.45 acp single action cylinders gimmick or godsend

Acp cylinders

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I have several 45acp’s and 0 45LC’s :( unfortunately.

I have a S&W 25-2 that I really enjoy, which prompted me to by a 45acp conversion cylinder for my 1858 Remington, I also really enjoy it.

not exactly an apples to apples comparison but I do love them, so if was to get another 45 revolver it would likely be a 45acp. If I had started of with 45lc that’s what I’d be buying.

It’s mostly a personal preference thing, I don’t think you can go wrong with either.
 
If you look at the image I posted (response35) you can see what I had done. A single line turned on the cylinders and the letter A C P engraved on it.

Kevin
 
Twenty-five years ago I bought a 3rd Gen Colt SAA in .45 Colt, with a 7-1/2" bbl. Nice gun, in virtually new condition but still a shooter...no box, papers etc.

The gun turned out to be a lot of fun, with my .45 Colt handloads it'd do 2-3" at 25 yds from a rest, and glory-be...it shot to the sights. My load, with a long history of family use, is 8.0 grains of Unique with Lyman's 454190...a 255 grain pointed flat point that's a dead ringer for the old black powder round. I once chrono'd this combination at 854 fps from that barrel...it's fun to shoot and definitely packs some wallop without resorting to magnum loads.

As I have a number of 1911's in .45 ACP, with a corresponding reloading commitment/press set-up, a year later, I bought a .45 ACP cylinder for it. And it was a true drop-in fit too. It worked out just fine and accuracy improved to solid 2" groups at 25, but the POI dropped an inch low at 25 yds, with windage still centered. The cases do occasionally show pierced primers, however...a bit short chambered I suspect.

I really should shoot it more, but the long barrel precludes any realistic carry here on our farm and I seldom take it out, preferring instead a 4-5/8" bbl'd New Vaquero. The gun does get some use with visitors here, who've never shot the old cavalry length revolver and want to experience that old hog-leg rolling up in the fist as it did so long ago....and the bullet lube smoke just makes it that much better.

So for my use...it's nice, but I seldom make use of the adaptability of the rig.

YMMv Rod
 
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I bought my Blackhawks when the President was a peanut farmer from Plains,Ga.

In case you are too young to remember the economy was not good then at all. I worried about a a availability of ammo. More than one person that was “normal” (not some live in the woods or bunker up type) used the term “socio-economic collapse” I had just gotten home from Europe were 400,000 US troops were stationed against what was considered a real Soviet threat…. a threat that was deploying new modern tanks and SP artillery and a whole new family of Mid range portable nukes while the Peanut farmer was talking about reducing out military and nuke arsenal.

I wanted to be able to use whatever ammo I could find at what price I could afford. A .45 convertible BH let me buy then very cheap Surplus .45 ACP. It also allowed me to shoot some rip roaring 255 grain .45 Colt that made the .44 mag shooters at least look over their shoulders. (yes I also bought a .357/9x19mm BH for the same reasons) (remember those 64 round boxes of Canadian 9x19 WWII ammo that were cheaper than reloading .38Special?)

Having the option of swapping out cylinders and ammo means you are more likely to be able to make a loud boom when you want to.

If all I have is an ancient WWII spam can full of Steel cased .45ACP stored in the A/Ced house since 1979 I am still good (and no worry about breaking extractors on a 1911-ish). If I want to reload a .45 Colt case and have ammo that might frighten deer or our little black bears, I have the gun for it.

I will admit that during that time period my car was one of the “one in three” cars registered in Florida that the Highway patrol said had a gun in it. It had the “Long Colt” cylinder in it when lounging in the glove box for the power available, but paper, dirt clods, and cans could all be holed cheaper with .45 ACP….. still seems that way

So 40+ years later I still think it is “kind’a neat”

-kBob
 
kBob said:
I bought my Blackhawks when the President was a peanut farmer from Plains,Ga.

In case you are too young to remember the economy was not good then at all.
Click to expand...
We should all get behind our President. I myself located an unopened can of Shinola on the Internet and sent it to him, recommending he keep it in his pocket, and whenever he is confused or in doubt, he can take it out and use it for a reference.

I explained that's better than the "taste test" he usually uses.
 
My dual cylinder Ruger spare cylinder are sitting unused on a shelf......Guess they would make good pencil holders
 
If one were concerned about such things, and one could not find their favorite .45Colt or ACP ammunition, perhaps .357, .38 Spcl. or 9mm ammo of some kind could be found. I admit in my case, it's just fun/hobby stuff.
686 (6).JPG
 
Mines never been in the gun.....Would make a good pencil holder. PIA to have to resight in gun for different cartridges.
 
This Uberti Outlaw came with dual 45 cylinders. Generally, shoot the ACPs because I just don't shoot many LCs. Quite accurate.

Below that is a Ruger Vaquero Birds Head in 45 ACP only. Very cool pistol. Made a cross-draw holster for it but have other leather for it as well.
20200920_130357.jpg 20200112_091919.jpg
 
IMG_9352.JPG Bought this Vaquero 45 convertible just a week or so back. Had it to the range this week with 45ACP reloads and it shot very well. We'll enough hat it may never see actual 45 colt loads (given I don't own dies and refuse to pay $60/box) Very happy with it! That said,. as with anything that headspaces off the front end, you need to be mindful of your ammo sizing/specs.
 
I don't reload and don't have any use for .45LC, on the other hand I have a couple of dozen 1911s and a custom S&W 28-2 in .45acp and keep lots of ammo on hand for them. I like single action revolvers so having one in .45acp is a no brainer for me. Several years I got one of the dedicated .45acp Ruger Vaqueros that came with a 3.75" barrel and birds head grip. I liked the barrel length but not the grip and, after seeing CraigC's posts on his Carryhawk (I had one of those briefly, also) where he changed out the birds head grip frame for a plow handle, I bought a used grip frame and swapped them out. Now it's one of my favorites for carrying around the farm and plinking. The .45acp has plenty of power but the recoil is quite tame in a SAA style revolver.

