By Joe W Gorman
The .44 magnum Colt Anaconda is ready for deer hunting.
Wheel gunners rejoiced when Colt went full throttle, back into the revolver business. I couldn’t wait for the Colt Anaconda to come back into production. Now that it’s back, and I have my hands on one, I decided to turn it into a whitetail hunting machine.
I chose a 6” Colt Anaconda for the project gun. I prefer the blued guns and the 6” barrel is something I can wear under a heavy jacket as a carry gun, if I’m ever worried about being attacked by a Rhino in a parking lot. Rhino attack is not a common occurrence for me as I don’t venture into Rhino country.
Much.
Rhinos are wily and salty beasts who move with cat-like dexterity. They routinely appear out of nowhere when you least expect it. At 5000 pounds, a male rhino running at 35 mph toward you is a formidable threat. Don’t turn into another victim of a Walmart, parking-lot-rhino attack. Take this threat seriously.
As for caliber, I would say given the practical range of a 6” barreled wheel gun, .45 Colt or .44 Magnum will get the job done. The .45 Colt would benefit from powerful reloads vs the tame ammo that is safe to shoot in an 1873 Single Action Army, typically sold in gun shops. I chose the .44 Magnum as I have an old .45 Colt S.A.A. and my luck, I’d accidently shoot a hotrod load in the old gun and damage it.
I also knew that I wanted optics for this gun. I contacted Burris and got a 2X handgun scope and a pair of high Zee rings to mount on the Colt. The Burris glass is clear and works well in the waning, post-sunset-to-the -end-of-shooting-hours light where I see most of my shots. The elevation and windage adjustments are positive clicks and change the point of impact (POI) ½ MOA. The Burris 2x handgun scope is offered in a matte black finish or a matte nickel finish.
The Colt Anaconda, fitted with Hogue grips, a Weigand scope base, Burris Z rings and a 2X scope and after Heffron Precision’s Component Parts and Action Trigger Job. Add some accurate and hard-hitting ammunition and no white tail is safe.
For a scope mount, I used the Weigand aluminum CANAMNT-2 mount. This mount bolts to the factory drilled/tapped holes in the top strap and requires the removal of the factory rear sight. Fortunately, Weigand has a great video that walked me right through the installation. I did not swear once during the installation of this scope mount. That is a first for me.
Weigand’s Weig-A-Tinny CANAMNT-2 rock is a solid post-2020 scope base for the 6” Anaconda. Easy to install and stays put under heavy loads.
Once mounted, the Weig-A-Tinny provided unwavering stability, through some Hella stout reloads, for hundreds of rounds fired during testing. It is a very impressive mount.
The Colt exhibited typical Colt lock work precision and excellent fit and finish. The trigger, in single action, particularly, needed a little help. Thankfully, Heffron Precision offers a quick-turnaround service for new Colt revolvers, including the Anaconda. It’s called the Component Parts Trigger and Action Job©. For a blue Anaconda, it costs $275. If you want this service, email Heffron requesting an order. They will email you back with confirmation and shipping info. Turnaround is under 1 month. You’ll get your parts back “drop in ready” and they’ll have a crisp 2.5 – 2.75 lbs. SA pull and an 8.75 – 9.00 lbs. DA pull. (Stock, they’re 5.5 – 6.00 and 9.75 – 11lbs) respectively.
I set up a ticket with Heffron and sent them the trigger, hammer, hand, link, mainspring etc. and I had the parts back, as promised, in under a month!
Best way to spend a hot summer afternoon. I was really impressed with what the Anaconda could do. I never thought a 6” Colt wheel gun could consistently shoot 3” groups at 100 yards.
As you surely know by now, Heffron Precision is the Premier Colt-smithing company in the world. They are so good, Colt recommends them! Once I got the parts back from Heffron, I measured the single action trigger break weight was indeed 2.75 pounds! The importance of a clean-breaking, light break-weight trigger in precision revolver shooting cannot be overstated. The results we got during testing speak to both the precision of the Colt Anaconda and Heffron’s trigger work.
Colt mounted some interesting grips on the Anaconda and I liked them. But I also had a pair of Hogue Pau Ferro grips that I liked even more. I mounted the Hogues and they allowed me to keep control of the big snake gun.
After zeroing the scoped Anaconda from a bench, utilizing an MTM pistol rest, I was noticing that all the 3-shot groups were under 3.0” at 100 yards with Hornady .44 Magnum 240gr XTP ammunition and reloads I made with the 240gr XTP bullets. Some 3-shot groups were just near 2 inches!
We tested Hornady .44 Magnum 240gr Dangerous Game Handgun ammunition (dangerous game would include Rhino), and it was just behind the 240gr XTP in terms of accuracy when shot from the Anaconda.
This plate is 150 yards from my bench. Yep. I head shot a 33% steel plate. Ok, I was really trying for center of mass.
Hornady’s .44 Magnum 300gr XTP sure hit the targets with authority and grouped within minute of deer, although with a significant POI difference when zeroed for 240gr XTP. This ammo was the least accurate through the Anaconda AND completely suitable for deer hunting out to 100 yards. The 5.5” average 3-shot group size at 100 yards is plenty tight for an ethical hit on a white tail. I doubt this 300gr slug would give a second thought to a deer bone. It would just punch through.
Closing in on a zero with Hornady 240gr XTP. Notice the group near the orange target. That was shot with my trusty 1894 Marlin SBL at 100 yards. The group size with the Anaconda is nearly identical. Wait, it gets better.
Most surprising to me, Hornady’s .44 Magnum 200gr XTP ammunition printed a POI that was very close to the 240gr XTP POI. And the 200gr XTP ammo was plenty accurate. The flat shooting characteristic of this round (flat shooting for a .44 magnum round fired from a revolver) makes this an interesting choice as I think its sectional density is probably sufficient for a 180-pound whitetail. I could always just ask if this would work in an internet comment section and see what shakes out. What could go wrong with that plan?
After a scope correction I shot a 2” group at 100 yards with Hornady 240gr XTP. This is the tightest group I shot during testing.
I should also mention that Colt stuck with the extra-long cylinder in the Anaconda, like they did with the Kodiak. This extra length permits loading heavy cast bullets way out past SAMMI spec if you are so inclined. You COULD load 325gr hard cast bullets, like all the cool kids are doing. This could also be interesting rhino medicine, if you worry a lot about rhino attacks. Not that I do.
This 3.6” group was shot with Hornady 200 gr XTP ammunition at 100 yards.
Currently, I am a little over 3 months out from gun deer season. I have my deer tags and my hunting land secured. This Colt Anaconda is ready to roll, and I am well provisioned with Hornady 240gr XTP ammunition.
| .44 Magnum Load | Avg Muzzle Velocity | Avg Group @ 100 yards inches |
| Hornady 240gr Custom XTP | 1374 fps | 2.9” |
| Hornady 200gr Custom XTP | 1586 fps | 4.1” |
| Hornady 300gr Custom XTP | 1185 fps | 5.5” |
| Hornady 240g Backcountry Defense DG | 1423 fps | 3.3” |
Table: .44 Magnum Colt Anaconda 100 Yard Accuracy Results from Bench Rest
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http://www.heffronprecision.com
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