45 ACP Revolver

[Uncle Grinch]

Having previously owned a Charter Arms 44 Special revolver and a 1917 S&W 45 ACP revolver, I am beginning to feel the need for another in 45 ACP. I think something in a 4 inch or less is what I want. When searching online the Charter Arms seems to be the only budget price one out there. Any experience with these? Or is there another one I should look at?

[Tall]

Are you limited to new only? If not there are many options that are very superior to anything made by Charter Arms. Look at Gunbroker and Guns International. There are some superb Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers in that caliber.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Here's a couple of photos for you. I guess everyone's likes, dislikes, and abilities are different, which is why we share info on the forum. I went through the 1917 revolvers, Colt and Smith, and the only one I ever really liked I still have. It was cut down from a Smith and given an action job and a special front sight. Shoots extremely well, quite reliable. The other is an S&W Mountain Gun for which I'd give exactly the same review, except that being in stainless and having an adjustable rear sight is a big plus. I don't know if they make them any more, or just the more standard 625, but easy to look into. One other thought, depending on what your likes and needs are, you could go with a Uberti 1873 with a .45 ACP cylinder, or even search for a Ruger Blackhawk in that caliber. I own such a Uberti, and like it very much (but seldom shoot it) and keep the .45 Colt cylinder in it. Years ago I owned a convertable .45 ACP/.45 Colt Blackhawk, but over the years it escaped from my accumulation.

DG

[Uncle Grinch]

No… not limited to new. Matter of fact, most of my gun purchases are used either online or more so, locally. I also want to keep the cost down below $600, if possible.

[Uncle Grinch]

Thanks DG. I already have a Ruger BH in 45 Colt/45 ACP, but it has the long barrel (7.5” I think). Really looking for a DA revolver.

[The Kid]

I once owned a 3” S&W 625-3. It was incredibly accurate and a lot of fun to shoot. For some reason I traded it off and always regretted it.

I redeemed myself about 3 years ago when I bought a 5” 625-2 to replace it. I don’t ever see myself getting rid of this one. It’s very accurate and has a great trigger both double and single action. I got a good deal on it because the previous owner had it drilled and tapped. It was well done and the holes are covered by the rear sight.

Having handled a sampling of the Charter and Taurus offerings I would strongly recommend holding out and saving your money for a S&W.

[Nueces]

I have a new Charter 45 ACP Pit Bull, as yet unfired, but well handled. I also have several other late model Charters and I see that Charter has much upped their gun making game. Good guns.

The Pit Bull has a neat system for retaining ACP cases in the chambers, which makes moon clips unnecessary (unusable, in fact), yet loading is easy. The rounds are retained even if the revolver is upended with cylinder swung open.

I also had planned a cut down Smith 1917, but much prefer this stainless snubby.

[StrawHat]

I am not familiar with the Charter Arms revolver. I am very familiar with the S&W ACP revolver. They are the ultimate, in my opinion. The were born just prior to the US getting into WWI and have stayed in the lineup until just recently. To my mind, they are the standard to which others are compared. If someone says the ??? brand is “as good” as S&W, buy the real thing.

Here is an image of a few of my 4” ACP revolvers,



At some point, they have all been carried but I much prefer the fixed sighted revolvers for carry.

The Model 22-4 and the Model 625-6 Mountain Gun are suitable to handle the 45 Super.

Kevin

[Barman54]

I Bought from a Friend Years ago, a S&W Mdl 25-2, .45 Auto Rim/.45 ACP w/ or W/O MoonClips, was Converted By Clark Custom
It has a Real Short Barrel
Kinda like a .38 Special, but in .45 AR/.45ACP.

Barman54
Out

[upr45]

I bought a Blackhawk 5.5" convertible .45 a few years ago. Had the 45 colt cylinder in, which i used mild cast loads in. I put the 45acp cylinder in and havent taken it out.
They arent quite a budgetary item now, however the dual cylinder is less $ than 2 complete pistols.

[david s]

S&W model of 1989 with the 4-inch under lug barrel is worth a look. These have been offered with 3-4- and 5-inch barrels. And the S&W Mountain Guns were offered with the slim 4-inch barrel similar to the 45 Colt Mountain gun in the picture this ones a real find in 45 ACP.

[TNsailorman]

I too like the fixed sighted revolvers for defense and close range shooting. This is my close up and personal stopper. A S&W Model 22-4 in .45ACP with a 4 inch barrel. I love it and it will be with until I cross over Jordan.

.

[georgerkahn]

Having previously owned a Charter Arms 44 Special revolver and a 1917 S&W 45 ACP revolver, I am beginning to feel the need for another in 45 ACP. I think something in a 4 inch or less is what I want. When searching online the Charter Arms seems to be the only budget price one out there. Any experience with these? Or is there another one I should look at?

A dear friend passed, and from his widow I purchased what has become my favourite revolver: a Ruger Model 5241 .45 Colt/.45ACP Bearcat Flattop ss 5.5” barrel, Cat # KNV8-455X; which was made in 2012. The photo is a stock one from Ruger -- the revolver I purchased has (imitation) stag grips, and to say it is most pleasing to the eye would be definitely an understatement. The sights enable most accurate shooting. And, it comes with a spare cylinder for shooting .45 Colt. Kind of ironical, as my intent in purchase was for the .45 Colt shooting, but I put in the .45ACP cylinder and it has not come out! In my neck of the woods .45acp has been "updated" by shooters with other calibres, so .45acp cases are plentiful and inexpensive. The bullets are so easy to cast/lub/size, too.
I -- if looking for a .45acp revolver -- would see no need to look further than this model.
geo

[Good Cheer]

If what you're after is specifically the spectrum of utility that the Charter Arms revolver supplies then by all means, yeah go for it. I have one in .41 Magnum as my alternative to getting the .45. It is the consummate piece for my particular needs for the tasks intended though the .45 could have served just as well.

Be advised, what I received is precisely to SAMMI tolerances. No slop. Wouldn't be surprised if the same was found to be true with the .45ACP. That would of course be a plus for a rimless case. In the .41 Mag it means you can't load it with fat boolits like you mite for a Ruger.

On a side note, the length of the cylinder is a little less than what you could find from other manufacturers because after all, they're making a small revolver by intent. By example in mine the Lyman #410426 is too long to load like what works for a Ruger, not that it should impact mold choices for a .45ACP.

If you get it and can post results, please do. Would like to hear how it works out.

Expansion tests show the short barrel with a mid range load will do just fine.
Note the reduced diameter of the forward section to function in the Charter's chamber.

[oldhenry]

An interesting thread for me as I have two .45 ACP revolvers: they, like the .44 spec. are a well kept secret.

My 1st. was a Ruger 7.5" BH convertible: it shoots more ACPs than .45 Colts & better since DougGuy honed all cylinders to the same size.

The second is a semi-custom that I lucked into via the old Gun List (or was it Shotgun News?). I was looking for a replacement for a S&W 25-5 4" that was stolen when I stumbled into this jewel. It started out life as a 25-2. The original bbl. was replaced with a 4" 1955. It was magna-ported & a separate cylinder/yoke assy. was fitted in .45 Colt. I don't know who did the work, but he was/is an artist. This was in either '89 or '90 & I paid $450.00: a good price then & a steal now.

I have no personal experience with the Charter Arms current offering, but a close buddy has a .44 spec Bull Dog that is a good gun.

Here s a photo of the 25-2 custom.

[gwpercle]

Taurus made a model 455 for a few years , I bought mine in 2005 .
5 shot , 45 acp , snub nosed , 2" ported barrel , fixed sights , staimless steel .
Think J-frame on steroids in 45 acp .
I own a Colt Gold Cup and AMT Hardballer ... the 455 is the most accurate shooter !
I will never let this baby go ... it shoots groups that like to clover-leaf and hold hands ... it's Spooky .
All the tolerances are spot on , cylinder throats and barrels .451 ...the little bugger is tight , fitted well and smooth . It comes with Taurus stellar clips for loading and ejection and you can fire loose 45 acp shells sans clip , and poke empties out with a pencil .
No longer in production but if you can find one it's a sweet 45 acp belly gun.

Taurus may have made a Tracker with adjustable sights and 4" barrel , but I don't know the model number .
Wait ... it's simply the 455 Tracker , adjustable sights , vent rib barrel , I've seen 4" and 6" length , 5-shot and ported barrels ...not sure of production status .

When I wanted a 45 acp revolver for protection ... the Taurus 455 was the only 5 shot compact revolver on the market . I do not regret buying it one bit ...
It puts bullets right where you aim them ... it's a little Sweetheart !
If you can find one in good condition , jump on it with both feet !
Gary

[Ed_Shot]

My 5 1/2" Blackhawk 45 LC/45 ACP is a joy to shoot with either cylinder.

[stubshaft]

I'm partial to my S&W 325PD AirLite.

[StrawHat]

Here is one I recently built, a cut down Model 25-2. 4.25” barrel, McGivern bead sight, double action only, with a rounded grip frame. It came to me as a basket case. I think it turned out well.

Before,





It needed a lot of TLC.

After,





It shoots great and while I prefer fixed sights for carrying, it has been carried quite a bit.

Kevin

[muskeg13]

I bought a Charter Arms .45ACP Pit Bull several years ago, and it's what I carry whenever leaving the house. Although I keep it in a leather holster most of the time, it's small enough to carry in my front pants pocket. I think it's a good CC choice if you want a .45 ACP. As for revolvers, they don't come any smaller or lighter. The down side is it's only 5 shots and has fixed sights, but fixed sights probably are better for CC. It's not intended to be a target pistol. I don't have any problem hitting point of aim with fist sized groups at 10 yards with many loads ranging from 200-250gr. With only a 2 1/2 inch barrel, velocity is less than with a 5" M1911, but you can still get >700fps with standard pressure loads and recoil is manageable. I got this gun because I wanted a modern and more powerful version of the old British Bulldog revolvers, and that's exactly what it is. I made 3 modifications: 1. The front sight was entirely too sharp (sharp enough to cut you), so I took the edge off with a stone. 2. I applied flat black paint to the front sight and top strap to eliminate glare and give me a better sight picture, and 3. Even though the issue rubber grips were ok, I prefer Pachmayr Compac grips, and the S&W J frame spare I installed fits my hand perfectly. I think the Charter Arms 74520 .45ACP Pit Bull is an excellent value for the modest price.