.45 Schofield

[gav1230]

Say you were leaving in the midwest in the 1880's and had a Smith and Wesson Scofield. How available would the ammo be? As far as I know that was the only gun chambered for that round and not very many were made. Would commercial ammo be common?

 

[rcmodel]

Pretty available.

By then the U.S Army had been on the plains, and fighting with the Colt SAA issue revolver chambered in .45 Colt.

But, after that, they also used Schofield's, and USGI .45 Colt ammo of the time was made to fit either gun by then.

See this about that:
http://www.frfrogspad.com/colt1873.htm

SO if you couldn't buy it at the general store?
You could beg, borrow, or steal some from a horse solder.

rc

 

[gav1230]

I see, would it be possible to modify .45 colt brass to operate in a schofield?

 

[rcmodel]

Yes, maybe.

The Schofield case has a larger rim (.520") then the .45 Colt (.512") to provide more positive extraction in the S&W top-break.

Colt brass could be trimmed to length and shot safely.
But extraction might not be 100% positive as the extractor could more easily slip off the case rims and leave cases trapped in the chamber under it.

https://www.starlinebrass.com/brass-cases/45-SandW-Schofield-Brass/

rc

 

[Jim Watson]

There have been accounts of old .45 Colt as small as .504" rim diameter. All it had to do was to hold headspace against the firing pin. The larger rim diameter of .45 S&W really mattered.
At least some .45 S&W had too large a rim for the single action.
The .45 Government made for use in both issue Army revolvers had a smaller rim. Variously reported as same as .45 Colt, taking you right back to chancy simultaneous extraction or a compromise number to fit both guns.

The only way you would "have" a .45 S&W Schofield in the 1880s would be to "acquire" one from the Army. I don't think they were surplused until the DA .38 was adopted in 1889.

 

[X9ballX]

I see, would it be possible to modify .45 colt brass to operate in a schofield?

I see, would it be possible to modify .45 colt brass to operate in a schofield?

Yes. 45 schofield is the same as 45 colt. aside from haveing a wider rim and being shorter. modding a 45 colt shell and using it would however mean less reliability when ejecting due to the shorter rim

 

[Jim K]

The Army had not been "fighting on the plains" long with the .45 Colt cartridge. They issued .45 Colt ammo for only a little over a year before adopting the Schofield and from that time they issued only the so-called "Schofield" cartridge. The Army got all its ammunition from Frankford Arsenal and they made no .45 Colt ammunition at all after 1874.

There were very few Schofields sold on the commercial market; almost the entire production went to the Army. Sales of Schofields as surplus began in the early 1880's, but only a few had been available on the commercial market prior to that and ammunition would likely have been hard to get for at least a few years. I think that if I had a Schofield in the 1880's and was going to any remote area, I would have traded the gun in on something for which ammunition would have been more available. (Think trying to find .45 GAP ammo today!)

Jim