45 Cowboy Spl Brass vs 45 ACP Cylinder

[SHOOTIN FOX]

The Barnstormer bullet was also developed by Adirondike Jack. He sold the mold and rights to me to continue production.

I still have a full time job so production is slow right now, but improving.

.452,;hollow base, truncated cone, 130 grain bullet. Made for the 45cs case. 
If anyone is interested send me a PM.

This was a cull after powder coating. Just as an example.

 

Fox

Edited July 15 by SHOOTIN FOX

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

I are tickled pink to learn Shootin' Fox is still in the Barnstormer business.  If you're looking for more fun and less recoil in .45 pistols, look no farther.  The Barnstormer is absolutely PERFECT.

 

And when combined with the Cowboy 45 Special cartridge, it's even more "Special."

[Idaho Gunslinger]

1 hour ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

I are tickled pink to learn Shootin' Fox is still in the Barnstormer business.  If you're looking for more fun and less recoil in .45 pistols, look no farther.  The Barnstormer is absolutely PERFECT.

 

And when combined with the Cowboy 45 Special cartridge, it's even more "Special."

I've been buying Barnstormers from him for a good 3 years now. 

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

I have decided sence I already load 45 acp .

All I have to do is buy a 45 acp cylinder and already set to load and shoot .

If I go Cowboy 45 special. 

I have to buy brass .

I have to buy Dies .

To load them .

So I think I'm just going to buy a 45 ACP Cylinder and call it done .

Rooster 

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Aw cummon guys.  We gotta get this thread to at least THREE pages.  Let us get busy al ready!!  

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

I'm surprised it's still going.

I must not be the only one thinking about it .

When I ordered 45 cylinders for my Dragoon's .

I got one 45 Colt and One 45 ACP .

I called them and asked how I got a 45 acp cylinder ?

It was a mistake and I just had to send it back and they sent me the 45 Colt cylinder. 

After the fact , I thought maybe I should have got two 45 acp cylinders instead. 

But that seemed kinda silly to me in Colt Dragoon's  

[Three Foot Johnson]

Three pages? OK, here goes... a .45 acp cylinder is great to put your small primer brass to good use instead of tossing them.

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

I bought 1K .45 Cowboy Specials and loaded with Titegroup, under a 200 gr. LRNFPBB and I'm saving my .45 Colt loaded with TB or Clays for my rifle.

I have found the .45 Cowboy Specials leave a rim inside my SAA's and after shooting a few hundred, a .45 Colt will not go all the way in.

Using the standard ,45 Colt size shell holder, I deprime/resize using my regular .45 Colt RCBS die, bell the cases with a .45 ACP die and use a .45 ACP seating/crimp die to complete the load.

They all work great. 

Edited July 20 by Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474
Clarifications

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

2 hours ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

I bought 1K .45 Cowboy Specials and loaded with Titegroup, under a 200 gr. LRNFPBB and I'm saving my .45 Colt loaded with TB or Clays for my rifle.

I have found the .45 Cowboy Specials leave a rim inside my SAA's and after shooting a few hundred, a .45 Colt will not go all the way in.

I deprime/resize using my regular RCBS die, bell the cases with a .45 ACP die and use a .45 ACP seating/crimp die to complete the load.

They all work great. 

I did kìda think if that was the way I was going to go.

That the 45acp dies with a different shell holder, Might work for the 45 Cowboy Spl. 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Does anybody but me ever pronounce .45 ACP, "forty five ackip?"

Just trying to keep the thread going and change gears in an odd way again.


All that being said, I'd love to have a Sheriff's model Colt in .45 ACP.  

 

Why?

 

Why not?

[Texas Jack Black]

4 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

Does anybody but me ever pronounce .45 ACP, "forty five ackip?"

Just trying to keep the thread going and change gears in an odd way again.


All that being said, I'd love to have a Sheriff's model Colt in .45 ACP.  

 

Why?

 

Why not?

What you using for powder?

[SHOOTIN FOX]

45cs uses 45 acp dies and 45 colt shell holder.

[Griff]

I don't know about them "ferin" guns, but...  my Colt auto loading pistols say, "45 Auto" on the barrel as viewed thru the ejection port. 

