I have never owned a revolver before but was checking out a smith and these look like great guns, I also like the simplicity of the revolver load it up with what ever you want then leave it there and if you ever need it its there ready to go I also wouldn't mind a gun with some power for back packing. heres my problem I am all set up for reloading with .45auto and really like the round so is there any way I could get a revolver in 45colt and then shoot .45 auto with full moon clips for home protection and plinkin then load up with some hot .45 colt rounds for going into the woods?  I know its probably a stupid idea but I don't know anything about wheel guns, except it would be nice to have a few.

I'm sorry I can't answer your question about 45 acp and 45LC, but I can tell you that every american home should have a .357 4" bbl revolver. I started with a GP100 and its a workhorse dodge type of wheelgun. Heavy and built like a tank. Then I got a S&W 686 Plus to shoot pins with, excellent trigger and great fit and finish. You can plink with cheap 38 spl's and switch to .357 when you need more horsepower.
 Once you master DA shooting you'll probably leave your 1911's in the safe. I did...

I was thinking about this too. But there are a few issues...

45LC is spaced off the case rim, like most all standard revolver loads; however, 45ACP is headspaced off the front case lip, so a 45ACP revolver cylinder will have a "step" inside each cylinder bore.

There MAY have been a Smith model 625 (?) that shot 45LC that could accept 45ACP - likely it was a conversion cylinder setup though.

Current S&W Model 625 is 45ACP w/moon or half moon clips.  Taurus offers a similar Tracker, in Titanium I believe, for .45ACP - at least in this the moon clips are optional (may take a bit more effort to remove empties). Not sure if moon clips are optional in the other revolvers mentioned above.

Thought about a single-action Ruger revolver? GREAT triggers. When I shoot revolvers I always run 'em in single-action mode anyway. One of the Blackhawks (Bisleys? Vaqueros?) I think is a dual-cylinder kit - one for 45LC, one for 45ACP.

In theory, a gunsmith could produce a useable 45ACP cylinder for any 45LC revolver by boring in partway, rear to front, and using the diam. and length of a .45ACP case. The partial bore would create a "step" at the right place mid-cylinder-bore. The bullet diam. for 45ACP and 45LC loads should be same, thus the front cylinder bore and barrel should be OK.

Bill Wiese
San Mateo, CA

I love the 45acp from a nice revolver. It give that wonderful cartridge everything it needs to be truly remarkable. You can get a longer barrel for greater velocity and power, a longer sight radius and fixed barrel for greater accuracy and with a little practice you'll be reloading it faster using moon clips than you could reload your semi-automatic with mags.

But without a cylinder swap, shooting 45LC and 45acp in the same pistol usually doesn't work.

Check out the S&W M-25 and 625 series. I think you'll be thrilled with either.

You can have it all:



Fires .45 ACP, .45 ACP+P, .45 Super, .45 Win Mag, .45 Auto Rimmed and 460 Rowland

I have a dual cylinder Ruger Vacquero that shoots .45lc/acp.  Picked it up for $399.  Great gun, very accurate in .45lc, a little less so in .45acp, but much cheaper to shoot. No moon clips as the acp cylinder is made for the round.  Way to go if you don't mind single action.

Quoted: You can have it all: danwessonfirearms.com/7460rowland-l.jpg Fires .45 ACP, .45 ACP+P, .45 Super, .45 Win Mag, .45 Auto Rimmed and 460 Rowland

CooL!  I'm interested in something like that.
Any more info. or a web site maybe ??

Quoted: CooL!  I'm interested in something like that. Any more info. or a web site maybe ??

www.danwessonfirearms.com

Waverunner has one of these.  Hes got a pic of his in another thread.
ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=5&f=4&t=2175

You normally need a conversion cylider for a 45ACP/45Colt revolver mainly because of the rear face of the cyliders will have to be different.  The rim on a 45Colt is much thinner than the distance of the moonclip+the "rim" of the .45ACP.  The rear of the .45ACP cylider has to be machined forward of where it would be for a 45Colt.  A simple comparison of the rim thinckness of a 45 Auto Rim (which is designed to be used in a .45ACP cylinder) and a 45Colt will show you why.  Basically you need twice as much of a gap for a .45ACP than you get in a 45Colt revlover.

The 45Colt IS a great round, however it is just this side of too big.  It was desingned for black powder originally and with modern powders, there is usually excess space left.  Generally speaking any revovler that you're going push hot 45Colt loads through, you can push hot 45ACP loads through that have similar performance.  You could probably shoot longer and heavier bullets out of the 45Colt, and it would probably be a better hunting round as well.  Still, if you need a high-horsepower revolver round, a 44 or 41 is probably a better choice than hot-loading a 45Colt.  

The 45ACP round is a superior revolver round because it's loading system is faster (i.e. the moon clips load 6 rounds all at once, not as fast as a mag change mabye, but faster than single rounds).  The shorter case also allows easier and faster ejection.  The 45Colt rim is not a large diameter one, and it will sometimes get overridden by the extractor star and leave a case in the cylinder.  With shorter barrelled guns, this becomes important if they have a short throw extractor.  With the clips, there exctractor override is unlikely.

There was a S&W factory .45ACP/45Colt M25 (I think the M25-3).  It had two cylinders.  I've seen conversions that worked the same way, but there is a difference in the 45Colt cylinder and the .45ACP cylinder on the M25.  The .45ACP cylinder is set back from the front of the frame, the same distance as the M27/28 .357mag cylinder is.  The 45Colt cylinder is full length, same as the M57/29 cylinders in .41/.44 are.  You can't just swap a M25 cylinder of one .45 caliber into the other.  The cylider has to be custom made, either a .45ACP cylinder made for the 45Colt gun (out of a .41 cylinder) or a .45Colt made for the .45ACP gun (out of a .357 cylinder)

The Ruger Single action is a very simple system as it allows easy swapping of calibers and the single action design with the loading gate and ejector rod negates the need for moon clips.

