My Cusrom Ruger Single Eight in .25ACP and Etc.

[Chev. William]

Another "QuickLOAD" software Load indicates the 63 grain bullet ahead of 1.8 grains of Bullseye in a .612" Case and loaded to OAL of .905" would leave my 10-5/8" barrel (using 12" in calculations) at about 1194fps and have 200ft-lbs Muzzle Energy. The Muzzle Exit Pressure is calculated to be about 1028psi from a Peak Pressure of about 24,405psi; 80.3% fill and 99.8% Burn/45% Ballistic Efficiency.
This is a "Ruger Only" load as I am using a MAP limit of 25,000psi in the Calculations rather than the 17,400psi of the CIP Spec.

 

[varminter22]

Now THAT is WAY COOL!

I would love to have a .25 ACP Single Six!

But I must admit I agree with Mike Armstrong concerning longer barrels. I want to comfortably carry them and be able to get in/out of vehicles and sit comfortably. All of my SA revolvers have 4.625" barrels (except one custom Vaquerito .32 with quasi sheriff's model 3.5" barrel). A longer sight radius is nice, but then I've nailed called coyotes at just over 50 yds a couple of times with my .32 H&R Mag Single Six with 4.625" barrel.

If money were no object, I certainly would be interested in a .25 ACP Single Six! Thanks for posting.

 

[Hondo44]

I like your 25 ACP Super Single Six 8 shot! As you can see below I lean towards the short barrels.

My first foray into multiple cartridges was this Single Six in 32 H&R mag.

New Model Single Six Magnum .32 H&R Mag/.327 Fed Mag and extra .32-20 'Short' convertible cyl, loading chute enlarged slightly for larger .32/20 case rims.

Bisley hammer with modified spur, Stainless Steel grip frame, steel ejector rod housing, SBH grooved trigger w/web removed, Colt ejector rod, and free-spin cylinder pawl for ease of aligning the chambers with the loading gate.

Next was: .22 Hondo Super Mag or .22-20 Winch. or .218 BEE Short

Haven't decided what to call it yet. I converted a .32 single six to .218 Bee Short.
Started by buying a used .32 single six, $400. Single six parts kit with a 22 LR cyl and 22 barrel from Gunbroker, $75. 218 Bee reamer from Brownells, $110. Total of $585 invested.

The 218 BEE and 25/20 will easily fit six in a single six cyl. The 25-20 case is the parent case for the 218 BEE (the shoulder was just extended). So that I wouldn't have to relocate the shoulder back on the 218 BEE cases, I started with 25-20 cases. Resize the neck first to .22 with standard .218 Bee dies with resizer and seating dies shortened at the mouth. Then shorten .040" less than a factory 25-20 case.

Best results is to start with a 22 LR chambered cyl. Since the chambers are charge holes (no shoulder) the chambers make better pilot holes for the reamer to follow than a 22 mag cyl. and the throats are correct size. Reamed cyl with the .218 Bee rifle chambering reamer, but not to full depth, just the length of my shortened cases.

The loading chute was enlarged slightly for the 25-20 case rims.
Lastly installed the 4 5/8" .22 old model barrel.

 

[coach]

I have to admit when I saw the topic it thought why bother with a .25 auto. After reading through I thought okay, having some fun at a minimal cost. Nothing wrong with that. I've been turned against .25 over the years hearing how it often can't penetrate heavy clothing, but certainly not a problem with paper. I might have to dig out my little beretta and have some fun.

 

[Chev. William]

As to Costs:
My Replacement cylinders cost just under $170 including shipping from gunpartscorp.com web site.
My Barrel blank cost about $240 with shipping (a Lothar Walther Cr-Mo alloy Steel Blank about 23.8" long and about 1" diameter).
The used Ruger New model .22 CAL Single Six Donor cost about $400 including CA transfer Fees and Taxes.
The Work cost $200 in Labor, including conversion for m RF to CF, fitting and timing the 8 shot cylinders, and turning and fitting the Barrel, bluing was done by an outside Contract shop and was part of a Batch Lot so my cost was $20 for the Barrel.
These Costs were spread from November 2015 to April 2016 so were manageable on my Retired Pay Budget.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

 

[Chev. William]

'Varminter22' and 'Hondo44',
I would agree With you about 'Carrying' Long barrel Revolvers.
I chose the Barrel length to get a 'nice round long length' to use in my Cartridge Development Testing. This is Definitely not a Length most would choose, "W. Earp" old Serial TV shows to the Side.

