The Judge and .45 Auto Rim?

[mastiffhound]

I have found some .45 Auto Rim laying around in my tool box that a friend gave to me. My question is can I shoot it out of my father in laws Taurus Judge or The Circuit Judge? I would think that I could being you can shoot .45acp with moon clips out of them (what I was told at the gun shop) but I want to be sure.

 

[weregunner]

The answer is no you cannot shoot 45 AR ammo in the Judge.

Here's the text on that and reasons.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=488691

 

[rcmodel]

Neither the Taurus Judge or the Circuit Judge are cut for moon-clip clearance.
SO .45 AR cartridges would not allow the cylinder to close.

If they were, you would have grossly excess headspace with the .410 shotshells or .45 Colt cartridges they are chambered for.

There is a way to chamber a gun to handle clips and also cartridges with thinner rims.
S&W does it with the .45 Colt/.45 ACP/.410 Governor.
But Taurus didn't.

rc

 

[Carl N. Brown]

.45 Auto Rim has a rim the thickness of a .45 ACP rim + the thickness of the moon clip, noticably thicker than either .45 Colt cartridge or .410 shell.

My .45 Colt cartridges will fit in my .410 shotgun (although I don't recommend firing .45 Colt in a .410 unless the manufacturer has OK'd dual use). The shotgun will not close on one of my .45 Auto Rim cartridges.

While Smith & Wesson Governor will shoot .410, .45 Colt and .45 ACP with the moonclip supplied with the gun, no review so far claims it will shot the .45 Auto Rim.

 

[rcmodel]

You are correct.
I just found this in the latest S&W Owners Manual:

*NOTE: 45 Auto Rim cartridges must NOT be used in Smith & Wesson
Governor™ revolvers.

Upon further reflection, I don't think the cylinder would shut on an AR cartridge anyway.

There is vestage headspace shoulder left in the cylinder so the .45 Colt/.410 can headspace correctly.
The moon clips miss them.

For the same reason, you can't use 1/2 moon clips in them either.

rc

 

[dprice3844444]

the 45 auto rim was made for the colt/smith 1917 pistols so that could be used w/out the half/full moon clips and provide full ejection capabilities.some later smiths also i think.

http://www.sixguns.com/range/sw6252.htm

 

[rcmodel]

+1
All later S&W 25's & 625's can use .45 AR cartridges.
Even those still being made today.

rc

 

[dprice3844444]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_Auto_Rim

 

[rcmodel]

That Wikipee article doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

How can a case be "stronger than the .45ACP case and has a slightly larger case capacity, allowing for increases in performance".

It is the same externally, except for the rim.
So if it has more case capacity, it has to be thinner & weaker somewhere.

SAAMI Pressure specs:
.45 Auto Rim 15,000 CUP
.45 ACP 21,000 PSI
.45 ACP +P 23,000 PSI


rc