Conventional Wisdom???

[roarin 54]

I have just purchased a Ruger 5.5" Stainless Bisley .45 Colt. I assembled some assorted handloads with some jacketed bullets and some Missouri Cast Boolits 255 bevel base Keith Style SWC's. I don't have an inside mic yet so I don't know the diameter of my chamber throats but I took one of the above mentioned boolits and tried to push them through the throats, I had to use a wooden dowel and a hammer to push them through. I was expecting a really fouled bore when I shot the boolits. I was using a charge of 7.6 grains of Unique with Winchester brass. When I fired the first six rounds I pulled the cylinder and saw no lead in the bore. I fired six more, and still no lead. I fired all fifty of the rounds that I assembled and not a trace of lead. This is contrary to what has happened in all my other revolvers with tight chamber throats. I will still have them reamed to .5425 I just don't understand how the bore stayed so clean under those conditions. Accuracy was just over 3" at 25 yards so I think reaming will make that better. Any thoughts?

[PacMan]

I sugest you not get the cart ahead of the horse right yet.
First i assume you mean .4525 instead of .5425.
What dia. bullets did you order?
Take a soft slug and slug your bore and then see if it will pass thru your cylinder throats.If it will fit your cylinder throats there should be no need to ream them out. Seeing as there was no leading i am assuming that the throats are larger than bore size.

Some like a tight fit of the bullet in the cylinder throats some like a slip fit.
Just dont assume that the cylinder throats need reaming.Only ream if they are smaller than grove dia.

That should get you started.

[roarin 54]

I did mean .4525, the boolits are .452, the bore diameter is .451. I can tell by the force necessary to drive the boolits through the chamber throats that they are way smaller than .451. I guess I don't look a gift horse in the mouth until I try other projectiles at higher velocitys.

[TXGunNut]

First of all, "conventional wisdom" is an oxymoron much like "common sense" and "military intelligence". :bigsmyl2:
That out of the way it's not unusual for a properly-sized boolit at the proper speed to leave little trace of itself in the bore or cylinder. If you want to know why and how this works you'll need to measure the boolits, cylinder mouths and slug the bore. I think it's great that you were able to buy a cast boolit that works that well for you. I was never that lucky.
I'll bet someone told you black powder was a nasty mess, too.

[PacMan]

You can do as you please but i would slug the barrel first and make sure before i opened the cylinder throats.
Just because they were purchased for .452 unless you measure them you dont know for sure. Also if the bullet is hard it would be harder to push it thru the throats.

I would think that most likely because you had no leading from them that they were larger than or at grove dia. after they passed thru the cylinder throats. The lack of accuracy could be in the load not the bullet size.

[44man]

Dwight is using wisdom, check first.

[roarin 54]

I failed to mention in my original post that I have a mic and measured the boolits at .452 plus or minus .0002 and I slugged my bore it measured .451. I will slug it once more and try to pass the slug through the throats.

[454PB]

Since you have already pushed one of the .452" slugs through the throat(s), use your mic to measure that slug and you'll know what the throat(s) diameter is.

[44man]

Use pure lead ONLY, not the boolits you shoot.

[TXGunNut]

I prefer the soft round balls I cast for frontstuffers and c&b revolvers for slugs. If they're not quite big enough I smack them with a hammer, easier to drive that way too. Some folks use fishing weights but you never know what's in them these days. Who has time to fish, anyway?:Fire:

[roarin 54]

I slugged my bore again ( I tossed the first one) .4512, it dropped through all six chambers without stopping. I drove one of my round balls through one of the throats it measured .4516 so I think I'm good to go this would be a first for me.

[PacMan]

Your good to go.

[roarin 54]

Thanks for the help and patience guys I was going off half cocked and omitting some steps