A momentous leap in handgun power occurred with the advent of the .44 Magnum. Based on traditional six-shot , the round garnered a lot of press and critical acclaim. In parallel to its release a young gunsmith named Dick Casull began tinkering with the .45 Colt. These early “.45 Magnum” experiments involved triplex loads, warp speeds, and a few bent Single-Action Armies. Casull was pushing the envelope hard. Off-the-shelf wheelguns just couldn’t contain the old Colt run to these levels. A custom , complete with minimal spec construction and five-shot cylinder was in order. Casull built such a gun and promoted his wildcat for over two decades. His efforts were further legitimized when Freedom Arms unveiled the Mode 83 in .454 Casull. We now had a platform that could handle 60,000 PSI and stay tight in the process. .44 Magnum standards were shattered and Dirty Harry’s famous line no longer held.

Five-shot geometry offers two distinct advantages. First, it permits higher operating pressure and thus greater velocity. Added steel between each bore and offset bolt stops up the safety curve. Secondly, some rounds are too large in diameter for six-shot configuration. Examples include the .475 and .500 Linebaughs. If you query leading pistolsmiths these two likely top their five-shot business. Men like Hamilton Bowen, Jack Huntington, Alan Harton, and David Clements all routinely chamber these bruisers. But before the .475 and .500, John Linebaugh made a name for himself converting Sevilles and Abilenes to heavy .45 Colt. After milling the top and bottom of the frame window John installed oversized six-shot cylinders. Early tests gave jaw dropping performance, easy extraction, and excellent case life in spite of 50,000 PSI pressure. Pretty neat considering the cartridge was born out of the black powder era. Eventually John switched to five-shot cylinders and used Ruger Blackhawks and Bisleys as the base. In doing so he reconnected with Casull’s work from the 1960s. The history of the .454 starts with Dick Casull’s homebuilt revolver from 1957 and ends with Freedom Arms in 1983. Overlooked is all the development Casull did between those years. It’s a little known fact Dick converted quite a few Super Blackhawks to .454 Magnum throughout the 60’s and early 70’s. William Calder published one of the first articles on Ruger .454’s in the February 1966 issue of Guns Magazine (that article can be read by clicking the link below):

454 Magnum.pdf

Dick also partnered with around 1977 and assembled a couple prototype .454s. They were fixed sight, stainless steel, and similar in appearance to the Model 83. That initiative stalled and Casull moved on to team with Wayne Baker. North American Arms countered with their ill-fated .450 Magnum Express Eagle in 1984. Quality was mediocre and only 530 were shipped before the plug was pulled.

The big-bore five shooter has come a long way in the past thirty years. Custom shops and production runs like the BFR and FA 83 have solidified its place in mainstream handgunning. And while a logistical must for some cartridges, a five-shot cylinder is an upgrade for the .45 Colt. But what does the added strength give the shooter in terms of performance? To answer this we first need to define the five power levels of the .45 Colt:

15,000 PSI Colt Peacekeepers and clones 23,000 PSI Ruger New Vaqueros, mid-size Ruger flattops, S&W N-frames Blackhawks, Redhawks, Abilenes, Sevilles, El Dorados, Virginian 30,000 PSI Dragoons, Freedom Arms 97, Dan Wessons 40,000 PSI Over-size 6-shots, minimum cylinder o.d. of 1.80” 60,000 PSI Freedom Arms 83 and custom 5-shot Rugers

Focusing on the third and fifth categories, I hope to objectively cover bone-stock versus custom five-shot Colts. Gains will be realized but the degree of uptick may be a surprise to some.

Ruger finally offered a .45 Blackhawk in 1970. Built on the New Model frame it was safe to 30,000 PSI and launched 250 – 260 grain bullets at 1,400+ fps. Sure, the .44 Magnum could do 1,500 with 240s but it took 33% more pressure to get there. Even so, the debate over .44 versus .45 will inevitably rage on. And while I no desire to join the fray, I will say this. The .44 Magnum and .45 Colt are argued in lock-step while the .41 is deemed the middle magnum. Applying simple math tells us .44 caliber is 0.019” larger than .41 and 0.023” less than the .45. So when assessing the .357 to .45 Colt continuum I’d say we have two middle magnums. But comparing and contrasting the two is a waste of time. Each is outstanding and offers stellar performance. If forced to choose however I’d pick the Colt. Added caliber and the ability to shoot heavier weights would be the reasons.

