.44 Special Sizing Question

[Pistolero]

I am working on a load for my factory repaired GP100 .44 Special 3". According Ruger, the cylinder throats now all measure .430.5. A cast bullet with a diameter of .430 diameter will not drop through completely and can be easily pulled out of the cylinder with two fingers. I tried pushing a cast bullet that measures at .431 diameter through each cylinder with a pencil, but it takes a hard tap with a mallet on a wooden dowel to push the .431 bullet out of each cylinder. Is this .431 diameter cast bullet ok to shoot out of my GP with .430.5 cylinder throats? The bullet in question is a 240 grn. truncated cone, bevel based Penn bullet that I double checked with calipers to measure .431 diameter. I am planning on using 6 grains of Unique for a light load.

Thank you,

 

[WIL TERRY]

YES, it is, Sir !
And so it goes...

 

[Pistolero]

Thank you, Sir.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

Follow the age old advice to start low and work up. Life should be good: the forces placed on that bullet at ignition time make your dowel and mallet look like a love tap. OTOH, you want everything to seal up nice and tight for best ignition, velocity and accuracy.

Just for giggles, have you measured all six chambers with appropriate equipment to see what size they REALLY are and how well Ruger did at matching them up? Drilling holes held to tolerances measured in tenths has seemed a challenge to them over the years...

Rick C

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

As long as your loaded rounds will chamber there is no problem shooting them.
That should be a great combination. I try to fit and shoot bullets .001 over throat diameter in my guns.

 

[Pistolero]

Gents,
As always, I appreciate your feedback.
Regards,

 

[Pistolero]

Just for giggles, have you measured all six chambers with appropriate equipment to see what size they REALLY are and how well Ruger did at matching them up? Drilling holes held to tolerances measured in tenths has seemed a challenge to them over the years...

Rick C

Rick,
I haven't confirmed Ruger's measurements but I plan on investing in a good set of pin gauges or maybe have a local gunsmith measure them for me.

Thank you,

 

[gramps]

The .430 would work for me!
gramps

 

[Srb08]

Just for giggles, have you measured all six chambers with appropriate equipment to see what size they REALLY are and how well Ruger did at matching them up? Drilling holes held to tolerances measured in tenths has seemed a challenge to them over the years...

Rick C

Rick,
I haven't confirmed Ruger's measurements but I plan on investing in a good set of pin gauges or maybe have a local gunsmith measure them for me.

Thank you,

Pin gauges are worth having. I got a set a few years ago. I check the throats on any revolver I'm lookin at buying. I've passed on two since I got them. One had two different size throats and another, three different size throats.
The gauges saved me a lot of aggravation.

 

[Pistolero]

Just for giggles, have you measured all six chambers with appropriate equipment to see what size they REALLY are and how well Ruger did at matching them up? Drilling holes held to tolerances measured in tenths has seemed a challenge to them over the years...

Rick C

Rick,
I haven't confirmed Ruger's measurements but I plan on investing in a good set of pin gauges or maybe have a local gunsmith measure them for me.

Thank you,

Pin gauges are worth having. I got a set a few years ago. I check the throats on any revolver I'm lookin at buying. I've passed on two since I got them. One had two different size throats and another, three different size throats.
The gauges saved me a lot of aggravation.

I agree with you. I would like to buy a set to over 9mm on to .45Colt. Any recommendations?

 

[Srb08]

Pin gauges are worth having. I got a set a few years ago. I check the throats on any revolver I'm lookin at buying. I've passed on two since I got them. One had two different size throats and another, three different size throats.
The gauges saved me a lot of aggravation.

I agree with you. I would like to buy a set to over 9mm on to .45Colt. Any recommendations?[/quote]


I believe I got mine from Enco. The set is 250 pins and covers from .251-.500. I'm pretty sure they were less than $100.

 

[Pistolero]

Pin gauges are worth having. I got a set a few years ago. I check the throats on any revolver I'm lookin at buying. I've passed on two since I got them. One had two different size throats and another, three different size throats.
The gauges saved me a lot of aggravation.

I agree with you. I would like to buy a set to over 9mm on to .45Colt. Any recommendations?


I believe I got mine from Enco. The set is 250 pins and covers from .251-.500. I'm pretty sure they were less than $100.

Thank you for the information.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

It sounds to me like Ruger got your throats just right for shooting jacketed or lead bullets. They seem to do pretty well with .44's and .357's.

 

[Pistolero]

It sounds to me like Ruger got your throats just right for shooting jacketed or lead bullets. They seem to do pretty well with .44's and .357's.

They got it right, but it took a trip back to the Ruger Mothership for a new cylinder and barrel and removal of various tool marks and rough edges. It was worth the effort because it has become one of my favorite revolvers. It is accurate, well balanced, relatively light weight and with the factory small grip, it fits my hand well.

 

[Sakoluvr]

A general rule is to load for your throat size. You gain nothing when you use the throats to size your cast boolits. It increases pressure and it can leave lead behind. Boolit hardness comes into play here. Something < 15 BHN will expand to throat size and seal in the bore. Bevel base boolits can be problematic when it comes to gas cutting if they do not fill the throats or bore. I would try .430 with correct hardness and go to .431 next. You really can't measure throats with a caliper. Pin gauges are a must for that.

 

[Sakoluvr]

You can buy individual pins on Amazon in the ranges you are most likely to use.