Even my brass sez "45 Auto"...

Is yours different?

 

{Doin' my bit to get 'er to 3 pages)!

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

I gotta argue a little bit here.  45 ACP dies "will" work with C45S cases, but not optimally.  Best to resize C45S with 45 Colt resizing die as an ACP die imparts a slight taper to the case.  I also don't like the ACP Taper Crimp.  I much prefer a solid roll crimp ala the Redding Profile Crimp die.  DISCLAIMER:  I also shoot C45S in rifles and a solid Roll Crimp prevents "Turtles."   

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

10 hours ago, Texas Jack Black said:

What you using for powder?

Unique 

[Lucky R. K.]

14 hours ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

I gotta argue a little bit here.  45 ACP dies "will" work with C45S cases, but not optimally.  Best to resize C45S with 45 Colt resizing die as an ACP die imparts a slight taper to the case.  I also don't like the ACP Taper Crimp.  I much prefer a solid roll crimp ala the Redding Profile Crimp die.  DISCLAIMER:  I also shoot C45S in rifles and a solid Roll Crimp prevents "Turtles."   

I agree with the Maker Of Coffins here except that I like to use the 45 Auto Rim crimping die.

Lucky 

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

OOPSIES!!

 

Full disclosure here.  I error'd.  Lucky R.K.  Stirred my Gnat like memory and I hadda go look.  Lucky is actually using same same crimp die as I are.  My preferred and recommended crimp die is the Redding AUTO RIM Profile Crimp Die.  A most excellent crimp it is too.

 

Thanks Lucky.  I had forgotten the most important "AR" part of my crimp die.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

30 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

OOPSIES!!

 

Full disclosure here.  I error'd.  Lucky R.K.  Stirred my Gnat like memory and I hadda go look.  Lucky is actually using same same crimp die as I are.  My preferred and recommended crimp die is the Redding AUTO RIM Profile Crimp Die.  A most excellent crimp it is too.

 

Thanks Lucky.  I had forgotten the most important "AR" part of my crimp die.

What about the Lee Factory Crimp Die ?

I have had good luck using it .

Especially on the 44 WCF cartridge .

[Griff]

40 minutes ago, Lucky R. K. said:

I agree with the Maker Of Coffins here except that I like to use the 45 Auto Rim crimping die.

Lucky 

While not terribly descriptive, most 45Auto/AR/Gap reloading die sets come with a taper crimp/seating die.  The only one making a dedicated ROLL CRIMP die for the 45Auto/AR/GAP is RCBS, as a stand alone product... no available in any set.  part nbr: 18942.  Neither the Lee Factory Crimp Die nor the Redding Profile Crimp Die are described very well in the literature I could find.  But, as seen here, the Lee FCD for the 45 Auto is still a taper crimp die.

 

Whereas the RCBS Roll Crimp Die imparts a much more dramatic crimp to the C45S:

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Having .45 Colt and .45 ACP cylinders and ammo sounds like a good plan until you arrive at a match with the wrong cylinders in the gun or the wrong ammo.  KISS

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

The Redding AR crimp die I have imparts a nice Roll Crimp.

 

I don't know if the Lee Factory Crimp die will reach a C45S case.

Edited July 21 by Colorado Coffinmaker
Add a thought/question

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

What weight bullet have you guys tride to run in the 45 Special  ? 

[Cholla]

160 grain. Lee or custom molds for me.

[Red Eye Jim]

On 7/20/2024 at 4:47 PM, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

I gotta argue a little bit here.  45 ACP dies "will" work with C45S cases, but not optimally.  Best to resize C45S with 45 Colt resizing die as an ACP die imparts a slight taper to the case.  I also don't like the ACP Taper Crimp.  I much prefer a solid roll crimp ala the Redding Profile Crimp die.  DISCLAIMER:  I also shoot C45S in rifles and a solid Roll Crimp prevents "Turtles."   

