I have been looking at getting a Ruger Bisley Vaquero recently.  My question is, which caliber is more controllable,  .45 LC or .44 MAG?

What are the Pros and Cons?

I have both and the 45 LC is definitely more controllable.  Full house loads are down right punishing to the trigger finger with the .44.   That being said I would still get the .44 just cause you have the option to shoot .44 spcl as well as full house loads.

Oh..this is an easy...
(1.) Factory Loaded 45 Long Colt is more controllable.

Pros and Cons:
If you do NOT load your own ammunition and are never planning on doing so, AND you are NOT going to compete in Cowboy Action Shooting AND you are concerned about the cost of FACTORY loaded cartridges. Then choose the 44 Magnum.

The 45 Colt is more expensive if you are buying ammunition. And there is a greater variety of Factory Loaded 44 Magnum Ammunition out there.

BUT the 45 Colt is really a superior round to the 44 Magnum. The reason is its case capacity.
But to take advantage of its superiority you really have to load your own rounds. The larger case capacity of the 45 Colt allows you to load a round that is more powerful than a 44 Magnum.
If you load to 44 Magnum levels..a 45 Colt will push the same grain bullet at the same muzzle velocity as the 44 Magnum BUT at LOWER pressures.

In general loadings the .45 Colt will do anything the .44 magnum will do with about 6000 to 10,000 CUP less chamber pressure, depending on the load and bullet weight used.

Get the 45 LC.

Quoted:Get the 45 LC.

I agree.  I put a few boxes of .45 Colt through a Ruger Bisley at the Ducks Unlimited festival last year, and I found it very controllable and not the least bit punishing.  

I think even the .44 Special has a sharper recoil than the .45 Colt.  I do load my own ammo, so the availability of ammo isn't a concern for me.

When loaded to comparable levels I believe they are both about the same. (i.e., .45LC and low power .44Mag or .44spl, vs. soupped up .45LC and full power .44Mag.)

I don't handload, so I would choose the .44mag.  Cheaper to buy and greater factory selection.

From SPEER Reloading Manual #13

.44 mag w/ 300gr PSP bullet max load 1187 fps

.45 LC w/ 300gr PSP bullet max load "Ruger and T/C only" 1193 fps

Dave Dee
NRA/ILA Member
AR15.com Moderator of Reloading, General Firearm Discussion & Hunting Forum.
A great place to get answers to your reloading & hunting questions.
Or come and take a look at my web page at.
members.aol.com/dbrewer842/dbrewer842.html

With that said, most people who are not used to shooting "Hand Canons." Will say its too much gun to handle at max charges.


Dave Dee
NRA/ILA Member
AR15.com Moderator of Reloading, General Firearm Discussion & Hunting Forum.
A great place to get answers to your reloading & hunting questions.
Or come and take a look at my web page at.
members.aol.com/dbrewer842/dbrewer842.html

Get the .45 Colt (not LC, whatever that is).  Need a reason why?  Read all the "Gunnotes" here at John Linebaugh's page, and you'll see why.

DBrewer842. Not apples to apples.  The .45 Colt will do the same thing as a .44 Mag with half the barrel length, and usually 8 to 10K psi less pressure.

I shoot 325 LBT-LFNs at 1325 fps in my .45 Colt.

The name .45 Colt and the Name .45 Long Colt are the same cartridge.

The test gun for the .45 LC/Colt was a Ruger Blackhawk with a 7 1/2 inch barrel.

The test gun for the .44 mag was a Ruger Redhawk with a 7 1/2 inch barrel.

Dave Dee
NRA/ILA Member
AR15.com Moderator of Reloading, General Firearm Discussion & Hunting Forum.
A great place to get answers to your reloading & hunting questions.
Or come and take a look at my web page at.
members.aol.com/dbrewer842/dbrewer842.html

I have the .44 and I like it just fine. I bought in .44 to match my lever action Marlin. Everyone is always afraid to shoot it because of the reputation of a .44 being a hand cannon. It shoot very nice and I am quite accurate with it (fixed blade). I find it a joy to shoot, one shot at a time, something about a single action. I agree if you are going to do any Cowboy shooting I think the 45lc is preferred because of "time period". I think if I had to do it all over again, I would try a .357 Ruger Vaquero and match it with a .357 Win94 lever action. I like the feed of the longer cartridge in the rifle and you could plink with .38 in the revolver. Sorry if I added a new wrinkle.

Thank you for all of your help.  After reading all of your recommendations I have decided to go with the .44 MAG.  And as luck would have it, I just found a used Ruger Bisley Vaquero in .44 MAG selling for $330 at a local store.  It's in very good condition from what I can tell.  The action is really nice and fit perfectly in my hand.  (That's one of the reasons I was looking at Bisleys.)

Since the .44 MAG is more common and less expensive, it seems that should be the logical choice.  Thanks again!

-rad