Sure wish I had a Ruger 45 ACP Revolver

Just thought I'd share that with y'all. I am a Glock fan when it comes to semi autos..but my next gun purchase will definitely be a 45 acp. I had my mind set on a Glock 30, but I already have 2 Glocks and I want a really nice, no nonsense, reliable, accurate, and relatively inexpensive 45 ACP. Might decide a revolver would be more fitting for my 45 ACP needs, and one made by Ruger would be the only way I'd go with that.

Just sayin'....I have a Taurus 38 Special (1st handgun I've ever owned, it's had about 1000 rounds shot through it in total), but was seriously trying to find a Ruger to swap it out with last month. Financial obligations and priorities got in the way though. I saw several Ruger 38's and 357's that I really liked. I'm thinking Ruger for my 45 though...if I can find a good enough deal...

My current calibers are:
9
40
38
12 guage
5.56/223

All acquired brand spankin' new within the last 6 months mind you. I never owned gun until November of last year....realized what I've been missing out on and went on a shopping spree....ran outta money though...sucks...lol...but I love my guns and have plenty of ammo to shoot in them, so that's a plus....I want a Ruger though, my grandather loved Rugers so I wanna get one that he would have loved...he had a 45acp revolver, in fact, but it ended up somewhere else when he passed...

Ruger does not and has not made a double action revolver in .45 ACP.
There have been some single actions made up either with convertable cylinders or straight 45 ACP.
Terry T

i would love a ruger .45 acp da revolver......i guess i'll just have to tough it out with my old reliable and indestructible P90. :wink:

Are you serious? I saw several I liked but didn't know they were SA only. Don't get me wrong, I like shooting SA mostly, but don't want to be limited to either one.....I wouldn't buy a revolver unless it were SA/DA. If I were in a defensive situation, I'd take my first shot in DA then switch to SA for follow ups. So I guess I can scratch that....which sucks cause if you ask me Ruger products are just as good if not better than SW but just about 10% less expensive...

I was seriously considering (and still am), trading my Taurus 38 for a Ruger SP101. But now I am not too sure because SA/DA is pretty much the main thing I look for in a revolver, this ad doesn't even mention it....

http://www.impactguns.com/ruger-sp101-5-round-357-magfixed-sightsstainless-finish-3-in-barrel-5719-736676057191.aspx

Everybody should own a 1911. Just for nostalgia if nothing else. Ruger makes one but they are hard to find. The Remington R1 is a nice one for around $600. The R1 looks like a gov model but has improvements. There are others but some are very expensive. Good luck.

Yeah, the 1911 would be my first choice. They are, definitely not inexpensive though. I shot a Colt Defender a few weeks ago, one that had alot of upgrades....I am not lying when I say I put 7 rounds through the same hole...that thing was NICE..

It depends on what you intend to use it for. Based on what you seem to have already, it doesn't look like hunting with a handgun is part of your interests. If you want a traditional DA/SA revolver, look to a Smith&Wesson. They have a number of models and although a bit more on the pricey side that Rugers in general, they are excellent quality 45ACP revolvers.

What doesn't appear on your list is a 22. If this isn't an oversight and you don't have a good 22LR revolver, may I suggest you consider one of the new SP101s in 22LR if you must have a DA revolver. You can shoot it a lot for what you can shoot centerfire. Or consider a Ruger MKIII, or a used MKII, automatic pistol. They aren't too expensive, very accurate, and will make you a better shot with everything else for using them.

The answer is easy, get a .45 LC 4" Redhawk and for $80 Mark at Pinnacle Guns will alter the cylinder for moonclips so you can shoot .45 ACP through it, and also keep the .45 LC capability.

You can just send him the cylinder assembly, no need to ship the whole gun. You'll still be in for WAY less than any of the current S&W .45 ACP revolvers, the "Classic" 1917 runs like $700 and the PC stuff is out of control. Trying to find any decent vintage 1917 S&W for a sane price is near impossible.

Or, find any of the older .45 LC Redhawks if you want a longer barrel. You can also do the same to a .454 Super Redhawk.

stantheman86 said:

The answer is easy, get a .45 LC 4" Redhawk and for $80 Mark at Pinnacle Guns will alter the cylinder for moonclips so you can shoot .45 ACP through it, and also keep the .45 LC capability.

You can just send him the cylinder assembly, no need to ship the whole gun. You'll still be in for WAY less than any of the current S&W .45 ACP revolvers, the "Classic" 1917 runs like $700 and the PC stuff is out of control. Trying to find any decent vintage 1917 S&W for a sane price is near impossible.

Or, find any of the older .45 LC Redhawks if you want a longer barrel. You can also do the same to a .454 Super Redhawk.

Click to expand...

