Rims on .45 Long Colt Adequate.

[smoothshooter]

Sometimes I think I would like to buy my first .45LC S&W revolver, but am concerned about what I assume are somewhat smaller rims than those found on other cartridges such as .38/357, .44 Special and Magnum, etc.

Do any of you guys that have DA revolvers in .45ACP ever have problems with empties getting caught under the extractor star when a rim slips past the star?
Does brass brand matter?

 

[MikeLeitner]

The first thing to figure out is whether you want a .45 Colt or a .45 ACP.

.45 Colt does not have "smaller rims".

 

[colt_saa]

My 45ACP revolvers can't have a rim slip under the extractor since they are all in full moon clips.

My 45 Long Colt revolvers have never had an issue either

​

Yes I really, REALLY like 45 Long Colt on my DA revolvers

In many decades of shooting, I can only recall this happening once. It was with 38Special fired in a Model 27 many, many years ago. If your muzzle is pointed skyward when you stroke the ejector rod, this is almost an impossibility.

All of my 45 Long Colt brass for reloading is Remington, but I have shot both Winchester and CCI/Blazer aluminium cased ammunition over the years

 

[reddog81]

.45 Colt and .45 ACP are 2 different cartridges. Neither will get stuck under the extractor star. The .45 Colt has rims like any revolver cartridge and .45 ACP won't get stuck because it has no rim and the star won't even try to grab the case unless you have it in a moonclip and then it would be impossible to get stuck.

The .45 Colt rim is smaller than other rims but it's not really something to worry about.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Proportionally 45 Colt rims are smaller than other rimmed cartridges: 45 Colt= ~.030" larger than the case diameter where a .357Mag, .41 Mag or .44Mag are ~.060" larger.

It's never been a problem for me either. Case sizing puts more pressure on the rims than cylinder extraction & I've not had any issues there either.

Starline brass is stronger but the rim diameters are within SAAMI dimensions.

Buy one & don't ever think about it again.

.

25-13, Rocky Mtn Ram

(-08b)

.

 

[jaymoore]

Odd bit of trivia: When the US adopted the M1909 revolver the otherwise normal .45 Colt cartridges designed for the new New Service revolver had larger rims than the previous US .45 revolver rounds. So they got a new designation also, being M1909 cartridges.

I reckon the Army thought the bigger rims would enhance reliability with the DA revolver's swing open cylinder.

 

[Wise_A]

The only time the smaller-than-average-proportionally rim diameter of the .45 Colt comes into play is when reloading using a .460 S&W or .454 Casull die set.

.45 Colt, .460 S&W, and .454 Casull (and .45 Schofield) all have the same or thereabouts cartridge diameter. The only difference dimensionally is the length of the case, so it's not uncommon for people to use a reloading die set made for the .460 S&W to produce light plinking ammo with .45 Colt cases.

The problem is in the shellholder. The shellholder is a little metal plate-doohickey that holds the case on the press. While you can just screw your .460 S&W dies down a little further, the shellplate for a .45 Colt is different than a .460 S&W, because the .460 S&W has a much larger rim.

When you use a .460 S&W shellholder with a .45 Colt case, it doesn't support the case properly. When you lower the ram to try and extract the case from the sizing die, there's a pretty decent chance that the .45 Colt case will separate from the case head, leaving the "body" of the case stuck inside the die. Which sucks to try and fix.

 

[steelslaver]

The 45 colt does have less rim than a the others. It has exactly the same base diameter as the 44 mag/special cases. As mentioned by Bluedot its only .03 out from the case body. But, if you tip the muzzle up like you should on all revolvers while ejecting your not going tto have a problem.

Tipping the muzzle near vertical while ejecting not only helps dump the cases it keeps powder debris from falling in chambers and worse getting under ejector star.

The shorter 45 acp rounds have no real rim and will not eject without some kind of clip. Originally designed to work with 2 half moons which each held 3 rounds and now more often used with 6 round full moons and even smaller 2 round clips, they eject using the clip. I love 45 acps and clips in revolvers, fast reloads without a bulky speed loader, your brass stays together in easy to pick up packs. With a simple tool they are easy too remove from the clips and though not hard to fill the clips, there are some simple tools that make it even easier.
Then in ether type of 45 there are those big .452 bullets moving along at a decent speed and the recoil is not as harsh or as difficult to recover from as full blown 44 mags

I like em.

 

[Muley Gil]

The original .45 Colt cartridge, introduced in 1873, did have a very small rim. That rim diameter was slightly increased over the years to the present diameter.

I have had several DA revolvers chambered in .45 Colt, both S&W and Colt. Never a problem in extracting the cases.

 

[Alk8944]

If you handle the revolver correctly you will never have a problem with cases "falling under the extractor"! Simply hold the revolver muzzle up when pressing the extractor rod and the cases will fall freely from the cylinder.

