Bill In SC
02-05-2013, 08:21 PM
Well... I have been lurking a little, and done a lot of reading here on the board. After a 8 year break, I pulled the casting gear out of storage. :-D
What I have learned, is that it appears the most important part of sizing for revolvers is the throat diameter on the cylinders. With that little bit of knowledge and wisdom, I grabbed my trusty 686 and a brand spanking NIB Super Blackhawk out of the safe.
Using a "Telescoping" gauge, on the 686 I came up with .357 on all 6 chambers. On the Ruger, I came up with .431 on all 6. I measured each cylinder 3 separate times to verify the measurement. The .357 on the Smith seems fine, but I'm a little sketchy on the .431 on the Ruger. I was expecting .430.
Grabbing an assorted lot of bullets that I had cast and ran through the sizer, I came up with this. The 38 caliber bullets that were ran through a .358 Lyman H&I die measured .3576. The .44's that were ran through a .429 die measured out a .4285.
So... looking at the numbers, I suspect that I'm under sizing. I have a .359 and .430 die set on the way. I think I'm on the right track for the .38 caliber, but I'm wondering if I should go on up to .431 or possibly .432 on the .44 caliber Boolits.
With all that said... What is your thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas?
All bullets are cast from COWW's... I'm a cheap old fart. :-D
What I have learned, is that it appears the most important part of sizing for revolvers is the throat diameter on the cylinders. With that little bit of knowledge and wisdom, I grabbed my trusty 686 and a brand spanking NIB Super Blackhawk out of the safe.
Using a "Telescoping" gauge, on the 686 I came up with .357 on all 6 chambers. On the Ruger, I came up with .431 on all 6. I measured each cylinder 3 separate times to verify the measurement. The .357 on the Smith seems fine, but I'm a little sketchy on the .431 on the Ruger. I was expecting .430.
Grabbing an assorted lot of bullets that I had cast and ran through the sizer, I came up with this. The 38 caliber bullets that were ran through a .358 Lyman H&I die measured .3576. The .44's that were ran through a .429 die measured out a .4285.
So... looking at the numbers, I suspect that I'm under sizing. I have a .359 and .430 die set on the way. I think I'm on the right track for the .38 caliber, but I'm wondering if I should go on up to .431 or possibly .432 on the .44 caliber Boolits.
With all that said... What is your thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas?
All bullets are cast from COWW's... I'm a cheap old fart. :-D