Thanks...that is some good advice....and yeah it has been suggested of me that I own a 22 pistol...I just haven't gotten around to buying one yet...I know they have their advantages and are very good for range shooting....I shot one a few weeks ago that I REALLY liked....I only planned to shoot one 20 round magazine but sat there and shot about 80 rounds lol....I also shot another pistol I had never heard of, and can't remember the caliber specifically, but it was very small like a 22, but pointed, looked like rifle ammo...that was a nice gun too....we had a huge meet and shoot with the guys from a local gun forum....I must have shot 1,000 rounds of ammunition that day, through about 20 different guns....talk about fun...

Oh, one more question...what is the difference between 45 ACP and 45 LC? Which one can handle both rounds? I'd guess "long colt" means a longer casing. But not quite sure.

45 ACP vs. 45 LC =

Basically the 45 Long Colt (or AKA 45 Colt) came along about 1880's as a round designed for revolvers.

The 45 ACP (ACP = Auto Colt Pistol) was developed about 20 - 25 years later as a round to function in the then new auto-loading pistols Colt was working on.

See the two Wikipedia articles for much more info on each.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_ACP
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_Colt

Ahh ok...yeah definitely a difference there....so the 45 LC's can shoot 45 ACP, correct?

Chris, you really need to spend some time studying guns, calibers, models etc.
Where to begin.
Ruger doesn't make a dedicated 45 ACP double action revolver. S&W does. However, as noted, a 45 Long Colt Redhawk can be easily worked to accept moon clips to shoot 45 ACP. ACP ammo headspaces on the case mouth, not the rim like the 45 LC. So, it is possible to have a Ruger DA revolver that can shoot 45 ACP.
Next, Yes, Ruger does make a convertable SA revolver that shoots both 45 Colt, and 45 ACP. It requires the easy & simple swapping out of the extra cylinder. Many of us enjoy them. Do not overlook the SA only guns. You might find them to be quite fun to shoot, and realize that you don't miss the DA mode at all. No custom work required, easier to find than the Redhawk 45's, and cheaper to purchase when you do find one. As they say; "try it to see if you like it" first. I've never felt "limited" by a SA in my hands. And yes, I do occasionally carry one for self defense. It's quite common in action shooting to see folks cocking their SA guns with the off hand thumb. It's fast, smooth and you do not lose the strong hand grip. And in SA mode, the trigger is lighter & smoother in general. You mentioned using DA for the first shot & following up with SA for the next shots if needed. Most folks are opposite of that when using a DA. They get prepared (if possible) by cocking the revolver and if it goes south, then they start pulling the trigger.

You mentioned swapping your Taurus for a SP-101. The SP-101 is a SA/DA revolver unless you get one with a bobbed hammer. Then it's DA only. But the SP series are only available in .22 LR, .32 H&R Mag, .327 Mag, .38 SPL, & .357 Mag. No 45 ACP in SP or the GP series.

And it appears you have discovered the main differences in 45 Colt vs 45 ACP. It's case length, and rimmed vs rimless.
And if you reload, the 45 Colt REALLY shines. Many guns can be made to shoot the 45 ACP.
But to many of us, it's easiest & cheaper to just get the SA convertable.
I hope this helps a bit more.

There are some REALLY nice custom guns out there, but you can get as custom or as basic as you want. With shipping, you'd be in for about $100 and Mark is a one-man operation at Pinnacle but he is one of the best to use for the moonclip conversions, although there are others that do it. You may have to wait a bit, but he says he does the moonclip conversions quickly but a full custom gun takes a while. I have had a GP100 cylinder ready to ship to him, I just haven't gotten around to doing it. I am having him do a 9mm moonclip conversion for me.

Someone had a 5.5" blued .45 LC Redhawk done up to look sort of like a S&W 1917 and it looked REALLY nice. It was round butted with a lanyard ring, the barrel was re-contoured, it could take .45 ACP on moonclips, very very nice piece. I wish I could find a picture of it.

Of course, like was said above, for no custom work you can get a convertible Blackhawk. If you never plan to shoot .45 LC, you can sell off the extra cylinder and keep it a dedicated .45 ACP revolver.

I have seen some guys who can shoot an SA revolver faster and more accurately than I can shoot a DA, so SA is not necessarily a "limitation" or "old fashioned". A Blackhawk is about as simple and robust a handgun as you can get, you really won't ever wear one out.

S&W makes factory .45 ACP revolvers, but you'll pay for the privilege with them and they won't do anything an altered Redhawk can't do, and for less $$$$$ you get a more durable gun. I have a 4.2" .44 Magnum Redhawk and it made my S&W Model 29 a safe queen.

Double Action Revolvers chambered in 45 Colt (long Colt) do NOT also shoot .45 ACP without special modification and moon clips.

