Shortened .45 acp cylinder?

[MrBorland]

I'm curious as to why we don't see more of this kind of mod (sans the porting):

http://www.pinnacle-guns.com/images/rev_gal/04lg.jpg

Shortening the .45 acp cylinder seems like a pretty good idea - less jump would improve accuracy, no? And less cylinder mass = lighter trigger pull?

Is it that the actual gains are minor compared to the cost of the modification? How much accuracy is to be gained? Also, it seems like more of the forcing cone is unsupported - does this mod result in cracked forcing cones eventually?

Just curious

Tom

[Bill Sahlberg]

This gun looks really nice and the gunsmithing from Pinnacle is superb. However, it is the last .0005" of any barrel that steers the bullet, not the first few inches. Back in the 1970s we were taking .357s and doing the same to create less "freebore" in our 148 gr HBWC to improve accuracy. It made little or no difference. I now shoot a 627 8X357 with 38 Colt Shorts in minor and have exceptional accuracy with a gun that freebores more that 3/4"! Look at the 2007 Area 1 results on the Standards stage, it is the only stage I won and I was shooting this load in minor against all the others shooting major.......

[chirpy]

There was a discussion on this a while back. The original idea for this was, as you said, better accuracy due to less bullet jump and I don't remember if the GS did it for less cylinder mass thus a lighter trigger pull or not. I haven't been able to locate the original article I read about this mod and others seem to feel that the lighter TP idea doesn't work out. Mike Carmoney posted a reply to my original post. I believe a GS named Fred Lawson performed this mod years ago.

FWIW

Richard

[Carmoney]

I have a 25-2 with a shortened cylinder that was 'smithed by the late great John Nowlin. It's a wonderful gun--one of my absolute favotites--but I can't honestly say it's any more or less accurate than any other .45 wheelgun I've owned.

I don't think anybody has ever conclusively established that a shortened cylinder leads to any meaningful improvement in accuracy. Doug Carden had a shorter cylinder installed on a .38/.357 8-shooter--remember, we called it the "starter pistol on steroids"? His accuracy improved a little--but he had other work done at the same time, so the difference made purely by the short cylinder was never isolated.

As long as the bullet jump is smooth and gentle, being a little longer doesn't seem to create a problem.

Save your money.

[Tom Mainus]

My first competition revolver was one of the PC guns with the 5" barrel and the

shortened cylinder. I couldn't tell any difference between that guns accuracy

and any of the others that I have. I never did any real testing with them either.

For the kind of shooting we do, how much more accurate do you need. It is not

like we are shooting 1,000 yd precision rifle here.

Tom

[revoman]

Just buy a 625PC and it already has the shortened cylinder.

[pskys2]

I have a PC and have shot several other regular 625's and I'm not sure that it doesn't Hurt accuracy. It doesn't make it any quicker on the trigger. It doesn't seem to stop the cylinder from peening the nothces either. If you're going to spend extra $$$ you might look into getting a Titanium Cylinder.

[David Sinko]

I have no interest in cutting up a .45 cylinder, but what I think would be neat is a 3" Model 940 9mm with the cylinder shortened and the 3" barrel turned in to make it a 2" barrel, plus a little bit of work to make the barrel tapered for additional weight loss. I have never seen this done before but I think it would make a nice unique pocket gun. And a very expensive one too.

Dave Sinko

[mikey357]

IIRC, a gunsmith named Fred Schmidt in VA, W.VA or PA started the "Short Cylinder" thing years ago with his "Tricky" PPC guns...they all shot VERY well, but what properly-built PPC gun doesn't??? I also had a short-cylindered 625 "PC", and never noticed that it shot any better than any of my "Standard" 625's...FWIW....mikey357

[professor]

It looks as though this modification puts the cylinder gap significantly closer to those fragile little finger tips I've grown to know and love. Granted, I don't ever plan to stick them out past the trigger guard on either hand, but S..T happens.

I had a .357 timing get out a whack just a little, and lead shaved off the side of the bullets was spitting out of the cylinder gap, along with the exhaust gases that are ALWAYS there. I didn't see it myself, but ROs picked up on it.

For an example of how NOT to hold a revolver, see this:

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php?t=44382

[buckaroo45]

I've read the 625-8 has the shortened cylinder. Supposed to reduce rotating weight some small amount. I had a 625 in 5" but my hands couldn't tell any difference with a friends 25-2. I also couldn't get any noticable difference in accuracy. I suspect it may require "educated" hands.

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The more I "know", the less I understand