.45 ACP revolvers

[Too_Pure]

Looking for a little education here. How does this work? Isn't .45 ACP rimless? What keeps it in the chamber?

I held a S&W Governor yesterday and... wow. I was impressed. I get the .410 and the .45LC. But don't get how .45 ACP works in a wheel gun.

 

[DickM]

Same thing that keeps it in the chamber when it's fired in semi-autos - the case mouth contacts a step machined into each chamber in the cylinder. The problem comes in with extraction - because there's no rim, there's nothing for the extractor star to catch on, hence the invention of moon clips (or .45 AR brass).

 

[ExMachina]

DickM is correct in general, however with the Governor (and the Taurus Judge) there is nothing for the 45 ACP round to headspace on since the chambers are machined to take longer ammo (.410 and .45 Colt). The Governor should be recessed for moon clips however and those are what you must use to shoot .45 ACP in that gun.

 

[Axel Larson]

Both DickM and exMachina are correct. Although I wish soemone would make a nice j frame in 45ACP that was affordable, it would be Awesome. Smiths Night Guard is a little expansive.

 

[rcmodel]

It would be impossible to make a J-Frame in .45 ACP.

The chambers would be bigger then the cylinder walls, and you could see daylight over every chamber.

There is also not enough room in the frames cylinder window for that large a caliber so the chambers could not line up with the hole in the barrel.

J-Frames are only big enough for .38/.357 holes in the cylinder.

rc

 

[Axel Larson]

Would it work in a K frame, what I think would be really cool I guess is a smallish revolver in 45ACP it would be great as a back up gun for a 1911.

 

[918v]

Would need to be a five shot

 

[pikid89]

it would probably end up around the same size as a charter bulldog

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

I wonder if you could trim .38 brass down and use a 9mm bullet to make a 9mm AR.

 

[sweater914]

I have a S&W 625, you use either half or full moon clips. I prefer Rimz clips, they're a plastic of some sort. Compared to traditional metal clips they work wonders, no tool needed to remove the spent cases and not to expensive from Brownells. My 1911 got parked, the 625 is the go to .45 with the Rimz clips, not having to chase brass makes the range experience so much more pleasurable.

 

[DickM]

I wonder if you could trim .38 brass down and use a 9mm bullet to make a 9mm AR.

I don't think so. The tapered 9mm case is larger at its base and smaller at its neck than the straight-walled .38 Special. I suppose trimming and then resizing the .38 in a 9mm die might take care of the neck problem, but you'd still have the sloppy fit and lack of support toward the base, which could result in split cases or worse upon firing. Interesting idea, though.

 

[TonyT]

Colt SAA and the early S&W 1917's and Model 25's were made to headspace on the case mouth. In both cases the fired cases had to be removed by pushing them out of the cylinder since the case is rimless. The later S&W 25's and 625's had a more "generous" chambering and often would go too deep into the cylinder. The S&W 45 ACP revolvers are designed to be used with moonclips which alow both for more rapid loading and extraction.

 

[pikid89]

I wonder if you could trim .38 brass down and use a 9mm bullet to make a 9mm AR.

I've always wondered why one couldn't have a .380 AutoRim to shoot in a 38...that would be neat, or maybe even moon clipped for a clipped (smaller than an N frame) revolver that could compete with the likes of the game guns in .45acp