For many years, Colt offered their stout New Service as their option in the big-bore double-action (DA) revolver department. The popular New Service first saw the light of day in 1898. The robust DA fought wars and helped settle the frequent Prohibition Era gunfights along the Mexican border.
While the .45 Colt was the most common large caliber cartridge chambered in the New Service, it was not the largest. The .476 Enfield won the prize in that department.
The New Service was discontinued in 1941, and oddly enough, Colt stayed out of the big bore DA business until 1990 when the Anaconda debuted in .44 Remington Magnum. This is somewhat surprising to me since Smith & Wesson and Ruger had been touting the .44 Magnum in their guns since the mid-1950s.
The grand old .45 Colt was offered in the Anaconda three years later, in 1993. The Anaconda faded away in the early 2000s and was brought back around 2021.
Colt’s other big bore also came along in 1993, albeit only for a short time, with their Kodiak chambered in .44 Remington Magnum. This special run had an unfluted cylinder and a ported barrel. Only a couple of thousand were made.
Luckily, for enthusiasts of fine DA revolvers, the Kodiak, like the Anaconda, has been resurrected. This hefty sixgun, with its unfluted cylinder and ported barrel, is easy on the shooter in the recoil department. It comes in four and six-inch versions, and both have the polished stainless-steel finish. The Anaconda and Kodiak share the same oversized Python-style frame.
Once rare 4-inch 45 Colt Anacondas are now standard issue, along with 6 and 8-inch guns. The Anaconda and Kodiak are only offered in stainless steel. These big guns are perfect for outdoorsmen wanting a powerful DA revolver for woods carry and hunting.
I’ve wondered why Colt polishes them to such a shiny mirror finish. Most hunters don’t want a light-glaring gun for hunting. In recent years, they have started offering matte finishes on some of their revolvers, and the Anaconda is available with a matte exterior.
Versatility of the .45 Colt
The 152-year-old .45 Colt is one of our most versatile revolver cartridges, especially in a strong gun like the Anaconda. Ammunition can be used in this gun to take it from a plinker to a powerhouse. I’ve said before, if forced to pick one handgun cartridge to do everything, it would probably be the .45 Colt in a tough revolver.
With the small assortment of ammunition used for this review, we see a broad range of shooting opportunity with 225 to 260-grain bullets at a mild 725 fps, onward to 900 and 1000 fps, and all the way up to 1350 fps. There are a lot of ammunition and bullet options out there. There are also much more powerful loads on the market that could be used on any game we care about hunting with a handgun.
Personally, I would prefer a heavily built, five-shot single action (SA) for the really heavy/hot stuff, but my point of the versatility of the .45 Colt cartridge withstands. Savvy shooters can still run powerful rounds in this DA revolver.
The Equally Fabulous .44 Magnum
The same can be said of the .44 Magnum cartridge. A shooter with a good gun like the Kodiak can do a lot with that equally classic and adaptable .44 Magnum round. Don’t overlook the efficiency of good ammunition in .44 Special as well; it’s another advantage of the guns chambered in .44 Magnum. From low-recoil rounds for controlled, fast DA defense work to fire-breathing heavy hitters, ammunition opportunities abound.
Fit and finish on these guns are top shelf. Edges of the frames and trigger guards are beveled, along with the edge of the cylinder face, for added ease of holstering and good looks. Each gun wears black rubber Hogues adorned with the Colt emblem. These finger groove grips are thin with a bit of palm swell that allows for a good purchase on the gun.
Opinions and Options on Front Sights
The orange insert on the front sights of each gun does not work well for this shooter. While I often prefer a sight with some color, even painting them myself at times, the light orange front sight Colt uses washes out a bit on the target for my eyes. If the sight works for you, great. If it doesn’t, there is another solid option.
John Harrison provided a replacement front sight for the Anaconda at my request. Harrison Design & Consulting specializes in making sights for Colt DA revolvers, and they are well worth the money and simple to install. Just back out the set screw, lift out the existing blade, and replace it with the Harrison sight and tighten the screw. It’s that simple.
I chose the black serrated sight, and it made a world of difference in a clear sight picture for my eyes. I only regret not installing one on the Kodiak as well! I could have moved the sight from the Anaconda to the Kodiak for testing, but didn’t.
Harrison Design also makes them with fiber optic inserts, gold beads, and tritium inserts. They offer various sight height options as well.
Triggers on the guns have grooved faces. I prefer a smooth-faced trigger, but a competent gunsmith can polish them if one so chooses.
Best as I can tell from my mechanical trigger scale, the SA trigger pulls break right at 6 pounds. I expect they are a bit lighter than what this scale shows. They are crisp, and that’s a plus. I’d prefer them to be more in the 2 to 3-pound range. The DA pulls are smooth on both guns. A little gunsmithing finesse can lighten the SA and DA pulls, without a doubt.
Nice Guns, But How Do They Shoot?
For accuracy tests, ammunition was provided by Buffalo Bore, High Desert Cartridge Company, and Hornady in .44 Magnum and .45 Colt. An additional .45 Colt load was supplied by Hartland Arms & Ammo, located in Friona, Texas, where they provide custom handgun ammunition. Jeremy Hart doesn’t have a website yet, but you can contact him via email to inquire about his good ammunition. (jdhdude@hotmail.com)
Groups were fired from a sandbag rest at 12 yards. This distance allows me to aim at the half-inch black diamond in the center of the 2-inch orange Birchwood Casey Target Spots. As you see, each load shot well. A couple of tight clusters were wrecked by me pulling a shot, but it’s obvious that the ammunition and the guns are very accurate.
| COLT KODIAK 44 MAGNUM | GROUP | COMMENTS |
| Buffalo Bore 4E Lower Recoil 255 Gr Hard Cast Keith GC, 1350 fps | 1.33″ | Manageable recoil |
| High Desert Cartridge Company 300 gr JHP, 1078 fps | 0.70″ | Mild recoil |
| Hornady Custom 240 gr XTP, 1350 fps | 1.4″ | Manageable recoil |
| COLT ANACONDA 45 COLT | GROUP | COMMENTS |
| Buffalo Bore 45 Colt +P 3C 260 gr JHP, 1450 fps | 2.15″ | 4 shots in 0.5-inch, plenty recoil |
| Buffalo Bore Heavy 45 Colt 3H 225 gr Barnes XPB, 1000 fps | 0.81″ | Manageable recoil |
| Hornady Cowboy 45 Colt 255 gr lead FP 725 fps | 0.94″ | Mild recoil |
| High Desert Cartridge Company 250 gr FP TMJ, 833 fps | 0.70″ | Mild recoil |
| Hartland Arms & Ammo 255 gr SWC, 900 fps | 0.86″ | Mild recoil |
Double Action Revolvers for Outdoorsmen
Colt’s Anaconda and Kodiak are tough six-guns built for hard use. These big stainless-steel revolvers are made for the rugged outdoors and inclement weather and are solid companions for the .45 Colt and .44 Magnum cartridges.
Those not minding the heft of these wheelguns will find the four-inch versions to be good contenders in the world of personal defense, especially if you’re looking for a gun capable of thwarting attacks from two or four-legged assailants. The longer-barreled guns are good contenders for handgun hunting as well.
