.45 ACP DA/SA revolver question(s)...

daved20319 · Mar 14, 2020

I'm really thinking I should have (want

) a revolver for DA practice, and I really like the .45 ACP cartridge. But I've always had an antipathy to the whole idea of moon clips. So my question is two-fold. First, do ALL .45 ACP DA revolvers use moon clips, or are there any that headspace on the case mouth like a semi-auto or SA? Second, are moon clips as big a PITA as I've always thought they are?

To clarify a bit, I'm not looking for a carry piece, this will just be a range gun, and maybe a backup HD weapon. I already load for .45 ACP, so that's an advantage over having to add another cartridge like .38/.357, my other most likely choice in a revolver, although I could make an argument for a .45 LC. I don't really have a need/desire for a magnum of any sort other than nostalgia, and in that case, I'd go with a .41 Mag. Appreciate your thoughts and suggestions, thanks.

Dave

Certaindeaf · Mar 14, 2020

I'm pretty sure you can shoot .45 acp in them but you have to extract them wirh a dowel or the like.
Also, don't forget, .45 AutoRim is designed to be shot in those without clips.

daved20319 · Mar 14, 2020

THANK YOU, CD!! That's exactly the info I needed, I'd heard of .45 AR but hadn't made the connection. Just checked, Starline sells brass for it, and since I wouldn't have to worry about losing it, 500 should last a LONG time

. Looks like my CZ 97 BD is going to be looking to trade places with a S&W 625 or a Ruger Redhawk in .45 ACP

. Later.

Dave

K-22 · Mar 14, 2020

daved20319 said:
THANK YOU, CD!! That's exactly the info I needed, I'd heard of .45 AR but hadn't made the connection. Just checked, Starline sells brass for it, and since I wouldn't have to worry about losing it, 500 should last a LONG time . Looks like my CZ 97 BD is going to be looking to trade places with a S&W 625 or a Ruger Redhawk in .45 ACP . Later.

Dave

Google Rimz moon clips.
I have a 625 S&W 45acp. About as much fun as you can have with a revolver.
Low recoil, dead nuts accurate.
Best,
Gary

Hatman1793 · Mar 31, 2020

The S&W Performance Center, JM 625, 45acp revolver might be what you are seking. Ruger also makes their RedHawk revolver in a dedicated 45acp SAA revolver, & a 45acp/45Colt revolver.
(Do an internet search but avoid the dreaded google search engine. G loathes lawful gun owners.)

GWS · Mar 31, 2020

Moon clips are a total pain to load and unload but wow they make for the fastest reload you can get with a revolver
Watch how fast Miculek does it

deadeye · Mar 31, 2020

daved20319 said:
I'm really thinking I should have (want ) a revolver for DA practice, and I really like the .45 ACP cartridge. But I've always had an antipathy to the whole idea of moon clips. So my question is two-fold. First, do ALL .45 ACP DA revolvers use moon clips, or are there any that headspace on the case mouth like a semi-auto or SA? Second, are moon clips as big a PITA as I've always thought they are?

To clarify a bit, I'm not looking for a carry piece, this will just be a range gun, and maybe a backup HD weapon. I already load for .45 ACP, so that's an advantage over having to add another cartridge like .38/.357, my other most likely choice in a revolver, although I could make an argument for a .45 LC. I don't really have a need/desire for a magnum of any sort other than nostalgia, and in that case, I'd go with a .41 Mag. Appreciate your thoughts and suggestions, thanks.

Dave

I bought a Charter arms Pitbull, no moon clips needed. Pitbull

Full disclosure: I bought it cause I underpowered some loads and didn't want to tear them down. Shoved em in a drawer until I came across this lil guy........

daved20319 · Mar 31, 2020

deadeye said:
I bought a Charter arms Pitbull, no moon clips needed. Pitbull

If they made it with at least a 4" barrel, I'd give it serious consideration. I know CA has had CS and QA issues over the years, but I had a Bulldog back in the '70's, great little gun that just worked, even with my somewhat questionable reloads at the time

. Now that I know about .45 AR brass, though, moon clips are a non-issue, so I still have my eye on a couple different guns on GB, I'm hoping that at least one of them stays within my price range. Am also watching a 15-4 in .38 Spec, despite my preference of larger bores, that would certainly do what I want, and at a considerably lower price (I hope!). More later.

