Re: Top break .45s...............

[BobWright]

I posed the question on the original post but never got an answer. I've used some of the old top break revolvers and when opening, if done sort of snappily, all the empty cases were ejected clear of the cylinder.

My question was, and is, is the extractor throw sufficient on the .45 Colt guns to completely eject the empties?

Bob Wright

 

[MifflinKid]

I have an Uberti made Navy Arms Schofield reproduction
bought in the mid-90s chambered in .45 Colt. I have shot
it using nickle plated .45 Colt and brass .45 Government
(aka .45 Schofield and also .45 S&W) cases. I used 700-X
powder in all loads.

The .45 Government cases were easily flung out of the
cylinder with a quick opening of the action. Around about
50 rounds a case or two would not fully eject and I would
sometime have to jiggle the gun with the barrel up to let
the remaining case or two drop out of the cylinder.

The .45 Colt cases would also, initially, be smartly ejected
when the chambers were clean. But after about four or five
cylinders of shooting (20 to 25 rounds total) one or a few
cases of each cylinder would fail to eject cleanly. Shaking
the gun with the barrel pointed up would get them to drop
out, too.

In both situations, shooting .45 Government or .45 Colt cases,
if I then ran a brush through the chambers the next few times
I ejected fired case they would again fly out out of the cylinder.

Now, I was using 700-X which is not the cleanest of powders.
Nor did I make any attempt to polish the chambers. So some
modest reloading changes or light gunsmithing might improve
the ejection. I never thought of the failure to reliably fling the
cases out of the cylinder as a significant problem.

 

[BobWright]

Thank you. Exactly the information I was looking for.

I don't own one, and likely won't, but was curious. That was the drill for the original Schofield for a mounted trooper. With the revolver empty (Well, full of empty cases.) the trooper placed the hammer at half cock and opened the latch with the thumb, then smartly "broke" the revolver against his thigh to empty. then passed the revolver to his left hand, which also held the reins, and reloaded with his right hand, then closed the revolver and grasped the gun again in his right hand to continue shooting.

Bob Wright