.45 ACP in .45 LC/.410 Survivor

[MSP Ret]

OK guys, here I am again with a wacky thought. I recently aquired a nice .45 LC/410 Survivor barrel. I have looked at some .45 LC ammo and it was quite pricey and the accuracy of the .45 LC in these barrels have not exactly been MOA, good enough for what it is but not great.
Then a dangerous thing happened, I started thinking. I am not set up to load for .45 LC and do not have another firearm in that fine old cartridge. I am however set up for loading .45 ACP and have one or two firearms in that fine old cartridge. I started to have dusty flashbacks in my old brain of a modification once made to allow .45 ACP's to be shot in .45 LC revolvers, and I am not referring to half moon or full moon clips. What I seemed to recall was sometime, somewhere, someone, put a small "O" ring on a .45 ACP round and fired it out of a .45 LC firearm. After some checking on bullet diameters for jacketed bullets for those two rounds and finding out that was GTG I tried a couple of small "O" rings I had on hand, they were all to big and would not allow the action on the Survivor to close. A trip to the hardware store and I brought home a couple of smaller "O" rings. I believe they were a 1/16 x 5/16 and a 1/16 x 3/8.
Surprise, surprise, tonight after helping again with finishing up the Christmas tree I snuck down to the gunlocker to "fiddle". Both sizes of "O" rings held an inert .45 ACP round in the chamber and allowed the ejector to expel them from the chamber. I was not able to fire the .45 Survivor in the cellar "test range" because my wife was home   and I did not want to get her upset (again). This looks good as an emergency proposition even if the fired empties may have to be pushed out with a cleaning rod. More on this after I get a chance to test fire it...Anyone have any expierence with firing .45 ACPs out of a .45 LC?...Thanks....<><....  

[trotterlg]

Not me, but you should fire a primed case in it and see how things look.  Larry

[Lefty Dude]

Try it ya might like it.

I'd tie the handi to a fence post and use a string on the trigger for release.

Hey, Iffin it does't blow-up. Ya might be good- to- go.

[quasne.inc]

I have always thought there should be a way to make that work.  Keep us posted and pics would be helpful.

[bikerbeans]

PM Sent

[Shu]

Should be possible, no pressure problems. I haven't done this in a handi but I have done it in revolvers.

[gjdykeman]

I posted the o-ring experiment a while ago. I used 1/2 dozen range brass. re-primed. trailboss powder. 440 round balls. patched into the cases to hold them. Fired them from my 410 tamer barrel. Cyl bore. went bang, on down range, and ejected fine. Just an experiment. reloaded them at least 2 dozen times. Worked fine. never fired for accuracy. I have a 45LC carbine. I never tried the regular ACP rounds in it. I reload so no reason. A surviver may be different. I HAD one and it was as expected. I use the Tamer for 410 and the carbine otherwise. I load 3" brass shells with the Mongo load, 41 cal copper plated, for the Tamer. I guess same as the survivor. A camp gun. 15y works good.

[MSP Ret]

Thanks gjdykeman, good info....<><....

[gcrank1]

You can use the 45ACP dies to 'neck size and reload 45Colt. All you need are a few cases and adjust the dies as needed.

[SHOOTALL]

How about auto rim cases ? O rings can break and become hard needing replacing becoming expensive .Not sure if the idea of a pocket full was your goal but there would be alot more with thr AR than the Colt 45

[gcrank1]

Around here auto rim cases are scarce and expensive when found; that big jump to the throat even from the longer 45C case is not conducive to accuracy, from what Ive read here. Your results are all that matters though.
Anybody tried the .454, etc. longer brass?

[Lefty Dude]

You might consider the 45 Cowboy Special.

This is a custom patented case that Starline makes for it's designer. It is ths same length as a 45ACP, however the mouth and thickness are the same as a 45 Colt. This is a very efficient case for all types of loading. If you want a 160 gr. 45 to go fast this is the case. AJ has some interesting loads and etc. on his web page. Loading is with 45ACP dies and a 45 Colt shell holder.

Just google 45 cowboy special, it should come right up.

[Airsporter]

Midsouth has 45 auto rim brass (low stock warning).  $68.28/250 + shipping.

