.45 Colt Ammo in Stock – Trusted Deals Without the Guesswork

Standard factory lead-bullet Cowboy Action or target .45 Colt loads typically cost between $0.60 and $0.85 per round. Premium hunting rounds or specialized high-pressure "Ruger Only" hard-cast lines from boutique makers easily range from $1.20 to $1.80+ per round.

Because the original 1873 specification was built for black powder, vintage single-action revolvers and lightweight modern clones cannot handle high pressures. "Ruger Only" loads are specialty high-pressure cartridges loaded up to 30,000+ PSI that will catastrophically damage older guns—they should only be fired in robust modern firearms like the Ruger Blackhawk, Redhawk, or Freedom Arms revolvers.

Technically, its official name designated by Colt and SAAMI is simply .45 Colt. However, the nickname ".45 Long Colt" has been used informally since the 19th century by military personnel to distinguish it from the shorter .45 Schofield cartridge. If you buy boxes labeled either way, they will fit the same chambers.

No, absolutely not. The .45 Colt cartridge is significantly longer (1.285" case) and features a rimmed case base, whereas the .45 ACP is much shorter (0.898" case) and rimless. A .45 Colt round will not even come close to chambering in a standard semi-automatic pistol built for .45 ACP.

Yes, multi-role defensive revolvers like the Taurus Judge and Smith & Wesson Governor, as well as select modern .410 bore lever-action shotguns specifically cut with dual-compatible chambers, are engineered to safely fire standard-pressure .45 Colt ammunition alongside .410 shells.

Standard .45 Colt is a mild-mannered, low-pressure cartridge that is much softer shooting than a .44 Magnum. However, when you step up to heavy "Ruger Only" custom handloads, a hot .45 Colt can actually match or exceed standard .44 Magnum ballistic energy while throwing a larger, heavier diameter projectile.

Yes. Traditional factory loads with 250-grain bullets typically cruise around 850 to 900 feet per second, keeping them safely below the speed of sound (~1,125 fps). This makes standard .45 Colt an absolute treat to shoot out of suppressed modern lever-action carbines.

The .45 Colt was officially created and introduced in 1873 through a joint venture between Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company and Union Metallic Cartridge Company, specifically designed for the legendary Colt Single Action Army (SAA) "Peacemaker" revolver.

No, unless your specific revolver cylinder has been custom-machined and cut to accept moon clips for rimless cartridges. Because .45 Colt revolvers headspace on the case rim, a rimless .45 ACP round will slip too far forward into the charge hole and fail to fire reliably.

When fired out of a carbine or rifle barrel with modern Hornady FTX pointed ammunition, a .45 Colt can cleanly stretch its effective hunting range out to 100 to 125 yards, gaining significant velocity compared to short revolver barrel lengths.