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Old 05-01-2024, 11:12 AM
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Default Case fit beats out case type!!!

Brass choice and prep is critical with these 45 revolvers! If you use Auto Rim, check case length carefully. You want the casemouth all the way to the chamber shoulder, but not too long that if forces the case head to bind on the recoil shield. Many auto rim cases are too short. (Trick. Make your own cases out of .45 Colt brass, but trimmed so they headspace off the case mouth! They will look funny because, when seated, the rim will be about 0.030” proud of the cylinder face. But, that’s OK! The rim, in this case, is only for extraction!
For ACP brass, the golden rule is that moon clips are for extraction only! Don’t let them be part of the headspacing equation, otherwise accuracy will suffer and/or you’ll have binding issues. Again, case length is critical! In a properly cut chamber, you should be able to get reliable ignition without moon clips. If not, check your case lengths and the depth of the chamber cuts combined with the gap between the rear of the cylinder and recoil shield.
With ACP cases you want to have the case mouth headspace on the chamber shoulder and have the rear of the case within a couple thousandths of an inch to the recoil shield. This gives you consistent ignition and best accuracy.
Unfortunately, many 25-2s have chambers cut a little too deep. There’s a trick to deal with this, but it’s too much of a hassle for most folks. You can use longer cases like 45 Win Mag or 451 Detonics Mag, trimmed to the specs I have recommended.

If you use moon clips, check them very carefully. Make sure they are dead flat. Make sure they are not too thick so as to mess up your carefully controlled headspace efforts. If necessary, lap your moon clips on a flat reference surface. (You’ll be amazed how inconsistently metal is removed! These clips really are not made with precision in mind.)
In any case, regardless of what brass you use (or fabricate) you want to consistently fill the distance between the chamber shoulders and the recoil shield as close as possible without binding.

Your other 25-2 issue will be chamber mouths. If they are large (.456-.458”), like many are, accuracy will be a struggle.
The “old pre-model number” 1950 and 1955 Target revolvers tend to have tighter chamber specs. They were built to actually be winning target revolvers, not just range toys.

Remember, .45 ACP revolvers don’t have the tapered leade in the chambers as found in rimmed case cartridge revolvers. So, they are very unforgiving of lackadaisical reloading practices.
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