45 blackhawk

[zacharoo]

I was given a ruger blackhawk by and older relative. It has a 4 5/8 in barrel, The cylinder throats measure from .454 to .456 as close as i can measure. I am no machinest. I have a cheap mycromitor. I have not slugged the barrel yet . I can push a .454 bullet through the cylinder chambers pertty easy. I have shot a few .452 dia. bullets through it. They pattern like a shot gun. My other two 45 blackhawk s a 7 1/2 new model and my 1976 4 5/8 blackhawk shoot this load fine . What can I do to make this gun shoot. I have not tryed jacketed bullets yet. Should I try .454 dia. cast bullets. I am lost. need a little nudge in the right direction from an old time mentor!!!

Zacharoo

 

[chilidog]

It's strange to have that large cylinder bores. Most of them I have owned measure about .4515. Mine had to be reamed to push a .452 bullet through them.
You might try .454 cast bullets in it if the throats are that big.
Kevin

 

[Enigma]

I have a Model 25-5 S&W that has similar problems - .456"-.457" throats. I get my best cast bullet accuracy with .454" bullets. Some jacketed bullets shoot pretty well, and some don't. If I could get a cartridge loaded with a .458" bullet to chamber, I'd try that.

Remington also sells a bulk .45 lead bullet that mikes .454-.455", and has a hollow base. Everyone I know who has shot these tells me two things - first, the factory lube is crap! They add a coat of Lee Liquid Alox and they work well. Second, these bullets are just the ticket for a gun with this problem! Midway carries these bullets, although they don't seem to be available right now.

 

[J Miller]

I was given a ruger blackhawk by and older relative. It has a 4 5/8 in barrel, The cylinder throats measure from .454 to .456 as close as i can measure. I am no machinest. I have a cheap mycromitor. I have not slugged the barrel yet . I can push a .454 bullet through the cylinder chambers pertty easy. I have shot a few .452 dia. bullets through it. They pattern like a shot gun. My other two 45 blackhawk s a 7 1/2 new model and my 1976 4 5/8 blackhawk shoot this load fine . What can I do to make this gun shoot. I have not tryed jacketed bullets yet. Should I try .454 dia. cast bullets. I am lost. need a little nudge in the right direction from an old time mentor!!!

Zacharoo

That Blackhawk will most likely shoot very well with .454" bullets.
My experiences are the same as Enigma. I even have a 25-5 with .457" throats too.
Since I have such a group of .45 Colts, no two of them the same I've gone to loading .454" to .456" lead bullets in ALL of them.
My OM BH .45 likes them
MY Uberti Cattleman .45 likes them.
My S&W 25-5 .45 likes them
and both my lever guns prefer the .454" diameter.

What Engima says about the Remington factory lube is totally correct. It sucks. But then so does the factory lube on Hornady, Speer, and almost any other factory swauged lead bullet.
I give them all a coat of liquid alox lube before I load them.

Joe

 

[Bucks Owin]

I was given a ruger blackhawk by and older relative. It has a 4 5/8 in barrel, The cylinder throats measure from .454 to .456 as close as i can measure. I am no machinest. I have a cheap mycromitor. I have not slugged the barrel yet . I can push a .454 bullet through the cylinder chambers pertty easy. I have shot a few .452 dia. bullets through it. They pattern like a shot gun. My other two 45 blackhawk s a 7 1/2 new model and my 1976 4 5/8 blackhawk shoot this load fine . What can I do to make this gun shoot. I have not tryed jacketed bullets yet. Should I try .454 dia. cast bullets. I am lost. need a little nudge in the right direction from an old time mentor!!!

Zacharoo

Sigh....That's the ol' bugaboo with the .45 Colt and apparently not just Rugers. Oversize chambers, throats and bores, in pretty much any combination. My '75 BH has .456" throats and a .452" barrel with chambers "size XXL" Best thing I've found is .454" lead bullets (not too hard!) with enough powder to make them bump up in the throats (and seal the case to the chamber). Eventually, I'm gonna turn loose of mine long enough to send home to Ruger for a PROPERLY SIZED cylinder. (Wish I had the dinero to send it to John Linebaugh instead!) :roll: Oddly, mine really likes 225 gr Win Silvertips accuracy wise, even tho' they really smoke up the cases. (I wonder if Win uses a hollow base boolit?)....Anyway, maybe try a box?

 

[Cherokee]

Try the 454 size cast bullets - even my 452 cylinders shoot them just fine.