My first exposure to beyond “Ruger Only” .45 Colts was a home-built .454. Done on a stainless Blackhawk in 1996, the conversion has taken big doses of Casull and five-shot Colt. I wasn’t sure how the frame would respond but after 17 years it’s still tight. Then in 2003 I purchased an Acusport Bisley with every intention of switching it to five-shot. It didn’t happen, even though I struggled to get accuracy from that piece. Corrected throats, fire-lapping, and a recut cone improved things a bit. I also found it needed to be run wide-open. When filled with 335 grain and up cast bullets and packed over ball powder it grouped. Let off the gas and it patterned like a 12 gauge. I can’t explain the why or how but that held firm all the way to 6,000 rounds. When it turned ten I decided to tear it down and build a .45 Colt to my liking. A long five-shot cylinder, premium barrel, and matched specs were must haves. I also wanted it to be working class in appearance. Nothing against high-end customs but I prefer my guns be simple and clean. Fancy sights, exotic wood, and presentation grade blue with color case photograph well. They do nothing for accuracy, durability, or terminal punch.

I’d like to digress for a moment. It’s hard to discuss Ruger .45 Colts without getting into throat dimensions. This site contains an article on the subject so I won’t rehash my findings. Instead, I’ll illustrate how we cut cylinder bores.

Let me start by saying we never finish the throats with a reamer. While they work they’re limited by: 1) Reamers can “walk” which compromises concentricity, and 2) Reamers leave machine marks which abrade the bullet.

Here’s a close-up of a reamed cylinder throat. The grit particles obstruct the view but the marks are noticeable between 6 and 9 o’clock.

This cylinder was reamed undersized at 0.450 – 0.451”. Final dimensions will be done using a Sunnen Hone. For those not familiar with hones there’s no better way to achieve throat concentricity. Hones use an abrasive stone and a self-truing process. Unlike grinding, which allows wheel imperfections to be imparted on the object, honing follows a complex path. The stones simultaneously enlarge the hole radially while they oscillate axially. And since the stones erode towards the desired geometry there’s no need to true them. So what does that mean? Basically the honed component holds better concentricity than the machine tool that created it (ie, the reamer). Better yet, our Sunnen Hone is accurate to 0.0001” and can return varying textures to include near- mirror finish.

This gun will see 0.452” cast bullets so the desired throat is 0.4525”. That extra half- thousandth allows the bullet to pass without material upsizing or constriction. Using a micrometer, a gauge is set to indicate at 0.4525”.

All throats were checked against the indicated gauge. The dial at the top tells you if you’re off or not. If the hole falls to the left of the zero, it’s too small. If it falls to the right it’s too large. All of our throats zeroed dead on which means 0.4525”. Now you may ask why we don’t use pin gauges. It’s simple. Pin gauge sets are to the thousandth. In other words, they don’t indicate where I’m landing in between 0.452” and 0.453”. This gauge does and like the hone is accurate to the ten-thousandth.

There’s more than one way to throat a cylinder and honing isn’t an end-all. And I’m not suggesting reamers walk as much as drill bits. They hold form very well. But reamers can wear unevenly and won’t bore a throat as concentric as a hone. As for the machine marks, they can be fire lapped with abrasive compound (I like Clover brand), soft lead bullets, and low velocity. They can also be polished out but that may impact concentricity and it’s harder to maintain uniform diameter across six holes. Honing provides the desired surface finish from the hit.

The conversion involved our standard methodology for cylinder build, bore indexing, and barrel installation. All of which are documented in my Buffalo Seville article. Five- shots require timing modifications not covered in that piece however. I won’t exact those detail but will say they necessitate alterations to the pawl and hammer plunger. The ratchet geometry, beyond 72 degree cogs, is also different.

Some basics of the project include Shilen premium blank and a Belt Mountain #5 basepin. Trigger pull was worked to a very crisp 2 pounds and the chambers were made tight; specifically, 0.0015” over a sized case. The rear sight is a Bowen target behind a Martin aluminum front post. We slugged the barrel after fitting and observed no constriction or thread choke. Gauging the bore to throat alignment showed all five as spot on. Mechanically speaking the gun should shoot well.

Now that we’ve turned the lights off in the machine shop we can range test. I’ll assess a variety of bullet weights, nose profiles, and returned accuracy. The latter will be done at 25, 50, and 100 yards split between five & six-shot load levels. Only after a few thousand primers have been struck will I attempt to draw conclusions.

Solid head brass, slower burning powders, and the New Model Blackhawk turned the .45 Colt into a handgun heavyweight. Capable of everything from mild plinking to big game hunting, you’re hard pressed to find a more versatile cartridge. This versatility is apparent when it comes to bullet selection. With cast and jacketed designs spanning 185 to 400 grains, there’s a .45 bullet for every job.

