Checking my throats and bore on Alaskan .45

Since I was having leading issues with any of my Colt .45 .452 lead bullets plain or PC coated
when shooting my Alaskan...I finally got around to checking the throat and slugging the bore.

What I found...the throats all measure same .454 and the bore is .452
So I should be looking at .454 sized cast bullets for some clean lead shooting?

Fitting the bore would be my goal. 454 would get swagged down to 452 when it
leaves the cylinder. JMO. ps

My thinking too. The .454 dia. of the cylinder throats would work better with a .454 lead bullet to seal any
gasses blowing by but still have a good seal in the bore.

Thanks for your reply P.S.

always size to cylinder mouth diameter.

Thumbcocker said:

always size to cylinder mouth diameter.

Click to expand...

Which should be larger than groove diameter.

Thumbcocker said:

always size to cylinder mouth diameter.

Click to expand...

+1 ^^^

I am having this same issue with my Alaskan. I just cast some and with powdercoat but without sizing, they measure .454 but they are buldging my brass a bit. Is this normal? It is once fired starline brass with a 300 gr LEE mold bullet

Most production case sizing dies nowdays seem to overwork the brass by sizing the cases too small, and this situation if most eveident when cast bullets are used since their nominal diameter is larger than that of a similar jacketed bullet in the same caliber. So cases often sort of remind some people of a snake that swallered a whole pig. One positive, your case neck tension is beyond question. LEE makes sizing dies to help you out a bit, just slug your chamber throats and size your bullets down so they can be pushed through the throats with very slight effort after coating your bullets. Normally with cast bullets the bullet diameter is usable if the loaded cartridge chambers freely, but I always recommend sizing to throat diameter with cast for best accuracy.

An issue with Super Redhawks that sometimes crops up is "choke" where the barrel is threaded into the frame. My 44 Magnum had enough that I could not get any cast to shoot without leading, even gas-checked. I have cast and shot hundreds of thousands of lead alloy bullets in my other guns, and never ran into an issue like it. Slugging the bore didn't reveal the extent of the constriction due to the slug "bouncing back" a little after it passed through the tight spot, but I estimate the choke was at least .004" less than the chamber mouth diameters. I ended up fire-lapping the bore and now it works great with cast.

Bee4Donald said:

I am having this same issue with my Alaskan. I just cast some and with powdercoat but without sizing, they measure .454 but they are buldging my brass a bit. Is this normal? It is once fired starline brass with a 300 gr LEE mold bullet

Click to expand...

I believe Lee Precision will custom-make reloading dies that will size your brass to your specifications. I don't know if they will do carbide, though. You might give them a call. Maybe other die makers would do the same.

This would solve the over-working mentioned elsewhere in this thread.

I just shoot plated bullets thru it now for plinking.