Barrel Change

[Storm Crow]

A friend of mine has a Puma/Rossi model 92 in .44 Magnum.  He wants to swap the barrel for a .45 Long Colt barrel.  He says he had a Marlin lever action in .44 that he could load .45 LC in the magazine tube, and the gun would cycle, and all but put a round in the chamber.  Is this feasible, or advisable? 

He's wanting to use .45 LC in both his revolvers, and rifle, but he's trying to get out of buying another gun.  Thank you for your thoughts, and advice in this matter.

Storm Crow

[Professor Marvel]

Greetings StormCrow -

Often they will fit - but YMMV, best to actually check with empty  .45 Colt brass .

Unless he has the new .45colt barrel in hand as is willing to do all the work himself, it is most likely that the gunsmithing costs will actually be more than the price of a new rifle, and perhaps will function less satisfactorily ...

yhs
prof marvel

[Pettifogger]

+1.  These guns aren't expensive in the first place.  However, barrels are hard to get and ain't cheap.  By the time you pay to have the work done you would be better off selling it and buying one in the Caliber you want.  Also, a Marlin and a 92 aren't even close to being the same.  The feed rails on the 92 have to be set fairly close to the caliber they are intended to shoot.  The Marlin has no feed rails.  So, you are apt to have feeding problems with a .45 in a .44 gun and will have to change the rails as well.

[Storm Crow]

I talked to him today, and I'm pretty sure that he has been dissuaded from what could potentially be disastrous.  He planned to do the work himself, which I'm sure he is more than competent to do something so simple. 

Another board I frequent suggested that the bolt face for a .44 Magnum would not work with .45 LC, and that pretty much closed up any thought of back room gunsmithing this lever action. 

He's decided to just shoot .44 Special out of it until he is able to afford one in .45 LC.

Thanks again for the advice.

Storm Crow