Fixing Sixguns that Lead

Help Support Ruger Forum:

2 dogs

Buckeye
Joined
Oct 31, 2007
Messages
1,404
Location
South Texas
As I have gone down this path with a number of sixgunners who have troublesome sixguns, I have had to make clear any number of times, to end up with a trouble free lead bullet shooting sixgun correcting the cylinder throats is only the first step. In some cases the throats cannot be corrected because they are already too big, so the size of the bullet you are shooting needs to be larger than standard. I have ended up guiding some guys through the step by step process that follows beyond correcting the throats in order to get their sixgun right. So in short, helping you with a sixgun that is leading is what I am here to do. Do not suffer in silence, send me a PM. I will help you even if you do not hire me to do any work.

For you 32 guys and others, I have a bit of news. I now have what I feel is the ideal reamer to correct undersize throats in the various 32s. Ruger Single Six 32s will almost always have .309"-310" throats. The bore is larger at .312". This isn't going to work. Your cast bullet will not have proper purchase as it travels down the bore. This is also the main
source of your leading. Even if you shoot jacketed, you are beating up your primer pockets because you are sizing down your .312" bullet to .309" as it exits the case (pressure has to go somewhere) and again, that 32 that shoots 1 1/2" at 25 yards may well be much more accurate if that jacketed bullet could "grab" the rifling like it should. Ruger Buckeye 32s are also as a rule too small for cast. These throats need to be corrected to shoot a .313"+ bullet or at least .001" over bore (.312") size. Sometimes the throats in a given cylinder will vary in size. To address this, I have a sets of pilots in 1/2 thou increments to keep the reamer dead center. I try to keep this job at no more than 55 per cylinder plus postage. I have not measured nearly enough Smiths or others to make generalized statements as to diameter however, if you are in doubt, I will measure both your cylinder throats and or your cast bullets with pin gauges and a micrometer at no charge except return postage. Now, every Ruger Single Seven I measured has shown .314" throats. What you need here is a cast bullet at least .3135" or so. Too small of a cast bullet is just as bad because all the lube will blow out of the lube groove when the bullets leaves the case. Dry bullets will lead. Let me know if you need my help.
Additionally, I am set up to correct 45 caliber throats and am in the process of setting up to do 40, 41, and 44 calibers as well. Let me know if you need help or if you are having a leading issue. fermin

Here is the original thread: http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=256672
 

hittman

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jan 16, 2008
Messages
16,913
Location
Illinois
2 dogs recently fixed an OM 30 Carbine cylinder for me. I highly recommend his work!
 

SAJohn

Hunter
Joined
Jan 6, 2007
Messages
2,300
Location
Terrebonne, Oregon, USA
Keep in mind that bullet harness is as important as the above. My own simple formula is the pressure divided by 1600. The result is rounded to the nearest number plus or minus 2. The .44 Mag maximum pressure is 36,00 psi. Divide by 1600 and you get 22. Therefore I buy cast lead bullet with BNH between 19 and 25. Tin can shooting loads run about 15,500 psi which work best with 8 to 12 hardness cast bullets.

Also, with a brand new pistol, I shoot one to two hundred rounds of max loaded jacketed bullets to smooth out the barrel before going to cast bullet loads.

John
 

2 dogs

Buckeye
Joined
Oct 31, 2007
Messages
1,404
Location
South Texas
Thanks John, that is very interesting. I agree that a couple hundred rounds of jacketed bullets will indeed knock some of the rough off a new barrel. However I would point out that every barrel is an individual and some will tolerate a not so hard bullet much better than others. I ran with the "shoot the hardest bullet you can crowd" for many many years. I have learned that some years back the wheel weight composition changed to where they contained far more antimony than before. Thus, even though I shot wheel weight bullets through a sixgun with a correct dimensions and perfect alignment along with a high quality match barrel I still got some "ghosting" of lead in the barrel. It turns out this was not leading. Instead the WW bullets were leaving behind "antimony flashing" which again was a buildup I didn't need or want. So, contemporary WWs need to be cut with pure lead.

I am not trying to change what you are doing or disagree with what you are saying. I am just telling you what I have found after having shot a considerable number of 44 magnums, many stock, many firelapped, and many with custom barrels.

What you need to see is this: Look at your muzzle. You should see a "star" of lubricant. It should be greasy. This tells you your bullet lubricant is making it all the way to the muzzle. Pull your base pin. Look down the barrel. It should be bright and shiny, like you just oiled it. When you see these things, everything is working in harmony.

I was talking to a new caster just the other day. I was telling him not to cast or load in any great quantity. Cast a few dozen slugs or maybe even 100. Let them set for 10 days or so. Size and lube them. Load them up and sit down and test them for accuracy. Check your muzzle and pull your base pin as described above. ALSO, load one bullet and mark it for length. Let it go through the cylinder for a few recoil cycles to be sure you have an adequate crimp on your ammunition. Or said another way, that bullet should not "grow" or jump crimp. This is the path to better ammunition guys. This helps you to tune your alloy to THAT sixgun. You certainly can try this ammunition in all your other say 44 Magnums, and indeed it might shine. If it doesn't however, you might have to find a different recipe for THAT sixgun.
 

slugflinger

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 16, 2018
Messages
10
2 dogs just fixed up both cylinders on my 45 convertible Blackhawk. Very fast turn around, and he did an excellent job. VERY reasonable cost also. There is a heck of lot of reaming to do on a 45 acp cylinder! He has been getting a bit of grief lately about not having a set price per job. The thing is though, there is more to this job than many folks realize. He has to accurately measure each throat, as many (most?) cylinders won't have all of the throats be the same size from the Ruger factory. This also means that the pilot for the reamer must be changed once, twice, or several times per cylinder. This doesn't even factor in the well known fact that Ruger steel often has very hard spots in it. I am very satisfied with the work he did for me, and the cost was much less than I would have expected. Thanks 2 dogs!
 
Top