45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Welcome to the Leverguns.Com Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here ... politely.

Moderators: AmBraCol, Hobie

Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.

Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
Post Reply
Noah Zark
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1333
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:03 am
Location: PA

45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by Noah Zark »

A 45 ACP levergun been discussed here before, and I finally found the article in my vast archives documenting what gunsmith Bob Snapp did for then-technical editor of the American Rifleman, C E "Ed" Harris, published 28 yrs ago, April 1983 American Rifleman:

Image
Image
Image
Image

PM me with your e-mail addy for a .PDF copy.

Noah
Might as well face it, you're addicted to guns . . .
adirondakjack
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1925
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:09 pm
Location: Upstate NY
Contact:

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by adirondakjack »

Been there, done that, except using the rimmed version, C45S. Thanks for the link. ALL good ideas end up recycled, even if one never knew it'd been done before.
Certified gun nut
User avatar
J Miller
Member Emeritus
Posts: 14880
Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:46 pm
Location: Not in IL no more ... :)

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by J Miller »

Noah,

PM on the way. Thanks.

Joe
***Be sneaky, get closer, bust the cap on him when you can put the ball where it counts ;) .***
damienph
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1734
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 11:11 am
Location: Kansas

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by damienph »

PM sent, thank you!

Damien
adirondakjack
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1925
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:09 pm
Location: Upstate NY
Contact:

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by adirondakjack »

And the best news is, today we have the Cowboy ,.45 Special cartridge, so all that hard work redoing the bolt face is no longer needed. I note he did ramp the barrel slightly, ala 1911, which we did not, and yepper, the extractor has to be reworked or it will drive you up a wall. His carrier mods are a little differnet than ours, but both produce similar results. My 16 1/8" octagon bbl CB-L is a lotta fun in C45S...
Certified gun nut
User avatar
FWiedner
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 8862
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 9:50 pm
Location: North Texas

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by FWiedner »

Interesting article. Thanks for posting it.

I'm sure there is the typical interest in having a partner for a favored handgun, but IMO building a levergun to digest the .45ACP seems nothing more than an exercise in whether or not it can be done.

So, there's several issues addressing feeding from a tube magazine, the bolt face, extraction, rechambering, and then unpredictable performance (because the .45ACP can really only use about 12" of barrel).

If you simply must have a shoulder mounted arm in .45ACP, it's been observed tha there are several reliable semi-autos already chambered for the cartridge that could be purchased for less than the conversion/custom build.

Maybe if I just wanted to see it done, but I wouldn't burn an already functional gun to try it.

:)
Government office attracts the power-mad, yet it's people who just want to be left alone to live life on their own terms who are considered dangerous.

History teaches that it's a small window in which people can fight back before it is too dangerous to fight back.
TravisM
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 133
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2010 4:38 pm

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by TravisM »

Now that is unique. Thanks for sharing. 8)
adirondakjack
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1925
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:09 pm
Location: Upstate NY
Contact:

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by adirondakjack »

Because we can :)
Certified gun nut
woods-walker
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 130
Joined: Sat Apr 05, 2008 11:14 am
Location: Kentucky

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by woods-walker »

PM sent.

Thank you
User avatar
AJMD429
Posting leader...
Posts: 31932
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:03 am
Location: Hoosierland
Contact:

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by AJMD429 »

FWiedner wrote:I'm sure there is the typical interest in having a partner for a favored handgun, but IMO building a levergun to digest the .45ACP seems nothing more than an exercise in whether or not it can be done. . // . . If you simply must have a shoulder mounted arm in .45ACP, it's been observed tha there are several reliable semi-autos already chambered for the cartridge that could be purchased for less than the conversion/custom build.
For many of us whose 'disease' is further along, there doesn't have to be anything particularly sensible about a gun project. Even though my little Marlin "Camp Carbine" semiauto in .45 ACP wears a Choate folding stock, uses 1911 magazines, feeds flawlessly, and is just ugly enough to be a good 'knockabout' gun, I'd still like a little Rossi 92 in the .45 ACP. 8)

I guess it's the same reason I keep thinking about those Ruger 77/357 bolt-actions. I really need one, well, because, er, uh, I guess I mean I really want one because, well, it's a bolt-action ("Honey, you have several already" - "But it's in .357 Magnum" - "You have several leverguns in .357" - "But bolt actions are so cool" - "But you're always saying leverguns can do just as well as bolt-actions in any straight-wall cartridge, and are handier and more fun". . . ).

My case must be end-stage at this point, but if Rossi came out with them (or Marlin, or Ruger), I'd get a .45 ACP levergun in a minute. Because, well, er. . . never mind. :lol:
Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws
"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.


Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
Palmtreee
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2007 7:33 pm

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by Palmtreee »

Shooting my favorite load of a 200 grain H&G #68 SWC in my lever, 1911's and Smith 625's is joy for me. I love the 45 ACP. It is hard to explain, I guess it like telling someone why I still ride a motorcycle everyday. Thank you for posting the article!!!

