.45 ACP Lever Action

[dverna]

I may be late to the party, but I just saw one of the SASS gunsmiths (Cody Conagher) is offering a .45 ACP conversion for the 1873 clones.

Kind of interesting but the cost is almost $600. I have no information on the number of rounds it holds.

The .45 LC bore is typically .454 and larger than the ACP, so I am not sure if he replaces the barrel or you just run cast bullets sized to suit. The ad says you can run the same ammo in the rifle as your 1911 so maybe the barrel is changed?

Not my cup of tea but it may of interest to others. Got rid of my .45 LC guns but still have a couple of Kimbers in .45 ACP. Went with .357 for my pistol and carbine duo.

[Outpost75]

The cost is quite reasonable and appropriate for the gunsmithing work required, if done correctly.

Modern .45 Colt leverguns I have slugged all have .450-.452 groove diameters and work fine in .45 ACP.

I have a Marlin 1894 Cowboy II which John Taylor converted to .45 ACP for me some years ago and I've been very happy with it. I also have a single-shot H&R break-open rifle on the tiny pre-WW1 .44 shotgun frame which John did for me which shoots either .45 ACP, .45 Cowboy Special, .455 Webley or .44 Game Getter shot rounds all from the same barrel.

215557215558

[ReloaderFred]

The Uberti Model 73's come with a .452" diameter bore, so the barrel doesn't require changing for that, but he's probably removing the barrel and setting it back enough so it can be rechambered to .45 acp, rather than .45 Colt. That involves some labor, so you'll be paying for that, since time is the only commodity you can't buy back. The lifter would also have to be changed, and the timing set, but it's entirely doable. All it takes is money.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Texas by God]

To each his own; but wouldn't .45 Schofield brass accomplish the same thing? What am I missing?

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[bikerbeans]

45 acp would increase the magazine capacity and be cheaper to shoot than 45 colt or schofield, if you buy factory ammo.

BB

[Texas by God]

If it's for CAS, aren't you limited to "period" cartridges with lead bullets? I don't care personally and a .45acp carbine/rifle would be fun- I just had these questions.

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[square butte]

I looked at a video demonstration of this gun on Cody's website. He designed it so it will not run on ball ammo - To avoid a detonation in the magazine. It looks like it will only run with flat nose ammo. Probably going to have to reload your ammo for this - which is OK

[Outpost75]

I looked at a video demonstration of this gun on Cody's website. He designed it so it will not run on ball ammo - To avoid a detonation in the magazine...have to reload your ammo for this - which is OK

I saw this happen with Federal commercial match hardball in a converted Winchester '92 back in the 1970s. Real USGI hardball has harder primers, but Cody is absolutely right. While I occasionally shoot hardball in mine for academic velocity testing purposes, I only do so as a "two-shooter" loading one round up the pipe, and putting only one round at a time in the magazine tube, replacing the second shot each time I fire one and work the lever.

John Taylor set up my lifter so that it would feed rounds as short as 1.20" and up to 1.40" which gives flexibility in using lighter or heavier than standard bullets. My usual load is the Accurate 45-240H1 which I also use in the .45 ACP Ruger convertibles. The longer nose and reduced seating depth gives adequate powder capacity to load a heavy charge of Alliant #2400 to reach full .45 Colt velocity, 1000 fps in revolver and 1200 fps rifle, but the resulting round is too long to fit into M1911 pistol magazines, as a safety feature

[ReloaderFred]

If it's for CAS, aren't you limited to "period" cartridges with lead bullets? I don't care personally and a .45acp carbine/rifle would be fun- I just had these questions.

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It wouldn't be legal for SASS matches, so it's probably meant more for the casual shooter who would like a levergun to go with their .45 acp sidearm.

The reason for cast bullets and slower velocity in SASS is due to shooting steel targets at relatively close range. This reduces splashback and is easier on the targets.

