Why the fascination for the .45 ACP Vaquero?

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s4s4u

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Rclark said:
The 45 ACP is much cheaper to load than the 45 Colt
I don't see the cheaper bit. When I load .45 ACP, the same 250g RNFP bullet goes in the mouth. Don't use jacketed either. A bit less powder, but same primer. So same bullet, same primer (the most expensive consumeables) . Cases can be reused... I don't see the savings... Even if you use 230s there isn't that much saving. I can load 200g bullets in my .45 Colt as well, if I choose to go light which I'd never do.... but the option is there. So don't see the 'saving' as an argument for 'reloading'. Yes for non-reloader of course :) . Comes down to personal preference is all.

The bullets I load in the ACP cost less than half of those that I load in the 45 Colt. Also 1/5 of the powder weight. Brass is less than half the cost of the Colt, and I can get more loads per. It adds up.
 

deac45

Single-Sixer
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If you reload and end up with batch that won't cycle through your semi auto, running them through an ACP chambered revolver is a whole lot more fun than whacking the bench with a bullet puller.

Deac45
 

dakota1911

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They are cute. Actually I had never shot a birds head grip plus I have LOTS of 1911s, most in .45 ACP.



Actually I wish it had been a convertible. I sort of collect those, but I found out the 45LC cylinder from my Lipsey flatop fits perfectly, although I have not shot it yet.

 

Mus408

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So at the end of all this...why does there have to be a reason,financial or otherwise, to buy this cool little shooter? If you likes it buy it! It's just like any other hobby.
Now I will call my gun shop and see if todays UPS truck arrived with my little Birdie! :D
 

Joe S.

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For non reloaders, ammo is cheaper.

That is why i got mine. That and i had 45 auto pistols at the time.

Now had i been a reloader or had any 45 Colt handguns at the time i would have gone that route. But i didn't.

I have since gotten heavily into 45 Colt and have started reloading. I have fitted a 45 Colt cylinder to the ACP Vaquero and rarely shoot ACP anymore. But now it bugs me cause i have 45ACP on the side of my 45 Colt Vaquero. :mrgreen:
 

Mus408

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The "Birdie" has landed! Very nice looking gun and the grips really look great.
I know this is useless without a pic. !
Well now I have 2 guns that shoot .45 ACP..so another excuse to reload for that!
 

wapiti22

Blackhawk
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I have a case hardened 45LC with 3 1/2" barrel with the Birdseed grips. Love it!! Easy to cary, fun to shoot, will do the job if it needs to. I also fit a 45 ACP cylinder to it. Same gun, same everything, but cheaper to shoot, less recoil. I have the best of both worlds.
 

Joe S.

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I prefer the convertibles if i can buy what i want in that configuration. If i ever find myself with one ammo and not the other, it is nice to have that option. Right now i have 4 convertible guns. The Birdshead Vaquero that started off as ACP, a flattop New Model Blackhawk, a large frame New Model Blackhawk Bisley, and a Bond Arms Derringer. :)
 

Bob Wright

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Varminterror said:

If you don't like it, don't buy it.

I didn't say I didn't like it, in fact, I don't dislike it, it just hasn't appealed to me, at least not enough to urge me to buy one.

O.K. Here are reasons given:

1. "I like it." Reason enough for me.

2. Cheaper for factory ammunition. O.K., but why not reload?

3. Already have several auto loaders in .45 ACP. Makes a good reason to buy.

4. Already have a .45 ACP, and can use reloaded ammunition that won't work in the auto. Good point!

5. The short ACP case ejects more positively from rod ejector SA revolver.

6. Just want the experience of firing the .45 ACP in a revolver. Another very valid reason.

As to less recoil, a 250 gr. bullet pushed at 900 fps generates the same recoil, whether is from a .45 Colt or a .45 ACP.

I had auxilliary cylinders for two of my Ruger Blackhawks because I had just disposed of a Colt Gold Cup and had a supply of ACP brass on hand. However, as that supply wore out and dwindled away, the lure of the ACP round faded out for me.

Bob Wright
 

Joe S.

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Bob Wright said:
2. Cheaper for factory ammunition. O.K., but why not reload?

Bob Wright

A valid point. And that is why i eventually bought a rock chucker kit and then my Dillon. The benefit for me was worth the hassle of setup and cost of admission as well as the space i've sacrificed for my stuff.

However that stuff does takes space and some folks dont have much. I have a friend that rooms with a family. His space is basically his bedroom. He just doesnt have the room for even a portable setup. And his finances are such right now that he cant afford a place of his own. So he mainly shoots 22 and surplus ammo.

My cousin has tennants rooming with him. He has a reloading setup but doesnt want to leave expensive components and equipment laying around.
 

CraigC

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Since most will take what I'm about to say to imply that I'm a .45Colt hater, I will preface this post with the following. I own SIX .45Colt firearms and two of the last several I've bought have been so-chambered. Two of those I'm strongly considering having engraved. I also recently bought another Dillon 650 with electric casefeeder for a grand total of $1100.....just to load the .45Colt. I love the cartridge and want more guns chambered in it. So I am not a hater. However, there are those who are diehard .45Colt fans and believe it is the greatest cartridge ever devised and they have no use for any other. I am not one of those either and never will be. I love them all but hope above all to be able to look at them realistically.

The .45ACP in a single action is perhaps the best idea I've never actually experienced. I've got a 6.5" Old Model that I'll probably have converted. Not a convertible, just a .45ACP. Why? Firstly, the .45Colt at standard pressures is terribly inefficient. Yes, people love those big fat cases but it's mostly vanity and a lot of wasted space. The .45ACP duplicates its performance with less powder. Added up over tens of thousands of rounds, it can be a significant difference. It also uses a shorter case that more readily ejects from a single action. When you're doing a lot of shooting, that can make it much more enjoyable. Factory or handloads, both should see the beauty in it. ACP ammo is easy to find, relatively cheap and plentiful. The .45Colt is none of those things. Right now, .45Colt brass is not easy to find but ACP is everywhere and the once-fired variety is cheap.

So what's not to love about a cartridge that uses the same bullets at the same velocity while using less powder and being easier to eject? Or cheaper to feed for the non-handloader?
 

Bob Wright

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Well, to each his own. I've got two Blackhawks with .45 ACP auxilliary cylinders. I've put maybe 1200 rounds through the ACP cylinders then put them up never to re-insert them into either of my guns.

True, they do punch out much more readily, but that's been the only advantage I've found.

Bob Wright
 

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