Bisley Man, With Ruger 45 Colt cylinders, the thinnest place is between the lock notches and the chamber. I have seen a few Ruger 45 Colt cylinders Kaboom and that was the point of failure.
Standard Blackhawks, heavy frame Vaqueros, or Bisley cylinder thickness at the lock notch is a mere .028", whereas the thinnest place on the wall is at the rear of the chamber where it measures .080". 45 Cal New Vaqueros and mid-frame flattop Blackhawks are even thinner at the lock notch ... about .014", which is why you don't want to shoot "Ruger Only" loads in them.
Humm, interesting, never really thought about that. I have shoot more than my share of RO loads heavy bullets with 296 mag primers no problems in any of my Vaq's or my Supers. I don't know what to say on this one, gonna have to rethink them stout loads. Some of the big gun guys Limbaugh for one use the guns for magnum their wildcats up in the 50 cal. family. Many top smiths like Clemens offer Bisley, Blackhauk along with large frame Vaq's customs in these big bore magnums also. These guns dangerous? Got me thinking!
Are you saying these guns are dangerous with stout loads or Big Bore customs? Or just a concern? Or neither Just saying? Inquiring Minds want to know, BM
Interesting. So am I safe in shooting "Ruger only" loads in my factory, unfluted Bisley? I'm shooting 310gr WNFPGC's at about 1300fps. Haven't noticed excessive flattening of the primers, and no sticky extraction of spent cartridges.
I have shot hotter factory loads out of my standard blackhawk for years. Buffalo bore 335 grain 45 colty @ 1300 plus with no problems and my blackhawk is over 30 years old and had many heavy loads thru it. If you really want to go heavy have a 45 colt 5 shot cylinder done for the gun. Line baugh bowen etc. The picce is not for the faint of heart but the ballistics are into 454 territory.
Bisley Man, Standard 45 Colt Blackhawks and the older Heavy frame" Vaqueros along with Bisleys are plenty strong for "Ruger and T/C Only" loads listed in reloading manuals. New Vaqueros and the newer Mid-frame Blackhawks chambered in 45 Colt have cylinders that are too thin for these loads. So to answer your question .... yes, your Bisley is safe with Ruger Only loads, providing you don't get too crazy with chamber pressure. Like I said above, I have seen a few Rugers Kaboom so they are not totally bomb proof.
Colts and Colt clones are designed for a max chamber pressure of 14,000 psi. Ruger New Vaqueros and mid-frame 45s can handle chamber pressures up to 20,000 psi. Most reloading manuals listing "Ruger Only" loads start at 25,000 psi and go up to at least 30,000 psi. These are too hot for anything but a Thompson Contender, standard Ruger Blackhawk, Bisleys, or older Vaqueros.
Do the Bisley 44's have more metal between the lock notches and the chamber than .45 Colts? If so, are they stronger and will withstand more pressure than the .45?
Do the Bisley 44's have more metal between the lock notches and the chamber than .45 Colts? If so, are they stronger and will withstand more pressure than the .45?
It is much more complicated than just that. If your purpose is generating pressure for its own sake, then a .429 (nominal) hole will have more steel around it thatn a .452-454 hole. But, bear in mind that because of the larger surface area of the .45 it can generate the same velocity with the same bullet weight, as the ."44" at less pressure.
Ruger4Life, Bisley cylinders are no stronger than a Blackhawk or Super Blackhawk in the same caliber. Yes, the outer wall and lock notches for a 44 Mag is thicker and stronger than a 45 Colt cylinder. SAAMI pressure standards for a 44 Mag is 36,000 psi whereas only 14,000 for a 45 Colt. "Ruger Only" loads listed in most reloading manuals extend pressure limits to 25,000~30,000 psi. No doubt, people have run even hotter loads.
One of our forum members that worked for Ruger was very adamant about not using Ruger only loads. He had some very good points to make about the subject and the main one being that they put a lot of stress on the guns that they were not designed for. I considered the fact that I could shoot those Ruger only loads for the next 20 years and never have a problem but when I pass it on to my grandson I would hope that I was passing on a safe gun that would give him a lifetime of "safe" enjoyment.
On the other hand... I suspect that those loads are a lot tougher on my shooting habd than they are on that Ruger I love those hot loads but they have taken their toll on my 60 year old hand.
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