.45acp in a revolver

I recently got a .45 long Colt Bisley with an extra cylinder in .45acp. Seeing as how I shoot the .45acp's I reload in a 1911 Automatic Colt Pistol, I can't see the need or values of shooting them in a revolver.

But I know curiosity will get the better of me one day and I will want to shoot the .45acp's in my revolver just because.

So what do I have to do? Buy half moon/full moon clips or something like that? I'm a true greenhorn with this .45acp in a revolver stuff.

Please help..........

You pop the cylinder in the revolver and load it up just as you do with .45 Colt. No clips needed, as the ejector rod kicks 'em out just as it does with the rimmed cartridges.

Yep--no clips are used in a single action 45 ACP cylinder- just punch them out with the ejector rod- the 45 ACP in the single action is great!

Easy to find all formats of 45 ACP and reasonable cost as opposed to 45 'long" Colt ammo

I have a short a barreled bird head NMV 45 ACP and really like it.

Really want a standard type plow handle 4 5/8 NMV in 45 ACP. But hard to find them.

Like me, you may find the ACP`s are more accurate than the Colts in your revolver.

adam12 said:

[...] Seeing as how I shoot the .45acp's I reload in a 1911 Automatic Colt Pistol, I can't see the need or values of shooting them in a revolver. [...] Please help..........

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Remember back in elementary school how nice it was that they allowed all our work be done with lead pencils that had erasers on their ends? Sooner or later all reloaders assemble batches that won't cycle our autos. Your ACP cylinder is your eraser. It turns the PITA of pulling bullets into enjoyable plinking.

Shooting revolvers that chamber auto pistol cartridges is even more pleasurable tailoring those cartridges to your revolver, but you asked for a need for your ACP cylinder. Now you know you need it.

I hope this helped.

k22fan said:

adam12 said:

[...] Seeing as how I shoot the .45acp's I reload in a 1911 Automatic Colt Pistol, I can't see the need or values of shooting them in a revolver. [...] Please help..........

Click to expand...

Remember back in elementary school how nice it was that they allowed all our work be done with lead pencils that had erasers on their ends? Sooner or later all reloaders assemble batches that won't cycle our autos. Your ACP cylinder is your eraser. It turns the PITA of pulling bullets into enjoyable plinking.

Shooting revolvers that chamber auto pistol cartridges is even more pleasurable tailoring those cartridges to your revolver, but you asked for a need for your ACP cylinder. Now you know you need it.

I hope this helped.

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Yup. Mas Ayoob calls his .45 revolvers "garbage disposals" for .45ACP ammo that won't feed or function in his automatics for whatever reason.

And the day might come when you can get .45 ACP ammo or components, but not .45 Colt ammor or components. Then you'll be glad for your gun's versatility. :wink:

I have a 45 LC Birdshead with a short barrel that I recently fit a 45 ACP cyclinder to. It is so much fun to shoot and very accurate at 15 yards. As I reload for 45 ACP on a progressive press I can spit them out by the hundreds in a short time. Makes for a fun day at the range.

Seeing as how I shoot the .45acp's I reload in a 1911 Automatic Colt Pistol, I can't see the need or values of shooting them in a revolver.

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I have several guns that shoot 45 ACP so I load it by the bucket. For fun plinking 45 ACP is hard to beat, and cheaper than 45 Colt.

So what do I have to do? Buy half moon/full moon clips or something like that? I'm a true greenhorn with this .45acp in a revolver stuff.

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Just load 'em like you do the .45 Colt. The .45 ACP headspace on the case mouth. If you look at the chambers of the .45 ACP cylinder, you'll see a ridge down there that the .45 ACP cartridge will bump up against. As for me I enjoy the .45 Colt so much, I rarely shoot .45 ACP out of mine although I have developed .45 ACP loads that I like. One thing that is nice, is your not 'stuck' with the .45 ACP constraints of cycling/battering a 1911. You can load any style or weight of lead bullet, go light for poppers, or heavier. I use 250g RNFP bullets in mine for example.

and cheaper than 45 Colt.

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I don't see that ... takes the same primer, and bullet and powder. Same cost as far as I am concerned.... I suppose if you talk 'factory' then yes....

I would think for the Reloader, .45acp brass must be easier to find.

These convertible revolvers are a great idea, IHMO. Especially when the next ammo shortage comes around.

