Conversion cylinder for Colt SAA

L

Lavan

New member
Since it seems that 45 Colt ammo will never again see an American gun store, I was wondering if a cylinder could be MADE for a Colt SAA that would chamber the ACP.
Google shows same bore diameter for 45 Colt and 45 ACP.
Is that correct?

Anyhow, I wonder if a good machinist could create a 45 ACP cylinder for a Colt 45 SAA?

:confused:
 
I had the Ruger Blackhawk convertible. Had to sell it. Wouldn't function with lead reloads in ACP.

Don't miss it. REALLY like the Colt New Frontier. !!! :):)
 
I even had to send the Ruger back to the factory to get it to rotate cylinder with 45 Colt.

It was a lemon.

They had to replace the trigger, loading gate spring, even the hammer (for whatever reason)

I am happy to be rid of it.
 
Even Ruger has a less than perfect one slip out, now and then. I've had about a dozen Blackhawks, and Vaqueros since 83. All of them have been mechanically flawless.
 
Moon Clips for a BH? Never heard of such a thing. The .45 ACP cartridges rest on the case mouth. And I've used lead bullet reloads in mine. Don't recall a significant problem there. I no longer shoot .45 ACP as .45 Colt does it all for me though. As a reloader, not affected by lack of on-shelf ammo.
 
Stinkeypete said:
I had the same problem, the moon clip was a booger to install in my Blackhawk!
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???

rclark said:
Moon Clips for a BH? Never heard of such a thing. The .45 ACP cartridges rest on the case mouth. And I've used lead bullet reloads in mine. Don't recall a significant problem there. I no longer shoot .45 ACP as .45 Colt does it all for me though. As a reloader, not affected by lack of on-shelf ammo.
Click to expand...
Like rclark, my Blackhawk convertible does not require moon clips. Neither does the Italian SAA clone. The cylinder chambers are cut just like the chambers of 1911s -- the cartridges headspace on the case mouth.
 
It certainly can and has been done, but I'm not sure it would be worth the time, expense, and effort. A basic reloading setup would probably cost less than having and extra cylinder made and may very well give you better results and be more economical than buying factory .45 ACP ammo in the long run. Big bore, straight-walled revolver cartridges are quite easy to reload and, in a relatively low-pressure round like .45 LC, the brass will last a very long time. Other than the brass, components are pretty much interchangeable between the two and cost the same. Also, "convertibles" with cylinders for .45 ACP and .45 LC sometimes give less than stellar accuracy with .45 ACP for a couple of reasons. Standard bullet weight for .45 LC is 250-255 gr while .45 ACP is 230 gr so, if the gun has fixed sights, there's a distinct possibility that it won't shoot to POA with one or the other. Also, many older .45 LC guns had larger groove diameters than most .45 ACP guns and thus produce better accuracy with either hollow-base bullets or slightly larger .454-.455" bullets as opposed to the more common .451-.452" that the .45 ACP uses. Frankly, with the current prices of ammunition of all calibers, reloading will probably be the only way to shoot affordably if you plan on shooting very much.
 
Come on, now. How in the world would you use a moon clip with a single action cowboy gun? The world needs a ‘just kidding’ font!

That said, I had a .45/.45acp conversion set. It was a gift. Since I reload, I never saw the point.
 
Your right "The world needs a ‘just kidding’ font!" or something :) . Because there is probably someone out there that 'tried' :D .

For me, semi-auto cartridges belong in semi-auto guns. But hey, in today's world I suppose you do what you gotta do if you want to shoot...
 
rclark said:
For me, semi-auto cartridges belong in semi-auto guns. But hey, in today's world I suppose you do what you gotta do if you want to shoot...
Click to expand...
For me its a simple question of practicality. Whether I'm shooting a 1911 or a SAA (clone), I'm only making holes in a piece of paper and .45 ACP makes the same size hole as .45 Colt. I have a few pieces of .45 Colt brass, but I have a LOT of .45 ACP brass. I also have a LOT of bullets suitable for .45 ACP, and not many that are intended for .45 Colt.

So why not shoot what I usually reload?

You can go to VTI Gun Parts and buy a .45 ACP cylinder for an Uberti SAA clone for $132, and one for a Pietta SAA clone for $181.50. I'm pretty certain one or the other (probably the Pietta) would work with just minor fitting.
 
The best approach would be to have a .357 or .44 Special cylinder fitted and rechambered.
That would let you have cylinder throat diameter matched to barrel groove diameter.

It is not my money, of course.
 
The Blackhawk didn't like my WC lead reloads for ACP. The very small portion of the bullet beyond the case mouth prevented full seating in cylinder. Factory hardball would go in all the way.
Of course in addition, Ruger can keep their 2 screw models.

I discussed this whole issue on the forum. Can't find it now.

Will research the Pietta mod.
 
The earliest examples of .45 Colt SAA's with acp cylinders I can find were special order private purchases by some Marine officers going to Haiti and Nicaragua during the "Banana wars" around 1915.

It is unclear if they ordered ACP guns with extra Colt cylinders or .45 Colt guns with extra ACP cylinders, not that it makes a difference. The point was they were sure of being able to get at least one of those calibers where ever they wound up deployed.

I agree, the best possible solution is if you have a Colt gun, to get a Colt cylinder in a smaller caliber and have it bored and fitted to your gun.

Getting a clone gun cylinder will probably work but might require more skilled work to properly fit. Or it might not, flip a coin.. I guess...sometimes the stars do line up and things will drop in and work with minimal fitting. No way to tell until you try it.
 
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