.45 ACP Cylinder for the .460 XVR

[EddieCoyle]

I recently bought a .460 XVR and like the idea of a 4-caliber revolver. I was wondering if it would be possible to turn this into a 7-caliber revolver by getting an additional cylinder cut for moon clips and with chambers shortened to accommodate .45 ACP (also .45 Auto Rim and .45 GAP)?

If this is possible, what could I expect to pay for the cylinder?

Can anyone recommend someone to do the work?

 

[Old Fuff]

If you modify the cylinder to use clips, they will headspace the cartridge and a shorter chamber wouldn't be necessary unless the conversion resulted in excessive headspace with the pistol cartridges and/or too little for the rimed ones. I don't have a .460 revolver to check this out. However I would expect accuracy to be less then good. A custom cylinder would cost a fortune. Faced with the problems and expence, I'd simply buy another revolver chambered in .45 ACP.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I think it certainly would result in excessive headspace - the .460 cases are more than twice as long as a .45 ACP. I already have a 625 in .45 ACP. I was thinking about doing this with the .460 more for the "cool" factor than as a money-saving exercise.

If I was to get a second cylinder and have it cut for moon clips, is it possible to sleeve the chambers and then recut them with a shorter headspace? Would it be cheaper to just have a custom cylinder made up for it? (And how much is a fortune?)

 

[Old Fuff]

You misunderstand headspace in a revolver.

In a conventional revolver the headspace is established by the rim, and is usually rim thickness plus .003" to .006".

In a revolver chambered to use a rimless pistol cartridge the chamber has a shoulder cut in the same way as in a pistol barrel, and that shoulder establishes the headspace.

However the first Colt model 1917's had a straight bored-through chamber, and cartridges would be headspaced by the clip. The problem with this is an uncliped cartridge would drop all of the way through the chamber, so only clipped cartridges could be fired. Colt soon changed over to the shouldered chamber so that .45 ACP cartridges could be fired, but not extracted and ejected unless they were clipped.

I would expect that a custom made cylinder would at reast run in the $500 to $700 ballpark. This kind of work in not inexpensive.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Perhaps I misused the term headspace. Here's what I meant:

As you know, the diameter of the chamber in the 'back" of the cylinder is roughly equal to the diameter of the case. The diameter at the "front" of the cylinder is roughly equal to the diameter of the bullet - so there's a 'step' in the chamber where this diameter change takes place. Since the .460 case is over 2" long, that step is quite a ways down the chamber. If I were to simply cut a cylinder for moon clips and try to fire .45 ACP, there would be a good distance (more than an inch) where the bullet would travel through the chamber, in a roughly 0.020" oversized "bore" before it hit that step. This 1+ inch of unsupported bullet travel is what I was calling "excessive headspace".

What is the proper term?

 

[spooney]

I believe "free bore" is the term for what you describe.

 

[Dithsoer]

Smith for job

Hamilton Bowen ( I don't have a phone number but a seach of the internet should turn something up ) makes custom cylinders for some types of revolvers and his work is top notch. If it can be done, he can do it. He re-bored a Ruger single-action once for a customer to take a cartridge based on a cut-down .458 Win. Mag. case.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

That wonderful monster named the 460 XVR already fires the .460 S&W Magnum, the .454 Casull and the .45 Colt, why would you want to mess with a wonderful revolver like that?

Congrats on getting one, any pics??

 

[EddieCoyle]

It wouldn't be "messing with it" if I got a second cylinder, it would be "enhancing it". If I did it right, I could have a revolver with two cylinders that would fire:

.460 Mag, .454 Casull, .45 Colt, and .45 Schofield in one cylinder... and ...
.45 ACP,.45 Auto Rim, .45 GAP, and .45 Win Mag in another.

I can't think of any other two-cylinder combination that would allow you to use 8 different cartridges.



It's one of the Whitetail unlimited commemoratives, One of 100 with Massachusetts on the barrel - which is ironic because you haven't been allowed to hunt deer with a handgun here since I've been hunting.

 

[clang]

Interesting project, but I think it would be less expensive if you just went out and bought a S&W 625. I believe the bore of the 45colt/454casull/460 is a few thousands larger than 45ACP, so accuracy could also be an issue.

FWIW - The last 625 I bought with a 5" barrel cost less than $400. These are excellent guns.

 

[Redhawk1]

Not a good idea, I had a Ruger Super Redhawk I had that was a custom gun from JHR. The cylinder was milled out to accept moon clips. I was able to shoot 454 Casull, 45 Colt, 45 Win Mag's and 45 ACP. The accuracy with 45 ACP left a lot to be desired. I think with the longer cylinder of the 460 Mag you would get even worse accuracy. Just my actual experience.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Redhawk1,

I figured the accuracy would suffer. The .460 cylinder would leave a .45 ACP with about an inch of freebore. That's why I'm considering getting/making an additional cylinder that would have chambers properly sized for the .45 ACP.

FWIW - The last 625 I bought with a 5" barrel cost less than $400. These are excellent guns.

Yes they are great revolvers. I enjoy mine a great deal.