.45 History
Let’s look at all this variation of Colt .45 ammunition briefly. Starting out, the copper-cased .45’s used by the US Army in 1873 carried a 250-gr. lead bullet over 30 grs. of black powder. Case length was 1.29″. By 1875 this was changed because the army bought some Smith & Wesson revolvers built for their own .45 round. In a case only 1.10″ long 28 grs. of black powder was loaded under 230-gr. lead bullets. Both of these loads gave about 725 to 750 fps velocity. In the 1880s the army returned to the longer .45 Colt cartridge.
By 1909, smokeless powder dominated. The new .45 Colt military ammunition still used 250-gr. lead bullets. Guess what? It was still loaded to a nominal velocity of about 725 fps. Then when the .45 ACP specifications were finalized, bullet weight was settled up as (nominally) 230 grs., but bullet form was now full-metal jacketed. Velocity was supposed to be about 830 fps, although the original box mentioned above for rounds in half-moon clips said 800 fps. For over 100 years, American ordnance officers were quite satisfied with handgun bullets from 230 to 250 grs. traveling at moderate velocities.
Now, I’ll put in my two-cents worth. The year 1968 was a banner one for me because in its summer I obtained both my first Colt SAA .45 and my first US Model 1911A1 .45. It was a Remington-Rand of World War II vintage. That same year I began loading for both .45 Colt and .45 ACP. The very next year I happened on a Colt Model 1909 .45, shooting it for several years before it was traded off on something else long forgotten.
Over the decades I’ve owned several-score .45 Colt handguns: mostly Colt SAAs, but at least two of the Model 1878DAs. Never could I land a US Army-marked SAA; prices have always been out of my reach. However, I do have a pair of the Colt Peacemaker Centennials which are exact duplicates of those early .45’s. Also in my vault currently resides a pair of Colt (New Service) US Model 1917s, one still wearing its World War I blue finish and the second having a Parkerized finish. That means it was refurbished for World War II. And of course, no self-respecting gun’riter can be without at least one 1911. I have a 1918 vintage one and a 1911A1 version made in 1944. Both are Colts.
Personally I can shoot a Colt SAA .45 and a US Model 1911 .45 in reasonably good fashion. I can also do well with a Colt Model 1917 .45, but only when fired as a single action. Firing double action I can barely keep bullets on-paper. I am probably typical of most Colt .45 shooters. For 140 years Colt has kept Americans — military and civilians alike — well supplied with .45 caliber handguns, and I know for sure many serving US combat troops wish they still did.
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