Need help wih slug size recomendations in a new model 45 colt vaquero

[Tripplebeards]

I size a boolit to .452 and tried to insert it into the back side of the cylinders...it wouldn't fit. So I slugged the cylinders and barrel. The diameter of the cylinders were .451 and the largest measurement on the slugged boolit was also .451.

I watched a YouTube video that showed a sized booit that would tightly slide through the cylinders. The video said that was the proper way since you dont want the bullet to size untill it reaches the barrel? Well the .451 slug will do this. The sized .452 boolit will not and get stuck as you see in the photos. You can see another .452 boolit I dropped in the cylinder from the loading side.

Because both the barrel and cylinder are the same size accuracy wise is it ok the shoshoot the .452 boolits with them sizing in the cylinders before entering the barrel or should I size them to .451?

206060

The purple that won't enter and is wedged in the cylinder is .452 and the slug with the Phillips head mark that fits firmly in the clinder measures .451.

I can post a pic of my slug if needed...so should I size my boolits at .451 or .452?
I know the rule of thumb is to size .001 but in this case where the cylinder is smaller i would assume I need to size .451?

[DerekP Houston]

Is the barrel .451 as well when slugged? If the 2 matched that's what I would size to. Otherwise DougGuy can probably set you up with a .452 cylinder.

[Tripplebeards]

Yes, the barrel is .451 as well. Ill order a lee .451 sizer

[fredj338]

No size to 0.452" but a better way is to open the cyl to 0.452". Ruger's run tight, presumably for jacketed size. My 45colt RBH ss went 0.450", way too small for my 0.452" bullets. It shot ok, but I always got leading in the first 1-2". I opened all the cyl to a uniform 0.452" & leading went away & accuracy was about 1.5x better. A fair trade for 30min work at my buddies machine shop with an internal honing machine.:wink:

[jcren]

Could see some pc scraping in the cylinder @ .452. Try .451 and if she shoots, run with it. Otherwise, call Doug.

[Tripplebeards]

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I206062

I ordered a .451 lee sizer die off ebay for $25...here is the .451 slug. Looks like enough land groove digging. Guess I will see how close to the .451 size my die is when it comes. I just think pushing a larger diameter boolit through the cylinder will cause more wear and tear...and stress on the pistol?

[DougGuy]

Don't size to undersize cylinder throats! Order a .452" sizer and have your cylinder throated to .4525" this is what works best with Ruger single action revolvers.

In a perfect world, the cast boolit needs to be .001" to .002" larger than groove diameter of the barrel, the cylinder throats need to be .0005" to .001" larger than boolit diameter.

Also having the cyllinder reamed and then honed on the Sunnen hone will make all the throats even within .0002" of each other, this is something you don't get to do by measuring the cylinder and then sizing for it.

[Tripplebeards]

Doug what dose it run if I send the cylinder to you and the turn around time?

For the cheap $25 sizer I just ordered I'm probably going to size some .451s and see how they group first. I measured around the boolit a couple more times. I had a couple of .450 and a couple .4505 ....which was the largest measurement. If I switch back to j word some day is the reaming to a larger size going to hinder my accuracy?

[runfiverun]

nope it will help there too.
many of the jacketed 45 colt bullets are already sized to 452.
the 45 acp' bullets are generally sized to 451.

I didn't even bother measuring my Ruger 45's anything. I just shoot 452 in it and it likes it. or not, whatever, I only got the one sizer anymore so that's what they all get.

if they really suck then I measure stuff and fix it.

[DougGuy]

No it don't hurt j-word accuracy in fact it helps that too. J-words are a metal jacket with a soft lead core swaged into the jacket, so when they are fired the easily obturate to fit the cylinder throat and they too will exit the front of the cylinder and enter the forcing cone at throat diameter. You want enough oversize boolit for it to cram itself into the rifling and make a good seal, and that .001" ~ .0015" larger than bore coming from cylinder throats is just the exact right amount to do the trick.

[fatelvis]

I can vouch for Doug’s work. So far he has opened up my 629’s and 438’s throats, and it improved both revolvers accuracy noticeably with cast boolits. Also, he lengthened my 9mm pistol’s leade, so I don’t have to seat my boolits too far into the cases in order to pass the plunk test. He does great work, very consistent from throat to throat!


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[Tripplebeards]

My .451 Lee sizer die showed yesterday...and I decided not to use it. After watching tons of YouTube videos and reading, reading, and reading, I'm going to size my boolits to .452 which is .001 over my cylinder throat sizes. (I already have a .452 sizer die) I've watched fortune cookie 45's videos and he has me brain washed to go .001 over to make a better gas seal and in my cylinders keep from leading. So my .452 boolit will be sized to .451 in my throats and then sized again to .4505 in my barrel. I can always try a .451 sized boolit but after much research it sounds like I'll get gas cutting and blow by with a boolit under .001. Hopefully with the PC I won't have any leading. My mix is 50/50, ac COWW and pure lead with two percent pewter. I plan on running them at starting loads and will try to get up to 1,200 fps with safe pressures.

I guess I don't understand why some guys want a boolit that can be pushed firmly though a cylinder instead of having it sized as it passes through. I guess I got caught up with the accuracy thing that posters were saying better accuracy was achieved with a boolit that will firmly push through a cylinder. My guess is they get a lot of leading and gas cutting.

Thanks for all the replies.

[Wayne Smith]

You really don't know until you send some of these boolits through your barrel. Judge the gun and it's geometry on that, not theory or what may or may not work in someone else's gun. Every gun is individual and a world unto itself. If it works, don't fix it. If it doesn't try something else or send it to Doug. But only on the results of your shooting your gun.

[Guesser]

My Ruger 45/45 slugged bore at .451, my throats were tight. I like to size .452 so I reamed all 12 throats to .4525. Solved all my problems.