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Sometimes you end up with projects that you blueprint for a month. Other times, they just seem to fall in together so perfectly you almost do not trust your luck.
My Colt Anaconda in .45 Colt was the latter.
One day, I spit-ball ideas about a Colt revolver, then two days later a stainless Anaconda shows up.
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Then HSM ships me a spread of .45 Colt loads. Hogue sends a Big Butt Monogrip.
Then Burris–a 3-12x pistol scope materializes on my doorstep.
Basically, it took a week for everything to arrive. Then everything fit together perfectly and I have a properly decked out Colt Anaconda revolver without a single hiccup.
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If you have ordered a full build of parts unseen before, you know that’s rare.
The Anaconda & .45 Colt
Colt’s big stainless, large-frame double action revolver is iconic for a reason. The modern Anaconda gives you an old-school presence that’s paired with contemporary manufacturing, forged internals, and a level of polish that holds up under bright sun and hard use.
Colt’s current catalog offers Anacondas chambered for .44 Magnum and .45 Colt. I chose a .45 Colt because it pairs beautifully with a heavy frame and generous barrel. Ballistically, this ancient cartridge delivers authority without the sharp slap many shooters feel in lightweight .44-caliber revolvers. When I say ancient, I mean it. .45 Colt dates back to 1873–the dawn of metallic cartridge ammunition. Between then and now, it was originally charged with black powder, smokeless propellant and everything in between. To this day, .45 Colt remains one of the most flexible big-bore revolver options available. It’s versatile enough for mild cowboy rounds and stout hunting loads alike, within reason, of course.
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That last part matters. The Anaconda is a serious revolver, not a science experiment. If you want to push pressures, do it inside what the manufacturer approves. I fired three HSM loads that bookend the cartridge’s personality, and the Colt took them with calm manners and repeatable precision.
Six Inches, Six Shots, Big Snake
My Colt Anaconda is made from polished stainless steel. Its frame was drilled and tapped by Colt at the factory. It’s a simple move, but it gives you an optics-ready revolver. It also elevates this big-bore from being a basic revolver to becoming a practical hunting tool. For around $1,450, you get the look, the lineage and a feature-set that respects how people actually use big revolvers today.
How The Anaconda Strikes
The Anaconda’s action is slick. And you’ll also find forged internals under its sideplate. According to my Lyman gauge, the Anaconda’s double-action trigger pull averaged 8 pounds, 2 ounces. Its single-action broke at 4 pounds dead-even (average across six presses). Honestly, on these long-barreled hunting wheelguns, it’s the single-action pull that I care the most about. I would never call this trigger bad. It breaks consistently, it is honest about where the wall lives, and it rewards a steady press.
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Should I decide to keep the gun long term, I’ll likely tune the single action to around two pounds and add an overtravel stop, then leave the rest alone.
Practical Bits: Scopes & Big Butts
These modern Colt Anacondas are already tapped, so adding optics is a breeze. Adding a Burris 3-12x scope was a smart move. At low power it is a real-world sight, not a bench toy, and at high power it turns the gun into a legitimate instrument as long as you build a solid rest. The one-inch tube and 32 millimeter objective keep the system tidy and do not fight the balance of the revolver.
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Their stainless polished finish is forgiving in the field, and it cleans up quickly. Its cylinder latch is positive, the ejector rod throws cases with authority when you work it like you mean it, and the crane locks up cleanly. I like that Colt’s current production efforts show care under the sideplate, not just on the exterior flats. Fit and finish in 2025 are where they should be on a flagship gun.
The Hogue Big Butt made the gun feel like it was fitted to my hand rather than the other way around. If you have never tried one on a long-barrel hunting revolver, give it a look. The grip is the only point of contact you truly control under recoil. A good one changes the day.
Forty-Five One Hundredths Of An Inch
With the Hogue Big Butt Monogrip installed, the Burris scope mounted, rail and rings torqued, and six rounds of HSM 325-grain Bear Load in the cylinder, the Anaconda weighed just under five pounds.