In further example: another customer of "American Gun Works" had them make him a Custom Single Six in ".17HMR" with a 14" Barrel. He says he uses it only off sand bags as it is too 'muzzle heavy' for easy 'off hand' use, but he Does Love How It Shoots.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

 

[UmpquaCharlie]

Reminds me of my identical in appearance 25-20 SA by Ruger.

 

[Chev. William]

Reminds me of my identical in appearance 25-20 SA by Ruger.

I am guessing that it used .25-20 Winchester Brass and probably was in a Larger frame/longer and larger diameter cylinder than mine.

Sounds Intriguing.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

 

[Chev. William]

Today I got some more Range time with my .25ACP Ruger Single Eight. Fired 100 rounds of PPU Factory 50Grain FMJ working on tweaking in the Sights at 7 yards and on my "Hold" to improve my Accuracy.

Rear Sight was moved a total of 5 clicks 'center my "Pattern" on the Black of the Bullseye. I was using a 6 O'clock Hold on the Central Red dot of the '25 Yard' Target.
At 7 yards, with my Elbows resting on the Bench top and using two hand hold, i got about a 5" diameter basically Round "pattern" slightly Below the Point of Aim. I was seated on a Stool for all Shots. I also experienced four 'Fail to Fire' (FTF) cartridges out of the two boxes of rounds fired. They exhibit very shallow pin Strikes even though I tried four times each to discharge them, two tries in first loading, then two more in a later Loading.
Curious as this is the second session in which I have experienced FTF with Factory Rounds. Last session it was two, one Fioncchi and one PPU, both 50Grain FMJ to CIP loading Standards. Admittedly the PPU is inexpensive ammo, around $14 to $18 a box of 50.depending on where Purchased.

My Ruger is now with my Gunsmith to have the second cylinder fitted to the Frame.
This cylinder is chambered with a .250ALRM 'match grade' finish reamer by PT&G to my Drawing. the nominal case length is 1.250" so, at 1.400" OAL allowed, I will have 0.150" of bullet nose exposed. Sounds like I will be Roll crimping on the Bullet Nose contour rather than the Body.

Of course Shorter Cases would have longer Nose Exposure. with the .25 Magnum Auto using a length of 1.055"; the bullet could protrude 0.345".
A Spire point of 74 grains or 85 grains might be interesting to try.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

 

[UmpquaCharlie]

Thanks for the updates regards C

 

[daveg.inkc]

I like this. Mike mentioned 25.20 earlier. I took my first deer with 1892 Win 25.20. Years ago, my brother had a box filled with telephone books. We would sit on couch and shoot hand guns in front room. This Ruger would have fit right in!!

 

[Hondo44]

I also experienced four 'Fail to Fire' (FTF) cartridges out of the two boxes of rounds fired. They exhibit very shallow pin Strikes even though I tried four times each to discharge them, two tries in first loading, then two more in a later Loading.
Curious as this is the second session in which I have experienced FTF with Factory Rounds. Last session it was two, one Fioncchi and one PPU, both 50Grain FMJ to CIP loading Standards. Admittedly the PPU is inexpensive ammo, around $14 to $18 a box of 50.depending on where Purchased.

My Ruger is now with my Gunsmith to have the second cylinder fitted to the Frame.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

While your gunsmith has your Ruger, have him check for firing pin length protrusion thru the recoil plate for those FTFs. If he made a new recoil plate, it may not be allowing the firing pin to go as far forward as it should.

The very light strikes you see on the primers are because the primer didn't go off. The normal large indent in primers is from the primer being pushed out of the primer pocket and slammed against the firing pin, just before the case slams back and reseats it.

 

[Chev. William]

Thanks for the hint. I read it Sunday and i will need to remember to talk to my gunsmith when he is back in the shop Tuesday.

Chev. William

 

[Chev. William]

Thursday, June 30th, I received back my Ruger Single Eight with the second Cylinder fitted and timed to match the First cylinder. I now have one Cylinder Chambered for ".25ACP/6.35x16mmSR/6.35 Browning" and one fully chambered for ".250ALRM/6.35x32mmSR/.25 Extra Long". The second cylinder has chambers that can accept case lengths up to 1.260" limited to Cartridge OAL of 1.400".

Also, I am Waiting for delivery of a used Printer to go with a "Gifted" 'Super Chrony F1 Master', and a "Heavy Duty' Tripod that I found on Ebay. I am hoping this combination will be Portable enough for me to set up and use at my Local Commercial Shooting Range.

