>44-40 Ruger

[Reaper]

First of all, let me say hello. I posted on the old Shooters board until it went down. Been reading this board ever since. So, thanks in advance.
I just purchased a NIB OM Ruger Vaquero in 44-40. A lead slug driven through the barrel measures .430 to the bottom of the grooves. Using a snap guage, the chambers mike a consistent .424 at the mouth. No bueno. My question is, what should I open them up to ? I plan on shooting the Lee 429-200-RF in front of 8.5grains of Unique.

[MT Gianni]

Bigger than the grooves. If it's an ideal world go with .4305. Gianni

[Harry O]

Both my Ruger 44-40 and my sons have exactly the same dimensions. If you don't open them up, you won be able to hit anything further than arms length. I sent them both to a gunsmith who opened the throats in the cylinder to 0.430". It cut the groups (if you can call them that) down from 6" to 9" from a sandbag rest at 25 yards to 2" to 3". Still no target gun, but much better.

On ours, it is impossible to load anything in the chambers that is even a smidgen over 0.427". The gunsmith did not have oversized chamber reamers and the cost to lathe each one out individually was too much. Because of all the problems with Ruger 44-40's, there may be such reamers out there now. If so, I would have that done, too.

What I use is BP or fast smokeless powder and a soft lead 0.427" bullet. A 0.431" bullet would be better, if the chambers can take them.

[Dutch4122]

Do a web search for "Cylindersmith.com"

He has the reamers and can open up those throats to .430" or .4325"

My Father had his Ruger Vaquero .44-40 done by the Cylindersmith and he has been very happy with the results. He shoots B/P loads is his as well.

Hope this helps,

[Scrounger]

Do a web search for "Cylindersmith.com"

He has the reamers and can open up those throats to .430" or .4325"

My Father had his Ruger Vaquero .44-40 done by the Cylindersmith and he has been very happy with the results. He shoots B/P loads is his as well.

Hope this helps,

Here's CylinderSmith's Web Page: http://www.cylindersmith.com/

[32 20 Mike]

What happened to the supply of bee's wax that was posted awhile back? It got my interest up so I called around trying to locate anyone in the bee busn. I discovered a guy that removes hives for pest control. He gave me three five gal. containers full of dead hives: bees, comb, honey. He uses soap and water to kill the bees, so no problem with chem.s. I used my turkey fryer with an old canning 5 gal. canning pot to boil down the hive in extra water to cover. I then uses an old sieve to strain out the bees. I let it cool until the wax hardened and then broke it up for washing and remelting. I came out with about 2 lbs of clean wax in 3 hrs.

I don't know if the wax is free at that point, but it beats the $8.00/ lb from screw bay . I hope the guy with the wax in the mail comes through for us. Mike

[leftiye]

Harry O, You would only need to take out the neck portion of the chambers to solve your problem with correctly sized boolits (variously known as oversized). As you said that the throats have already been opened up. Anybody with a mill that can stop the cut at the right depth consistently- and they all have stop nuts- can open up the neck areas with a correctly sized chucking reamer. Only other thing needed is a good fixture to hold it parallel to the axis of the spindle in the vise, and a centering scope to line up on the cylinders accurately. If one needed throats reamed out this same approach works there too.

Don't know how you'd reload them though if your dies were screwed up like the chambers are. Could get someone to hone out your sizing die and make you an oversize expander maybe!

[Reaper]

Thanks for everyone's input. Gianni, a machinest friend of mine is opening the throats with a .4305 reamer as you recommended. I ordered a set of Lee dies. When they get here, I'll check the inside diameter of the sizing die and the the outside diameter of the expander. Six to eight inch groups at 15 yards were the norm when I shot it Sunday. I'll post results when I get everything sorted out.

[MT Gianni]

If your expander is too small get one for a 44 from Lee for about $6. I tihink that you can ask for it by diameter but it may be by cartridge. Even a 45 could be turned down to fit your new throats [brass thickness + expander]. Gianni

[KCSO]

You not only need to open the clyinder up but you should ream and lap the forcing cone as they are rougher than a cob. I like an 11 degree cone polished dead smooth and then the cast slugs will go into 1 1/2" at 25 yards or better.

[9.3X62AL]

Ruger "Coke Bottle Throating" rears its ugly head again.

I had that same drag with a BisHawk in 45 Colt, and honing the throats made it a LOT more tractable--it went from a "One Boolit Wonder" to "I'll Shoot Anything At Least Decently" with that simple operation.