RE: Is the 45colt case weaker?
 

thanks toby but ive alreasy read just about everytihng over at the sixgunner site, no to mention tha i drop by the forums there daily too. i just wanted to start this topic and see what we could produce. im still hoping someone can show us that 45colt case walls are thinner or they arent.
from my reading at sixgunner.com elsewhere the only reason that ive ever seen to say the 45colt is that the cylinders are weaker. and they are weaker (assuming no 5shots) is the larger diameter case takes up more room.
but due to the larger surface area on the base of the 45bullet more work can be done on the bullet and thus make up the difference (thats debatable).
im not looking to get reccomendations of which on to buy here. my solution is to get both. and a 41mag. i like to have a good variety.

RE: Is the 45colt case weaker?
 

I don' t know if there is a lot more to talk about. We all agree that brass doesn' t offer any " real" structural integrity. For those that don’t agree, we have proven that at the very least the “modern day” 45LC brass is equally as strong as 44 brass.

But to answer your question in regard to brass, compared to recoiljunky' s Hornady brass, all of my 44 and 45LC brass are Winchester.

Both the 44 and the 45LC were the same dimensionally.
case wall thickness- .0110" -.0120"
rim thickness- .0560" -.0570"

A few random thoughts....

Cylinder or chamber strength differences, if there is in fact a difference in strength, lets say Ruger BlackHawk vs. Super Red Hawk for comparison sake, then it is obvious there is a difference in either material or construction. As long as we are talking about the caliber’s in the same style gun, material and manufacturing is the same, it becomes understood that the less material removed from a cylinder the stronger it will be. Fortunately for us we have people like Paco Kelly and John Linbaugh and companies like Freedom Arms and Ruger that push the envelope. Also the reason to know the capability and/or construction of your firearm and work loads up slowly.

I believe when we get down to it we are at the mercy of the manufactures and the cost there of. We have so much technology anything is possible but how much will it cost. We all know that manufactures build from standard frame and cylinder blanks, i.e. small, medium and large frame guns. When more power is requested they change something ever so slightly, requiring a new caliber. IMHO, this reasoning is a two headed beast, the first is for safety sake and a good thing but the other is to make us think we need a new gun and to generate sales, like the .45-70 vs. the 450 Marlin. One is for the reloader and the other is not.

If this discussion is based on modern weapons then at some point even cylinder wall strength become a meaningless conversation due to the extreme over-engineering by the manufacturer to guarantee safety. I don’t have the article directly in hand but if I remember correctly the Ruger Super Redhawk was tested to nearly 90,000-100,000 cup before the cylinder failed. Even at those pressures it was only a cylinder failure, the frame remained perfectly intact and continued firing with a new cylinder. Another reason to know the capability and/or construction of your firearm and work loads up slowly.

Toby

RE: Is the 45colt case weaker?
 

I have found some lots of brass to vary a little in thickness,BUT it is still strong enough. I prefer Starline for my loads but I have used others and the only thing bad I can say is I don' t get quite as many reloads out of the other brands.
That could be in the make-up of the brass and have nothing to do with thickness.

RE: Is the 45colt case weaker?
 

Nomercy, if you section a Federal or Starline .45 Colt case, you will find they are Just as thick and made of just as hard an alloy as any .44 Magnum brass! I discovered this over 10 years ago!! I AM NOT talking about folded head, so-called " balloon-head" cases!! Those are relics of the Black Powder Colts!!

So, what you just said about the .45 Colt brass of modern manufacture is just flat WRONG!!!

RE: Is the 45colt case weaker?
 

eldeguello

Who are you talking to? In regard to brass every post in this thread is in agreement with you, at least I agree with you.

If you are referring to my “mercy of the manufactures” comment, it had nothing to do with brass.

Maybe unclear, but the point I was trying to make is this. We have proven 45LC brass to be equal in strength to 44 brass. So any question regarding whether or not you can load the 45LC to 44 pressures becomes a question regarding the construction and strength of the firearm. If a manufacturer has a gun capable of handling 454 pressures then you most definitely can load the 45LC to 44 pressures if in the same gun or in a gun built on the same specs and material as the 454. Now for those models that are chambered in 45LC and not in 454 is where we fall to their mercy. If not already capable, they could easily make these guns handle the pressure, but why would they? Cost of manufacturing, safety and future sales/marketing. They answer our call for more power by slightly changing a few things and introducing a new caliber.

Toby

RE: Is the 45colt case weaker?
 

Toby from MO, eldeguello was reffering to the misinformation in a post made by " nomercy" about the case walls being thinner.

RE: Is the 45colt case weaker?
 

frizzellr,

Thanks for pointing that out. eldeguello, sorry for the confusion. I seen the word " nomercy" and thought you referring to my post. I must have looked right over his name.

Toby

RE: Is the 45colt case weaker?
 

Mercy!! I' s talkin' to Nomercy!! Toby, you are so right!! A good, strong 5-shot revolver cylinder will actually stand loads hotter than a lot of L.A. rifle actions!!!

RE: Is the 45colt case weaker?
 

i thought this topic might stir up some heat. and i am pleased