Since NO Velocity Data is available for "Prvi Partizan .25ACP 50 grain" Cartridges fired out of a Revolver fitted with a 10-5/8" barrel, it is goin got be interesting seeming how they compare to data fired out of a Standard 2" Pressure Barrel as specified by both CIP and SAAMI. The only data I have found so far is on "Ballistics By The Inch" Website and it is for three other Manufacturers Ammo. their data seem to indicate I should see velocities between 975fps and 1025fps.
Given my use of Hearing Protection and my previously Damaged Hearing (Service Connected), i did not Perceive any "Supersonic Crack" in my firing of Commercial .25ACP in my Ruger previously, all seemed to be softer, more like subsonic discharges.

Glocks fired nearby had a more Pronounced Blast but very little Sharp 'crack' to their discharges.

I am looking forward to my next range session.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

 

[Chev. William]

A Pair of Photos of my Ruger .25ACP Single Eight:
Cylinders #1 and #4 of four Planned interchangeable cylinders.

Cylinder #1 on Left is .25ACP chambered. Cylinder #4 on Right is .250ALRM chambered.

Side View of cylinders with Cartridges partially inserted.
The .25ACP has a .905" OAL. The other Cartridge is a .25ALS of .1.125" case length and 1.350" OAL. The cylinders have a Length at the Chambers of 1.415".
A .250ALRM of !.250" case length needs to be loaded to a Maximum OAL of 1.405" to Function in the revolver.

The .25ALRM and .25ALS are made from Hornet Brass Swaged down to .276" Body Diameter and the rims Trimmed to .050" thick by about .308" Diameter to fit the chambers.

Alternate Cases/Cartridges Made from Reformed/Swaged 5.7x28mm Brass are Labeled 6.35x26mmSR, 6.35x28.6mmSR, and 6.35x32mmSR.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

 

[Chev. William]

Here it is October 10th and I am STILL 'working ' on my Ruger Single Eight Project.
I am waiting on my gunsmith to cut a 8-Shot .22-Mag cylinder into an 8-shot 25 Magnum Auto./6.35x26mmSR Stewart Cylinder.
This is using my PT&G Reamer which should yield chambers suitable for case lengths up to about 1.075" to allow for possible brass growth over time.

Also on Order with PT&G is a Premium Finish Chamber Reamer for .25ALS/6.35x28.6mmSR Stewart; which is similar to .25 Stevens (long) at about 1.125" case Length.

Another Acquisition lately is a .32 H&R Magnum chambered Used Ruger New Model Single Six. I have Also "won" two 'Ebay sales' of 6 shot New Model .22-Magnum Stainless Steel 6-Shot Cylinders that I intend to have Re-cut for .32 Colt (.318 Case diameter) Cases.
At the Moment the first one will Probably be cut for the .32 LC and the Color difference will separate the '.32 Colt" cylinders from the '.32S&W' (.337 case diameter) cylinder(s) i am thinking of having two series of interchangeable Cylinders for this Revolver.
I will reserve the "Blued cylinders for the .32 S&W family and the SS cylinders fro the .32 Colt Family.

For 'plinking' one of the .32"S&W family Will be cut for .32 Auto cases
One of the .32 Colt family will be cut fro .32 short and possibly cut slightly deep to handle cases up to .620" (same length as the .25AUTO case maximum).

Best Regards,
Chev. William

 

[Hondo44]

Another cool project.

What length barrel will your 32 convertible have?

You won't need a separate cyl for the 32 Auto since it's a semi rimmed case and will work fine in the 32 S&W family cyl unless you want exact sized chambers for it.

Have you considered the 327 Fed Mag? A little lengthening of the 32 H&R/ S&W family cyl chambers will work for it as well.

Factory loaded .327 Mag cartridges are only ~.003" longer than the factory 32 H&R chambers/cyl. Originally I thought I'd have to run the factory loads thru my seating die and seat the bullets a couple of .001" deeper in the case, but didn't have to. Believe it or not they function perfectly by taking advantage of the barrel/cylinder gap spacing. I know it might be counterintuitive but as they say, truth can be stranger than fiction.

Even though the .327 Fed mags in the 85 Gr HP Hyrda shock and 100 gr FP loads are longer than the .32 H&R Mag chambers, the ~ .005" bar/cyl gap is sufficient for the loaded cyl to rotate w/o interference.

If one reloads with heavier bullets the extra length is usually at the base of the bullet and goes in the case rather than a longer nose. Even if the nose is a bit longer, the bullets can be seated in the cases a bit deeper so they don't exceed an overall cartridge length of 1.460" the maximum 32 H&R cyl chamber length. Of course use caution to avoid compressed powder charges.

 

[pruger45]

Why the 25 acp?

 

[Chev. William]

Hondo44,

1. "What length barrel will your 32 convertible have?"

