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S&W Barrels
shilowar
Member Posts: 38,811 ✭✭✭
For curiosity sake....Do the N Frame Revolvers in .44 and .45 ACP share the same barrel? IE the Model 29 vs. Model 25, same barrel or different dimensions in rifling?
Yeah I just wondered...what about 10mm, .41 and .40?
Yeah I just wondered...what about 10mm, .41 and .40?
Comments
For curiosity sake....Do the N Frame Revolvers in .44 and .45 ACP share the same barrel? IE the Model 29 vs. Model 25, same barrel or different dimensions in rifling?
Yeah I just wondered...what about 10mm, .41 and .40?
No. While the external barrel dimensions are similar, the internal diameter of the barrels is NOT the same:
A .44 magnum/.44 special bullet is .429" in diameter.
A .45 (long) Colt bullet is .454".
A .45 ACP is .452".
A .41 magnum is .410" (10.41 mm)
A 10 mm/.40 SW is exactly .400 (10.16 mm).
So in short, you can't fire a .45 ACP or .45 Colt bullet though a .44 magnum barrel (well. . .at least not safely, and you wouldn't want to try this).
While you probably could fire a nominally .44 magnum bullet through a .45 gun, the bullet would have a poor grip on the rifling and let propellant gas flow around the bullet, leading to low velocity, increased wear on the revolver, and dismal accuracy.
Likewise, while you probably could get away with firing 10mm/.40SW bullets through a .41 magnum barrel (or *maybe* the converse. . .though I wouldn't condone nor try it), I'd be shocked to hear that the actual bore diameters of the .41 magnum and 10mm revolvers were identical.
If you checked, I think you'd find that the 10mm revolver uses its own distinct barrel.