Solving a unique problem
Posted: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 12:50:52
Back in '06, I stumbled on a 1917 Colt New Service revolver in a gunshop. I bought it and turned it around for Parkerizing.
This revolver was part of the effort to supply handguns for the officers in WW I. This particular one is marked .445 Eley and was made for the British service. I found out it was sent to Britain, proofed and issued to an officer that took it into France. That's all I could out.
The chambers are bored straight through to accommodate the oversize projectiles that were loaded in that caliber. Because the cylinder is unusually long, that set up a serious problem with bullet jump shooting .45 Colt loads in it. Then I found out the rear face has been machined forward to fit moon clip loaded ACPs. Too much head space.
I found out that .454 cases would solve the bullet jump problem. I ordered a hundred. With a .452-250 TCTL bullet, the nose comes to about .050 shy of the front of the cylinder. Got that done.
I turned a length of .030 stainless steel mig wire into a spring on a 5/16" thread rod by spinning it in a drill. I cut each turn and made a hand full of spring clips. I slid a clip down the case and it snapped into the extractor groove. The clip sets the head back and takes up the head space slack.
To make matters worse, somebody filed the front sight down enough to make it hit about 6 inches high at 25 yards. Oddly enough, though, I can hit a 5 gallon bucket at a hundred with it.
That's a lot to do just to shoot an old revolver, but the history of it fascinates me. Never the less, the old girl is back in service and barking orders.
This revolver was part of the effort to supply handguns for the officers in WW I. This particular one is marked .445 Eley and was made for the British service. I found out it was sent to Britain, proofed and issued to an officer that took it into France. That's all I could out.
The chambers are bored straight through to accommodate the oversize projectiles that were loaded in that caliber. Because the cylinder is unusually long, that set up a serious problem with bullet jump shooting .45 Colt loads in it. Then I found out the rear face has been machined forward to fit moon clip loaded ACPs. Too much head space.
I found out that .454 cases would solve the bullet jump problem. I ordered a hundred. With a .452-250 TCTL bullet, the nose comes to about .050 shy of the front of the cylinder. Got that done.
I turned a length of .030 stainless steel mig wire into a spring on a 5/16" thread rod by spinning it in a drill. I cut each turn and made a hand full of spring clips. I slid a clip down the case and it snapped into the extractor groove. The clip sets the head back and takes up the head space slack.
To make matters worse, somebody filed the front sight down enough to make it hit about 6 inches high at 25 yards. Oddly enough, though, I can hit a 5 gallon bucket at a hundred with it.
That's a lot to do just to shoot an old revolver, but the history of it fascinates me. Never the less, the old girl is back in service and barking orders.