A 45 ACP round has no rim at the rear and will slip down inside the chamber sized for a 45 Colt.
Cylinders chambered for 45ACP have a step inside that holds the round on the front of the shell case.
Another solution is a half moon clip, a flat piece of spring steel that holds the 45 ACP round by the grove in the rear of the shell case so that it will not slip down into the chamber.
Cylinders must be made to fit (make room between the back of the cylinder and the revolver's recoil shield) to be able to use the half moon (or full moon) clips.
Half or full moon clips are used only on revolvers with swing out or top break loading actions (the rear of the cyl. must be fully exposed to use the moon clip.) They are not used on revolvers (usually single actions) that load (one at a time) from a side gate.

I believe the only factory revolver that will shoot both 45 ACP and 45 Colt (and 410 shot) is the S&W Judge series (and then not all models).

Some gunsmiths have modified 45 Colt double action, swing out cylinder, Ruger Redhawks to accept the 45 ACP moon clips by shaving off a bit of the back of the cylinder. It is not a factory option. Guns will then shoot both 45 Colt and 45 ACP.
The same can be done for revolvers chambered in 45 Casull.

The Ruger SP-101 is a fine SA/DA revolver, just not offered in .45 ACP.

Hope this makes some sense. I can see by your questions and comments that you are new to this. There is a lot to learn. Some of us have been at this hobby for a very long time and it's easy to forget how much we've learned over the years and how long it took us to learn it. Hopefully we can speed up the process for you.
"The only dumb question is the one you didn't ask!"
Terry T

Wow, took me too long to write - 2 other were right there.
Is this a cool forum or what?
Terry T

Yeah, I am new to firearms in general. I never shot a gun till I was 14. One day, I visited my grandfather in Tennessee (I was living in Texas), and he asked me if I wanted to shoot some guns. I said heck yeah. So we went to the store, got a whooolllleee lot of ammo, and went back to his house, on top of a mountain in East Tennessee (beautiful place btw).

We shot a 22 rifle and pistol, a 45 auto, and a 45 revolver, but I am now wondering just what kinda revolver that was I shot that day...anyway, also shot a 12 guage, a 20 guage, an AR-15, and I believe that was it...that was in 1992...he was a Green Beret and although I forgot alot about my crash course in firearms, the rules of gun safety stood out the most....I'm grateful for that...

But I only shot a gun maybe 5 or 6 times between then and just this past year....I had some things stopping me from owning guns (stupid things I did at age 18) but they are history.....so just this past November, I got a 38 special revolver, but really wanted a semi auto. Got one glock and loved it..so I got another lol...then I found a Mossberg 500 for a really good price...then decided I really wanted to build an AR-15...so I did that about 2 weeks ago...

But revolvers AND the 45 LC or 45ACP caliber is not something I am thoroughly familiar with, so I'm sure I'll be asking quite a few questions.

Yeah, I am in at least 4 gun forums. There is one local Texas gun forum I frequent, then GlockTalk, and Shooters Forum...each has their own benefits, but I find in this one as well as the S&W forum I will find the most experienced of shooters....and it seems like old timers appreciate good revolvers more than newer gun owners.....idk maybe it's just an impression I get...but I love revolvers and honestly, if I were a high ranking military officer, with an army protecting me, my side arm would likely be a high caliber revolver of some kind....but as I said...only if I had an army with multiple M-16's and God knows what else protecting me...

But yeah, I have learned an unbelievable amount about guns from talking with people in forums. You guys would be amazed if you knew how little I knew a year ago, and how much I know now.....people who aren't experienced with guns think I was in the military when I start talking about guns...they think I'm some super experienced firearms guru...it's funny hahaha.....

Anybody in here watch Sons of Guns? Did y'all see that guy with the gun store in Louisiana? Wow...that's all I have to say lol....

Sorry, just had to throw that in...but anyway, honestly, the 45 will likely be my nightstand gun. But I have a Glock 26 for a CCW so the medium caliber, multiple round, rapid fire capability will never be far away..

Chris,
I've been in East Tenn, Mom lives in Western NC. It IS beautiful country. Lived in Houston for a year a long time ago.
Lots of friendly folks on this forum. Ruger makes some fine guns, both revolvers and semi autos. I have some of each.
Terry T

Now I realize how rookie like my forum post sounded. lol....funny....

We were ALL rookies at one time. Bigger issue is whether one is STILL a rookie after years of learning? :shock:
Teachable folks are a joy to be around. The "I already know it all" folks are a pain in the .....
Terry T

I've been a revolver nut since the early 90's and I'm still a rookie

I didn't get really into Ruger DA revovlers until about 2008, when I got my first GP100 and a 4" Speed Six.....now I have dozens of them but I still learn more every day and ask questions.