Which .45 Colt Product Lines Are Most Common?
Current observed prices are in the 30-day price summary at the top of this page, recomputed from tracked retailer listings. The table below lists common product lines by bullet type, weight, and intended use. It is a reference list, not a ranking.
| Product Line | Type | Grain | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester Cowboy Action | Lead Flat Nose | 250gr | Cowboy Action / Practice |
| Magtech Cowboy Action | Lead Flat Nose | 250gr | Cowboy Action / Practice |
| Hornady Critical Defense | FTX | 185gr | Self-Defense (incl. Judge / Governor) |
| Speer Gold Dot | JHP | 250gr | Self-Defense |
| Winchester Super-X | Lead Round Nose | 255gr | General / Practice |
| Hornady LEVERevolution | FTX | 225gr | Lever-Action Hunting |
| Heavy "+P" / Ruger-only loads (specialist makers) | Hard Cast / JHP | 300gr+ | Hunting in strong revolvers only |
What Is .45 Colt?
The .45 Colt was developed in 1872 by Colt and the Union Metallic Cartridge Company for the Colt Single Action Army revolver, and the U.S. Army adopted it in 1873. The original black-powder load was 40 grains of powder behind a 255-grain lead bullet. It is one of the oldest centerfire handgun cartridges still in mainstream production.
Key dimensions: bullet diameter 0.452 inches, case length 1.285 inches, and an overall length of about 1.600 inches. SAAMI lists its maximum average pressure at only 14,000 psi — deliberately low, because the standard has to remain safe in revolvers built over a century and a half, including original black-powder-era guns.
".45 Long Colt" is the same cartridge. The "Long" was added informally to distinguish it from the shorter .45 Smith & Wesson Schofield cartridge the Army also issued in the 1870s; there has never been a ".45 Short Colt". Retailers list it as .45 Colt, .45 LC, and .45 Long Colt interchangeably. It is not the same as .45 ACP, the semi-automatic pistol cartridge — different case, different firearms.
Pressure Levels — Know Your Firearm
As with the .45-70, .45 Colt ammunition falls into tiers:
- Standard SAAMI loads — safe in any modern .45 Colt firearm in good condition, including Single Action Army reproductions. Cowboy-action and most defensive loads are made to this level.
- Heavy "+P" or "Ruger/Freedom Arms only" loads — specialist loads at pressures well above the SAAMI standard, intended only for large-frame revolvers and lever actions their makers name. These are labeled accordingly and must not be used in Colt-pattern single actions or older revolvers.
The box label is the authority. Do not substitute a heavy load for a standard one.
Firearms Chambered in .45 Colt
- Single-action revolvers — Colt Single Action Army and its many reproductions (Uberti, Pietta, Cimarron), Ruger Vaquero and Blackhawk.
- Double-action revolvers — Smith & Wesson Model 25 variants and others.
- .410 / .45 Colt revolvers — the Taurus Judge and Smith & Wesson Governor are chambered for both .45 Colt and .410 shotshells; Hornady's Critical Defense 185gr FTX is one of the loads designed for those short barrels.
- Lever-action rifles — many Winchester 1892-pattern, Marlin 1894, Henry, and Rossi lever guns are offered in .45 Colt, so a rifle and revolver can share ammunition.
- Derringers — several two-shot derringers are chambered for .45 Colt / .410.
How .45 Colt Is Used
- Cowboy action shooting (SASS and similar), where lead flat-nose loads at modest velocities are the standard.
- Self-defense, particularly in Judge/Governor-style revolvers.
- Hunting deer and hog at short range from lever guns and large-frame revolvers.
- Historical and collector shooting with Single Action Army-pattern revolvers.
How .45 Colt Prices Compare
The 30-day summary at the top of this page shows the observed price distribution for .45 Colt — the median, the quartiles, and how many retailers and listings stand behind them. Lead cowboy loads are typically sold in 50-round boxes and sit toward the lower end of the distribution; defensive JHP loads come in 20-round boxes and sit higher. Since box sizes differ, compare cost per round — the search button at the top of this page sorts current listings that way. Set a free price alert to be told when a listing crosses a price you choose.
.45 Colt Brands
- Winchester — Cowboy Action and Super-X lead loads.
- Magtech — Cowboy Action lead loads.
- Hornady — Critical Defense and LEVERevolution.
- Speer — Gold Dot JHP.
- Federal and Remington — additional lead and JHP loads.
Where to Compare .45 Colt Prices
IronScout tracks in-stock listings across the retailers it covers and recomputes the 30-day summary daily. See FMJ vs. hollow point and what +P ammo is for background on load types.
Related Calibers
- .44 Magnum — The large-frame revolver magnum often compared with heavy .45 Colt loads.
- .45 ACP — A different .45 cartridge, for semi-automatic pistols.
- .357 Magnum — The other common revolver and lever-gun pairing cartridge.
- .45-70 Government — The rifle cartridge of the same era.