Cylinder Reaming

[MMichaelAK]

I have a handful of Rugers in .45 Colt.
Yep, with the attendant issue of cylinder throats being tight.

Last May I ordered a fractional reamer in 29/64ths from Grizzly Industrial for about $8.00. Since I live in Alaska they hit me for $17.00 to ship it USPS Priority Mail. Soooo ripped off there. But it was still only $25.00 but what really killed me was the three back orders and then finally receiving the reamer at THANKSGIVING.
Needless to say, I won't use Grizzly Industrial again unless I get to the level of "someone is dying" desparate.

But Friday night I got out the reamer, took a tubing cutter and a .45 Colt case and cut the head of it and reamed that out so I could pass the reamer through it and use it to help center the reamer in the chamber, and then reamed the chamber throats on four Blackhawks / Vaqueros. After cleaning up the cut cylinder, I took a 300 grain WFNGC bullet and dropped it through each chamber and it hung up briefly in each throat but dropped free with a tiny push. Perfect!

Guys, if you haven't done it, try it yourself. It's easy and inexpensive to do. I know Cas does it and does a fine job but if you can do it yourself, why not? I did four cylinders in a sedate 3 hours between pizza, two sodas and BSing with the guys. If you need to send the work out I can understand but in town they charge $45.00 per cylinder to do this. I spent $25 for all four and it was easy and I wasn't waiting on the mail.

I'm happy I did this and can't wait to get to the range even in all the snow we have gotten. Im so tired of shovelling snow...

 

[Bob R]

Sounds like you have the bugs worked out of doing this.

Great Job

Bob

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

..I wasn't waiting on the mail...

Yes, you were, to the tune of 6 months.

 

[flatgate]

Dave Manson is the place to get reamers.

A proper sized "flex hone" finishes the job.

JMHO,

flatgate

 

[MMichaelAK]

..I wasn't waiting on the mail...

Yes, you were, to the tune of 6 months.

To be precise, I was waiting on Grizzly.

And yes, Im thinking flex hone too.

 

[tek4260]

What guides/pilots the front of the reamer? Or is it tapered up to 29/64ths?

 

[MMichaelAK]

Looks like a very mild taper at most.

 

[tek4260]

The reason I ask is because this topic comes up often on castboolits. The cost of the reamer is quite attractive, but without any way of piloting it there is just too much room to really screw up a cylinder.

I honestly believe that you could buy the correct reamer and pilots, home-smith it, then sell the reamer and pilots for $8 less than you paid new, and come out the same $ wise without the risk.

 

[cas6969]

I would just like to add a slightly related 2¢ to this since you brought it up;
In the last couple years pin/plug gauges have gotten a lot of press in the magazines, so more and more "regular Joe's" have been buying them. What a lot of people fail to realize is unless the hole you're measuring is perfectly round, your plug gauges will lie to you. And believe me, out of round throats are not uncommon. I mention it only because it's come up quite a but lately.

 

[mindustrial]

"took a tubing cutter and a .45 Colt case and cut the head of it and reamed that out so I could pass the reamer through it and use it to help center the reamer in the chamber"

I'm guessing you do this because.... you're cutting them with a tap handle (or similar by hand) and not on a mill in a vice?

 

[edlmann]

What a lot of people fail to realize is unless the hole you're measuring is perfectly round, your plug gauges will lie to you. And believe me, out of round throats are not uncommon. I mention it only because it's come up quite a but lately.

Pin gages are handy for detecting an out-of-round throat as well. If I put a pin gage in a throat and see light on two sides, say 3 and 9 o'clock, and not at 12 and 6 o'clock, bingo.

 

[MMichaelAK]

Mindustrial, yes, by hand with a tap handle in a vise.

Cas, I did recall someone mentioning out of round. I did check using my buddy's pin gauges and the pin gauges didnt show anything glaring and yes, did it like edlmann is talking about. Thought I was being pretty smart.

I see what you are saying tek, but there isn't as much demand for .45 Colt Rugers as bear guns up here. And the unsized case was a nice snug fit in the chamber and like I said, I had to ream the case itself before I could pass the reamer through it anyway so it did a great job as a guide with no play or wobble.

 

[RustyReel]

MMichaelAK, have you had a chance to go shooting after you reamed the cylinders?? How did it shoot?? Tks.