1917 45colt conversion

[hastings]

I just picked up a 1917 that has been refinished, and had a company logo etched into the right side of the frame. I don't particularly care about the appearance of the thing, although it seems to be in very good shape mechanically. It shoots very nicely, but I was wondering if it is possible to rebore the chambers for 45colt. I prefer 45colt to 45acp, and the extra cylinder depth seems to cry out for a longer cartridge. I know the bullets are different dia., but is it enough to be concerned about based on 45colt standard pressure factory ammo? This is just an idea at this point. I saw a 1917 in another part of this sight that had been converted by Smith and Wesson. Would I need to install a different barrel? I'm sure I'm not the first one to wonder about this. Can anyone offer some info, or eperience related to this?

Thanks.

 

[haggis]

You can fit another cylinder in .45 Colt easier than you can modify the existing .45 ACP cylinder - there's too much headspace for .45 Colt. 1917 barrels are 0.451", and post war .45 Colt has the same diameter, so you would have no ammo problems. If it were me, I'd shoot .45 Auto-rim if I wanted traditional revolver cartridges instead of .45 ACP. You're not going to be able to hot-rod .45 Colt to higher performance than .45 ACP in this gun anyway.

Buck

 

[hastings]

Thanks for the info. In light of this, and some other related info I found last night, I think I'll stay with the 1917 just as it is.

I read in one location that it is not advisable to shoot a lot of fmj out of the 1917's due to lower grade steel being used in them. I have also read that they were designed for fmj ammo, and that the rifling is not deep enough to grab and stabilized lead bullets. Which of these is true?

Can anyone advise me as to the limitations of the average 1917 regarding factory ammo. I don't want to shoot +p, but is it okay to shoot hotter standard factory stuff thru one of these? I really like the revolver, but would like to carry it in the woods with a hard-cast 230 gr. round going as fast as is safe for the gun. Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[feralmerril]

About 40 years ago I had a 1917 converted to 45 colt. I had found a new .455 clyinder and crane and had my gunsmith fit them up makeing it a convertable 45 acp/45 colt. Also had him install S&W target sights and do a ramp. I shoulda kept that gun.

 

[hastings]

A convertible 45acp/45colt 1917 would be ideal. I had not considered that option. I now have a new mission, tracking down a suitable .455 cylinder and crane.

Of course, that leads back to the question of lead vs jacketed. I prefer hardcast lead to jacketed ammo when it comes to big, slow moving projectiles (Corbon 460gr. hardcast 45-70 for instance). Do you recall if your 1917 was as accurate with the 45colt as the 45acp, and what type of ammo did you shoot for 45colt loads?

I'm salivating just thinking about this. Maybe I'll have the thing re-blued while I'm at it. I have a sinking feeling in the pit of my wallet.

Thanks

 

[haggis]

My .45 Brazilian 1917 handles BHN 10 lead bullets well and does not lead with 230 gr RNL @ 850 fps. It also shoots standard FMJ accurately. I would be hesitant to load much hotter than the level for which it was designed.

And don't use hard cast lead bullets (BHN 16-22) unless you want to spend a lot of time cleaning lead out of the bore. Lead hardness has to match chamber pressure or it will lead badly. Hard bullets/low pressure or soft bullets/high pressure will lead by two different mechanisms.


Buck