Drool bait Antique class Colt SAA

[trevj]

http://www.antiqueguns.com/auction/item.cgi?cwlopi/cwlopi-1239

As I understand the regs, this is not a firearm, as it was marked at the factory as 450 Ely, though it will chamber 45LC.

Is that pretty much correct?

Kinda makes me wish I had the change on hand to bid...

Cheers
Trev

 

[GrantR]

Very nice looking revolver, albeit re-finished ... Of course you couldn't hope to get an original of that age in that condition for anything like the current high bid, if it hadn't been re-finished ...

If this revolver has in fact been re-chambered for .45 Colt, then unfortunately it wouln't meet the definition of an "antique" handgun:

... manufactured before 1898 that can discharge centre-fire cartridges, other than a handgun designed or adapted to discharge 32 Short Colt, 32 Long Colt, 32 Smith and Wesson, 32 Smith and Wesson Long, 32-20 Winchester, 38 Smith and Wesson, 38 Short Colt, 38 Long Colt, 38-40 Winchester, 44-40 Winchester, or 45 Colt cartridges

(Emphasis added ....)

 

[trevj]

Yeah. Caught that just after I posted the link.

Sure is a pretty piece.

How different are the chamber dimensions between the Ely and the LC .45, I wonder?

<sigh>

Not in this lifetime. Not without a lottery win.

I should buy tickets sometime....

Cheers
Trev

 

[dingus]

Some of the British Antique revolvers marked 455/476 caliber with long cylinders like Pryses and WG webleys will chamber the 45 colt
BUT the Rim on the 45 Colt is Thicker than the 455 by about .0015 tho
So the 45 colt cases rims are to Fat to cycle in them guns.

Some WGs Webley 455/476 chamber the thicker colt case no problem.
Because the guns were never chambered in 45 colt and there 455/476 BUT 45 colt just happen to fit, There still Perscribed Antiques.

Like my Rigby pryse it is 455/476 but 45 colts fit in the gun,
Its a perscribed Antique. and one of the best Antique shooters i have still shoots 1 inch groups at 25 yds

Click on picture to enlarge

 

[fat tony]

Dingus, I hope you hugged that revolver today lol ,regards FT.

 

[GrantR]

How different are the chamber dimensions between the Ely and the LC .45, I wonder?

They are essentially the same bore/bullet diameter ... .454" originally for the .45 Colt and .455" for the .450 (... in fact, despite differing nomenclature all of the British service revolver cartridges were .455", until adoption of the .380") ... but the length dimensions are very much different, I'm afraid. To the best of my knowledge, ".450 Ely Short" was simply that manufacturer's commercial name for the .450 Adams service cartridge (also called ".450 Revolver") -

Here is a scan from The Webley Story, of one of a series of diagrams comparing the various British military service pistol cartridges -

Note that the MkI and MkII Adams cases (the upper two) had the same dimensions (differing only slightly in the base configuration) with a maximum OAL of 0.693". The .45 Colt case, on the other hand is significantly longer ... nearly twice as long, in fact -

The specified powder charge for the British .450 cartridge was 13 grains black powder, compared to 40 grains for the .45 Colt! The cylinder on the SAA was designed to accomodate the .45 Colt, of course, so this particular revolver originally would have had quite short chambers bored, leaving rather long leades into the barrel ....