SASS is meant to be fun, period. It's not intended to be training for anything, which is one of the complaints of the some of the other venue shooters. One of the founders of SASS, Boyd Davis, was a close personal friend until his passing in November, 2014. I can't count the times he told me, and everyone else, that that the goal of SASS was so people could have fun.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[FergusonTO35]

I think a lever action 9mm or .40 S&W would the bomb dot com. Endless buffet of free range brass, .357 level performance or even better out of the carbine barrel, high capacity, what's not to like? It would be another option for the poor serfs in NY and CA.

[mcdaniel.mac]

I think a lever action 9mm or .40 S&W would the bomb dot com. Endless buffet of free range brass, .357 level performance or even better out of the carbine barrel, high capacity, what's not to like? It would be another option for the poor serfs in NY and CA.Ranger Point Precision will do such a conversion on a Marlin 1894 action.

[kaiser]

I tried the .45 Schofield cartidges in my Uberti 1873 Short Rifle and they wouldn't feed. I had a pretty awful "jam" to deal with! Other than ammo "commonality", what real advantages do you get with the .45acp? In a 1873 "toggle link" you'd probably be "bumping up" against the max pressures recommended for the type action. Just some random thoughts; for I do have a "conversion" cylinder for a pistol that work extremely well in a Colt clone.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

You could get away with loading many of the factory wide mouth hollow points in a tube fed lever gun.

[dverna]

If it's for CAS, aren't you limited to "period" cartridges with lead bullets? I don't care personally and a .45acp carbine/rifle would be fun- I just had these questions.

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I think it was for Wild Bunch competition where they are allowed to use 1911’s.

[John Taylor]

The 73s that I have seen converted had the front of the carrier cut at an angle. Every time you worked the lever it would push the cartridges forward in the mag tube, which causes a little more drag on the carrier. The 73 is designed to have the ammo close to the same length as the carrier. If the ammo is to short the front edge of the carrier has to be modified so it's not trying to lift 1&1/2 cartridges at a time which would jam the action. Same reason the 94 Marlin has to have the carrier timing altered.

[Bigslug]

I think it was for Wild Bunch competition where they are allowed to use 1911’s.

As an aside to this topic, it's possible to use a 1911 magazine as something of a speedloader for the loading gate of a .45 ACP-converted single action wheelgun. Might be an added bonus to this lever gun conversion.

[Ecramer]

At a gun show in Missouri many years ago, I saw a 92 Winchester in .45 ACP that had been made that way at the factory for some police force in South America (Uruguay is whats in my memory, but this has been sometime in the 1980s and that could be wrong). I thought it was pretty slick. If you had a pair of the Ruger convertibles in 45 Colt/.45 ACP it would be a slick setup for CAS.

[nagantguy]

I'd be Interested in such a carbine, just because it would be cool and an nice companion for my walking around commander.

[Pioneer2]

7.62x25 would be better.

[John Taylor]

At a gun show in Missouri many years ago, I saw a 92 Winchester in .45 ACP that had been made that way at the factory for some police force in South America (Uruguay is whats in my memory, but this has been sometime in the 1980s and that could be wrong). I thought it was pretty slick. If you had a pair of the Ruger convertibles in 45 Colt/.45 ACP it would be a slick setup for CAS.

That would be a fun trick, the loading gate is to far back on a 92. You would need a stick to shove the last round in far enough to keep it from trying to lift two at a time on the carrier. If it was from the factory they may have made a custom frame with the loading gate forward more. I have done quite a few Marlins to 45 ACP and only tried once with the 92 and had everything working until I discovered the loading gate problem.

[bob208]

they made 92 copies in south America they were called el tigre.

[W.R.Buchanan]

At SHOT a few years ago I asked Wild West Guns if they could do a Marlin in 45ACP.

The young guy said it was impossible, and couldn't be made to work right..

I wanted to tell him he was an idiot, but kept that to myself. I since have no use to that outfit.

I think they would sell everyone they could make.

Randy

[MyFlatline]

Ranger Point Precision will do such a conversion on a Marlin 1894 action.

Adam is top notch, yep...