.45 Colt

[Galen]

Why are shooters that should know better referring to .45 Colt as .45 Long Colt? When did this start. Tried getting into Wild Bunch and was denied because my shotgun was a 1910 Remington and my pistol was the wrong caliber, 1902 Colt .38ACP. Really? One of the honchos said I should get a single action in .45 Long Colt. A real expert.

[King Medallion]

Why ask why? That debate has been ongoing for a century or more. Get a rulebook for your chosen sport, read it, and follow it.You won't go wrong that way.

[Abilene]

Why are shooters that should know better referring to .45 Colt as .45 Long Colt? When did this start. Tried getting into Wild Bunch and was denied because my shotgun was a 1910 Remington and my pistol was the wrong caliber, 1902 Colt .38ACP. Really? One of the honchos said I should get a single action in .45 Long Colt. A real expert.

Hmm, a single action isn't useable for Wild Bunch regardless of caliber, so that doesn't make much sense.

[Advertising]

[Hair Trigger Jim]

Hmm, a single action isn't useable for Wild Bunch regardless of caliber, so that doesn't make much sense.

We could always get technical and call the 1911 a single action, and maybe .45 Long Colt is to distinguish the .45 ACP from the .45 GAP?

[U.S.M.R.]

To distinguish it from .45 Government which was the Schofield round with the smaller.45 Colt rim.

[Galen]

Never was and never will be a .45 long Colt. It is .45 Colt.

[Professor Marvel]

Never was and never will be a .45 long Colt. It is .45 Colt.

By that reasoning, there was never a Colt Lightning revolver or a Colt Thunderer revolver.
Those were monikers attached by large distributers/ sales folk.

And nobody would be asking for a “kleenex” …..
They would be asking “ might I please beg a facial tissue for my nose snot? I promise not to give it back.”

Whilst not “official” , As USMR said, the term was used by the common folk to distinguish
Betwixt the different rounds. If I weren’t overly toasted I would post the numerous different
Common .45 calibers of the era….
Off the top of my head I can recall

.45 short colt
.45 colt government
.45 schofieeld
.45 colt aka .45 long colt


The debate over whether there is a .45 "Long" Colt cartridge is an on-going one that has been active for probably 75 years.  Elmer Keith alluded to the arguments many years ago when he wrote "...Some newcomers to the game claim there is no such animal, but if they had shot the short variety that Remington turned out in such profusion before, during and after  World War I they would see there was some basis in referring to the .45 Colt as the .45 Long..." (Sixguns, page 285)

And

As far as I know there have never been any .45 Colt cartridges headstamped "Long" and though I have reports of old cartridge boxes marked "45 Long" I have never personally seen any. Mr. Keith referred to them from time to time as "long" Colt's (with a small "L"). If you have ever seen the short Colt .45's you can understand why.

The Winchester .45 Colt's that Paco and I have came from Shootist Keith Owlett who gave them to us a short time before he passed on. The cartridge box is deteriorated and I have it put away - at least what's left of it. But it is plainly marked ".45 Colt Government". The headstamp on the cartridges is ".45 Colt" ...BUT these are SHORT .45 Colts! The headstamp is the same as the longer .45 Colts, even down to the "W" on the primers.

While I can't prove it, I believe the usage was common since Colt had factory cartridges like the .32 Short Colt,  .32 Long Colt, .38 Short Colt, .38 Long Colt, .41 Short Colt and the .41 Long Colt.

https://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylor/45_short_colt.htm


And

There was another rimmed short .45 revolver cartridge not mentioned, which was one made up specifically for use in the 1907 U. S. Army pistol trials. It was called (unofficially) the .45 S&W Special or the ".45 Model of 1906" (and sometimes the .45 Frankford), but it was never adopted by the U.S. military or sold commercially on the civilian market. Its case length was about 0.92". It is purely in the realm of serious cartridge collectors today as examples are hard to come by. Some were made by Frankford Arsenal, but most were made by UMC, as Frankford had quality problems making it. There is considerable information available about it, some being on this forum. Note that it is not the same as the .45 Schofield or the .45 M1909 (which is simply the full-length .45 Colt case with a larger diameter rim).


https://smith-wessonforum.com/reloading/655272-colt-45-short.html

Life is to short to count stitches and argue over cotton thread, poly thread, linen, flax, short, long,
Deer sinew thread, buffalo sinew thread, articial sinew…
Blah blah…

Except when we get bored on the interwebs



Just in case,
No offense
this is not a slight nor an insult
It is a funny.

Prf mumbles

[Professor Marvel]

Why are shooters that should know better referring to .45 Colt as .45 Long Colt? When did this start. Tried getting into Wild Bunch and was denied because my shotgun was a 1910 Remington and my pistol was the wrong caliber, 1902 Colt .38ACP. Really? One of the honchos said I should get a single action in .45 Long Colt. A real expert.

BTW I agree completely!

When it started they allowed Mauser Broomhandles, Lugers, Webly’s , pretty much anything appropriate to the era that would not destroy the targets!

Mumble grumble they aint no fun no moe

Gonna take my historically correct crap and go home and mope

Prof mumbles

[Coffinmaker]

  Oh Balderdash 

There have always been those whom are looked upon as "The" authority.  Never mind they were the You Tubers of the day and managed to get into print, even if their prime came to fame was Blowing Up their guns and having a "special" custom made.

So the prime source of the reference to "Long Colt" is basically from "famous" scribes and even some ammunition manufacturers who read the wondrous ramblings of those famous scribes.  None the Less

There never was nor has been a 45 "Long" Colt cartridge.  45 Government was not the "short" colt even if referred that way by some.  45 Government was to solve a logistics shortcoming generated by dummies in the War Department (imagine that).

And then we have to consider the penchant SASS had for flushing Wild Bunch down the toilette.  Quoting The Perfesser and Myself, Wild Bunch was once great fun.  A place to bring yer favorite safe queens and bang away.  And then SASS killed it and turned it into CAS with a 1911.  Blah.

We must also include in our vast knowledge, An "Ex" is just a has been, and a "spert" is just a drip under pressure.     Burma Shave

[45 Dragoon]

 Perfessor,     "overly toasted" .  .  .   
  . I love you man !!!!

Thuther Mike

[Jeremiah Jones]

So how do we feel about "hot water heater" and "jumbo shrimp"?

[Dave T]

So how do we feel about "hot water heater" and "jumbo shrimp"?

Pretty much the same as I feel about "45 Long Colt". And while we're picking nits and counting threads some of the earliest references I've seen the the cartridge in question called it the "45 Colt's". So don't forget that 'postraphy!  (smiley face goes here)

Dave

[Galen]

Please enlighten me oh swammy, what is the case length of .45 Colt then what is the case length of the mystical .45 Long Colt?

[River City John]

Tomatos, Tomatoes, Potatos, Potatoes. "A Rose by any other name . . ."

Remember the old adage about usage makes it right.

I'll bet every one of us knows exactly what cartridge is being referred to, even if you're aghast at the term's usage.

[Drydock]

As we say in the fleet: "a difference that makes no difference is no difference."

[Coffinmaker]

  Hey Drydock 

Entirely true.  And correkt!!  But it does make it so much more fun to banter it about duddinit!!  Burma Shave