If you're all set up for .45auto, then I'd go with a S&W M25 in .45ACP.  You can really have alot of fun reloading the .45ACP in an auto because you don't have to worry about it feeding or functioning.  The revolver does that regardless.  You can shoot reloads that would never, ever work in a revolver.  Also if you are thinking about snake shot, use cut-down .308 cases clipped into the moon clips.  You can stuff alot of shot into one of those.  You may not get a .410 equivelent out of it, but I've seen it done with '06 cases (and the part of a .308 case you'll use is the same) and it's far better than the store bought snake shot.  Once you shoot it, the case fireforms to the cylinder shape, headspace shoulder and all, and you may not even need to use clips after that.  Think outside the box when laoding for a .45ACP revovler (just do it safely).

Get the .45ACP M25.  You won't regret it.

Ross

Quoted: Quoted: CooL!  I'm interested in something like that. Any more info. or a web site maybe ?? www.danwessonfirearms.com Waverunner has one of these.  Hes got a pic of his in another thread. ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=5&f=4&t=2175

Thanks!

Damn you guys.

Y'all just forced me to buy a Ruger Blackhawk in .45LC (SS, Bisley, unfluted+engraved cyl).
10 days wait (Kalifornia).

Bill Wiese
San Jose, CA

Quoted: Damn you guys. Y'all just forced me to buy a Ruger Blackhawk in .45LC (SS, Bisley, unfluted+engraved cyl). 10 days wait (Kalifornia). Bill Wiese San Jose, CA

Bill

We'll suffer the wait right along with you. Range report. We need a range report.

Quoted: Quoted: Damn you guys. Y'all just forced me to buy a Ruger Blackhawk in .45LC (SS, Bisley, unfluted+engraved cyl). 10 days wait (Kalifornia). Bill Wiese San Jose, CA I know and they NEVER pitch in to help pay for the stuff they talk you into buying here!

Hey!!!

Don't we always offer to break them in for ya?

ahh the imortal 45 acp in a revolver i know this nirvana that you speak of.

I have owned a duel cylinder 45acp/45 colt stainless vaquero for a few moons. looks great shoots great and no moon clips needed for it either.

I also own an early 4 digit S&W model 1917 also 45acp made in 1917 no less. Moon clips are nice for the 1917 but not a requirement.


however if you really want somthing unique...

Purchase a colt SAA in 45 colt then later have colt make a custom 45 acp cylinder for it.

I have both Colt and S&W M1917's, which are great guns.  I had a Ruger convertible SA, and it was a good gun as well.  I might get another one of those someday, but the Bisley model would be the sh!t.  That's the most comfortable to me of the Single Action types.

Oh, I also had a top-break Webly that had been converted to .45ACP.  It was an interesting gun, but the sights really blew.  In the end it was just a little too odd for me.

Ross

If you're set up to roll .45 rounds then it's not that more expensive to buy a die set for something else. Don't limit your $400 firearm selection for the cost of $40 worth of additional dies.

The .357/.38 is just as easy to load as the .45, the bullets are a tad cheaper and you can find a powder that you can load both with. Then you just need the magnum primes and away you go.

I went shooting last weekend with a friend and only shot a revolver.  It was the first time I had not taken out an autoloader of some type at a session.  At the end of the day while packing up I realized, Hey! I didn't need to pick up any brass!

I used to be anti-revolver because they didn't have external safeties. Now that I am used to the autoloaders w/o external safeties it makes me realize the revolvers are just as safe.

So now I have a .357 and .44 Magnum S&W's.

I used to only shoot semi-auto's as well, then I traded in a POS Smith auto on a model 66 revolver (.357) and found out that I love to shoot it.  Probably the most accurate handgun I own.  Then I got a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 mag.  Next came a Vaquero in 45lc.  Then there was the deal I couldn't pass up on a pair of Vaquero's in .44 mag.  Then I got a black powder .44 navy....Hell now I have just as many revolvers as I do autos!

Word of caution....Revolvers grow on you and basically will create another outlet to drain your wallet!

Quoted: Word of caution....Revolvers grow on you and basically will create another outlet to drain your wallet!

Hmm, caught that bug myself. I love my 2.25" Ruger SP-101 in .357 Magnum. As a first-timer, I shot my way through 50 130gr .38 Spl, 2 110gr .357Mag, and 25 125gr .357Mag with no problems. It may be the strong construction of the SP-101, but I had no trouble with magnum recoil. The flash was cool, but the flip was small compared to the horror stories everyone tells about the .357Mag. Maybe if I work my way up to 158gr or 180gr, I'll find out about the "mule kicking" recoil they are talking about, but so far so good. From what they're saying about the .357 Magnum snubbies, if the bullet doesn't get you, the concussion or flash will.

I've been away from revolvers for about the last 10 yrs.  A couple weeks ago I bought a 586 and now that's all I want to shoot.  Sweet.

I agree with Paul
don't get to hung up on the 45acp/45colt
A smith 686 can be cheeper and a used one
is much cheeper and quicker to find.
38/357 will do everything a 45acp will do and
most that a 45lc will do (not as good for hunting as a heavy 45lc load)
I really like my S&W N frame 629's(44mag 8"
and another 3")but I love my 686's.

My favorite revolver is a 45 ACP in Smith 625.

Smith for the range and the Redhawks for hunting!

My revolvers have been more accurate at longer distances from 50 - 100 yards.