Flattop stainless .45 convertible problem

[Calif.Hunter]

I bought one of the Lipsey's special .45 ACP/.45 Colt stainless convertibles with a 4.62" barrel, and have an issue with using .45 ACP factory ammo in it...and yes, I have the right cylinder in. Unless I hold the barrel vertically, pointing down, the rounds want to back out of the cylinder and bind it up tight while loading. I then have to take the cylinder out to fix the issue. If I manage to get all six rounds loaded and close the loading gate, all is well. But with the gate open, that first round backs out and binds as I turn the cylinder to insert the next round. This was with factory Federal ammo. I haven't tried the .45 Colt cylinder as I didn't have it with me for my short trip to my club just to hear it go boom. As I have several Blackhawks in other calibers, I don't expect the rimmed Colt round to give me any problems but I will try it out before I contact Ruger just to be sure. I've never had an issue laying the other guns flat in my left hand while loading it.

Anyone else run into this? I have heard from at least one other guy with the same problem.

 

[contender]

Welcome to the Forum.
The 45 ACP headspaces on the mouth of the case. If you are allowing the gun to tip muzzle up as you try & rotate the cylinder, the ammo will slide backwards out of the gun. Gravity causes this. Many of my guns will allow the ammo to "fall out" or slip backwards unless I keep the muzzle in a slightly downward position. And it's not just in the 45 cals. Many of my rimmed calibers do the same,, they just don't rotate until I get them fully seated.
I hope I'm reading your issue correctly.
I think what you are seeing is normal.

 

[Calif.Hunter]

Thanks - I realize this would be the case if the muzzle was pointed even slightly up, but this happens even if the gun is level or not quite straight down, like even 15 or 20 degrees from straight down. If it was pointed up, I could understand because, as you said, even the rimmed cases for my other Blackhawks will back out if the muzzle is pointed up, especially with a clean chamber. Given that the .45 headspaces on the case mouth, I even cleaned the cylinder (though it was brand new) after this occurred in case that was preventing the rounds from seating fully and it did not help. I'll try a different brand of ammo and see if the same thing happens.

 

[mc1911]

Ruger replaced both my cylinders on my 45 convertible flat top. They paid shipping both ways with no charge.

The ACP cylinder would not allow cartridges to fully seat and the Colt cylinder had a couple of flat spots on it.

 

[Hondo44]

On any SA, if the cases slide back out at all, the rims will hang up on the sharp edge of the loading gate. But when the loading gate is closed, there's no longer an edge for the rims to catch on so you can turn the loaded cyl even with the muzzle pointing straight up. And as you said, once you get it fully loaded, everything works fine. So you don't have a headspace problem or chambers not reamed deeply enough. Is the loading gate sticking out slightly when opened?

Also I've had to slightly chamfer the sharp edge on the loading gate and remove what's known in the industry as 'rollover burrs'. A dull machine tool bit will cause this in the extreme. Even if not burred over, a sharp corner will catch the case rims. You'll notice cartridge case rims have a slight bevel to guide the cases over the uneven surface of the recoil shield. Some brass manufacturers do a better job of beveling the rims than others.

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

I have several convertible .45`s and have not had an issue with any of them.
That said, I have several hundred pieces of ACP brass and have sorted a couple hundred pieces out just to be used in the Ruger six shooters. Having the case length to spec and doing a proper taper seat on the case when loading is the trick to having ammo that will function properly. That can be said about just about any cartridge for that matter. Factory ammo is not always on spec either. Find what your gun likes and stick with it.

 

[Dale53]

I have a Ruger Bisley Convertible (.45 ACP/.45 Colt) and with the .45 ACP cylinder in place, it would not chamber reloads. The cylinder throats were too small. I borrowed a "made for the job" reamer kit and reamed both cylinder throats to .4525" and the problem was ended. Two of my friends bought identical revolvers at the same time from the same dealer and they had the same problem. I corrected their revolver cylinders, also.

Just so someone doesn't panic - I was trained as a machinist so understand the process (this was not a "Bubba" operation...

Now, without examining the O.P. revolver I don't know exactly WHAT his problem is but I suspect his revolver may be suffering from small throats, also.

Just a thought or two...
Dale53

 

[Hondo44]

Good thoughts Dale. Also very easy to check. If a chambered round will not roll past the recoil shield, which has the firing pin hole in it, w/o rubbing, the cartridge is not chambered fully or the headspace between rim and recoil shield or at case mouth, is not adequate.

However the OP's loaded cyl rotates freely with all rounds chambered and loading gate closed.

 

[Calif.Hunter]

The loaded round would back out as I turned the cylinder to load the next round and bind the cylinder, or sometimes it would be the third round. This was before any round got to the firing pin area.

In any case, I tried some "PPU" and "Independence" factory ammo, and the gun worked fine. It seemed to be an issue with the Federal American Eagle ammo only, or at least of the three brands. Holding the revolver level (flat in my palm, really) in my left hand, the rounds loaded and the cylinder turned perfectly. Most of my ammo and all my reloads are in storage, ready for a house move. I also tried the .45 Colt cylinder and it worked fine too. Somewhere here, I have a 100-round box of Winchester FMJ that I'll try, too.

 

[silverback]

could the length of the brass be that far off from one manufacture to another?

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

I shoot the same bullet (RCBS 45-2330-CA) in both the Colt and ACP in my convertibles but I size the bullets to .451 for the ACP and to .452+ for the .45 Colt.
That way the .45ACP loads run nice in the Ruger revolvers and my SR1911 and my Ruger P345.
The ACP loads are a tad more accurate than the .45 Colt`s in all my Ruger BH revolvers.

 

[Hondo44]

could the length of the brass be that far off from one manufacture to another?

That would be something to check. I doubt it but anything is possible. Ammo makers have had serious enough problems in the past to warrant recalls when the issue is safety related. So a run of brass that's a little too long would not surprise me although I have not experienced brass that was too long.

However, when I reload I always separate my brass by manufacturer because over all case length can vary enough that my crimp die setting is not right for different brands of cases when loaded in the same batch.

What I have also seen is a disparity in the little bevel on the bottom edge of the case rim from brand to brand. That bevel helps the cases rotate past the loading gate right after being chambered and over the recoil shield when they come into the firing position.

I think in the OP's situation, the last round loaded is hanging up on the loading gate when the cyl is rotated to load the next round.