open top 45 colt

[Uncle Eph]

Hext, seems to me I remember you saying something on another wire about punching out a 72 round top to 45 LC, is this something you have done and if so what kind of loads are you using?

I have a open top in 45 Scofield but have been using a buddies brass and dies.  I sure would like to save some money as I have everything in 45 LC.

Thanks

[Big Hext Finnigan]

Uncle Eph,
I have not had this done.  I have talked with the folks at Traditional Effects and my favorite gunsmith.  It should be possible.  The cylinder is the same size as a the ones on my Model Ps.  What got us thinking about it is Uberti catalogs the Opentop in 45LC for Europe, but it has never been imported before.  It is the same gun, but none have made their way here.. so it's just guess work.

I would suggest that anyone looking at this work have a very competent gunsmith look over the gun and do the work.

Adios,

[St. George]

Actually, the opening up of the cylinder is easy.

It's the potential for increased pressures that I'd be worried about.
The newest European Ubertis may be heat-treated for .45LC a bit differently than the earlier ones in .45S&W, and only they would know.

The pressure spike can be significant, when using smokeless, so I'd advise caution.

Scouts Out!

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[Uncle Eph]

thanks for the input gents.

Hext: I will be taking my 72 into my gunsmith on Monday to see what he has to say and if he sez it looks good I will go for it.  I will keep you informed.

St. George: I will only be shooting BP and won't load to the max.

thanks again

[Uncle Eph]

well my gunsmith sez its doable, but after thinking the matter over I have decided to leave well enough alone and just invest in dies and cases.

[Will Ketchum]

Uncle Eph, probably just as well.  Although YOU might never shoot anything but mid range BP loads who knows what someone down the road say in 20 years might put in them.

Besides, as you probably discovered, new brass and dies are probably cheaper than having the cylindes rebored

Will Kethum

[Nine Toe Jim]

Hey there Uncle Eph, I just bought an 1872 open top in 45 S&W (Schofield). I didn't have any brass so I trimmed 100 45 long colt down to 45 S&W length and loaded them with a 200 gn 452 bullet over 4.6 gns of Bullseye. ( used a 45 ACP die set and it works great) I got groups the size of a quarter at 10 yards. I tried the same rounds in my two Uberti 45 long colt 1873's with the same results. I'm sticking with the 45 S&W - I bought 200 rounds of the S&W brass but I find that the trimmed 45 LC brass works just as well.

[jiminy criquet]

The lesser recoil on the .45 S&W is probably much kinder on your guns, self, and aim.  Sort of a .45 LC version of the .44 mag/.44 Special.

[Jubel]

I shoot 45 S&W Schofield in my 45's that were chambered for 45 Long Colt, as Jimminy says like shooten a 44 spl in a 44 mag no recoil. If you go to  http://www.cccammo.com/  he sells loaded 45 Schofield dang near cheaper than you can load. And ya keep the brass. I got 45 Schofield dies from LEE Precision they are very inexpensive, and the LEE 45 ACP factory crimp die works for a perfect Schofield round every time! 

[Guano]

Well now!

Big Hext says "the cylinder is the same size as the Model P's" and if that's the case, I wonder if a 44 could punched out to 44-40 like my model P's. Anybody else had this thought?

[El Paso Pete]

You can have the cylinder reamed out to .45 Colt but yer takin a big risk of you or some one shootin some full house loads in it.  Remember this pistol ain't got no top strap.  All the forces carried by the base pin.  You'll loosen that base pin up right quick with heavy loads.  Been there, done that.