45 auto cylinder question

[Uncle_tom79]

I'm sitting on a large amount of 45 auto ammo and have been considering a 45 colt/ 45 auto convertible for my next purchase/project. A Lipsey .454 Bisley has also been on my short list. Maybe I could take care of both if a 6 shot 45 auto cylinder would work in the 5 shot .454. Is the .454 cylinder longer on the 5 shot guns?

 

[Hondo44]

Your easiest and very inexpensive option is to have the rear face of the .454 cyl cut for moon clips. There are many that specialize in this but any smith can do it. Yes of course you will need to remove the cyl to load and unload 45 ACPs, but it's actually much quicker than one-by-one anyway.

Unfortunately adding a Ruger large frame .45 ACP 6 shot convertible will be .035" too short and give you an excessively large bar/cyl gap. Therefore you'll need an expensive custom cyl made.

 

[Uncle_tom79]

Thanks, that's what I needed to know. A midframe 45 auto sounds better anyways

 

[eveled]

I agree the mid frame is better for acp. I love mine, have never even put the colt cylinder in.

I also want the 454, but will have to wait for now.

 

[David Bradshaw]

Uncle_tom.... don't have a SBH .454 Casull and cannot tell you whether there would be a carry-up (timing) conflict with the 6-shot cylinder in the 5-shot SBH. (Cylinder length aside.)

The Blackhawk Convertible is a concept of great utility in .45 Colt/.45 ACP. Colt cylinder always aboard during big game season; ACP aboard during instruction and much practice and, of course, pursuit of small game. Since the ACP headspaces on the case mouth, the single-load/single-eject format of the single action makes it a natural home for the .45 ACP----without Rube Goldberg paraphernalia required by a double action.
David Bradshaw

 

[cas6969]

Off the top of my head...

5 in a 6 isn't going to work.

Finding someone reputable to cut the 454 cylinder is going to be tough.

No way I'd shoot a 454 cylinder that had some of the web/head area removed.

Shooting short 45acps in a long 454 chamber is probably going to use extraction issues when you switch back.

The POA/POI between the 454 and 45acp will probably be pretty far off from one another.

 

[s4s4u]

I would not butcher up a 454 cylinder to accommodate 45 acp moon clips, if for nothing else the accuracy will certainly be substandard. Not sure about a 6 hole cylinder in a 5 shooter. I fitted my original blued Ruger Bisley revolver with a 45 acp cylilnder and shoot it more than I do the 45 Colt. The accuracy with the dedicated cylinder is quite excellent. If you wish to shoot up your acp ammo, a convertible bisley revolver would be the way to go, IMO. You may also find the 45 Colt will do nearly all your 454 will, while being a whole lot easier on the shooter.

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

Where would one find 5 shot moon clips? Maybe I am missing something here but a custom cylinder would probably cost more than a new mid frame ACP, yes/no? :?

 

[Hondo44]

Off the top of my head...

5 in a 6 isn't going to work.

Finding someone reputable to cut the 454 cylinder is going to be tough.

No way I'd shoot a 454 cylinder that had some of the web/head area removed.

Shooting short 45acps in a long 454 chamber is probably going to use extraction issues when you switch back.

The POA/POI between the 454 and 45acp will probably be pretty far off from one another.

Although often claimed that it won't work by those that don't have any experience, and it may be counterintuitive to them, the different # of chambers from 5 to 6 seldom requires timing adjustments. Especially if only a difference of going up one in the # of chambers, which are almost always a 'drop in'. Occasionally, the cyl pawl (hand) requires a little fitting adjustment to work with both cylinders.

Even if so needed, a pawl fitted/timed for two cylinders will be as precision as 75% of the production revolvers out there, which make most custom smiths shudder. But they work fine, again, in production gun reality which of course may not be much of an endorsement for factory fitting. But hundreds of thousands of guns are out there that work very well indeed.

That's why we see 'drop in' 8 shot cylinders for sale for 6 shot guns made by aftermarket cyl suppliers like Borschart.

Different #s of chambers in a cylinder work as 'drop ins' especially when adding a cylinder with a lesser # of chambers, which always 'drop in' w/o pawl adjustments. For example, adding a factory 6 shot .22 magnum cyl to a 10 shot .22 LR Single Ten work as a rule.

 

[Hondo44]

Where would one find 5 shot moon clips? Maybe I am missing something here but a custom cylinder would probably cost more than a new mid frame ACP, yes/no? :?

Hi Chuck,

Per above post, 5 shot moon clip not needed.

You are exactly correct. You didn't miss a thing:

Unfortunately adding a Ruger large frame .45 ACP 6 shot convertible will be .035" too short and give you an excessively large bar/cyl gap. Therefore you'll need an expensive custom cyl made.

Not as expensive as a new mid frame, but not far off either! Generally $300-350.