Help in uncharted waters

[Dale53]

Aw-w. shucks, Cary, it's just good Smith & Wesson equipment. "It's them 625's, I tell ya!"

Thanks for the kind words.

Dale53

 

[idahostreams]

I finally got to slug the cylnder throats of my 25-2 and they measure .456. A local bullet caster sells plated bullets in 200grn and 230grn that are a pencil push through the throats. I don't find a cast bullet advertised that is over .454. Are the larger throats going to cause a problem with regular 230 fmj.?
Not sure which way to go from here. Any suggestions are very much appreciated.

Julian

 

[Dale53]

You need bigger bullets. However, finding them in .45 ACP designs may NOT be so easy. This is just one of the reasons that I cast my own bullets ( I do NOT cast for others).

First of all, I would try some .454 bullets. Be careful of design limitations (for instance, you might be interested in trying some hollow base round flat bullets for the .45 Colt but the hollow base extends the bullet too far into that small capacity case creating the potential for all sorts of problems). There ARE a number of suppliers of .45 Colt bullets at .454" that might work however. The 454424 Lyman bullets often cast over .456". You might call one ( or four or five) of the regular cast bullet suppliers and ask. Sometimes they will do special orders if you order a bunch.

John Taffin has an excellent article on the 25-2 on his web site (including discussing the big throats) but his web site has been down for a couple of days "www.sixguns.com"

Good luck!
Dale53

 

[Skip Sackett]

A local bullet caster sells plated bullets in 200grn and 230grn that are a pencil push through the throats.

No offense but, I find it hard to believe that those plated bullets are actually that big. How did you measure the throats?
What did you use to measure the bullets?

Pin gauges for the cylinder, precision micrometer for bullets are the best way to check sizes. Calipers are not a good way to do precision work. They are expedient, that is true, and economical.

Most plated bullets are only going to measure in the area of .452" and would be a "fall through" rather than a push through in a throat that was .004" bigger.

If you can find a commercial caster that can size to .454", or bigger, and has a softer alloy, you may be good to go. If not it sounds like a great time to start casting your own.

Many of the Lee 45 Colt molds will throw large bullets, depending on the alloy used. I had a 45ACP 228gr RN mold that threw bullets at .455" with wheel weights. If you get into casting you will never be out of bullets either!

What does the bore slug? The other possibility is to send the firearm back to Smith to have a smaller throated cylinder installed.

Where to go from here? I would try a 45 Colt bullet sized at .454" and see what I got.

 

[gwalchmai]

Originally posted by Dale53:

Mine both have cylinder throats .4515 and handle .452" bullets VERY well. They have never seen anything except my home cast bullets.

I've just started to play with Lyman 454424's (Keith 255 gr SWC).

Nice shootin', Dale!

Do you resize the 454424's down .452 or shoot them at .454?

Thanks!

 

[Dale53]

gwalchmai;
Thanks for the kind words. I have sized the over size 454424 but at /452
they are sized too much. I have sold the mould (pending funds) and will try to find a smaller one (452424). In the meantime, I will be working with a 452664 RF that works quite well in my Bisley Vaquero.

Dale53

 

[cmort666]

Originally posted by idahostreams:
The AR case sounds interesting as I have no autoloading handguns to load for. Does the AR still headspace on the case mouth or does it headspace on the rim? Can bullets with a crimping groove be roll crimped instead of taper crimped?

If that's your only .45acp, then Auto Rim might well be a good choice for you.

I've got three .45acp autos, so I just don't want to get into one MORE cartridge case.

 

[Hammerless-12]

Hey guys, just wanted to throw my two pennies in. I shoot 3 colt autos in 45 ACP and 2 S&W 25-2's. I LOVE the 45 ACP as after several years of reloading I have my pet loads for these guns and do enjoy them very much. As of late I have been shooting the revolvers more than the auto's, just because of my mood I guess, and I can find my brass real easy. I never knew about the different bore diameters with the S&W 25-2s before I was on this web site. I did measure mine via the old slug the barrel method and found both of my revolvers to measure just under .452 and I am happy with that. One of the revolvers is a 6 inch and the other is a 6 1/2 inch. I use ONLY the 45 ACP brass as I never want to get a 45 AR case mixed up in one of my automatics. I like the full moon clips as I can reload all six chambers so fast its not even funny. I have had very good accuracy with the 230 gr LRN bullet buy am also impressed with the 200 gr also. I use 4.3 gr of Bullseye and also 4.7 gr of Bullseye. The autos like the 4.3 and do real well with it, better than my abilities. Thanks for all the disscussion on the 25-2 revolver as I am leaning more and more everyday, most of which comes from you fine folks. I also am set up to do my own bullet casting (I have all the equipment) but have not done it yet. I will be posting in the future with many questions I am sure. Keep working with your 25-2 and you will find the load it likes and then dont ever get rid of it. I sold a model 29 14 or so years ago that was a real shooter, and have never found another I liked as much as that one. Good shooting to you all and be safe.