anyone use 45ACP swc in a 44 cal BP?

Cliff6

Cliff6

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45-160-BN-FB-LG.png
Just a question. I see these 160 grain 45ACP swc's available in .452, .453 and .454 diameter. They are quite inexpensive compared to available round ball. Any reason why these couldn't be used?

Cliff
 
noelf2 said:
Depends on the lead hardness. Might be a strain on the loading lever. Round balls are soft lead. These are probably hardened with antimony. Would probably work in 45 Colt cartridge conversions though.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

If the usual commercial cast, they will likely be over BHN 15. If not, and you can get them without that hard Carnuba wax, they look pretty darn good.
 
I was looking at the SWC's from Brazos. They list them as 13 brinnel. I have a few left from loading 45 ACP and was just wondering.
 
hawg said:
They will work if you can get them loaded. The base is flat with no taper. I've done it with my soft cast SWC's and they are very difficult to keep straight when you try to get them started and you have to load them off the gun.
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Very good point, I forgot about the flat base. I'll stick with round balls.
 
I use something similar in my Old Armies. The 452s are too small for the chambers so I knurl them between 2 crosscut files. This makes just the right size to fit the Ruger chambers. I run them ahead of 35 grns of 4 f powder. They really bark and have a bite to go with it. A few years ago I hit a Jackrabbit around 70 yards away with a 200 grn semi wadcutter. Made a nice splat and the rabbit was down, no kicking, no fuss just done.
 
I assume you are talking about loading those bullets in a percussion pistol and not in a cartridge. One other thing to remember that a bullet in that configuration has a much larger bearing surface than the thin circumference of a round ball. It's a lot harder to push that much more bearing surface into a chamber even if it is soft lead which those 45 ACP bullets typically are not. I recently saw a you tube video where someone did a similar thing and after struggling to load just six bullets the guy joked that he just broke his wooden loading stand!! He was using a brass framed 44 Navy and I wonder how long it will be before he pulls the arbor out of that frame.
 
Navy Six 2 said:
One other thing to remember that a bullet in that configuration has a much larger bearing surface than the thin circumference of a round ball.
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Yes it does, but most of the originals were not intended to be shot solely with round ball, but with conical bullets also (predominantly, if I may add)... I remember a guy, from another BP forum, who modified his stainless 1858 to be loaded specifically with "conventional" bullets - throats of bigger diameter, somewhere about .2" of depth, were cut to accommodate for the cylindrical bullet to start in the cylinder. Sadly, I don't remember his results, but the gun stood up to the tests.
 
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Did the same modification to my 1860 Navy to accommodate a conical bullet. It seems to be more accurate than with a round ball. It also seems to have corrected a shooting to left of point of aim issue. Still fiddling with it, need more range time to verify the results. I also modified the chamber mouths on one of my Walkers to better a short conical bullet. Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet.
 
Way back in the 20th century, we would machine the cylinders to accept a .454 bullet. The ledge acted as a stop for the bullet. Size the bullet to .454, lube, load and shoot. The technique was used but more than a few folks interested in accuracy from their revolvers.

Kevin
 
StrawHat said:
Way back in the 20th century, we would machine the cylinders to accept a .454 bullet. The ledge acted as a stop for the bullet. Size the bullet to .454, lube, load and shoot. The technique was used but more than a few folks interested in accuracy from their revolvers.

Kevin
Click to expand...
If it’s done accurately it works, not a job for the home hobbyist with a benchtop drill press and a harbor freight vise… piece of cake for someone with the tools and know how to use them. (@Jackrabbit1957 …)
 
StrawHat said:
Way back in the 20th century, we would machine the cylinders to accept a .454 bullet. The ledge acted as a stop for the bullet. Size the bullet to .454, lube, load and shoot. The technique was used but more than a few folks interested in accuracy from their revolvers.

Kevin
Click to expand...
Are you are talking about counterboring cylinder, something like this, .455" dia x .050" deep:

G7ZSMTN.jpg

If done by reamer, it will leave conical transition about 45 degrees.
 
Jackrabbit1957 said:
I use something similar in my Old Armies. The 452s are too small for the chambers so I knurl them between 2 crosscut files. This makes just the right size to fit the Ruger chambers.
Click to expand...

You can get .454" sizing die (I think they are all long enough for those short bullets), insert bullet in it, on top insert .452" dia pin, from something softer than steel, like brass, 4-5" long, and smack it with hammer, until it fills die bore. Just make sure that bullet is lubed. Of course, do that on nice flat steel surface.

First time I had seen this method from Paco Kelly, see The Paco Kelly 'Acu'rzr' and a special purpose made tool - YouTube . Apart from making HP from round nose 22LR ammo, it's also used to bump up dia to make all bullets same size. Apparently, that makes more accurate ammo.
 
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I load my ROA with home-cast pure lead .453 bullets from a Lee mold. It is not a true SWC but has several lube rings and a flat nose. I use 2 rasps to roughen the sides and sort of increase the diameter so the bullet won't move in the cylinder. I load it with a wad over as much 3F black powder as will fit.

The Ruger is strong enough to handle the pressure.
I have also tried placing the lead bullets lengthwise in a vise and squeezing them to increase the diameter while shortening the length slightly for a tight fit but that usually puts a slight bend in the bullet. My loads are not as accurate as using a .457 round ball. Also, they are hard to load straight as noted above.
 
Onty said:
Are you are talking about counterboring cylinder, something like this, .455" dia x .050" deep:

View attachment 1142656

If done by reamer, it will leave conical transition about 45 degrees.
Click to expand...


No, the chambers was bored .454 to the length of the bullet. When the bullet was seated, flush with the end of the cylinder, the ledge left by the reaming acted as a stop.

Kevin
 
I guess bullet should be bit larger than chamber in order to make a tight fit.

Also, how do you locate bullet before pushing into the chamber, any chamfer on cylinder chamber, or bevel base on bullet?

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