Now I’d like to issue a word of warning. The five-shot loads I’ll discuss work in my custom Rugers. Authors have been reluctant to publish such data for fear it’ll find its way into a stock Ruger…or even worse, a Single-Action Army. Make no mistake, these will grenade both. While intended for custom five-shot revolvers and Freedom Arms 83s, all should be approached with caution. If you decide on a five-shot conversion, shoot the builders recommended loads and mark them accordingly. Many segregate their .45 Cots with different makes of brass. For example, author Ross Seyfried used Winchester shells for low pressure models, Starline for six-shot Rugers, and Federal hulls for his five-shots. Another trick is to chamber the .450 Extreme, which is just a .454 Casull trimmed to 1.340”. The resulting case is too long to fit a Colt cylinder. But I stress, I’m not responsible for these in any outside of my own.

The six-shot table coincides with published data, but they’re absolute max (meaning near or at 30,000 PSI). When starting out, back off by 1.5 grains and work up incrementally.

To get the most out of a five-shot .45 Colt we need to safely increase pressure to 50,000 PSI; or 80% higher than six-shot limits. The only powders that’ll do this are H110, W296, and Lil’Gun. Other handgun propellants are just too fast and will cause dangerous pressure spikes. Of those listed, I prefer H110 and W296. Lil’Gun is accurate and gives good velocity but burns hotter and can be tough on forcing cones. Obviously, all three benefit from magnum pistol primers. When it comes to brass I like Starline or Hornady for five-shot horsepower. Federal is just as good but can’t be bought in bulk. Remington and Winchester are safe but give up the ghost sooner (the ghost being loosened primer pockets and split necks after 4 to 5 reloads). By comparison, I’ve reloaded Starline and Hornady ten plus times at 50K.

Call me one-dimensional, but these loads will only see H110 and CCI 350 primers. I’ve tried other fuels in heavy .45 Colt to include 4227, AA#9, 2400, and Lil’Gun and none consistently return the type of accuracy I get from H110 and W296.

Most of you are familiar with the bullet designs tested below. For those that aren’t however, let’s talk acronyms. The three most common to five-shot .45 Colts are Veral Smith’s LBTs. These are the wide-flat nose WFNs, the long-flat nose LFNs, and the hybrid wide-long nose WLNs. All are hardcast to around Brinell 22, employ gas-checks, and sport wide meplats. Proven killers on even the largest game, they make big wound channels on meat and small groups on paper. These pills are incredibly accurate when cast and sized properly.

I’ll also work with JD Jones’ SSK 340 and Beartooth’s outstanding long-cylinder medium nose 350. The latter only fit Ruger Redhawks and custom long-cylinder .45 Blackhawks. Not much has been written about the LCMN so I was eager to see how they shoot. And for “you know what” and giggles I threw a light 275 grain flat-point into the mix. Noticeably absent are jacketed bullets. Copper is great stuff but in large caliber wheelguns I exclusively use lead. If you wonder why I suggest you read Max Prasac’s book Big-Bore Revolvers. Let’s just say he and I think alike.

This chart shows the dimensional differences between the seven:

Make Profile Weight Meplat Base to Crimp Nose Leadheads Wide Long Nose 335 gr 0.373” 0.465” 0.408” Flight Line SSK plain base 340 gr 0.332” 0.597” 0.390” Beartooth Wide Flat Nose 405 gr 0.374” 0.635” 0.411” Beartooth Long Flat Nose 340 gr 0.340” 0.478” 0.410” Beartooth Long Cylinder Med 350 gr 0.345” 0.365” 0.518” Cast Perf Wide Long Nose 360 gr 0.355” 0.505” 0.390” Hunters Sup Flat point plain base 275 gr 0.345” 0.329” 0.385”

3.0 grains of H110 over Ruger Only maximums takes you to five-shot territory. This holds for the entire range of tested weights and yields appreciable gains in velocity. Granted, I can’t pinpoint pressure but my ballistic software puts these at 48,000 – 53,000 PSI. Yes, you can go higher but in doing so you’ll over-compress the powder. Think that’s not possible? Think again. We’re using 1.285” Colt brass, not Casull. Don’t try to make a .454 out of your five-shot. They’ll approach the Casull but won’t replicate Freedom Arms performance.

