Question on 45 Convertibles

[Skoopski]

Question for those of you that own a .45 convertible, which cylinder do you use more, the Colt or the ACP? And why? Do either give more inherent accuracy to you? Thanks.

 

[contender]

I own a "few" of them. Many of my shooters have had their chambers checked,,, and if out of spec,,, re-cut to a uniform .4525.
As such,, I use both cylinders depending upon my purpose that day. Accuracy can be excellent with either one,,, with proper ammo & a shooter doing their part.

 

[tinman]

I have 3.....each of which see as much of one caliber as the other. I just like shooting them.

 

[cpt-t]

I bought my 7 1/2 inch Ruger Blackhawk 45LC/45ACP Convertible new in 1971 or 1972, and it is my favorite S/A Ruger. My gun shoots both the 45LC & 45ACP cylinders extremely well. And I shoot both cylinders quite often. And I would say the accuracy on each is about the same. Off of a bench and a dead rest at 25yds my gun with shoot a group about the size of a golf ball with both the 45LC & 45ACP cylinders. And at 25yds, off of a rest the 45ACP cylinder will print about an Inch to 1 1/2 inches higher than the 45LC cylinder. I use this Old Ruger for just about everything Hunting, Plinking, and Target shooting and have never had any type of a problem with it. I shot this Old Ruger in a Target Match, this last weekend and it shot as well as it did as when it was brand new.
ken

 

[Rclark]

That's easy .... .45 Colt. The .45 ACP cylinders sit in the box most of the time. Why? Because I enjoy shooting the grand o' .45 Colt cartridge and I also enjoy reloading it. I also think (personal opinion only) that revolvers should just shoot rimmed cartridges. The .45 Colt is more flexible for reloading (more selection for bullets, powders). For example, try stuffing a full load of Black Powder in a .45 ACP case ... or 4227 or 2400, or... Just won't work well. You can apply a proper crimp to the .45 Colt case. Accuracy? You can find loads that shoot well in either cartridge so that isn't an issue. I can see if you don't reload, then the .45 ACP is more attractive to shooters cost wise. but for me .... give me the .45 Colt any day. Stuffing those long fat heavy cartridges into a Single Action is just the 'right' thing to do .

 

[daveg.inkc]

I have a 1972 model. With the Auto cylinder, 5 grs Bullseye with a 200 gr. XTP, it felt anemic. Barely break bricks. With Colt cylinder, 21 grs of 2400, 250 XTP, it felt great! Same bricks turn to dust. .45 Auto's are accurate, minimum recoil in that big revolver. Be a good choice to let a new shooter fire.

 

[Dale53]

Frankly, I shoot many more .45 ACP's than I do .45 Colt's. The reason is simple. I do much more shooting at the range these days, and the .45 ACP is one of the best range calibers, EVER!

I had to ream both cylinders of my SS Bisley Convertible to .4525" when I first got it. It went from "unsatisfactory" to WONDERFUL after the work. Now, it shoots like an NRA Bullseye pistol with either cylinder.

Great "all around" (from mild to wild) platform!

Dale53

 

[WAYNO]

I shoot the .45 ACP almost exclusively. I shoot a lot. Most of my shooting is at the range. If not reloading, the ACP round is far cheaper to shoot, and I've found the ACP round in a SA revolver to be extremely accurate.

 

[Bob Wright]

I've had two Ruger Blackhawks with ACP cylinders. I bought mine during the time Ruger did not offer convertibles, but would fit a cylinder if returned to the factory. When I got these guns I had just traded off a S&W Model 625 and before that a Colt Gold Cup, so I had a generous supply of ACP brass on hand. Gradually that became extinct and I sort of neglected the ACP cylinders for a few years. Then began working with my ".45 Xtra Short" and began using that in the ACP cylinder. Novelty but nothing more.



Bob Wright

 

[BPGuy]

In my Blackhawk convertible, both cylinders shoot well. In my Redhawk, which also shoots both (ACP with moon clips), it seems to shoot them both well to 15 yards, but beyond that the .45 Colt shoots more accurately.

 

[charlesappel]

The 45 ACP cylinder stays in the gun. The 45 Colt cylinder stays in the box. I don't dislike the 45 Colt, but I no longer reload for it and there are a lot more options for the 45 ACP.

 

[Muley Gil]

I bought my 4 5/8" NM .45 in the 1990s. At the time, I was a police officer and had access to unlimited ACP ammo. I used the same ammo as my duty 1911 and S&W M625. It shoots great with the ACP cylinder.

 

[Dienekes]

Had a 3 screw .45 Convertible back in the late 70s, foolishly turned loose of it. So when they came back in the NM Blackhawk I grabbed one in 4 5/8". Did the reaming also which did wonders and ended leading. For some reason I never had much luck with the.44 Special cartridge but the .45 Colt was the charm. The ACP cylinder also shoots better than I can hold, and the 185 grain loads are nice and mild.

Every once in a great while I load up some .45 Colts with 28 grains of black, and in addition to being pretty darned accurate they're a hoot to shoot.

 

[loaded round]

I bought and fitted an old Blackhawk 45 ACP cylinder to my NM Vaquero and it actually is more accurate than it's 45 C. cylinder.

 

[veeman]

I use the Colt cylinder in my OM Blackhawk, and the ACP cylinder in my Flattop. I usually use the 45 Cowboy Special rounds in the ACP cylinder.

 

[deac45]

I like shooting the 45 Colt better but my ACP cylinder has seen more rounds. That is about to change as I am now, finally, getting set up to reload. No more dollar a shot factory 45 Colt!

 

[Quattroclick]

I probably shoot more ACP in mind mostly because I have a progressive loader dedicated to ACP that cranks out ammo quickly.