This applies to revolvers in any caliber. It is possible to catch even a .357 or .44 Magnum case under the extractor if you try to fully extract cases with the muzzle pointing down!

 

[Topsarge]

I have a 25-2 that was converted to .45 Colt. If I don't point the barrel to the sky when ejecting, the rim slips under causing a problem. It's annoying but it forces me to remember to do so.

 

[Birdgun]

I shoot and reload .45 Colt. I've reloaded thousands of .45 Colt rounds using just about every brand of cases out there. Never had any problem with this round. It's a big, powerful round that is tolerable to shoot. No extraction problems for me with my S&W Model 625-9 "Mountain Gun" in .45 Colt.

S&W Model 625-9 "Mountain Gun" in .45 Colt

Thanks for looking at my "Mountain Gun" in .45 Colt.

God bless,
Birdgun

 

[Texas Star]

Odd bit of trivia: When the US adopted the M1909 revolver the otherwise normal .45 Colt cartridges designed for the new New Service revolver had larger rims than the previous US .45 revolver rounds. So they got a new designation also, being M1909 cartridges.

I reckon the Army thought the bigger rims would enhance reliability with the DA revolver's swing open cylinder.

Yes, and the rim issue has bothered me.

But my Colt New Service worked fine with normal .45 Colt brass and was very accurate. This gun was used for decades by NY state police and by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and seems not to have had a problem.

I have no experience with S&W .45 Colt guns.

 

[Texas Star]

I shoot and reload .45 Colt. I've reloaded thousands of .45 Colt rounds using just about every brand of cases out there. Never had any problem with this round. It's a big, powerful round that is tolerable to shoot. No extraction problems for me with my S&W Model 625-9 "Mountain Gun" in .45 Colt.

S&W Model 625-9 "Mountain Gun" in .45 Colt

Thanks for looking at my "Mountain Gun" in .45 Colt.

God bless,
Birdgun

What do you shoot in that gun? I've read that S&W .45 Colt chambers are pretty thin, not suitable for hot handloads.

But just subbing a 250 grain Keith bullet at maybe 900 FPS would be a very lethal round,and even Keith had a lot of respect for the basic factory load, saying it hit hard and penetrated deep.

 

[comiskeybum]

Never had a problem in my governor.

 

[tennexplorer]

Actually, the rim on the .45 Schofield case is larger in diameter than the rim on the .45 Colt. At one time Georgia Arms made a .45 Double Action, which was the .45 Colt case with the .45 Schofield rim (best of both worlds). Starline made the cases for them. A couple of years ago, I contacted Georgia Arms who said they'd love to do another run if they could get the cases and Starline who said they couldn't keep up with the demand for what they had in production let alone make something new.

 

[Birdgun]

What do you shoot in that gun? I've read that S&W .45 Colt chambers are pretty thin, not suitable for hot handloads.

But just subbing a 250 grain Keith bullet at maybe 900 FPS would be a very lethal round,and even Keith had a lot of respect for the basic factory load, saying it hit hard and penetrated deep.

Tex, I don't shoot hot handloads. At the range I shoot in my 625-9 my "Cowboy Action Shooting" loads, which are light 200 grain bullet loads. These are easy, fun shooting loads. For home defense and carry, I load up with Sig Sauer 230 grain JHP loads. 45 Colt, 230GR, Elite V-Crown, JHP These Sig loads are very tolerable to shoot in my "Mountain Gun"---even with my 70-year-old hands and wrists.

Thanks for asking.

God bless,
Birdgun

 

[Neumann]

If you reload, it's recommended that you lube .45 Colt cases, even with carbide dies. Also lube .45-70 cases, which are also cylindrical but have relatively thin walls.

 

[Birdgun]

If you reload, it's recommended that you lube .45 Colt cases, even with carbide dies. Also lube .45-70 cases, which are also cylindrical but have relatively thin walls.

Neumann, I wonder why? I've reloaded thousands of .45 Colt cases without lubing them. I do have carbide dies and I do reload light rounds for my "Cowboy Acton Shooting" loads to shoot in my single-action revolvers and 1873 rifle. I've not heard of .45 Colt cases having thin walls. I do understand that .44-40 cases have thin necks and some suggest lubing them. However, I've never reloaded .44-40's.

Uberti Model P revolvers and Uberti 1873 Rifle in .45 Colt.

God bless,
Birdgun

 

[Muley Gil]

If you reload, it's recommended that you lube .45 Colt cases, even with carbide dies. Also lube .45-70 cases, which are also cylindrical but have relatively thin walls.

Never heard that advice. I started reloading .45 Colt with a Lee Loader in 1973. I used lube with the Lee Loader of course. The next year, I had an RCBS press and a set of carbide dies. Never lubed again.