The extra three grains also illustrates how pressure spikes when H110 / W296 is loaded well past 100% density. Recall, ball powder is very forgiving and produces a broad pressure curve. That’s why it does so damn well on the top-end. But you can take the forgiving quality too far and get into trouble. To prove my point let’s look at the 360 grain WLN loads. 21.5 is Hodgdon tested and gauges around 30,000 PSI. 24.5 grains and my software say we’re at 50,500 PSI (btw – I never used to trust PC ballistics until I compared the output to my chronograph. They’re usually within 2% to 5% of one another). So a 14% increase in charge moves pressure by 68%. Realize, we’re not changing the curve profile but instead increasing the peak height. That’s why spike is more apt; contraction of the T interval isn’t occurring. This is a common misconception and should be explained further (perhaps in a future article).

For test purposes I’ve seated the same 360 WLN over 27.5 grs of H110. Two things happen at this point: 1) you start to deform the meplat but not enough to bulge the case so it won’t chamber, and 2) pressure closes in on 65,000 PSI. Will that load blow a five- shot Colt? Probably not but why risk it. Wear and tear accelerates, extraction may get rough, and the speed ROI is marginal. It’s just not worth it.

Now let’s cover the load data and accuracy testing.

To avoid any sort of confusion I separated the six-shot “Ruger Only” loads from my custom five-shots. Again, I’m not responsible for these in guns other than my own. If you attempt to duplicate them, especially the five-shots, back off by 15% and work up. These are maximums!!!

I’ll discuss the data in more depth but must call out the following. Velocity is the average of five shots with the chronograph held ten feet from the bench. Accuracy was recorded using five-shot aggregates for a given distance, again bench rested. The groups aren’t averages though; they’re the best achieved for a given charge and bullet combination. The consistency across most of the loads presented was outstanding. Enough so, that I didn’t hesitate to show the smallest. My goal isn’t to promote accuracy absolutes but instead accuracy potential. OK, enough justification. Here are the results:

6-Shot “Ruger Only” – All are maximums

Bullet Weight Powder Charge Velocity 25 yards 50 yards 100 yards Hunters 275 FP H110 26.5 1,422 1.7” 3.4” 9.6” Leadheads 335 WLN H110 23.0 1,325 1.1” 2.1” 6.7” Flight Line 340 SSK H110 20.0 1,252 2.0” 4.3” 8.1” Beartooth 340 LFN H110 23.0 1,331 1.0” 2.5” 6.3” Beartooth 350 LCMN H110 24.5 1,353 1.2” 2.0” 5.8” Cast Perf 360 WLN H110 21.5 1,228 1.3” 2.4” 6.1” Beartooth 405 WFN H110 20.0 1,139 1.2” 2.7” 4.8”

Note, these six-shot loads look fast compared to published data. I too was surprised at the velocities, especially the 405 WFN. I believe the difference lies in the gun. My conversion has very tight chambers, matched throats, no barrel constriction, 0.0015” on cylinder gap, and exceptional timing. Combined they’ll spot you some extra feet-per- second.

Custom 5-Shot Loads – All are maximums

Bullet Weight Powder Charge Velocity 25 yards 50 yards 100 yards Hunters 275 FP H110 29.5 1,594 1.5” 3.1” 9.0” Leadheads 335 WLN H110 26.0 1,487 1.2” 2.2” 4.9” Flight Line 340 SSK H110 23.0 1,375 1.4” 4.0” 7.3” Beartooth 340 LFN H110 26.0 1,505 1.1” 2.3” 4.9” Beartooth 350 LCMN H110 27.5 1,560 0.9” 1.5” 4.3” Cast Perf 360 WLN H110 24.5 1,457 0.8” 1.3” 4.0” Beartooth 405 WFN H110 23.0 1,304 0.8” 1.8” 2.9”

It’s difficult to draw hard-and-fast conclusions from this trial. Cleary the average velocity gain over 6-shot maximums was 160 – 200 fps. The heavier weights tended to post higher incrementals but that was expected. Accuracy deductions aren’t so clear- cut. There are too many variables to consider, none more impacting than the shooter himself. I would like to offer some observations though. First, my gun grouped better at five-shot levels. The perceived difference was small but noticeable. Secondly, the WFN and WLN profiles shot well at 100 yards. I can’t speak to their stability beyond that range but to a 100 they were on the heels of the LFNs. Lastly, one five-shot group doesn’t tell the whole story. All too often a tight cluster or two becomes enough to call a load accurate. It isn’t. The real test is how the combination patterns over many sessions and a multitude of distances. By definition precision means repeatability with no semblance of luck. I’ve fired hundreds of rounds through my .45 Colt and feel comfortable with how the loads perform. Even so, I haven’t shot it enough to definitively say I like one over another. For that reason, the accuracy points merely suggest load prospective.