20200225_085756-jpg.jpg
 
Hi...
I have a couple of revolvers with interchangeable cylinders, one in .9mm/357, one in .45Colt/45ACP and one in .22Mag/22LR.
I rarely switch the .22caliber cylinders...maybe once a year. Never put the 9mm or .45ACP cylinders in the revolvers. I have enough 9mm and .45ACP handguns that it isn't necessary. Lots of .357and .45Colt revolvers also.
I don't shoot .38Spl in my .357Mag revolvers or .44Spl in my .44Mag revolvers. I have multiple platforms in each of those calibers so it isn't necessary.

I just put a Pietta .45Colt SAA clone with a .45ACP cylinder on layaway a couple of days ago to be picked up when my pension checks are deposited the first of the month.
I will probably never put the .45ACP cylinder in the gun. The interchangeable cylinder is of no interest to me...I just wanted a blued .45Colt single action revolver with a brass grip frame.
I have enough 1911s in that caliber as well as a S&W 1917 .45AutoRim revolver. I reload for .45AutoRim and always have a few hundred rounds ready to go.
 
375supermag said:
…I just put a Pietta .45Colt SAA clone with a .45ACP cylinder on layaway a couple of days ago to be picked up when my pension checks are deposited the first of the month.
I will probably never put the .45ACP cylinder in the gun. The interchangeable cylinder is of no interest to me...I just wanted a blued .45Colt single action revolver with a brass grip frame.
I have enough 1911s in that caliber as well as a S&W 1917 .45AutoRim revolver. I reload for .45AutoRim and always have a few hundred rounds ready to go…
Click to expand...

A couple of minor points, your Model 1917 is actually chambered for the 45 ACP cartridge, the 45 Auto Rim cartridge was introduced in the 1920s long after the 1917. The Auto Rim will work in the 1917 but not in the Pietta, unless you have the cylinder machined to accept it.

My early brass strapped SAA clone,

74B56A76-1D82-4347-A17B-086966D43191.jpeg

Kevin
 
OrangeCat said:
I think the Pietra models I've been looking at have the chambering stamped in the cylinder face but I'm a little fuzzy on what the features are of any of the Piettas. It seems like there's about 40 different model and chambering combinations that are imported.
Click to expand...

I will have to check later, but I'm pretty sure the cylinders for my old 45 Colt/45ACP Blackhawk convertible are not marked. If the cylinders are not marked, it is easy to determine which is the 45 Colt cylinder and which is the 45ACP cylinder. Just peek into the chambers from the rear. The ACP chambers will be shorter than the 45 Colt chambers. What I mean is, the narrower 'throat' is shorter in the 45 Colt chamber. 45ACP headspaces on the case mouth, and the larger diameter section of the chamber for the cartridge case will be shorter than the larger diameter section of the case in the 45 Colt chambers.
 
kBob said:
(remember those 64 round boxes of Canadian 9x19 WWII ammo that were cheaper than reloading .38Special?)
Click to expand...

Do I ever! My first centerfire ca 1960 was a Luger. It was 100% with 1943 Canadian. When that surplus dried up, it was not reliable with Remington, all that the local store had, so I sold it on to a collector.
 
StrawHat said:
A couple of minor points, your Model 1917 is actually chambered for the 45 ACP cartridge, the 45 Auto Rim cartridge was introduced in the 1920s long after the 1917. The Auto Rim will work in the 1917 but not in the Pietta, unless you have the cylinder machined to accept it.

My early brass strapped SAA clone,

View attachment 1066661

Kevin
Click to expand...
Hi...
Well aware that the 1917 is a .45ACP. I used to shoot it with half and full moon clips but getting the fired brass out of those clips was aggravating, so I bought a few hundred .45AutoRim cases and shoot them exclusively in my 1917.
I will admit that the full and half moon clips make unloading and reloading the revolver a quick and easy affair.

The Pietta that I put on layaway will be shot exclusively with .45Colt rounds. I have no intention of shooting it with the .45ACP cylinder. I basically am buying it because I wanted a .45Colt with a blued frame and brass grip frame. I don't really need it...lots of other SA .45Colts in my collection. I just like to shoot big bore revolvers and my only other brass grip framed SA is a Richards-Mason conversion in .38Spl, so I "needed" a brass grip framed big bore revolver. It is entirely possible that I will "need" another in the near future(something about having a pair...and a spare).
 
I had a Mitchell Uberti .45-.45.
Many importers advertise that they get higher quality guns from the overseas manufacturers.
Apparently Mitchell got what was left over. It was functional in .45 LC but subject to missing the stops on the .45 ACP cylinder. So I traded it to a friend. It fit and functioned in HIS Uberti just fine.

It didn't matter to me, my only use for a single action was CAS and I doubt they would have looked kindly on ottomattik ammunition.
It really didn't matter after I went to all .44-40.
 
OrangeCat said:
Been looking around at the Single action revolver market and locally it seems to be still pretty dry but I have found a couple of Piettas, in .45 colt and with included .45 acp cylinders.

Seeing as how long colt is vaporware but acp is actually fairly available what is the general opinion of the hive mind on these conversion cylinders? Do they just sit in a box and gather dust or are they an excellent way to keep shooting? Anyone prefer using the acp cartridge over the original colt chambering?
Click to expand...
I like the 45C more.I load 45acp,but got to seat bullets much deeper for the Blackhawk.
 
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