Dave

Pizza Bob · Apr 6, 2020

Save yourself the expense of buying new brass (.45AR) and buy tools specifically designed to load and unload moon clips. The best out there is the BMT tool. Also, don't spring for the big $ moon clips. Google Ranch Products. You can't order on-line, but you can get a phone number and call them. The higher the quantity, the less money. Last time I bought - which was admittedly some time ago, I got 100 for $35.00 ($.35/per piece). I would imagine that it has gone up since then, but nowhere near what some of the big vendors are getting. The beauty of the .45 ACP revolvers is that fast loading is not dependent on holding the ammo rigidly in the clip - a little wiggle actually facilitates loading. Not so with the .38/.357 guns. I have 9 revolvers that shoot .45 ACP. This one probably has over 10K rounds through it...

Trust me, it will be come your favorite range toy.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

mr.revolverguy · Jul 4, 2020

Don't do it 45ACP revolvers seem to multiply they are so practical and so much fun. My wife shoots the snot out of my first one with 45Autorim so of course that meant no trigger time for me and I ended up with a second one

daved20319 · Jul 4, 2020

mr.revolverguy said:
Don't do it 45ACP revolvers seem to multiply they are so practical and so much fun. My wife shoots the snot out of my first one with 45Autorim so of course that meant no trigger time for me and I ended up with a second one

Too late, I got a 5" 625-6 "Model of 1989" shortly after my initial post, about mid-April. Also went with Pizza Bob's suggestion of the BMT Mooner tool, well worth the money for the ease and speed of both loading and unloading moon clips. Haven't shot it a ton, maybe 300 rounds since I got it, enough to get a feel for it, although I'm still figuring out the whole revolver vs. pistol shooting thing. My local range just shut down indefinitely, fire danger

, not Covid, so I'll have to drive farther to shoot this summer

. Still question the logic, if folks can't shoot at the designated range, they'll just go find a place in the woods. Which seems more likely to be a fire danger to ya'll

? Later.

Dave

The Heretic · Oct 23, 2020

daved20319 said:
If they made it with at least a 4" barrel, I'd give it serious consideration. I know CA has had CS and QA issues over the years, but I had a Bulldog back in the '70's, great little gun that just worked, even with my somewhat questionable reloads at the time . Now that I know about .45 AR brass, though, moon clips are a non-issue, so I still have my eye on a couple different guns on GB, I'm hoping that at least one of them stays within my price range. Am also watching a 15-4 in .38 Spec, despite my preference of larger bores, that would certainly do what I want, and at a considerably lower price (I hope!). More later.

Dave

At one point in time, I believe they did make the Pitbull with a 4" barrel. I am keeping my eyes open for one. There is one here for sale with a 6" barrel in 9mm, but I do not care for that style; it looks like they just took a stock round barrel and grafted it on. I doubt I would like the balance.

I would like revolvers in 9mm, .40 and .45 ACP. I believe that having a non-"evil" gun in the same caliber as my "evil" guns may prove useful someday (especially after Biden is elected) should my "evil" guns be lost in a tragic boating accident.

I would hope that someday Ruger adds a couple inches to their LCRX 9mm revolver, and makes one in .40 and .45, I would rather have those than a CA, but the CA revolvers are ok; had one in .44 special once.

JuglansRegia · Oct 23, 2020

I have had a S&W 1955 Target for about 10-12 years now, its a tack driver and probably the most accurate revolver I own. It doesn't shoot as well with 45 auto rim brass as it does with mixed 45 ACP brass using the same load data, its noticeable and I have no idea why. Loading rounds into the full moon clips and de-clipping them can be tedious but it keeps you shooting at the range, the clips are cheap, and keeps your brass together. Also, some brands of brass are easier to get in and out of the clips depending on the brass and clip combo's you are running. If you don't bend a clip, they can last for decades.

daved20319 · Oct 23, 2020

The Heretic said:
At one point in time, I believe they did make the Pitbull with a 4" barrel. I am keeping my eyes open for one. There is one here for sale with a 6" barrel in 9mm, but I do not care for that style; it looks like they just took a stock round barrel and grafted it on. I doubt I would like the balance.

