Ruger 45 Long Colt cylinders

[38-55]

How many owners here on this board have had the chamber throats of their 45 Long Colt cylinders reamed to a uniform standard?
I received as a gift a NIB NMBH 45/45 convertible. I cast and load all my own ammunition. I could not make this gun shoot. Like the gun, but!!! If it don't shoot it don't live in my safe. I read an article in Handloader magazine about this problem. I started slugging and measuring all 12 chamber throats. I was dumbfounded at what measurements I compiled. Long story, short. 12 throats measured from a small of .442 to a large of .4505. The barrel bore slugged at .4515 without a Ruger squash point. Good bore, perfect for my purposes. Any .452 bullet I fired would be ruined before it ever got to the forcing cone. No wonder it wouldn't shoot for sour owl sauce. I purchased the tooling from Brownells, about 125$, as I remember, was 2005,. I reamed all 12 throats to .4525. What a fantastic difference this made. The gun is a keeper, now. Interestingly, the 45 ACP cylinder shoots better than the Long Colt cylinder.
How often has this come up?

 

[contender]

It's a long & well known thing that many of the chamber in the 45 Colts are not what they should be. I have heard that in recent years a change in how they are manufactured has occurred & fixed the problem,, mostly.
That said, a LOT of folks who shoot cast have experienced the same things you did. And they too had the chambers reamed. In fact, we had a member who did a bunch as a small side business. (He's retired now.) He's still a member & many folks still search out someone who will ream the chambers for them.

 

[38-55]

I picked up a 1997 Vaquero a while back. It hadn't been used much at all, that's probably why. I checked it and reamed it. Made a world of difference. Sold it as a good shooter and made good money on it.

 

[Bucks Owin]

Gone from too big to too small.. :roll: Charge holes/"chambers" always too big.

Ruger should farm out their .45 BH assembly to John Linebaugh IMO!!! :wink:

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

The only one I have had reamed is my RedHawk .45 Colt. It made a large improvement to it`s accuracy.
I have several BH .45 convertibles and almost all of them shoot ACP`s better than Colts.
I have one 7 1/5" Ruger .45 Colt that, on a hunch, I tried with cast bullets sized to .451, it shot great.
I think I will be buying the throating reamer from Brownells also.

 

[Chance]

Like many others here I sent mine off to Forum Member CAS to work his magic. He does great work.

 

[flatgate]

Yup, "fix the throats".

flatgate

 

[jbntx]

Now that cylindersmith has retired, are there any other gunsmiths that will ream the cylinders on 45 Colt Blackhawks? He did one for me several years ago, but now I have some more that need it.

I've read all the internet instructions on how to do it yourself and trust me, you don't want me even in the same room with a cylinder and something that cuts metal.

I'd love to find a local gunsmith that does that work in the Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas area.

 

[sousana]

Now that cylindersmith has retired, are there any other gunsmiths that will ream the cylinders on 45 Colt Blackhawks? He did one for me several years ago, but now I have some more that need it.

I've read all the internet instructions on how to do it yourself and trust me, you don't want me even in the same room with a cylinder and something that cuts metal.

I'd love to find a local gunsmith that does that work in the Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas area.

Lol, I echo your sentiments. Since our local smith retired 8 years ago, that leaves only one across the water with an 8-11 month wait, or sending it out. I'm trying to get my vaqueros and bh/sbh checked now, then, if needed,back to the factory.

 

[andyo5]

I have had a total of six revolvers in 45 Colt. None of them had oversized chambers. All were under 0.452", except for the 5.5" stainless Bisley. I bought a Manson reamer and reamed all except the 5.5" Bisley.

 

[Poco Oso]

If I remember right, CAS said he had the Brownell's reamer , and used to do these while kicked back watching T.V. Step Up and buy a reamer & bushings. YOU could be the next cylindersmith. :wink:

 

[Varminterror]

I regulate/ream my cylinder throats in all of my revolvers. I bought throating reamers several years ago, haven't worn them out yet, but I've done over a dozen 44mag revolvers, and over half a dozen 45colt and 454Casull's. If you follow the steps online, use a chamber guide, have a proper fitting bushing, use ample cutting oil, and go SLOW, it's a super easy process.

I'm not necessarily understanding why it's not a service offered by every gunsmith in your area. Reamers aren't that expensive, and I'm not 100% convinced doing it by hand is significantly less precise than in a lathe, so there really just isn't much excuse for gunsmiths to NOT offer this service. I suppose too many fellas just don't work on revolvers beyond standard repairs, but c'mon...

 

[38-55]

It is a simple process. The tooling is precise and easy to use. I've done 3 of my own and instructed 2 others to do their own using my tooling. It is simple enough to do in the evening in the recliner, little messy, tho.

 

[Short Barrel]

Before and after:



One of my favorite hunting revolvers now.

 

[cadillo]

I have had a total of six revolvers in 45 Colt. None of them had oversized chambers. All were under 0.452", except for the 5.5" stainless Bisley. I bought a Manson reamer and reamed all except the 5.5" Bisley.

You were reaming the throats, not the chambers. A chamber under .452" will not ingest a .45 Colt cartridge.

 

[MaxP]

Any of the known (and many less known) revolver smiths can perform this task.

 

[greenmtnguy]

I just bought a new BN-44X, and though I haven't fired it yet, I checked all the throats on both cylinders and they are all undersized. The largest of them seems to be about .4515". In spite of this, I cannot push any of my .452 Hornady XTP bullets through, and any of my .452 sized lead bullets are waay too hard to push, and most just won't go. So, I think I am also bound for Brownell's to order the kit. Lockup and end-shake on the new BN-44X is pretty good, so I am hopeful it will be a good shooter once I get the throats fixed and replace the cheese grater grips.

I did the same comparison to my "old" New Model Blackhawk BN-45 from the late 1970s (also bought new, unfired from a collector about 8 years ago).
The throats in that cylinder are all about .453 or slightly over and all my test bullets slide right through easily. That gun has not had any work done to it, aside from replacing the grips. It is a nice shooting platform, too. I know it has been quite accurate with both lead and plated.

 

[Bucks Owin]

Yep, my '74 NM .45 is happy with .454" cast in it's .455" throats...

 

[Rclark]

All of my Ruger cylinder throats have got the treatment (all were undersize). I've did the job myself and did a couple for friends too. The tool isn't that hard to use and more than paid for itself. Some of the older .45s were 'really' bad. My original Vaquero's group size was cut in half at 25Y after reaming. Now, the newer New Vaquero was 'close' but still not where it should be.I've even reamed the .45ACP cylinder throats as well. All I shoot is .452 lead in both calibers in all my .45s....

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

I also "bit the bullet" so to speak. My Reamer set is on it`s way from Brownells.
I have at least a dozen BH`s in .45 . Some need it more than others.