Feasibility - .45 ACP in Colt New Service chambered for .455 Eley?

Simple question - historical/academic research, not a practicle suggestion ( I'm basically trying to reconcile apparently-conflicting reported details in a 50+ year-old murder case)!!

Can .45 ACP in half-moon clips be _theoretically_ fired in a Colt New Service Revolver chambered for the British .455 Eley cartridge? I recognise that many .455 Colt NSW's were rechambered for .45 after WW1, but this wasn't the case in the incident in question. Accuracy isn't a issue (in this case, a couple of inches of the barrel had already been sawn-off!), just whether or not the clip would allow the cartridges to be chambered and that at least some of them could be fired. I also need to know if un-clipped .45 ACP could be fired in the same weapon (I'm assuming not - wouldn't they'd slide too far into the cylinder?).

A member of my gun club fired some 45 ACP using 1/2 moon clips for his webley topbreak 455 Eley.

It wasn't accurate, but it did go off. Safety was not an issue with me, so just be carefully if you do tried.

Nick, 'Guns Illustrated', some years ago, published a report on the Colt New Service (my copy not immediately retrieveable) that said most .455 Eley chambers would allow useable headspacing for .45 ACP, but the extractor star would not eject the empties.

I do not believe there is enough room between the recoil shield and the back of the cylinder of the .455 Eleys for the half moon clips, but the back of the cylinder could be faced off as has been done for the Webley .455s.

Derek V.

Colt New Services in .455 Eley were very often rechambered for 45 Long Colt, not 45 ACP. Canada rechambered most of there service pistols from .455 to

# #Can .45 ACP in half-moon clips be _theoretically_ fired in a Colt New #Service Revolver chambered for the British .455 Eley cartridge? I #recognise that many .455 Colt NSW's were rechambered for .45 after #WW1, but this wasn't the case in the incident in question. Accuracy #isn't a issue (in this case, a couple of inches of the barrel had #already been sawn-off!), just whether or not the clip would allow the #cartridges to be chambered and that at least some of them could be #fired. I also need to know if un-clipped .45 ACP could be fired in #the same weapon (I'm assuming not - wouldn't they'd slide too far into #the cylinder?). # Have you given any thought to someone using 45 Auto Rim? Its just a 45 ACP that has a rim, allowing its use in revolvers without the use of moon clips.

# # Have you given any thought to someone using 45 Auto Rim? Its just a # 45 ACP that has a rim, allowing its use in revolvers without the use # of moon clips.

But it's an extra thick rim, made so the auto-rim cartridges may be used in the same guns that required the half-moon clips, but rendering the clips unnecessary. The thicker rim would probably not function unless the gun was already altered for the .45 acp with half-moon clips. I believe the original writer was asking about using the .45 ACP w/half-moon clips in an unaltered revolver. If I've erred I

# # # # Have you given any thought to someone using 45 Auto Rim? Its just a # # 45 ACP that has a rim, allowing its use in revolvers without the use # # of moon clips. # # But it's an extra thick rim, made so the auto-rim cartridges may be used in # the same guns that required the half-moon clips, but rendering the clips # unnecessary. The thicker rim would probably # not function unless the gun was already altered for the .45 acp with # half-moon clips. I believe the original writer was asking about using the # .45 ACP w/half-moon clips in an unaltered revolver. If I've erred I # apologize.

No, that's what I meant. The case I'm looking at involves - according to the 'standard reference work' - 'a loaded .455 Eley Service revolver (commonly known as a Colt .45)... also a spare clip of ammunition, tommy-gun bullets...' Most secondary sources perpetuate the less-than-accurate identification of the Colt New Service Revolver (i.e. usually as if 'Eley' is the manufacturer of the weapon), but photographs of it clearly shown the '.455 ELEY' stamping on the left side of the remains of the barrel (cut down just forward of the end of the extractor rod). There are also references to some of the cartridges used as being .44s, but the 'tommy-gun' - i.e. .45 ACP - description is repeated several times. I've discounted the possibility of being an actual Thompson mag, as that would have been reported a bit less ambiguously, but wanted to verify whether half/full-moon clips could have been used. Of course, if the 'clip' reference is accurate in the first place, it could be that the cartridges were removed from it prior to use 'loose' in the revolver, but checking around, this doesn't seem to be a particularly easy thing to do by hand!

# Simple question - historical/academic research, not a practicle # suggestion ( # I'm basically trying to reconcile apparently-conflicting reported # details in a 50+ year-old murder case)!!

Thanks for the replies (both here and by e-mail), guys - they've all been very helpful.