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For pure performance, high pressure 45 Colt trumps the 44 Magnum. As mentioned, you will have to reload or buy specialty ammo to achieve top performance in either. Regardless of which caliber you decide to buy, I'd recommend an aftermarket locking base pin (e.g. Belt Mountain) as the factory pin will probably come loose under heavy recoil, binding the gun into uselessness.
As far as interchangeable cylinders go, remember your POA/POI will most likely be off after the swap. This is especially true if your 45 Colt/44 Mag cylinder is zeroed for heavy loads. Personally, I'd rather have a second gun in a dedicated caliber rather than constantly rezeroing, remembering to hold, etc
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I've had both for many years. Ruger made some .45 Combo's years ago & then stopped for awhile. I have a 71/2" SuperBlackHawk & a 45/8" 45 Colt/.45 ACP. honestly I don't use either much anymore but in the past I've put a ton of ammo thru the .44 Mag. I'd probably buy the .44 Mag SuperBlackHawk & load .44 Specials for plinking. In my SuperBlackHawk the Magnum loads & the light .44 Specials shoot to the same point of aim @ 40 yards. That's makes it a very handy handgun if you want to take some small game "for the pot". Have fun :)
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I went to the store today and was about to buy the 44 mag. But the price was higher than before. I don't know if they changed it or, most likely, I misread the label but it currently priced at 560 dollars. That's only 25 dollars cheaper than the new 45 Colt/ACP. So I'm going to the the 45. It's what I ultimately want and the price difference is nowhere near enough for me to consider the 44.
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Fine choice. You said "new" 45 Colt/ACP. Please ensure this gun is built on the more modern and larger Blackhawk frame if you intend to subject it to heavy loads. There is currently a run of Flat Top models with convertible cylinders built on the original frame which is not safe to use with high pressure ammo. Sorry if I'm telling you something which you already know.
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Good looking out but I already knew that. They have flat tops available but they aren't the conversion models and are 650 bucks before tax.
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Very cool! Let us know how she does at the range!!
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Looks like fun.
Let us know when you're ready for some "pet loads" for the .45 Colt.
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Have had an OM .44 for almost 50 years that I cut to 4 5/8"; ( I like the old lockwork) but had intermittent trouble with the ejector rod housing screw coming loose. It stayed on the back burner for years, and when Ruger brought back the .45 Convertibles in NM around 1998 I grabbed one. I don't care for the NM action, but can live with it. I found the .45 Colt to be a very good round in that gun, and like the ACP round as well. But what I noticed right away was the lighter weight and for me, better balance of the NM with its aluminum grip frame and ejector housing (36.3 oz.)
The upshot is that I just like shooting the NM Convertible better. If I found an OM .45 Convertible I would probably snap it up for the three screw action, but I'm happy with what I have.
Weights, FWIW:
Ruger NM Flattop .357, 4 5/8”..........................................44.3 ozs.
Ruger OM Flattop .44 Magnum, 4 5/8”.............................38.0 ozs.
Ruger NM Flattop .44 Spl, 4 5/8”......................................38.0 ozs.
Ruger NM Vaquero, .45 Colt, 4 5/8”..................................39.3 ozs.
Ruger NM .45 Convertible, 4 5/8”, .45LC cyl....................36.3 ozs.
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Howdy Grunt,
I haven't seen any mention of an issue unique to the 45 colt and Ruger cylinder throats. Although the issues are not confined solely to Ruger revolvers. If you are interested I'm including some links to some good articles on the subject. I have first hand experience with this as my own NM blackhawk had issues right out of the box. My barrel slugged .451 dia. while my cyl throats were really tight ranging from .447, .448, .449, and .450 measured with pin gauges. Needless to say accuracy from factory ammo as well as my handloads was lackluster. After sending my cyl to have the throats reamed to .452 my accuracy woes are gone. Here are the links; http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech...h_notes.htm/72 and from John Linebaugh; www.johnlinebaughcustomsixguns.com/writings
John
