Need help--want a .45 wheelgun (DA)

[armedcitizen]

So, for the remedial among us (ME!)...

You could shoot .45 auto rim in a .45 ACP revolver without using moon clips? But you could not shoot .45 auto rim in a 1911, have I got that much right?

Smurfslayer--I don't think I could do the 325PD. I just don't like the looks of any of the Smiths with those sights.

Thanks for all of the insights. I never had this problem with .357s!

 

[Johnny Guest]

Interchangability?

armedcitizen asked:

You could shoot .45 auto rim in a .45 ACP revolver without using moon clips? But you could not shoot .45 auto rim in a 1911, have I got that much right?

Correct. And, further, you can shoot .45 ACP without the clips in modern .45 ACP revolvers. Extraction is a bit slow, is all.

In some of the earliest 1917 revolvers --don't recall if the Colts or S&Ws-- the chambers were bored without the step in the chamber, so they needed the clips to provide headspacing. The vast majority of 1917s, though, could shoot without the clips.

Best,
Johnny

 

[Stainz]

If you haven't seen a .45 Auto Rim, consider this: It has a rim that is the thickness of a regular rim plus the thickness of the moonclip, all on the standard ACP case. Kinda neat looking round, with that thick rim. New S&W's, the 25's and 625's, and even my new 625JM, have ejector stars that work quite well throwing them out, even if the HKS #25 speedloader, the only one with tynes spaced wide enough for the thick rims, isn't the same speedy device their loaders are in other calibers... it's the short length cases, actually, that present a bit of a problem there for some.

Stainz

 

[Cayoot]

I don't know if you have considered this or not, but what I did was to buy a .45 Colt Mnt Gun (from a forum member) then send it in for a moon clip conversion. Now I can shoot both .45 Colt and .45 ACP from the same gun Talk about versitality!

Also, moon clips are available for the .45 Colt (for speedier reloads) from www.moonclip.com.

For $80, the conversion on your .45 Colt adds a lot of valuable utility in my book!

 

[45wheelgun]

I don't know if you have considered this or not, but what I did was to buy a .45 Colt Mnt Gun (from a forum member) then send it in for a moon clip conversion. Now I can shoot both .45 Colt and .45 ACP (and of course .45AR) from the same gun Talk about versitality!


What a great idea. Who did the conversion for you?

Dave

 

[Cayoot]

Dave,

Pinnacle precision does this work. He is very good:

http://www.pinnacle-guns.com/

You can also contact:

www.moonclip.com

Tom (who owns moon clip.com) is a straight up fellow whom I have delt with several times. He is also the supplier of the .45 colt and .45 ACP moon clips that I buy (as well as the .357 and .38 moon clips that I buy and also the accessories! I spend alot of money on this stuff )

He maintains lists/links to gunsmiths who do the moon clip conversions.

I think of my .45 colt/.45 acp mountain gun as a do anything/go everywhere/almost all occasions kinda gun.

 

[BluesBear]

Now I can shoot both .45 Colt and .45 ACP (and of course .45AR) from the same gun

What do you do about the excessive headspace when using .45 Colt without the clip?

 

[Cayoot]

There is no excessive head spacing Blues Bear. Just like my 686+, SP-101 and 642. They have all been modified to accept moon clips. They shoot the same with .357 on moon clips (.38 for my 642) as they do when I load the cartridges without moon clips.

That's the beauty of the moon clip conversion on a revolver, you gain the capability to shoot with moon clips, but do not loose the ability to shoot without moon clips. I can load individually, use a speedloader, or use moonclips. Frankly, I don't for the life of me, understand why all revolvers don't come from the factory like this.

All of my PD guns are moon clip converted. It not only is the fastest reload around, but also ensures positive extraction of all rounds and is much eaiser to carry and conceal a loaded moon clip than it is a speed loader. Also, like I said, I can shoot with out the moon clips just like a non-modified gun.

It's like magic! And only costs $75 to $80!

 

[BluesBear]

We're not talking about a .357 moonclip conversion.

Without using a clip, you can't shoot .45 Colt and .45 Auto-Rim from the same cylinder without excessive headspace with the .45 Colt. The rim on the .45 Auto Rim case is .041" thicker than the 45 Colt.

Normally I wouldn't worry about the .004" diameter difference between the .45 ACP/AR case and the .45 Colt case, but with at least .041" of excessive headspace there just ain't much room for error.

The clip conversion on a .357 or .44 revolver leaves a small outer ridge on the cylinder face to headspave the standard rimmed cartridges.

If you leave the outer ridge then you can only use .45 Colt, .45acp in a full-moon clip and .45GAP in a full moon clip.

You cannot use half-moon clips, third-moon clips or Auto Rim ammo unless the cylinder is completely "faced off".
And if it has been faced off you shouldn't use .45 Colt without the clip.
[/color=red]It could get dangerous.[/color]


But hey it's your gun and your eyes.

 

[Cayoot]

To be honest, I've never tried the Auto Rim, I have no reason to, as I can simply load down a .45 Colt cartridge or buy anemic commercial .45 Colt rounds) if I want to use a lower pressure load in a rimmed cartridge in my Mnt Gun. However, the .45 ACP is what makes the moonclip conversion so valuable.

That was my point in the first place, I believe the original post was concerning someone who wanted to get a .45 ACP revolver but was having difficulty with something about the auto rim concept. I suggested that he might want to consider what I did, which is to get a 25/625 in .45 Colt and have the moon clip conversion done to it. For the $80 conversion (that is $75 plus about $5 to ship the cylinder) he now has both guns, (.45 Colt & .45 ACP) in one gun. .45 Colt loads easily from a speed loader or moon clips.

This DOES WORK.

As far as trying AR rims in it, I don't know, I will dig up some of my old AR Brass and load up a few rounds, then try them in my Mnt Gun. I haven't loaded any AR rounds in a loooooooonnnngggg time, so this should be interesting, at least from a nastalgic point of view. If they don't work, I can always shoot them in my PC 625 (.45 acp only).

But again, the original concept (at least for me) was to have a powerful "Woods Gun" (.45 Colt) and an adequate cold weather "City Gun" (.45 ACP) in one package.

With the utility of this combo, I don't see any need for the .45 AR. But I'll check into it just the same.