besides, the .44 is a great whitetail round for shooting within 150 yards or less and most .45lc factory loads just wont meet the minimum muzzle vel/ ft. lbs required by most states for legal hunting with a rifle.

Answer 4

You heard wrong.

While there are instances in which two rounds may be fired interchangably from the same gun,
-they are an exception rather than the rule.

You CAN shoot .44 SPECIAL out of a .44 magnum.

-That, is probably where the confusion began.

You CANNOT shoot .45 colt out of a .44 magnum.
-Won't fit.

You cannot shoot .44 magnum out of a .44 special.
-Won't fit.

If you try to shoot .44 ANYTHING out of a .45 colt,
-you'll likely blow your hand off when the cylinder explodes,
-if you're lucky enough not to lose your life.

Don't risk such foolishness.

Only use the round intended for your gun.
If you don't like that round, get a different gun.

Answer 5

The .44 Rem Mag uses a .429 diameter bullet, while the .45 Long Colt uses a .452 daimater bullet. No, I wouldn't shoot the .44 Rem Mag in a .45 LC revolver. And, the .44 Rem. Mag. is a much greater pressure cartridge.

Answer 6

Only if you have a brother-in-law dumb enough to hold the gun for you. And you have bought a VERY large Life Insurance policy on him with you as the beneficiary.

But the answer is NO just like the others said. One mentioned that the 44 mag would not get good accuracy in a 45 colt barrel. They probably didn't realize that when the cartridge went off (if the firing pin happen to hit the off center primer) the case would blow out and split, releasing fire and pieces of brass and probably pieces of the pistol that would be well scattered around your hand and quite possible in your hand and chest and eyes and your dumb brain.

Answer 7

They are not even close. The .44 Magnum is a .429 diameter bullet and the .45 Long Colt a .454 diameter. The .44 develops a lot more pressue, it is a Magnum round. The .45 LC, big as it is, is not loaded to Magnum pressures.

Best.

H

Answer 8

No. A gun that is chamberes for a .44 mag. can shoot a .44 special. A .45 long colt can be fired in a gun chambered for a .454 Casul. In neither case is the reverse true. You cannot fire a .454 Casul in a gun chambered for a .45 long colt and you cannot fire a .44 mag in a gun chambered for a .44 special. As for shooting a .44 mag in a .45 colt Blackhawk the answer is a definate NO. First, the .44 mag is smaller in diameter and it produces a higher pressure. You could blow up your gun.

Answer 9

yes you can put a scope on it in fact my super blackhawk with the 7 1/2" barrel came with rings and machined places to put them from the factory
as far as a 44 mag in 45 LC the answer is no

Doc when you can't see the iron sights so good anymore in low light conditions a scope has a place on a wheel gun

Answer 10

Absolutely NOT, the .44 Special and .44 Mag can be shot interchangeably in the same gun cylinder, but cannot be fired in the .45 Colt cylinder. What you are suggesting is very dangerous, and can get you killed, or maimed severely.DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS.