reload for45acp

rufe-snow

January 26, 2003 06:05

IMR 4350 is powder normally used for reloading rifle cartridges, not .45 acp. You best be careful if your fixing to reload for that Frenchie!. It's 128 years old and originally made for a low pressure black powder cartridge.
If you must, use 3 1/2 grains of Bullseye and hope for the best?
Make sure your health insurance is payed up and you got a will.

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RancheroPaul

January 26, 2003 06:23

You know, for the price of a pound of Unique, you might be able to come up with sometime "safer" to do what you are wanting to do. Just a thought......

If there are no "Dumb Questions," Why do you want a "Dumb Answer?"

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rablerowser

January 26, 2003 07:30

Thanks for the good advice. Not particularly anxious to reload with IMR. Its all I have left. Do you have more info on that 45cal revolver I'm trying to reload for?

Rablerowser

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Iroquois Scout

January 26, 2003 09:10

The French Model 1873 revlover that you are trying to reload for is black powder only. Cases are made from shortened .44 Spcl. brass, the original bullet weighed 185 grains and was sharp pointed. The bullets measured .452 at their largest diameter and had a rebated base called a heel type bullet that fit inside the case which was then crimped into the bullet. In the completed cartridge the largest part of the bullet was the same diameter as the outside of the cartridge case. Even with a case full of black powder velocity was low, about 650 fps. If you must shoot this thing, probably 2 grains of Bullseye would be max. Bullets to fit both the case and the bore would be hard to find. My advise would be to put this revlover aside as an honored war trophy and forget about shooting it.

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fergusonmorse392

January 26, 2003 09:15

i would not use any type of smokeless powder in that revolver it was not made for it. use black powder or pyrodex or other black powder type powders. use the type made for revolvers & ask makers for loading info for the 45 auto cartridge.

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Iconoclast

January 26, 2003 10:28

This seems to be a continuation of an earlier thread? Man, no way you want to put IMR4350 in handgun cartridge!!!!! And I'm seeing references, or at least inferences, to at least three different rounds here - .45 ACP, unknown .45 Revolver and the M1873 French. I have no idea of what weapon you speak, but if it's the French, listen to the Scout very carefully as you are standing on the brink of what could be a most unhappy experience for you and yours.

Now, please don't take this as a flame, but if your knowledge of reloading is so limited that you could even consider as a random musing of using IMR in a handgun, there is no way you are qualified to work up loads for an antique arm of any nature. Stick with the published loads, and only the published loads, for modern arms.

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rablerowser

January 26, 2003 12:09

Appreciate all the info. I was given a box of 45acp ball ammo with this revolver and something just didn't seem right. Thank God, I knew
enough to double check with you guys. Would 2 grains Bullseye, with 200gr. lead semi-waddcutter loaded in a 45acp case be safe? The revolver is in decent shape and looks very strong. I respect your opinions and will leave it alone if advised.

Rablerowser

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rufe-snow

January 26, 2003 17:13

No flame intended to the previous posters RABLEROWSER, but if your French Officers Model 1874 Revolver has been rechambered for the .45 ACP from the original 11 French Ordnance cartridge,the internal case capacity (combustion chamber) has been increased substantially. This could cause you grief if you loaded to light a charge that failed to get the bullet out of the barrel.
This happened to me once when I was loading for the Swedish 7.5 mm Nagant Revolver. I was too conservative in my initial loads and managed to get a bullet lodged in the barrel. Luckily I noticed it before serious consequences ensued.
I do agree with the gentlemen, you would be better served if you use blackpowder or one of the modern substitutes that are now on the market to test fire your Model 1874.

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Iconoclast

January 27, 2003 04:15

rabble, don't putz around with this thing, man. Just because you received the weapon as a package with some ammo does **NOT** mean the previous owner used that ammo in it, that it was safe to do so, etc. If you want to shoot the beast, take it to a *good,* *professional,* gunsmith and have him go over it carefully to determine *if* it has been rechambered, etc. Then if it is still in the original 11mm French chambering, there are ways to create loads for it by converting / forming brass. Projectiles will be tough, but not impossible given sufficient time and cash. If it's been rechambered, that opens up a host of other issues.

The bottom line here is that you have an early BP revolver not designed for smokeless, not proofed for smokeless. I've made up smokeless loads for many early firearms using the original cartridge design. It is not terribly difficult if one has references and is most circumspect. In your shoes, I'm not sure I'd bother or be comfortable in doing so. If you proceed, verify every step at least twice and take every precaution. Older weapons, especially those modified at some point in their lives, can be shifting sands.

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Iroquois Scout

January 27, 2003 04:23

I have another question for you. How do you know that this revolver has been rechambered to .45 A.C.P.? The case diameter of the French cartridge is .460, the case diameter of the .45 A.C.P. and the .44 Special is .457. Therefore, either of the American cartridges will enter the chambers. Were you given the .45 A.P.C. cartridges by the other party just because they fit in the chambers, not because they were the correct ones? Since the .45 A.C.P. cartridges are rimless what keeps them from dropping down into the chamber to far to be reached by the fireing pin? Again, I would not fire this 120 to 130 year old revolver, there are much better handguns around useing ammunition that is much easier to find.

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reload for45acp

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