The Original 5-5/8" for now. It will be shortened by the eventual Set back needed to fit my re-cut .22-Mag cylinders.

2. "You won't need a separate cyl for the 32 Auto since it's a semi rimmed case and will work fine in the 32 S&W family cyl unless you want exact sized chambers for it."

I am thinking a cylinder specifically for the .32 Auto would give a better "launch" for the bullet if it had a cylinder throat designed for the normal factory bullet with out a lot of "windage" from the oversize bore for the longer cartridges.

3. "Have you considered the 327 Fed Mag? A little lengthening of the 32 H&R/ S&W family cyl chambers will work for it as well."

The .32 H&R cylinder chambers are about 1.4" in length over all, and After rework to fit re-cut replacement .22-Mag cylinders (re-cut to .32 Calibers), it will actually be shorter due to the need to set the barrel back slightly to get the forcing Cone to fit the re-cut cylinders. Both types of cylinder have about the SAME outside Chamber Length, with the .22 ones back close to the Recoil face with Rebated Rims and the .32 one having Rims exposed so the chamber is further 'forward' overall.

4. "Factory loaded .327 Mag cartridges are only ~.003" longer than the factory 32 H&R chambers/cyl. Originally I thought I'd have to run the factory loads thru my seating die and seat the bullets a couple of .001" deeper in the case, but didn't have to. Believe it or not they function perfectly by taking advantage of the barrel/cylinder gap spacing. I know it might be counterintuitive but as they say, truth can be stranger than fiction."

OAL length of the .32 H&R is lasted at 1.350". .22 Mag. Cyl. is 1.405" over chamber. OAL Length of .327 Fed. Mag. listed at 1.475" so I doubt Factory Loads would fit inside the envelope of the converted Frame/Cylinder/Barrel combination.

5. "If one reloads with heavier bullets the extra length is usually at the base of the bullet and goes in the case rather than a longer nose. Even if the nose is a bit longer, the bullets can be seated in the cases a bit deeper so they don't exceed an overall cartridge length of 1.460" the maximum 32 H&R cyl chamber length. Of course use caution to avoid compressed powder charges."

I had figured I could probably hand load to shorter OAL to fit my eventual actual cylinder and chamber length limits within the Modified frame/barrel space.
It is already what I need to do to fit "6.35x32SR/.250ALRM" cartridges in the re-cut .22-MAG cylinders I am using in my "Single Eight". The ACTUAL maximum OAL has Yet to be determined as I have Not yet started the conversions needed for that determination.

So far I have the donor revolver as Purchased, a used .22LR 6-Shot cylinder my Gunsmith is re-cutting to see how it 'Works' with the intended rebated Rim chambers for ".32 Colt Long", which are smaller in diameter than those needed To fit .327 Fed. Mag. cases. I also have two SS 6-shot .22-Mag cylinders for conversion, and will be looking out for more in the future.

I know that setting bullets deeper for a shorter OAL will require new Load development work as that causes Pressure Increases even in these longer cases.


Best Regards,
Chev. William

 

[Chev. William]

Why the 25 acp?

Laughing, Would you believe 'Just Because'?

Seriously, I got involved with .25ACP and longer versions such as the '.25 Stevens' and '25-10 Halsted' as a "Low Cost retirement Project" as reloading .25ACP is Very affordable in Social Security Retirement, unlike Larger size cartridges. Over the years it has 'Grown like Topsy" but is still 'affordable' on my retirement income.
Luckily, I am service connected Disabled Veteran covered by V.A. Medical, Medicare, and Retried Military 'Tri-Care for Life', with Dental, Hearing Aids, and Glasses also covered.

Propellants are cheap when charges are from 1 to 5 Grains with a Pound being 7000 grains.
Bullets are also usually reasonable in the sizes and weights I use.
Primers are all mostly Small Pistol or Small rifle or Nail Gun blanks.
Cases are an investment, but for the longer ones using "Once fired" ones seems to yield savings (my last Case purchase was for 1000 "once fired" FN 5.7x28mm Brass for about $80.00 plus shipping). I have purchased .25ACP cases for about $18.00 a bag of 100 new to $20.00 a batch "once fired".

.25 ACP reloading dies are mostly on hand, or found at low costs. The modified ones needed for Reforming the longer cases are bought over time to hold the 'Pain" to my budget down. At the Moment I am patently waiting for Lee to Schedule some .25ACP Carbide Sizing Dies so I can order some more "opened" ones for my Forming Process.

There are some others 'playing' with the same .25ACP and ".25 Stevens" cartridges. across the country; usually to be able to shoot older RF firearms conversions.

Best Regards,
Chev. William