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That mass is your friend. Heavy, scoped revolvers sit back down on target faster than their lighter cousins, which matters when you stretch to one hundred yards and beyond.
My Garmin Xero chronographed three HSM loads. Keep in mind that this Snake has a 6-inch barrel.
- HSM Cowboy 200 grain Lead, advertised at 750 feet per second, averaged 931.7.
- HSM .45 Colt +P 300 grain JFP, advertised at 1,068 feet per second, averaged 1,212.4.
- HSM .45 Colt +P 325 grain Lead WFN Gas Check, advertised at 1,155 feet per second, averaged 1,195.7.
The Cowboy load is a pleasure to shoot, and it will still anchor steel with authority. The 300-grain JFP is a proper working load. It shoots flat inside 100 yards and packs some real momentum. The 325-grain gas-checked WFN is the business end of the lineup. This is the load I’d choose for the worst-case encounter in the backcountry or a serious big-game hunt where a revolver is riding backup.
Snaking Around On The Firing Line
After setting up the Anaconda and taking some photos, I drove out to the range with a few other test pistols.
I deliberately saved the Colt for the end.
There was a fresh plate at 50 yards and a bit of cardboard at 50 feet. I loaded a single 300 grain +P, settled behind the bag, and pressed. The steel reverberated from a clean 300-grain smack of lead. Inside of 50 yards, I was living around four inches. Once I adjusted the scope, the hits started stacking on top of each other. At 75 yards, it was more of the same. At 100 yards, the rhythm held as long as I did my part. Shooting off the bag at 100 yards, it was easy to call impacts and keep honest.
This gun shoots better than I can. That is the highest compliment I can pay a hunting revolver. Though the Burris scope made my life easier, the Anaconda’s inherent accuracy is the backbone of its performance. The action times nicely. The cylinder gap width is reasonable so as to not leak energy. The crown is minty and the trigger is predictable. Finally, this Snake’s weight keeps the whole system civilized and ties everything together.
Ode To .45 Colt
People love to argue .44 Magnum versus .45 Colt, which misses the point. Here’s the thing: in a modern, well-built revolver like the Anaconda, .45 Colt gives you a broad operating window and a softer impulse for the same work. With a heavy, wide-flat-nose bullet at sensible speed, you get penetration and tissue destruction without beating up the gun or the shooter. Honestly, in cold weather with gloves, a pleasant recoil impulse and an easy single-action break are worth more than a few extra theoretical FPS.
That said, the cartridge’s flexibility can tempt folks into loads that can go off the deep end. If your box says +P, make sure your gun agrees. In my case, HSM’s data is clear. Colt’s guidance is clear.
Respect both.
Singling Out The Trigger Pull
My Colt Anaconda is more than serviceable, and I believe most shooters will never feel shortchanged by the factory trigger pull. However, if Colt offered an Anaconda variant optmizied for an improved single-action trigger pull, I would order it tomorrow. To be clear, I’d leave the rugged internals or the stainless finish alone. But trigger-wise, I’d simply shorten, clean and stop the single-action travel at the wall. It’s a personal preference informed by my use of long-barreled revolvers–no more, no less.
Ejecting The Empties
This modern Snake gun reminded me why the old recipes still work–stainless precision manufactured modernity paired with one of the oldest cartridges in the game.
Loaded with HSM’s 325-grain Bear Load, the gun and glass sit just under five pounds. That weight steadies the picture and tames the push.
The Anaconda’s chronograph numbers tell you the .45 Colt shows no signs of slowing down after 152 years. Its groups on steel back this up by demonstrating that the system is more accurate than I am.
Colt is building excellent revolvers in 2025. If you are shopping for a hunting rig that carries heritage in one hand and performance in the other, this is a high-quality, attractive way to get exactly that.
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