What cartridges are interchangable with .45 LC?

dlbarr · December 1, 2011, 11:31 PM

Haven't shot many firearms in recent years that are modern center fire calibers and don't know which are interchangable. I do know that a .44 special can be fired out of a .44 mag chamber, a .38 special from a .357. But what about the .45 LC? Seems alot of conversions for C&B revolvers are the .45 LC - what are the other rounds that can be fired from these chambers?

Jim Watson · December 1, 2011, 11:44 PM

The only one at all common would the .45 S&W Schofield, the same bullet and case OD, just shorter and with a somewhat larger rim for simultaneous extraction in the S&W Schofield revolver.

P.S. It isn't going to be cheaper like shooting .38 in a .357.

There is the .45 Cowboy but that is a specialty product for shooters who want the big bullet holes without the kick.

Ideal Tool · December 1, 2011, 11:49 PM

Hello, dlbarr. I happen to have a Kirst .45 long-Colt cyl. for my 1980"s era Colt re-make of the 1860 army. While I started loading with the L.C. cases, I had some .45 Schofield cases on hand & decided to try them..they proved to be more accurate than the longer cases with the light smokeless charges I was using.
Later, I ordered some .45 Cowboy Special..Adirondack Jack sells these..these are even shorter than the Schofield case..perhaps too short..while the powder seemed to burn cleaner in this little case, I think the longer bullet jump cancelled out any accuracy benifits.
The Schofield case was developed by S&W for their top-break revolver & adopted in limited quantities by the U.S. Army..A few years later, the longer .45 Colt case was dropped by the army & the Schofield was used throught the life of the Colt S.A.A. revolvers. Buffalo Arms sells this case by Starline.
You mentioned the .44Mag/.44Spec. You can also shoot the .44 Russian in these revolvers. Best of luck!

Newton24b · December 1, 2011, 11:58 PM

sadly the only historically interchangable cartridge is the 45 schofield.

there were about 30 cartridges in the 1800s using a 45 caliber bullet. all had the same range of powder charge as the 45 sw and 45 colt, rim diameter, rim thickness, and case length is all different.

not really worth moon clipping a saa or enlarging the rim hole on it so you can use more expensive ammo in it. simply handloading a 45 sw or 45 case will give you every other one of those 30 different cartridges.

Andy Griffith · December 2, 2011, 12:45 AM

One of the more versatile revolvers would be a S&W 25 or 625 in .45 Colt, that is then cut for moonclips. Once this is done, it will not only accommodate .45 Schofield, but also .45 ACP and .45 GAP with moonclips only. Any other calibers would be too hot for it and a ka-boom would result.

The gun that can accept the most .45 caliber handgun rounds is the S&W 460 when mooncliped, accepting .45 Schofield, .45 Colt, .454 Casull, and .460 S&W without moonclips, and .45 ACP, .45 GAP, .460 Rowland and .45 Win Mag with moonclips. Of course, this is one of the biggest and heaviest revolvers on the market, and may not be practical for all purposes.

Another gun that is good for several calibers simply by adding cylinders is the Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt. Add a cylinder for .45 ACP, and get one more .45 ACP cylinder and have it reamed for .45 Win Mag. A company outside Lakeland Florida even makes them for .455 Webley for single action Rugers. The disadvantage is when it comes to shorter rounds without rims since they heaspace on the case mouth instead of on the moonclips. You'd have to get another cylinder to shoot .45 GAP, even thought it's only a bit shorter than .45 ACP.

2500ak · December 2, 2011, 12:50 AM

I'm pretty sure .454 Casull (a good bear round with significant recoil) is based on the .45 LC. Pretty sure you can fire the LC in the Casull, definitely not the other way around.

You can also fire the .45 LC out of certain .410 shotgun chambers. Taurus Judge / Circuit Judge will fire those two interchangeably.

Shotgun693 · December 2, 2011, 06:55 PM

Quote:

sadly the only historically interchangable cartridge is the 45 schofield.

There was the .45 Government, a round especially made for the US Military. It had the rim of the Colt and the length of the S&W. If you stumble upon one it has collector status.

zullo74 · December 2, 2011, 07:54 PM

That round was actually called the M1887 Military Ball Cartridge.

savit260 · December 2, 2011, 08:22 PM

Wasn't there also a slightly different .45 cartridge for the model 1909 double action with a bit bigger rim?

Jim Watson · December 2, 2011, 09:03 PM

Yes. Wouldn't run in a SAA because the rims are TOO big, meant for the New Service. Unless you just load every other chamber. I bet you could trade a box of 1909 FA .45 for a case of fresh LC, that stuff is not very common.

rclark · December 5, 2011, 12:02 PM

With Ruger you can by a 'convertible' which comes with two cylinders. One to shoot the .45 Colt and the .45 Schofield. The other to shoot the .45 ACP. The .45 ACP head spaces on the case mouth so it is the only cartridge that can be used in it. Just another option.

Here is Lipsey .45 Convertible flattops built on the medium frame with custom grip panels.

December 1, 2011, 11:31 PM	#1
dlbarr Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2011 Posts: 162	What cartridges are interchangable with .45 LC? Haven't shot many firearms in recent years that are modern center fire calibers and don't know which are interchangable. I do know that a .44 special can be fired out of a .44 mag chamber, a .38 special from a .357. But what about the .45 LC? Seems alot of conversions for C&B revolvers are the .45 LC - what are the other rounds that can be fired from these chambers?