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/department.asp?dept=%52%45%4C%4F%41%44%49%4E%47&dept2=%50%49%53%54%4F%4C%20%42%52%41%53%53&dept3=%34%35%20%41%55%54%4F%20%52%49%4D

Probably cheaper to get 45LC dies/brass - haha

[26-t]

For what it is worth ,I use a same o-ring that is used to space the forarm on the handi  with the 45acp.It will last about 10 rounds then it is shoot (the o-ring). Disclaimer and all that stuff .Don't try this at home and all that jazz. 26-t

[MSP Ret]

Good info on the .45 ACP dies to neck size .45 LC brass gcrank1, thanks. Now I just have to come up with a handful of .45 LC brass and try that. This was not meant to be a long term thing just as an "expiedent" fix for no ammo for the .45 LC aspect of my .45/.410 barrel. I understand there are accuracy issues in these barrels even when shooting .45 LC ammo becuase of the long jump to the rifling so I am not expecting much in the long range accuracy area. I would just be happy to keep the .45 ACP in the K5 area of a B5 silouette target at 25 yards. The old battle cry in night firing exercises at the Academy was "Center Mass!!-Center Mass!!-Shoot two and screw!!".
If we could reliably put 2 bullets from our issue handguns into the center mass of the target and then immediately sidestep to avoid any possible incoming being directed to our muzzleflash the DI's were pleased. Well not really pleased, they never were really happy, let's just say they did not ride us as hard if we performed as we should under thier unrelenting pressure. Now in retrospect I am sure the high stress training we recieved over the 22 weeks of the Academy kept myself and many of my classmates alive and safe during our careers.
Thank God, and God Bless, our old school, hardass, former USMC D.I.'s....<><....    

[gcrank1]

I used the 45ACP dies for my Colt '73 clone in 45C fully expecting to get the 45C size die someday, but it has worked so well that I have no need to. It helped that both guns liked .452 lead bullets, in fact, the 200 and 220 gr 45ACP bullets work very well in the SA. Then I sold that brass chuckin' National Match and dont have to even adj. the die set anymore.....I dont mind not scroungin' in the dirt & grass anymore at all.

[MSP Ret]

Well a busy day today, my son and daughter-in-law came by with my grandaughters for a visit, stayed a couple of hours then left for thier young cousins birthday party. My son is working loooong hours so I offered to finish a boat trailer he is working on. It needed to have new bunks, a winch stand with a winch, and a front jackstand attached. He has most of the pieces and they are cut to size, just a little final fitting and bolting to be done. I went to his house and picked it up after stopping at the dump and when I returned home my wife was heading out to do MORE shopping.
Home alone!! What a perfect time to open the cellar test fire range. I grabbed a couple .45 ACP reloads and attached an O-ring to each. The first I tried was the 3/8 x 1/16. It fired and the ejector worked like an extractor, lifted the case but did not shoot it out of the chamber. The O-ring was a snug fit when closing the action but no problems at all, everything worked fine.
I then loaded up the round with the smaller O-ring on it, the 5/16 x 1/16. Everything worked as it should and when I opened the action the empty shot right out and I caught it in my hand.
No accuracy testing was done but the function testing was a success. I think I would go with the smaller O-rings so the empties eject instead of just extract but it is nice having a choice. I guess with the larger of the O-rings I would not lose any empties or O-rings.
I consider my test a 100% success for function and for an emergency it would work well. Some day I will do some accuracy testing at 25 yards....<><....

[Darreld Walton]

How about auto rim cases ? O rings can break and become hard needing replacing becoming expensive .Not sure if the idea of a pocket full was your goal but there would be alot more with thr AR than the Colt 45

Since I happen to shoot a 1917 Colt, as well as a 1911, AND a 45 Colt Ruger and Handi....I sat the cartridges side by side to confirm what I well knew.  The rim on the .45 Auto Rim is much thicker than the .45 Colt rim, and is much too thick to allow the Handi to close.  It's made thick to make up the difference between it and a .45 ACP round IN THE HALF MOON CLIP.
In fact, I tried an Auto Rim case in the ACP conversion cylinder of the Ruger, which of course, headspaces the ACP round on the mouth, and there are no ejector issues with the single action....there is no room for the Auto Rim rim in the Ruger, either, you'd have to machine the back of the cylinder off like the 1917 Colt and S&W revolvers of WW I fame.

[quasne.inc]

Would the O ring trick work with a bond arms .45/ .410 shooting .45 acp?