KCSO
12-23-2013, 03:40 PM
I am asked constantly why it is that Marlin, Winchester ect never made a levergun in 45 Colt Caliber. I have read several explanations for this including Paco kellys thesis that Colt would not license the cartridge for anyone else. None of these stand up in my mind. If for example Colt didn't want to license the ctg for other users, why did they use Winchester's 44-40 for their rifles, both Burgess and Lightning? And if there were a beneift to the 45 Colt as a rifle round surely we would have had a 45 Marlin, or a 45 Smith and Wesson long, same as the 44-40 Marlin.
I am afraid the answer lies in the cartridge itself as made prior to 1900...
All the early 45 Colt rounds I have on hand made prior to 1900 including, Peters, WTC, Winchester, Remington and US Army are ballon headed narror rimmed cases with a groove ahead of the rim ranging from shallow and narro to almost non existant. Mdern 45 Colt rounds have a very deep groove ranging from 28 to 32 thousnads deeper and 10 to 15 thousnads wider that the baloon headed cases. Using Baloon headed cases in several different guns ranging from Rossi to Marlin and Taurus. The older cases all at one time or another will fail to extract as the extractor slips over the rim. This doesn,t happen with modern cases as there is a much deeper wider extractor groove.
The second problem/ dilemma with the 45 Colt as a lever gun round is case shape. There is no denying that a cone shaped ctg sliding into a cone shaped chamber feeds much better that a cylinder going into another cylinder. This is why most all of the 45 colt rifles either leak at low pressure or exhibit bulged cases. You have to have a sloppy chamber to permit proper feeding. I have yet to cast a 45 rifle chamber that isn't larger than the corresponding chamber on a revolver. Yes even the vaunted Marlin Cowboy chamber is looser than a revolver. Actuall the best platform for the 45 Colt in a lever gun is the 73 with it's almost straight line feeding.
Poblem 3 is that there was no ballistic advantage of the 45 Colt over the 44-40. The heavier bullet of the Colt was more than offset by the higher velocity of the 44-40. A average 1880's period 44-40 round chronographs at 1350 fps from a 20" rifle barrel and the Colt 45 will run 1150. This is with period ammunition in a modern gun.
In 1880 if you wanted a 45 round for your levergun you just picked the 45-60 and got an advantage over the 44-40. And you had a longer case that was tapered enough to feed and seal well and you got the extra knock down power. The 45 Colt just wasn't needed or wanted as a rifle round. The miltiary neither needed or wanted rapid fire and interchangable pistol rifle ammo and the Cowboy who wanted this simply bought the 44-40 in his choice of platforms.
None of this is meant to knock the MODERN 45 Colt as a rifle round as with smokless powder the old Colt can creep quite close to the B/P 45-70 in power. If you can stand a little case bulging and occasional sooty case it's a darn fine cowboy shooting round too.
I am afraid the answer lies in the cartridge itself as made prior to 1900...
All the early 45 Colt rounds I have on hand made prior to 1900 including, Peters, WTC, Winchester, Remington and US Army are ballon headed narror rimmed cases with a groove ahead of the rim ranging from shallow and narro to almost non existant. Mdern 45 Colt rounds have a very deep groove ranging from 28 to 32 thousnads deeper and 10 to 15 thousnads wider that the baloon headed cases. Using Baloon headed cases in several different guns ranging from Rossi to Marlin and Taurus. The older cases all at one time or another will fail to extract as the extractor slips over the rim. This doesn,t happen with modern cases as there is a much deeper wider extractor groove.
The second problem/ dilemma with the 45 Colt as a lever gun round is case shape. There is no denying that a cone shaped ctg sliding into a cone shaped chamber feeds much better that a cylinder going into another cylinder. This is why most all of the 45 colt rifles either leak at low pressure or exhibit bulged cases. You have to have a sloppy chamber to permit proper feeding. I have yet to cast a 45 rifle chamber that isn't larger than the corresponding chamber on a revolver. Yes even the vaunted Marlin Cowboy chamber is looser than a revolver. Actuall the best platform for the 45 Colt in a lever gun is the 73 with it's almost straight line feeding.
Poblem 3 is that there was no ballistic advantage of the 45 Colt over the 44-40. The heavier bullet of the Colt was more than offset by the higher velocity of the 44-40. A average 1880's period 44-40 round chronographs at 1350 fps from a 20" rifle barrel and the Colt 45 will run 1150. This is with period ammunition in a modern gun.
In 1880 if you wanted a 45 round for your levergun you just picked the 45-60 and got an advantage over the 44-40. And you had a longer case that was tapered enough to feed and seal well and you got the extra knock down power. The 45 Colt just wasn't needed or wanted as a rifle round. The miltiary neither needed or wanted rapid fire and interchangable pistol rifle ammo and the Cowboy who wanted this simply bought the 44-40 in his choice of platforms.
None of this is meant to knock the MODERN 45 Colt as a rifle round as with smokless powder the old Colt can creep quite close to the B/P 45-70 in power. If you can stand a little case bulging and occasional sooty case it's a darn fine cowboy shooting round too.