December 2, 2011, 12:45 AM	#5
Andy Griffith Senior Member Join Date: May 14, 2009 Location: Macon Co. NC Posts: 591	One of the more versatile revolvers would be a S&W 25 or 625 in .45 Colt, that is then cut for moonclips. Once this is done, it will not only accommodate .45 Schofield, but also .45 ACP and .45 GAP with moonclips only. Any other calibers would be too hot for it and a ka-boom would result. The gun that can accept the most .45 caliber handgun rounds is the S&W 460 when mooncliped, accepting .45 Schofield, .45 Colt, .454 Casull, and .460 S&W without moonclips, and .45 ACP, .45 GAP, .460 Rowland and .45 Win Mag with moonclips. Of course, this is one of the biggest and heaviest revolvers on the market, and may not be practical for all purposes. Another gun that is good for several calibers simply by adding cylinders is the Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt. Add a cylinder for .45 ACP, and get one more .45 ACP cylinder and have it reamed for .45 Win Mag. A company outside Lakeland Florida even makes them for .455 Webley for single action Rugers. The disadvantage is when it comes to shorter rounds without rims since they heaspace on the case mouth instead of on the moonclips. You'd have to get another cylinder to shoot .45 GAP, even thought it's only a bit shorter than .45 ACP. __________________ Barney Fife: "Nip it, nip it, nip it!" Andy Griffith:"Oh now Barn'...."

December 5, 2011, 12:02 PM	#11
rclark Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 2,618	With Ruger you can by a 'convertible' which comes with two cylinders. One to shoot the .45 Colt and the .45 Schofield. The other to shoot the .45 ACP. The .45 ACP head spaces on the case mouth so it is the only cartridge that can be used in it. Just another option. Here is Lipsey .45 Convertible flattops built on the medium frame with custom grip panels. __________________ A clinger and deplorable, MAGA, and life NRA member. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Single Action .45 Colt (Sometimes colloquially referred to by its alias as the .45 'Long' Colt or .45LC). Don't leave home without it. That said, the .44Spec is right up their too... but the .45 Colt is still the king.

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December 1, 2011, 11:44 PM	#2
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,528	The only one at all common would the .45 S&W Schofield, the same bullet and case OD, just shorter and with a somewhat larger rim for simultaneous extraction in the S&W Schofield revolver. P.S. It isn't going to be cheaper like shooting .38 in a .357. There is the .45 Cowboy but that is a specialty product for shooters who want the big bullet holes without the kick.

December 1, 2011, 11:49 PM	#3
Ideal Tool Junior member Join Date: October 6, 2010 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,080	Hello, dlbarr. I happen to have a Kirst .45 long-Colt cyl. for my 1980"s era Colt re-make of the 1860 army. While I started loading with the L.C. cases, I had some .45 Schofield cases on hand & decided to try them..they proved to be more accurate than the longer cases with the light smokeless charges I was using. Later, I ordered some .45 Cowboy Special..Adirondack Jack sells these..these are even shorter than the Schofield case..perhaps too short..while the powder seemed to burn cleaner in this little case, I think the longer bullet jump cancelled out any accuracy benifits. The Schofield case was developed by S&W for their top-break revolver & adopted in limited quantities by the U.S. Army..A few years later, the longer .45 Colt case was dropped by the army & the Schofield was used throught the life of the Colt S.A.A. revolvers. Buffalo Arms sells this case by Starline. You mentioned the .44Mag/.44Spec. You can also shoot the .44 Russian in these revolvers. Best of luck!

December 1, 2011, 11:58 PM	#4
Newton24b Junior member Join Date: February 10, 2009 Posts: 974	sadly the only historically interchangable cartridge is the 45 schofield. there were about 30 cartridges in the 1800s using a 45 caliber bullet. all had the same range of powder charge as the 45 sw and 45 colt, rim diameter, rim thickness, and case length is all different. not really worth moon clipping a saa or enlarging the rim hole on it so you can use more expensive ammo in it. simply handloading a 45 sw or 45 case will give you every other one of those 30 different cartridges.

December 2, 2011, 12:50 AM	#6
2500ak Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2010 Posts: 132	I'm pretty sure .454 Casull (a good bear round with significant recoil) is based on the .45 LC. Pretty sure you can fire the LC in the Casull, definitely not the other way around. You can also fire the .45 LC out of certain .410 shotgun chambers. Taurus Judge / Circuit Judge will fire those two interchangeably.

December 2, 2011, 07:54 PM	#8
zullo74 Junior member Join Date: August 8, 2009 Posts: 374	That round was actually called the M1887 Military Ball Cartridge.

December 2, 2011, 08:22 PM	#9
savit260 Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2006 Posts: 702	Wasn't there also a slightly different .45 cartridge for the model 1909 double action with a bit bigger rim?

December 2, 2011, 09:03 PM	#10
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,528	Yes. Wouldn't run in a SAA because the rims are TOO big, meant for the New Service. Unless you just load every other chamber. I bet you could trade a box of 1909 FA .45 for a case of fresh LC, that stuff is not very common.