5-Shot 45 Colt Article....

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Bigboreshooter

Single-Sixer
Joined
May 11, 2008
Messages
447
Location
Birmingham, AL
Great article Lee. Thanks for posting the link.

I don't have a 5 shot 45, but the info on the Ruger factory 45's is very helpful, as are the "Ruger" loads you listed.

I have a 45 Blackhawk Convertible that I bought last year with ONLY the 45 ACP cylinder. John Gallagher is only about an hour from here so I got an unfluted (Bisley) 45 Colt cylinder from him at a B'ham gun show. He fitted the cylinder to the gun at his booth.

Here's my question: Is the unfluted cylinder any stronger than a fluted one? Or is the unfluted configuration merely cosmetic....with the only advantage being the addition of a tad more weight?
 

Lee Martin

Hunter
Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Messages
2,313
Location
Arlington, Virginia
The flutes are pretty much cosmetic. They may add a little strength, but the benefit of a five-shot cylinder is the bolt stops aren't directly over the chambers.
 

Bigboreshooter

Single-Sixer
Joined
May 11, 2008
Messages
447
Location
Birmingham, AL
Thanks for your reply.

Again, the "5-Shot" article gives me a lot more information regarding max loads for my Blackhawk. I don't want to push it to the max, but I do want to try some heftier loads than my manuals list for a 300gr gas checked hardcast SWC.

Thanks again for posting your great information on the forum.
 

btrumanj

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jan 29, 2005
Messages
490
Location
Louisville Ky
A very good article. Although I seldom shoot heavy loads in my Rugers, I was an avid reader of Ross Seyfreid. Your information on cylinder specs and the capabilities of the 5 shot single action give me a "I want one" feeling but being practical, I seriously doubt if I'll ever own one. :)
 

trouble

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
261
Location
Va
Good article, although I don't care for single actions this will all translate over to my SRH 454. I've got far more colt brass than I do 454 thanks to the buying stupidity of the last 10 months. I find most of my 454 shooting is of the Ruger only 45 colt level anyway, 454's are fun in moderation!
 

Sonnytoo

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Messages
631
Location
florida
btrumanj":32wot4f0 said:
I seriously doubt if I'll ever own one. :)

I only got mine by accident. Talking with a gunmaker friend (Ben Forkin) 15 yrs ago and he told me about a couple of Bowens he'd "come into." Ben had worked with Hamilton Bowen in previous years. He kept talking about this wonderful "Nimrod" .45 Colt 5-shot conversion and how wonderfully accurate it is. In the course of our conversation, Ben figured out how much I wanted, really wanted that gun, and being a gracious fellow, agreed to sell it to me. Well, I guess it about as accurate a gun as I've ever heard of. Hamilton has shot one-inch groups with this model at 100 yards, using 350gr WFN hardcast bullets.
And with heavy 5-shot loads(reco'd by Hamilton), the recoil is surprisingly quite pleasant. I've included a pix from Hamilton's catalog, although mine is a blued model.
http://www.bowenclassicarms.com/new/RS09picture.htm
Sonnytoo
 

David Sinko

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 9, 2008
Messages
12
My "special" .45 Colt is a six shot Redhawk which started out as a .44 Magnum. I think it was Combat Handguns that once had an article on Bowen's Redhawk Alpine Conversion. I called and asked him if he could make me one in six shot .45 Colt (a simple conversion, as he told me) and promptly sent him a new Redhawk which never saw even a single round as a .44 Magnum. The rebore was done by Cliff Labounty and naturally everything was dimensionally perfect. That revolver saw some very heavy loads and I got 1263 FPS with the 335 gr. LBT bullet, from the 4" barrel. After about 10 years of hard use, the gun developed some serious ignition problems and was returned back to Bowen. He told me that mine was the first Redhawk he had seen that was done in by hard DA use and not abuse. Getting the gun to time properly double action was extraordinarily difficult for him, mostly due to Ruger's refusal to supply critical parts. I'm a huge fan of DA revolvers, but this experience has turned me off to the Redhawk and I feel that these Blackhawk conversions are definitely the way to go. There are so many aftermarket parts that are readily available that you need not depend on Ruger's service department. That makes all the difference in the world when the time comes to repair that custom revolver.

Dave Sinko
 

Sonnytoo

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Messages
631
Location
florida
Thanks for a fine, comprehensive article. I read it and then immediately saved it to Microsoft Word. I will be able to go that article over and over again just for enjoyment.
Sonnytoo
 
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