Colt SAA information?

[kings6]

If I bought a long barrel Colt but wanted a shorter barrel I would first check with folks like Slan Harton at Subgke action services and see if he had a barrel like you wanted. If I wasn’t concerned about collector value I would have the barrel cut and a drift adjustable front sight installed.

[470evans]

Votedent, I'm glad you joined both forums. There is a lot of good information in both of them.

The USFA and Standard will have throats that measure approximately .452 which is what most people think 45 Colt throats should measure in the modern era. Colt continues to manufacture their throats larger. I have read that they think it keeps pressures down. The Colt cylinders do measure smaller than the USFA and Standard cylinders so there is less metal in Colt's cylinder walls.

I shoot guns from all of them and just size my cast bullets larger for my Colts.

Good luck in your search, that is half the fun.

[kings6]

I am not a Colt collector so I ended up selling my Colts and buying and shooting USFA guns for what it is worth. I just prefer all US parts USFA guns.

[rWt]

Nov 17, 2024 10:02:20 GMT -5 bradshaw said:

lar4570 and rWt.... check 1897 Colt in Vol. XIV (14) of photo series in Gallery section.
David Bradshaw

"David holds Colt 1897 Peacemaker .45 Colt: Chamber exit holes (throats) measure .4525”; groove diameter .451” or .452”-inch. According to an old shooting buddy much more knowledgeable on Colt single actions, these firm dimension are known to occur among the early Peacemakers"

David, I wonder if the chamber dimensions increased with the advent of smokeless powder and with the introduction of better steels. I have read that in 1906 that Colt began stamping SAA revolvers with a triangular proof stamp on the trigger guard, which signified that the revolver was safe to shoot with smokeless powder. And, then in 1913, the front sight heights were raised due to the impact of smokeless powder on the point of impact. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that chamber dimensions were increased in the 45 Colt about the same time.

[bradshaw]

rWt.... metallurgy dramatically improved during the late 19th-early 20th centuries. Seems loose dimensions should favor black powder fowling. Watched my late friend Bill Mading (Austin TX) TIGweld on those earlier steels. Combined with my own limited experience welding late 19th century steel, it makes the exacting machine work done on those old guns even more impressive.

I have no explanation for dimensional oddities of the .45 Colt. And no knowledge of original Colt chamber dimension, or when they were changed. In my view, it’s possible someone at Colt decided smokeless presented a pressure problem for the Peacemaker's thin chamber walls. And, therefore, to provide throat clearance around the bullet should soften pressure. S&W considered the .45 Colt a bit much for its tip-open frame. If letters and notes on .45 cartridges and revolvers exist at Colt and S&W, it would be a real find. There can be little doubt Colt and S&W knew the accuracy of their revolvers stretched well beyond established target distances. (James from Jersey posted an S&W add featuring the accuracy of its .44 Special @ 100 yards.)

Nevertheless, accuracy considerations haven’t stopped a manufacturer from hogging out the forcing cone and chamber exit hole. In the case of the runaway forcing cone, this shooter happened to see the reactionary response take hold at both Ruger and S&W----ain answer to SPITTING, poor chamber-to-bore alignment, and timing issues, etc. This was during the handgun silhouette era. Difficult to correct a false solution without acknowledging the problem.

Nor do I see an excuse for the abandonment of THREAD TIMING during revolver manufacture. You can bet the old gunmakers understood thread timing. Those old frames would not have taken kindly.
David Bradshaw