 

I never really thought about it because I usually de-prime my brass before cleaning using the Dillion de-priming and sizing die, then load the C45S after the 45 Colt by just changing out the head on 550 for to the one I use for 45ACP (if there was wild bunch that week) and since it's all de-primed I don't put the case in that first position until it's time to press in the primer then advance.  Then load the 45ACP after changing the plate.  

[Lucky R. K.]

17 hours ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

The Redding AR crimp die I have imparts a nice Roll Crimp.

 

I don't know if the Lee Factory Crimp die will reach a C45S case.

Mine does also Mr. Maker. I have the Lee Factory Crimp die also and it gives a good crimp on the C45S case if you remove enough metal off base, so the case mouth reaches the crimping portion of the die.

Lucky 

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

Hi Ya again Rooster

 

I've run 160Gr RNFP from Meister Bullets, 165Gr from somebody else (I forget) and 180Gr RNFP from Badman bullets, both coated and plain and 180Gr RNFP from Missouri Bulet Co.   Of course, I also mostly now shoot the Barnstormer 130Gr.  My propellent of choice is APP 3F.

 

LUCKY - Yep.  I pretty much thought the Lee FCD would have to be modified for use with the C45S

[Warden Callaway]

I've tried the Lee FCD on several cases and on different presses. Cut one back and opened up fingers, still no good. Bought RCBS roll crimp die for 45 Auto Rim to crimp my C45S.  Works. 

 

[Griff]

12 hours ago, Rooster Ron Wayne said:

What weight bullet have you guys tride to run in the 45 Special  ? 

For cowboy in the handguns, I run a 160 grain RFN from Badman and in the rifle a 200 grain.  For Wild Bunch in the Marlin 1894 I did the WidderMajik conversion on, I run a 200 grain from any of the makers that are using a Magma mold, or if I feel like casting my own, from a 6 cavity Lee 200 RFN mold.  

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

Thanks for all the help and useful information. 

Rooster 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

On 7/20/2024 at 10:26 AM, Texas Jack Black said:

What you using for powder?

 

I used to use Trailboss for .45 ACP.  (And practically everything else.)    My Dad used Red Dot, and I have his notes, so I'll give that a try.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

On 7/21/2024 at 1:48 PM, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

Having .45 Colt and .45 ACP cylinders and ammo sounds like a good plan until you arrive at a match with the wrong cylinders in the gun or the wrong ammo.  KISS

 

With my Colt Sheriff's models, which came with dual cylinders from the factory, they are labeled .44-40 and .44 Special quite clearly on the side of the cylinder.   That being said, Larsen makes a very valid point.  

 

When I got a .44-40 cylinder for my Buntline .44 Special, I specifically got one in stainless with an unfluted cylinder to be a clear contrast from the nickel fluted on in the factory .44 Special chambering.  

IF I ever get .45 ACP cylinders for any of my .45's, I'll either get them nickeled if the gun is blue, or unfluted or something else to give me an obvious visual cue.

With the Sheriff's models, since one is blued the other nickeled, I considered going matching is Special, unmatched is .44-40, but it seems that slight variations in the SAA sometimes require a cylinder to be fitted to the frame it goes in, and since both work in the guns they came with but did not fit in the other, I didn't wanna mess with them.   Those I just have to pay attention to.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

I'm surprised how much interest we have on this topic. 

I guess we all are looking to expand or collection with out having to purchase another firearm. 

The cost of a new revolver these days is 500 and up .

We can add another cylinder and a different cartridge for only a couple hundred or so .

Rooster 

[slow poke gear]

18 hours ago, Rooster Ron Wayne said:

What weight bullet have you guys tride to run in the 45 Special  ? 

I started off with 180s but after trying 160s I could feel a lot less recoil with the 160s.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

53 minutes ago, Rooster Ron Wayne said:

I'm surprised how much interest we have on this topic. 

I guess we all are looking to expand or collection with out having to purchase another firearm. 

The cost of a new revolver these days is 500 and up .

We can add another cylinder and a different cartridge for only a couple hundred or so .

Rooster 

Yeah sure, but if you just buy the new revolver then you don't have to mess with all that time-consuming cylinder swapping back and forth. 

[SHOOTIN FOX]

.452, 130 gr Barnstormers.