Thinking about a 45 Colt conversion

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mike reynolds

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I have a 1911 vintage Colt new service revolver in 455
I have trouble getting ammunition for it, the factory stuff is ridiculously priced and the projectiles that I’ve bought have all been problematic in some way
I already load for Colt 45 so I’m thinking I’d get more enjoyment out of the Colt if it were 45
Who could do this conversion for me ?
Any advice would be appreciated

Note: this is not a high condition gun , mechanically it’s tight but has very little remaining finish
So … it’s not a collector item
 
All 455 colts are collectible, regardless of finish wear. Just saying...

Of course with the turd's ban, it may now be moot.

As an aside, 455 dies are way cheaper than a conversion will cost.
 
I already have the dies lots of brass and a couple different types of bullets
Reloading hasn’t really worked out for this gun , which is why I want to change it to a more common chambering so I have more options
The cost is a concern of course, but not really …
A serious collector wouldn’t touch this gun lol , there were tens of thousands of these made over the years , they are not in short supply in this condition .
 
Claven2 said:
All 455 colts are collectible, regardless of finish wear. Just saying...

Of course with the turd's ban, it may now be moot.

As an aside, 455 dies are way cheaper than a conversion will cost.
Click to expand...

Just for interest/info...... I've sucessfully used Lee .45ACP carbide dies to load .455 for many years. Mostly using the old Dominion mfg brass head stamped .455 Colt. Shoots fine in my WWI vintage S&W Handejector in .455

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NAA.
 
NAA said:
Just for interest/info...... I've sucessfully used Lee .45ACP carbide dies to load .455 for many years. Mostly using the old Dominion mfg brass head stamped .455 Colt. Shoots fine in my WWI vintage S&W Handejector in .455

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NAA.
Click to expand...

Same here, only had to buy the shellholder. Don't know if one can be pilfered from a different caliber?
 
NAA said:
Just for interest/info...... I've sucessfully used Lee .45ACP carbide dies to load .455 for many years. Mostly using the old Dominion mfg brass head stamped .455 Colt. Shoots fine in my WWI vintage S&W Handejector in .455

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NAA.
Click to expand...
45 acp dies work well on the longer case mk1. Most of my cases I made out of 45 Colt cut down to 0.980. I use two shell holders on original cases. 45 Colt shell holder and 300 Winchester magnum shell holder. I also found that my 45 Colt sizer will work, Lee.
 
KotKotofeich said:
Same here, only had to buy the shellholder. Don't know if one can be pilfered from a different caliber?
Click to expand...

Lee #5 shell holder for .455 cases; which is same one used for the belted magnum rifle ctgs.... ie .264 Win Mag; 7mm Rem Mag; .300 Win Mag & even .303 Brit, etc.

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NAA.
 
Have you tried a hollow base bullet? Measured the groove diameter or the cylinder throats?

If you already have the components and tooling there should be some combination that will work.
 
Speaking of projectiles, have you tried jet bullets? He makes hollow based bullets, but I found that his HP bullets work best - good soft alloy makes the most difference.
 
INFORNATION; JET bullets is closed due to health, at least for now.

Are 45 SCHOIFELD brass with there thicker and larger rims close to a 455 brass? Anyone know?
 
Sorry guys I didn’t mean to start a thread and then abandon it
I’ve tried hollow base bullets currently have several hundred 262 gr these are not super accurate either
These were tight to push through the cylinder , would have to mic them again to see what they measure
I’ve tried 250 gr bullets meant for Colt 45- not very accurate
Tried some 262 gr last week which I stoked up to about maximum pressure it was actually a little more accurate than any other load I’ve used but the 113 yr old rubber grips disintegrated in my hands -
Just bought a new set from equipment exchange lol back to square one
 
Have you tried surveys of various powder charges with different powders? I load 455 for several revolvers and just about anything I made seems to shoot fairly well.

Your gun is fussy. I would try different powders, and would do a survey from the Start to the Max in each powder.
 
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