[Jeff Higgins]

That's all you will ever need, Joe. I worked my way up the revolver power scale when I was younger, and worked my way back down as I got older and (hopefully) wiser. Once we have achieved full penetration, the only real difference becomes how deep of a hole do we want in the dirt on the other side of the animal. And how much blast and recoil we are willing to endure to achieve that.

The concussion of a full house .44 mag load is more than I want to put up with without hearing protection. What led me to the .45 Colt was its ability to match, or even exceed the .44 mag at about 10,000 PSI less pressure. That translates into noticeably less concussion when fired. It made it easier to hunt with them. I used to have ringing in my ears for at least a day, sometimes longer, after taking game with my .44 mag. It's noticeably better (but still not great) with heavy .45 Colt loads. It's a lot better with closer to standard pressure loads. And they still kill everything I point them at.