Best .45 Colt Ammo
Every load we price, sorted by cost per round delivered to your state
We track 18 .45 Colt loads from 3 dealers. The cheapest delivered to AR, shipping included, is Fiocchi Cowboy Action .45 Colt 250gr LRNFP Ammo at $1.05 a round. By use: Competition from $1.05, Target & Range from $1.07, and Hunting from $1.23.
The .45 Colt is a rimmed revolver and lever-gun cartridge for cowboy matches, handgun hunting and defense. It dates from 1873 and the Colt Single Action Army, and today you'll find it in single-action and double-action revolvers, lever-action rifles, and .410/.45 Colt revolvers like the Taurus Judge. It fires a .452" bullet, most often 200 to 255 grains. SAAMI pressure is only 14,000 psi, so loads range from soft cowboy rounds to much hotter loads for strong guns.
Lead flat-nose loads at 750 to 800 fps, like Fiocchi Cowboy Action 250gr, are for cowboy matches and plinking. Standard defensive loads such as Hornady Critical Defense 185gr work in any sound .45 Colt. The +P hunting loads here, like Underwood 250gr XTP at 1,400 fps, are for modern large-frame revolvers like the Ruger Blackhawk and strong lever actions. Never fire them in a Colt SAA or replica, and check your manual first. The CCI shotshells are for snakes at close range.
All .45 Colt Loads
Compare ballistics and prices across 18 products
| PRODUCT ↕ | GRAIN ↕ | VELOCITY ↕ | ENERGY ↕ | BC ↕ | USE CASE ↕ | BEST PRICE ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Atomic .45 Colt 200gr LRNFP Ammo
200gr
• 800 fps
• Competition
|
200gr | 800 | 284 | .125 | Competition | $1.05/rd |
|
Barnes VOR-TX .45 Colt 200gr XPB Ammo
200gr
• 1025 fps
• Hunting
|
200gr | 1025 | 467 | .145 | Hunting | $1.66/rd |
|
CCI .45 Colt Shotshell #9 Shot Ammo
• 1000 fps
• Hunting
|
— | 1000 | 333 | — | Hunting | $1.67/rd |
|
CCI Blazer .45 Colt 200gr JHP Ammo
200gr
• 1000 fps
• Self-Defense
|
200gr | 1000 | 444 | .14 | Self-Defense | $1.25/rd |
|
Corbon .45 Colt +P 200gr JHP
200gr
• 1100 fps
• Self-Defense
|
200gr | 1100 | 537 | .13 | Self-Defense | $2.32/rd |
|
DoubleTap .45 Colt +P 255gr HCSW Ammo
255gr
• 1450 fps
• Hunting
|
255gr | 1450 | 1190 | .145 | Hunting | $1.82/rd |
|
DoubleTap Hunter .45 Colt +P 360gr HCSLD Ammo
360gr
• 1200 fps
• Hunting
|
360gr | 1200 | 1151 | .175 | Hunting | $1.23/rd |
|
Federal American Eagle .45 Colt 225gr JSP
225gr
• 860 fps
• Target & Range
|
225gr | 860 | 369 | .195 | Target & Range | $1.57/rd |
|
Federal Champion .45 Colt 225gr LSWCHP
225gr
• 830 fps
• Self-Defense
|
225gr | 830 | 344 | .154 | Self-Defense | $2.67/rd |
|
Fiocchi Cowboy Action .45 Colt 250gr LRNFP Ammo
250gr
• 750 fps
• Competition
|
250gr | 750 | 312 | .14 | Competition | $1.05/rd |
|
Fiocchi Training Dynamics .45 Colt 225gr CMJ Ammo
225gr
• 750 fps
• Target & Range
|
225gr | 750 | 281 | .145 | Target & Range | $1.07/rd |
|
Fort Scott Munitions .45 Colt 225gr TUI Ammo
225gr
• 869 fps
• Self-Defense
|
225gr | 869 | 377 | .12 | Self-Defense | $1.44/rd |
|
Hornady Critical Defense .45 Colt 185gr FTX
185gr
• 920 fps
• Self-Defense
|
185gr | 920 | 348 | .14 | Self-Defense | $2.52/rd |
|
Underwood .45 Colt 135gr Extreme Defender Ammo
135gr
• 1410 fps
• Self-Defense
|
135gr | 1410 | 596 | .095 | Self-Defense | $2.34/rd |
|
Underwood .45 Colt 225gr Hard Cast WC
225gr
• 1050 fps
• Hunting
|
225gr | 1050 | 551 | .12 | Hunting | $2.12/rd |
|
Underwood .45 Colt 225gr Soft Cast HP
225gr
• 1050 fps
• Hunting
|
225gr | 1050 | 551 | .13 | Hunting | $2.37/rd |
|
Underwood .45 Colt +P 250gr XTP JHP
250gr
• 1400 fps
• Hunting
|
250gr | 1400 | 1088 | .15 | Hunting | $2.42/rd |
|
Winchester Bigbore .45 Colt 250gr JSP Ammo
250gr
• 845 fps
• Hunting
|
250gr | 845 | 396 | .146 | Hunting | $1.44/rd |
.45 Colt Trajectory Calculator
Calculate drop, velocity, and energy at any range
Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- .45 Colt over .44 Magnum: standard loads recoil far less, while +P loads in strong guns get close to .44 Magnum power.
- Revolvers chambered for .410 shells also fire .45 Colt, so one gun covers shot and bullets.
- Low standard pressure makes gentle cowboy loads that are easy on shooters and older-design guns.
- Heavy hard-cast bullets up to 360 grains are available for deep penetration on hogs and bear.
Cons
- The same headstamp covers 14,000 psi loads and far hotter +P loads, and the wrong box can damage an older revolver.
- Rimmed, long case limits it to revolvers and lever actions; mainstream semi-autos don't chamber it.
- Five or six rounds and slow reloads compared to a semi-auto for defense.