Converting 45 Colt Revolver to 45Acp

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Amin Parker

New member
Hi all,

I apologise if this topic has been discussed.

As many of you know, i am waiting for Ruger to build an 8 shot 357 Magnum on their Super RedHawk platform, preferably with an unfluted cylinder. I am postponing my big revolver purchase until next year in the hope that they build it.

Should they not do it ( heaven forbid ) i will most probably buy the 45 Colt version in the hope of using 45 acp with moon clips.

Is such a conversion possible and reliable? I would especially enjoy feedback from guys that have done it or know someone who has.

Thank you
 
3

32 Magnum

Member In Memoriam
An ACP cylinder will need to have a "step" in the cylinder bore on which the casing will rest - AND - will need a relief cut at the breech end of the cylinder to allow a flush fit of the "moon clip". You will not to get a cylinder with a smaller than .452" bore and have it rebored and stepped, then milled for the mood clips. I don't know of any way a .45 Colt cylinder could be retro-fitted?????
 
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Willie Lowman

New member
A friend of mine has a Black Hawk that has a .45 (long) Colt cylinder and a ..45 ACP cylinder.

S&W makes a .45 ACP double action (can't remember the model number). There is no reason why you couldn't have a .45 ACP cylinder made for a Super Redhawk but there would be more money wrapped up in it than I would be willing to spend.
 
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RickB

New member
A lot of Webley revolvers have been converted from .455 to .45 ACP, so such conversions are not unusual, but I don't know enough about Ruger DA revolvers to know if it would be as "easy" as on some other guns. If moonclips are always going to be used (and why wouldn't you? I wish all revolvers used moons), there'd be no need for a headspacing step in the cylinder. If all the work could be done at the rear of the cylinder, maybe it wouldn't be too crazy expensive to have a .45 Colt cylinder converted to .45 ACP.
 
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Hunter2678

New member
Amin...FWIW I lucked out this week and snagged a prelock 5 inch 625 from gunbroker with 25 moon clips orig fact box and cleaning kit.....I know a guy on here selling his 625JM for 700+ shipping if you want I can pm you his info..
 
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Amin Parker

New member
Hunter unfortunately i live in South Africa. I do appreciate the help but politicians and gun ownership have not been friends for a while now.
 
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Jim March

New member
An ACP cylinder will need to have a "step" in the cylinder bore on which the casing will rest
Click to expand...

Nope - not on a DA gun if you're willing to do moonclips-only with 45ACP - then the "step" at the end of the cylinder bore isn't critical.
 
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Jim Watson

New member
The conversion is possible and regularly offered in the US by places like Pinnacle:
http://www.pinnacle-guns.com/revolver.asp

"Ruger, SP101, GP100, Security & Speed -six, .38/.357, Redhawk & Super Redhawk, .44, .45LC, .454, .480,
*The .454 conversion can allow you to shoot .45acp, .45LC and .454 Casull in a single conversion. $85.00"

Now where you can get that done in your part of the world is a different question.
 
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Aguila Blanca

Staff
Jim March said:
An ACP cylinder will need to have a "step" in the cylinder bore on which the casing will rest
Click to expand...
Nope - not on a DA gun if you're willing to do moonclips-only with 45ACP - then the "step" at the end of the cylinder bore isn't critical.
Click to expand...
Jim is correct.

The .45 ACP convertible chamber has the step, and a shorter chamber, because .45 Auto (ACP) is rimless and headspaces on the case mouth. But the use of moon clips makes the short chamber and shoulder unnecessary. The .45 Colt cylinder will probably have to be relieved to allow for the moon clips, but there is certainly no need for a short chamber with a shoulder for headspacing.

But ... ideally you'll want to make the modification as minimal as possible so you can still fire .45 Colt (I assume). I suppose any good machinist can make the cut, but especially since you're in South Africa AND dealing with a Ruger (Ruger doesn't hand out spare cylinders easily -- they want to fit them in the factory), you'll need to proceed carefully.

With that in mind, may I ask WHY you want to be able to shoot .45 ACP? Unless there's something of which I am not aware to argue against it, I'd like to propose an alternate -- .45 Auto Rim. It's the length of .45 ACP and uses the same loading data, but it has a rim specifically for shooting in revolvers. If you reload, this would seem like a natural fit.
 
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Jim Watson

New member
.45 Auto Rim is not a subload for .45 Colt; the rim is too thick for cylinder headspace. It is made thicker to work in a cylinder meant to clear .45 ACP rim + clip thicknesses.
 
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rep1954

New member
Amin Parker, I have 4 Colt SAA's and 1 Colt New Frontier that are chambered for 45 Colt and with the right bullet they shoot rather well. I also have 2, 45ACP cylinders made by Colt that I juggle between the five guns and I now shoot more 45ACP in the guns than the 45 Colt loads. In each gun my most accurate loads are with the 45ACP loads. I have also done a 45 Colt/45ACP conversion on a Ruger Old Model Blackhawk and had simular results. I owned a S&W Classic 22-4 for a couple of years and it was agreat shooter I just couldnt get use to looking at that lock. I also got talked out of a S&W 325 PD that I've been trying to buy back ever since I sold it to a friend. For some reason with the modern materials the lock seemed to fit in okay with the 325 PD. In all I think the 45ACP makes a great revolver round in the medium frame single actions and the large frame double actions. I have always thought that the Ruger New Vaquero Montado would make an awsome convertible. Oh well just my ramblings.
 
F

Frasier

New member
I am also very interested in a revolver that shoots 45acp. The Ruger Vaquero that I was looking at had a spare cylinder for 45acp, anyone have experience with this revolver? How well to the empty shells extract?
 
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James K

Member In Memoriam
It is certainly possible for a .45 ACP cylinder to be made without a barrel shoulder and have the case supported by the moon clip only. There are two problems. One is obvious - moon clips will ALWAYS be needed; the gun won't work without them. (That approach was used by Colt for early Model 1917 revolvers; the army said not only no, but hell no.)

The second problem is a bit less obvious, but clips, whether steel or plastic, tend to be springy and that results in inconsistent primer ignition and loss of accuracy. The round will fire, but groups won't be as good as they would be with a solidly supported case.

Jim
 
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rep1954

New member
The second problem is a bit less obvious, but clips, whether steel or plastic, tend to be springy and that results in inconsistent primer ignition and loss of accuracy. The round will fire, but groups won't be as good as they would be with a solidly supported case.
Click to expand...

Moon clips like anything else, you get what you pay for. I suggest when using them to stick with a full moon clip and get a quality clip like the stainless clips offered by Wilson Combat. It is important to get consistant ignition in order to have consistant accuracy.
 
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Aguila Blanca

Staff
Jim Watson said:
.45 Auto Rim is not a subload for .45 Colt; the rim is too thick for cylinder headspace. It is made thicker to work in a cylinder meant to clear .45 ACP rim + clip thicknesses.
Click to expand...
Nertz -- you're right, I forgot about that. Rim for .45 Colt is .060" thick, and for .45 Auto Rim it's .090".

My bad. Ignore that man behind the curtain.
 
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