I don't see that ... takes the same primer, and bullet and powder. Same cost as far as I am concerned....

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Once fired brass @ 4 cents per?

230 FMJ's @ 10 cents per?

4.65 grains of TG @ 1.5 cents per?

I can't load my 45 Colts for that......

I've allways thought that the .45-cal Blackhawk Convertable was a wonderfull idea, and even bought one of the big-frame NM's several years ago.....because that's the only version made at the time. Try as I might though, I never warmed up to that particular "package".
These day's, I hear-tell that there's versions made on the smaller, OM 357-sized frame. That must be a peach of a gun. If I weren't allready flush on mid-sized .45 revolvers, I'd have to try one myself.

DGW

Chuck 100 yd said:

Like me, you may find the ACP`s are more accurate than the Colts in your revolver.

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exactly opposite in my case with my 4 5/8 Blackhawk convertible

Well, hot dog! Those little acp's just slide right in and stay put, all set for the hammer strike.

I want to thank all you gentlemen for expanding my shooting horizons and showing me I won't have to mess with any kind of moon-clips or such to simply have another fun way to shoot.

I have to admit that I am definitely curious as to how well they'll shoot in my Bisley, and that you'll be able to knock me down with a feather if they group better than my Long Colts. So now I guess I'll be working up ANOTHER .45acp load just for this revolver alone. OK with me, except I promised myself I'd learn how to reload rifle rounds this fall. Actually it was this summer, but they tell me that's over.

Thanks Again,

A12

Every gun and ammo combination is a law unto itself. It might well be that YOUR gun will like some .45ACP recipe you already load.

For my own part, I've found that 5.3 grains of WW231 (or HP38, exact same thing) behind ANY 200 to 230 grain lead bullet will operate all my 1911s and groups well out of EVERY .45 I own, auto or revolver. My favorite bullet is the 200 grain SWC but it also works with 200 flatpoint and 230 roundnose as well.

I have two of them, and they are both more accurate than the same guns in .45 Colt; not a whole lot, but enough to be noticeable.

Having said that, mine are not at all what some here call garbage disposals with regard to ammo. In fact mine require specially loaded, near perfect ACP rounds. If a semi auto's extractor has in any way warped the case rim, it will drag on the recoil shield, and hang the gun up. The headspace on Ruger revolvers is tight. Also, the bullets must be seated just a tad deeper to keep the bullets from binding against the throats after a little shooting and the resultant lube buildup that occurs at the start of the throats. If not, they will not fully seat and the case heads will again bind on the recoil shield. And, Yes, my throats are uniformly reamed to .452" one and .4525" on the other.

Mine require perfect cartridges compared to my semi autos, but are really accurate.

adam12 said:

Well, hot dog! Those little acp's just slide right in and stay put, all set for the hammer strike.

I want to thank all you gentlemen for expanding my shooting horizons and showing me I won't have to mess with any kind of moon-clips or such to simply have another fun way to shoot.

I have to admit that I am definitely curious as to how well they'll shoot in my Bisley, and that you'll be able to knock me down with a feather if they group better than my Long Colts. So now I guess I'll be working up ANOTHER .45acp load just for this revolver alone. OK with me, except I promised myself I'd learn how to reload rifle rounds this fall. Actually it was this summer, but they tell me that's over.

Thanks Again,

A12

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And an added bonus is your 1911 magazines make for dandy speed loaders! Just thumb them off the top right into the loading gate. 8)

Deac45

deac45 said:

And an added bonus is your 1911 magazines make for dandy speed loaders! Just thumb them off the top right into the loading gate.

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^^ ^^ A pistol that contemptuously flings your best cases into the gooiest mud puddles in the county doesn't deserve the fruits of your best efforts at the loading bench.

Cheap brass, amen! I have picked up hundreds of 45 acp after Law Enforcement qualifications. 6.0 gr. of Unique and the 452424, thumpadoodledoo! Never lucky enough to find 45 Colt at the range.

I own several convertible .45`s. A 230 gr. cast RCBS 45-230-CA bullet over 5 gr. Red Dot is a super accurate load out of all of them. They also print to the same spot as my .45 Colt 6 gr. Trail Boss Cowboy Action load using the same bullet or a Lee 200 gr. cast bullet. Great fun!!