21
The Darksider's Den / Re: .45 Cowboy Special
« Last post by Mako on Yesterday at 04:16:19 PM »Does anybody know what the throats would be on a .45 ACP cylinder?
The reason I ask is because my 3rd Gen Colt's regular .45 Colt cylinder has .455 - .456" diameter throats. If the .45 ACP has .451 - .452" throats I bet the Cowboy Special could be a tack driver.
Lonesome and the rest,
I have been cooling my heels and perusing files on my computer and posts from over a decade on this site, I found my information on the Gen 1 Colt I have.
I don't remember the topic anymore it might have been a discussion about Conversion Cylinder dimensions, but I was measuring bores and cylinders. That cylinder will pass a Ø.455+ gauge pin but not a .456. The grove diameter is definitely Ø.454 as measured on those two balls, the land diameter would accept a Ø.442- pin all of the way through, but the Ø.442+ pin was tight and stuck after about 1 inch.
That's my revolver, it is a "family gun". It was made in 1896 and is not marked as a Smokeless "approved" frame. 1896 was the "transition" year. However, it does have the push button cylinder pin release. I have heard arguments and read a couple of books considered to be the authority on SSAs that the buttons started to replace the screws as early as 1892 and was phased in as Colt's had their frames already set up one way or another.
So, I guess my point is that the older Colts used to be relatively tight in the throats considering they used Ø.454 bullets. It seems the modern revolvers S&W and Colt's actually often have looser throats compared to the original revolver it was chambered in when you considering the bullets were Ø.454 back then. A Ø.455 throat to a Ø.454 bore is about as perfect as you could ask for.
~Mako