Image
Last edited by Palmtreee on Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
2X22
Levergunner 3.0
Posts: 933
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2009 1:08 am
Location: Salmon Creek, SW Washington

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by 2X22 »

Palmtree, THAT is BEAUTIFUL!
"Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction." - Thomas Jefferson
Bob Winchester
Levergunner 1.0
Posts: 81
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:11 pm

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by Bob Winchester »

Palmtreee wrote:Shooting my favorite load of a 200 grain H&G #68 SWC in my lever, 1911's and Smith 625's is joy for me. I love the 45 ACP. It is hard to explain, I guess it like telling someone why I still ride a motorcycle everyday. Thank you for posting the article!!!

Image
I’m so jealous I could just spit! :mrgreen:
adirondakjack
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1925
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:09 pm
Location: Upstate NY
Contact:

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by adirondakjack »

Not for nothing, but last time I hunted deer, I carried my 16" Lever in Cowboy .45 Special (acp with a colt rim), stoked with a 230 XTP at 1400 fps. Of course that is far above SAAMI pressures, (maybe 27K) but nothing a Marlin won't handle. The little lever one-handed soo nice through the brush, and since shots where I hunt rarely exceed 50-75 yards, I felt OK with it. My kid carried a 20" Marlin in .44 Manglem....
Certified gun nut
User avatar
FWiedner
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 8862
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 9:50 pm
Location: North Texas

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by FWiedner »

I could be persuaded to change my mind...

(I drool as a result of Palmtree's photo submission)

:shock: :mrgreen:
Government office attracts the power-mad, yet it's people who just want to be left alone to live life on their own terms who are considered dangerous.

History teaches that it's a small window in which people can fight back before it is too dangerous to fight back.
Palmtreee
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2007 7:33 pm

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by Palmtreee »

FWiedner wrote:I could be persuaded to change my mind...

(I drool as a result of Palmtree's photo submission)

:shock: :mrgreen:
Sorry, you have to stick to your word. You can get a copy cat like the C45S. Imitation is the best form of flattery.
User avatar
olyinaz
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 3978
Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2009 2:19 pm
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by olyinaz »

Love it, just 'cause. I want a lever gun in .40 S&W which is dumb but I don't care - I want one.

Oly
Cheers,
Oly

I hope and pray someday the world will learn
That fires we don't put out will bigger burn

Johnny Wright
User avatar
Griff
Posting leader...
Posts: 20803
Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 4:56 pm
Location: OH MY GAWD they installed a STOP light!!!

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by Griff »

A friend of mine just finished building one. He's currently working the kinks out, then he sez, he'll put some lipstick on the pig.

I'd heard stories of attempts to make the .45ACP work in a levergun for years... and if anyone had showed me a functioning, reliable example, I would already have one. There really isn't anything the .45Colt can do that the .45ACP can't do, except take up space.

I'll be satisfied with the C45S version I'm building... and when I do want to change ammo from mild to wild, I don't have to worry about feeding it thru my 1911.

Palmtree, nice lookin' rifle, WWG do the take-down?
Griff,
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93

There is a fine line between hobby & obsession!
AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!
Palmtreee
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2007 7:33 pm

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by Palmtreee »

Griff wrote:A friend of mine just finished building one. He's currently working the kinks out, then he sez, he'll put some lipstick on the pig.

I'd heard stories of attempts to make the .45ACP work in a levergun for years... and if anyone had showed me a functioning, reliable example, I would already have one. There really isn't anything the .45Colt can do that the .45ACP can't do, except take up space.

I'll be satisfied with the C45S version I'm building... and when I do want to change ammo from mild to wild, I don't have to worry about feeding it thru my 1911.

Palmtree, nice lookin' rifle, WWG do the take-down?
David Clay of DRC did the work. I like the fact of not having to change ammo or gun.
Nate Kiowa Jones
Site Sponsor
Posts: 2507
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 12:05 pm
Location: Lampasas, Texas
Contact:

Re: 45 ACP Levergun -- Custom built 30 yrs ago.

Post by Nate Kiowa Jones »

I have people ask me all the time if I can convert a 92 to 45acp. Probably because they have read how some were done down in South America. While I haven't seen an example of any I suspect if they were truly done they probably didn't work that well because the 92 is designed to work off the cart. rims.

My answer to those folks has always been if you truly want one you should look at doing it on the Marlin platform. The way a marlin feeds is much more conducive toward feeding rimless cartridges.

For an auto cartridges I think I would prefer a semi auto carbine. This one is offered in 45acp and uses glock mags.

Image

My everyday carry gun is an M22 glock 40 so i went with the Keltec sub rifle.

Image

Image
Steve Young aka Nate Kiowa Jones Sass# 6765

Steve's Guns aka "Rossi 92 Specialists"
205 Antler lane
Lampasas, Texas 76550


http://www.stevesgunz.com

Email; steve@stevesgunz.com

Tel: 512-564-1015

Image
Post Reply