Ruger SA custom caliber question...

[Jim March]

Either in the long thread on a custom Ruger SA or in private, I can't recall which, Gunslinger talked about the joys of the .41Magnum. I've heard elsewhere praise of this load, especially where "hard target hunting" is involved. And we've been batting about the .45ACP, a Ruger factory option along with 9mm.

My question on these autoloader calibers is: "how is the brass held during ignition?". If it's held based on depth of the brass OD bore, then forget it...but if the RIM is somehow getting grabbed then...what about:

10mm swappable with .40S&W, same cylinder? The full-house 10mm would be close to the same power level as .41Mag but you'd have lower-power "personal defense options" in .40S&W coming out yer ears, and doing "clip speedloaders" would be a breeze. Depending on exact bores involved you might even be able to use a factory .41Mag barrel if such exists?

Would this work? Would it shoot worth a dang? Comments?

Jim March

 

[Daniel Watters]

In the Rugers revolvers, the .45 ACP, 10mm, 9x19mm, and .30 Carbine cylinders use the case mouth to headspace.

A .41 Magnum barrel would be ~.009" too large to give good accuracy with the 10mm or .40 S&W. On the other hand, Ruger made a special run of Blackhawks with separate cylinders for the 10mm and the .38-40 Winchester. A .40 S&W cylinder would be an another option for this setup.

If you _absolutely_ had to have a swapable spare cylinder for a .41 Magnum, the .41 Action Express would be the only suitable choice.