Swaping cylinders

[Seiko]

Dumb question I didn't know the answer to...

Friend of mine asked me if swapping cylinders on his 25-2 for the cylinder on his 25-5 as doable.

I assume it is with checking timing and spacing on the forcing cone.

He wants to shoot 45acp out of his -5 without having to machine the cylinder to take moon clips.

As much as I played with smiths, Ive never done it so figured it was better to ask before going through alot of hassle.

Anyone done it before?
If so swap the yoke too?

Thanks

 

[huntershooter]

The 25-2 cyl. is much shorter than the 25-5 cyl.
If installed, you will have a barrel/cyl. gap of .25" +.(Look at a photo of a 25-2, note the barrel protrudes SUBSTANTIALLY into the cyl. window of frame).
I suppose you could "do it", velocity might be 3-400 fps (a guess) and the blast from the barrel/cyl. gap would be potentially injureous.
I vote no.

 

[rcmodel]

NO, you can't do it.
But even if you could, you shouldn't.

Not only are the cylinders different length, but the cylinder stop studs on the frames are in different locations.

If the S&W design was compatable with swapping out cylinders, they would sell "convertables" just like the Ruger SA's.

But they don't.

Internal wear patterns on the hand & ratchet would never turn out the same, and problems on down the road would result.


rcmodel

 

[Seiko]

Your right I totally forgot how far back the 25-2 barrel sets in the frame!

Thanks

 

[Old Fuff]

To start with, yokes are individually fitted to a particualr frame, and not considered to be interchangeable.

Cylinders are also fit to the frame, and not considered to be interchangeable. If one happens to be it's not by intent.

I know this is a radical thought... but perhaps it might be a good idea to use the cartridges the cylinder is chambered for...

Think?

 

[SaxonPig]

Well, they my be considered to not be interchangeable but I have swapped cylinders and yokes back and forth on numerous S&Ws (within the same model) to see if it worked and 95% the parts swapped and worked just fine. Only a couple did not function properly after switching. Colts? Forget it! Most of the time stocks won't swap without fitting. But S&Ws seem to me much more interchangeable due to their mass production (one of the advantages of which is parts interchangeability). The Colts were more hand-fitted and parts don't swap worth spit.

That doesn't mean it's necessarily a good idea to do it.

 

[jameslovesjammie]

I can see where on the older models there would be no interchange, but according to Jerry Miculek's Trigger Job DVD (which was made in 1998) I recall him stating that any of the current guns (again, from 1998) the cylinders could interchange due to the use of CNC machining. The computers cut them so exact you could swap cylinders from one gun to another.

I'm not saying it can be done, just throwing it out there.

In the case of the ACP/Colt swap, I agree with every post above. But if the gun in question were, say, a 625-8 in .45 ACP and I had another 625-8 in .45 ACP cylinder, I'd be inclined to think it would go.

 

[Brian Williams]

The best way to do this would be to get a 44mag cylinder fitted to his 45 Colt gun and have it reamed and moonclipped for the 45ACP.

I have a 940 cylinder that I had fitted to my 642 and it fits my 60-4, checked with a range rod to verify barrel/charge hole match ups.

 

[KurtC]

Some of the 25-3 anniversary guns came from the factory with both Colt and ACP cylinders. However, the Colt cylinders are the same length as the ACP and you are limited by OAL with the Colt cartridges.

44 mag and 45 colt cylinders have a different length, the 44 is longer by a few thousands of an inch.

You can get a 2nd Colt cylinder and have it modified for ACP with full moon clips, but most of these cylinder have oversized throats that might not lend themselves to good accuracy with the ACP.