45 difference....

[ar15dave]

Is there a difference between 45 Long Colt and 45 Colt?

Are they interchangable?

Dave

 

[jimbobborg]

No difference, they're the same thing.

Jim

 

[ar15dave]

OK was not sure. Gun store clerk was hinting they were different.

Dave

 

[Badshot12]

It's the same thing

http://funarg.nfshost.com/r2/notes/longcolt.html

 

[ar15dave]

It's the same thing

http://funarg.nfshost.com/r2/notes/longcolt.html

Thanks, great article.

Dave

 

[alucard0822]

I suspect some of the confusion is from the 38 cal colt calibers, 38 short colt and 38 long colt. The 38 short colt iriginally used a heeled bullet for 36cal cartridge conversion cap n' ball revolvers(like a 22lt, the outside diameter of the bullet is the same as the case, the bullet has a slightly reduced diameter "heel" that is crimped in the case), then later ended up with a .358 dia bullet that fit inside the case, this is the great grandaddy of the 38 special and 357 mag. The 38 long Colt came out as a more powerful round, and firearms chambered in 38LC could fire 38SC, but not the other way around. When 45 Colt came around, even though Colt never made a "45 short colt", there was the 45 schofield that was a shorter cartridge, shouldn't have been confusing, but asking for a "long 45, or 45 colt" probably turned into "45 long Colt", especially being it was a contemporary of the 38 long Colt.

 

[Biggfoot44]

The short answer is same thing. Most authorities will cite that there never was a .45 Short Colt . Indeed Colt never marked any guns as Short Colt.

However a cpl years ago did see a short article in Handloader, with photos showing period Cartridges marked as .45 Short Colt . They were same length as .45 S&W aka Schofield , but had rim dimentions identical to the .45LC , rather than the wider, thicker rim of the S&W ctg . Additionally If you had gone into a large gunstore up thru the 1930s , and asked for .45 Colt ctgs , the man would ask you what kind . There would have been the .45 S&Ws , the British .450s , and .455s . Which in turn in Canadian mfg had various case length , and rim dimentions . Including some headstamped as " .455 Colt ". To avoid confusions , the ctg in question was commonly refered to as the " .45 Long Colt" frequently by both buyers and sellers.

 

[Wiley-X]

They were same length as .45 S&W aka Schofield , but had rim dimentions identical to the .45LC , rather than the wider, thicker rim of the S&W ctg .

That would be the M1877 Military Ball Cartridge developed to allow Colts and Schofields to use the same cartridge without problems. Apparently, Schofield cartridges in a Colt could have interference with the rims because of their larger size.