I would like revolvers in 9mm, .40 and .45 ACP. I believe that having a non-"evil" gun in the same caliber as my "evil" guns may prove useful someday (especially after Biden is elected) should my "evil" guns be lost in a tragic boating accident.

I would hope that someday Ruger adds a couple inches to their LCRX 9mm revolver, and makes one in .40 and .45, I would rather have those than a CA, but the CA revolvers are ok; had one in .44 special once.

Well, my affair with the .45 ACP revolver has now run its course, turns out it's just not my thing. If you're still shopping, my S&W is currently listed in the Classifieds, along with some must have accesories

.

JR, if you haven't discovered the BMT Mooner tool, do yourself a favor, ignore the price and order one. Yeah, it's expensive compared to the other tools on the market, but it makes loading (and unloading) moon clips almost fun, instead of a painful chore. Later.

Dave

nammac · Oct 23, 2020

Hatman1793 said:
The S&W Performance Center, JM 625, 45acp revolver might be what you are seking. Ruger also makes their RedHawk revolver in a dedicated 45acp SAA revolver, & a 45acp/45Colt revolver.
(Do an internet search but avoid the dreaded google search engine. G loathes lawful gun owners.)

JM625 you say??? Love mine, lots of fun to shoot! Moon clips and all...

The Heretic · Oct 23, 2020

daved20319 said:
Well, my affair with the .45 ACP revolver has now run its course, turns out it's just not my thing. If you're still shopping, my S&W is currently listed in the Classifieds, along with some must have accesories .

JR, if you haven't discovered the BMT Mooner tool, do yourself a favor, ignore the price and order one. Yeah, it's expensive compared to the other tools on the market, but it makes loading (and unloading) moon clips almost fun, instead of a painful chore. Later.

Dave

Yes, I have a .45 revolver - a 460V, I just need to have the cylinder cut to take moon clips and .45 ACP. If I could find a CA in .45 ACP I might sell the 460V, or I might keep it. I don't know.

The Heretic · Oct 23, 2020

JuglansRegia said:
I have had a S&W 1955 Target for about 10-12 years now, its a tack driver and probably the most accurate revolver I own. It doesn't shoot as well with 45 auto rim brass as it does with mixed 45 ACP brass using the same load data, its noticeable and I have no idea why. Loading rounds into the full moon clips and de-clipping them can be tedious but it keeps you shooting at the range, the clips are cheap, and keeps your brass together. Also, some brands of brass are easier to get in and out of the clips depending on the brass and clip combo's you are running. If you don't bend a clip, they can last for decades.

I was reading about the moon clips at TK Customs and other places. It seems that there is no SAAMI standard for the dimension of the extractor groove? So they vary by manufacturer of ammo, and therefore fit the clips differently. T&K makes different thicknesses of clips.

Pizza Bob · Oct 24, 2020

The Heretic said:
I was reading about the moon clips at TK Customs and other places. It seems that there is no SAAMI standard for the dimension of the extractor groove? So they vary by manufacturer of ammo, and therefore fit the clips differently. T&K makes different thicknesses of clips.

That is true for rimmed revolver rounds like .38 Special or .357 Magnum - some have no groove at all in front of the rim. Different story for rimless semi-auto rounds. SAAMI does have specifications for the extractor groove. That just eases the problem somewhat - it is still often a trial and error process to get the most rigid fit (least cartridge wobble) between cartridge and clip and usually comes down to sticking with one specific brand of brass.

In the case of the 929's (9 mm) I have found that the 8-round RIMZ polymer clips will rigidly support almost any brand of 9 mm brass. This is because they are not just clipped into the extractor groove, but also are rebated and support the head of the cartridge too. I use them for USPSA and ICORE. Here is a RIMZ rebated moon clip...

If you are just looking for something for range use, fit isn't that critical. But if you are playing gun games and loading on the clock, you want an optimum fit.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

coop44 · Oct 24, 2020

Recently traded into a 45 blackhawk convertable. Somehow I have three convertables now, not by plan, it just worked out that way. With 45 colt being stupid pricey, I think I will reload for it when I can get components. Glad I have tons of 45acp. A 25 or 625 would be cool.
I see 45 cowboy brass out there, basically 45 acp with a rim, is this any different from 45 auto rim? I'm guessing rim thickness.

Nevermind, just looked it up, rim thickness.