I won’t go into detail for every bullet I tested. I would like touch on Beartooth’s 350 gr LCMN and 405 gr WFN however. They’ve been available for a while now but have received little coverage.

The 350 grain LCMN shot surprisingly well. Beartooth designed it for Redhawks, custom long cylinder 45 Colts, and any other model that’ll take 1.80” OAL. Due to its increased nose, shorter shank, and crimp groove location it adds case capacity. Enough that 2 – 3 grains more powder can be thrown over comparable weights and profiles. This capacity difference is evident between the two crimp grooves pictured below:

I was skeptical of how the LCMN would do at extended range. By shifting weight forward the bullet’s (CoF) and center of gravity (CoG) start to converge. When this occurs it becomes harder to stabilize it in flight. One workaround is to increase velocity, which is the point of using the LCMN. And velocity isn’t in short supply with this 350 grain. Reduced bearing surface combined with Beartooth’s unique alloy nets 1,350 fps; and that’s from a six-shot. Add three grains of H110 for five-holes and you’re 1,500+ fps.

You can’t hold a "best handgun bullet for long-distance" discussion without hitting on CoG and CoF. To many the concept seems vague so I thought I'd graphically define the two. This example uses a jacketed lead core but the principle applies to hardcasts, solids, and anything else in between. The bullet on the left is marked with the center of form (blue dot). This is the dimensional mid-point for its axis. The bullet on the right has a non-concentric jacket with the copper thicker on the lower edge (4 to 8 o'clock). This causes weight imbalance with a higher portion of lead above the CoF. That mass differential pushes the CoG (red dot) a tad higher than the CoF (blue dot).

When the bullet spins down the barrel it's held on the CoF. In other words, the rifling imprints the exterior and prevents it from deviating to the CoG. Once the bullet leaves the barrel it's free to spin on its CoG. How much it deviates from the CoF depends on velocity and twist rate; this deviation is commonly referred to as the "gyration radius".

Now the above example applies to the bullet's "X" axis. What about the other axes? Consider the 2nd dimension:

You can see the CoG (red dot) is closer to the base than the CoF (blue dot). If they were overlaid on one another instability would ensue. But when separated the bullet can be pushed faster. To reiterate, stability increases as the CoG and CoF move farther apart with the former being stern-side.

Those are just two of the three dimensions but hopefully you get the idea.

Next up is Beartooth’s 405 grain WFN. Considered by many to be excessive for the Colt, I wanted to see how they did first-hand. In doing so I drew upon my experience with CP’s 395 WLN. Those trials taught me to push the bullet hard. This was further validated by Marshall Stanton’s recommendation for his 405 grain. Accuracy can be finicky with these super-weights but they’ll shoot. They just need to be driven fast.

Entering this project I never would’ve guessed the 405 grain would yield the tightest group at 100. And that group has a decent story behind it. Once sighted for that weight at 100 yards I went to work. The first volley put 4 out of 5 on the plate using a 6 o’clock hold. My focus with the next five shots was much better. The trigger pulls, sight alignment, and shot-to-shot grip tension just felt right. But walking towards the target started as a let-down. I saw a couple of shots at 2 o’clock which made me think some landed off target. Profanity flew until I got within 20 yards. The potty language was immediately silenced by a smile.. Five-shots under 3 inches center-to-center…the best I’ve ever done at that distance. Yes, it’s only one cluster but I have a few others with the 405 between four and five inches.

The obvious next question is how do these elephant .45’s perform on game? To be honest, I have no clue. And I’m making no prediction or test of penetration capability for one simple reason. It doesn’t matter to me. Any of the LBT styles tested will penetrate more than I’d ever need for North American species. Hunting in Africa though moves one to think, re-think, and possibly overthink inches of penetration. I’ll never hunt the dark continent so for me it’s a moot point. Ross Seyfried did pursue the nasty stuff though and tried a 412 grain LBT. In the January 1995 issue of G&A he reported lackluster results. It stabilized fine in air with 1:20” twist but yawed in flesh. Ross hinted that faster twist may help the big 412 but in the end he reverted back to the lighter 360 WLN. If forced to pick the ideal five-shot .45 Colt weight I’d choose the same.

Five-shot .45’s are sort of the Corvettes of single-actions. Most don’t need all that power but it’s nice to have. Mine rarely see anything past “Ruger Only” but occasionally I like to dial up. If nothing else, building a five-shot .45 Colt mandates tight chambers, correct throats, good indexing, and rigid cylinder fit. No matter what load you shoot, all of these promote improved accuracy and longevity.

I’ll post updates as I work more with this conversion. In the meantime, if you have questions or comments write me at [email protected].