The projectile sizes are different- one is .357-.358 inch in diameter, the other is .452 -.454 inch in diameter. The initial cost spread out over many reloading times waters the price per shot cost difference. (C45S are more efficient at burning powder than 45 Colt) Brass is reloaded many times and if cared for will last nearly forever at cowboy loads pressure. the easiest to find ammo and components for. With gravity acting the same on both, at 200 yards they could be about the same as far as drop. I used the 357 magnum first, and then later the 45acp in two separate fights, one in 1978 and one in 1979. The 357 is the more versatile, and with 38 spl. The .357 and .45 Colt are best at bowhunting distances inside 50 yards. .357 180 grain jhp over 2400 gives between 600-950 fps (handgun min/max) and same load fires 1143-1500 fps (min/max) from rifle. For a 260 grain Colt to go so fast, it would have to be loaded pretty hot, while a 158 grain 357 would be about average. What is the difference between .357 Magnum and .45 Colt? The .45 acp practice round hps & jphs are typically 230 gn moving at around 700 fps with about 400 ft lbs of energy. Any farther, and you encounter massive drops in energy and substantial bullet drop. the 45 colt has the edge in power however it also had the edge in cost to shoot unless you hand load. After the second fight, I went back to the 357 mag. The modern sport of cowboy action shooting has resulted in .45 Colt carbines being offered for the first time. For sure use more powder - maybe 25% more. The .44 Magnum can stretch that a bit more, with the ideal range being 50 to 100 yards—only a marginal increase over .357 and .45 Colt. A 260 Grain 45 Colt load leaves an 18 inch barrel at about 1850 FPS. If you took a round nose FMJ for both the .357 is going to out perform a .45 acp. For instance, when deploying the 357 Magnum, we tested a number of fast-opening JHP loads. Standard Projectile weights are significantly different . Historically, it was never chambered in rifles. .357 Magnum operates at 35,000 psi piezo. I obviously won both, but the 357 magnum was far more efficient, and would have done better in the second than the 45acp. Yes, I know you can get 180 grain 45 Colt bullets but I feel most would use a larger, more period correct lead cast bullet in the 45. .45 Long Colt - The premier revolver cartridge of the black powder era, it remained our most powerful handgun cartridge until the advent of the .357 Magnum. The .45-70 is commonly thought of as a long-range round. Both are fine calibers, and able to take deer out to 100 yards or so. Low energy as in practice rounds for both. The .45 ACP cannot be relied on to bring down medium sized game animals like deer where as the .357 Magnum (with the right bullets and load) is … Well if you include the premium 45 LC loads from Buffalo Bore then the 357 is completely out classed by the 45 colt as it will be approching and even exceeding the 44 magnum in power. SAAMI Standard MAP (Operating pressures) 45 Colt operates circa 14,000 psi piezo. A 158 Grain 357 load leaves an 18 inch barrel at about 1830 FPS. There was little point in doing the same with the 45 Colt here; we wished to test only the high-penetration loads. If you take a low energy HP or JHP then the .45 acp is going to do more damage to soft tissue. The 45 Colt has slightly more potential, _if_ you handload for it,but in factory loads the difference is negligible. We learned a lot when testing the 357 Magnum and the many loads available for it. Muzzle energy of handgun between 143 and 360 foot pounds. 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