what's the difference between a .45ACP and a .45S&W?

Question

Do they not both have the power of a .45? Also what is the difference between a .357MAG and a .357 sig? Are they not of the same power too? thanks

Answer 1

The .45 ACP is designed for use in semiautomatic pistols like the Colt 1911. The 45 S&W or Schofield was designed about 1875 for use in S&W revolvers. They are similar in power.

The 357 SIG was designed for auto pistols, and the 357 magnum for revolvers. The goal of the 357 SIG project was to offer at least the level of performance of lighter .357 Magnum loads and +P/+P+ 9mm Parabellum loads. The .357 SIG accomplishes this goal with a 125 grain (8.1 g) bullet. Using heavier bullets, however, shows the cartridge somewhat inferior to the original Magnum.

Answer 2

The .45ACP was developed in 1905 for the 1905 Colt commerical .45ACP (the first .45 automatic). The .45S&W was S&Ws revolver cartridge for the top-break Schofield model (essentially a modified S&W No. #3 model). The S&W .45 was basically a shorter version of the .45Colt cartridge and the military only used the S&W shell and S&WE topbreaks for a little while. The S&W .45 was a blackpowder shell while the .45ACP was always smokeless. Offhand I cannot rate the difference in velocity or ft. lbs. of pressure.
The .357 Winchester Magnum is essentially a .38 caliber (.357") with the difference being that the casing in 1/16" longer and the brass casing is more stout. It was born out of the .38/.44 cartridge (essentially a .38SPL+P from the 1930s). The .357 Sig (or .357 Auto) was invented in the 1990s and is basically a 9mm slug put into a bottlenecked .40S&W casing and given a healthy charge of smokeless.
The .357 Sig is more efficient but the tried and true .357 Winchester Magnum still has an edge on velocity and ft. lbs. of energy.

Answer 3

The only .45 S & W I can think of is the old Schoefield round, a rimmed revolver blackpowder round. No, it does not have the power of a .45 acp but is actually a 'better' stopper than the old .45 acp with ball ammo (kinda like the .45 Long Colt is a better stopper than the .45 acp).

The difference between the .357 Magnum and the .357 Sig is that the magnum is a rimmed, longer revolver cartridge. The Sig is a shorter bottle-necked cartridge designed to be magazine-fed for a semi-automatic pistol. Though ballistically similar the .357 Magnum 125 grain semi-jacketed hollow point is still consider the best manstopper yet. I own both and though close in power the .357 Mag. still has the edge. The .357 Sig, at least in my Glock Model 31, holds more rounds than the revolver.

Best.

H

Answer 4

The .45ACP is desigined for use in a semi-automatic pistol and is designed as a smokeless powder round, and was designed to have ablut the same ballistics as a .45 Long Colt cartridge. The .45 S&W was designed as a black powder round for the S&W breaktop revolvers of the1800's and is less powerful than the .45 Long Colt, and can be fired in guns chambered for the .45 Long Colt.