Auxiliary cylinders ?

[hammer]

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Auxiliary cylinders like 45 ACP for 45 Colt revolver or 22 WMR for 22 LR...

What is the flexibility of auxiliary cylinders in Ruger single-actions ?

How close will one auxiliary cylinder fit in another Ruger that it did not come with originally ?

Sometimes find used guns for sale with the auxiliary cylinder missing. Assume it is somewhere and may get used in another gun.

Sometimes find auxiliary cylinders for sale by themselves at gun shows or gun shops. Do they have any functional use ? Any one ever try one without having a gunsmith fit it to the new gun ? How did it shoot ?

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[tek4260]

If the OAL, ratchet, and gas ring length are the same they will work fine. Usually like vintage revolvers cylinders will interchange with no fitting required. Earlier NM's I have owned are a bit shorter OAL than later vintage ones. I have bought and sold quite a few and never had any problems as long as the lengths were the same or slightly longer where I could fit it by shortening the gas ring. Timing isn't an issue and I don't think Ruger "times" each revolver individually other than maybe trimming the second step of the pawl. You could do the same, but then it wouldn't work with the original cylinder. I have never seen one that needed to have a longer or shorter pawl though.

[derekr]

I have an early New Model in .45 Colt. I was able to purchase a .45acp cylinder that was a few thousands longer than my Colt cylinder. Like mentioned above I took a fine stone and took the gas ring down until the cylinder would fit. Due to this fitting the ACP cylinder fits tight with a very small cylinder gap. With cast bullets it is MUCH more accurate than the Colt cylinder. It has become a dedicated ACP revolver for me. I load it with 250 grain .452 bullets and use a 1911 mag as a speed loader. I love it.

[AxeHandle]

17M2/17HMR, 22LR/22M, 32/32-20/327, 9mm/38S/357, 40/10mm/38-40, 44S/44M/44-40/454, 45Colt/45ACP/45WM, 50AE/500WE/500JRH are a few of the common ones. Some work better than others. The 22LR not the same diameter as the 22M and the 9mm is not the same diameter as the 38S/357. We like them all!
It is pretty common to hear about cylinder "finds" dropping in and working fine.

[dale53]

I sure like my SS Bisley .45 Colt/.45 ACP. Both my cylinders shoot VERY well. My local gun club has an indoor range with power limitations. No jacketed bullets, only cast. It is nice to slip in the .45 ACP cylinder and shoot my light target loads (my 1911 loads work perfectly in the Bisley).

Can hardly get better than that. From mild to wild with ease - THAT's the SS Bisley Convertible!

Dale53

[maxcactus]

Dec 23, 2011 20:30:15 GMT -5 dale53 said:

I sure like my SS Bisley .45 Colt/.45 ACP...

Can hardly get better than that. From mild to wild with ease - THAT's the SS Bisley Convertible!

Dale53

Ditto that. I have 2 Stainless Bisleys in .45 Colt - one of which is a convertible. I can't imagine a more useful hand tool. I just wish I had another spare .45 ACP cylinder for the .45 Colt only tool.

I just purchased one of the Lipseys stainless Flattop convertibles as well. Waiting to pick it up in week. Will most likely become my go-to carry gun for woodsbumming, etc. The Ruger convertibles are truly an outstanding bargain (maybe the best) for any handgun platform.

Max.

P.S. The one real advantage I see in the Acusport Bisley convertibles is the fluted vs. non-fluted cylinders - makes identifying which cylinder you're carrying easy. The cylinders in the new Lipseys convertibles are both fluted. No biggie, but I can see myself sitting out in the field with a forlorn expression on my face - 45 ACP cylinder in gun, 45 Colt ammo in my belt!

[mohillbilly]

Max did you try the ACP cylinder out of one gun into the other ? If you got a fit you could send the convertable frame in to Ruger for another one .