Blackhawk Barrel...

[BCB]

I’ve been shootin’ a Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt for a ½ dozen years or so…

Never really worried about the bore and groove diameter as it shoots fairly well—at least as good at the distances my eyes can handle…

Today I was shooting some Lee 452-228-1R at super low speeds—4.5 grains of Trail Boss for 539± fps…

I recovered several of the boolits and there were not deformed at all…

So I did some measuring with my Starrett micrometers and calipers…

I got ~0.443” for the bore and ~0.450” for the groove…

Does this sound about right and are these good dimensions for a 45 Colt?...

Thanks…BCB

[DougGuy]

My Vaquero won't take any bigger than a .4425" pin gage in the muzzle, and the grooves are right at .4505" but you can't rely on a fired boolit for an accurate measurement. No matter how hard the alloy, it will change with the extreme Gs involved in accelerating the boolit on it's way out of the barrel, and also the extreme Gs involved in stopping it suddenly. That also doesn't account for "spring back" in the boolit itself.

[RED333]

Slug your barrel and than see what is comes out to.

[1_Ogre]

A fired "Boolit" should not be used for anything except how it expands or upsets. To the best of my experience, the only way to find your internal barrel dimensions is to get some SOFT PURE lead and slug your barrel. Ferrocast works, but is expensive, slug your barrel with pure lead and go from there.

[MT Gianni]

If you are happy with it don't bother to measure. If you want improvement those numbers would signal me to action as to bbl and cylinder dimensions.

[Char-Gar]

If it ain't broke why try and fix it?

[BCB]

If you are happy with it don't bother to measure. If you want improvement those numbers would signal me to action as to bbl and cylinder dimensions.

Well, I slugged the barrel and cylinder with round balls…

Bore: 0.443” (as was shown on recovered boolit previously measured)

Groove: 0.451” (as was shown on recovered boolit previously measured)

Cylinder: 0.4515”

What needs changed, if anything?...
(Although, what I used this Blackhawk for, a "beater", I doubt I will do any changing!)

Thanks…BCB

[RED333]

It all looks good, it shoot well?
Lead bad?

[BCB]

It all looks good, it shoot well?
Lead bad?

It does shoot fairly well by my standards…

With the RCBS 45-270-SAA it will lead some. I have never been able to stop that—but, maybe I really haven’t tried all that much. With that boolit and 23 grains of H-110, it will stay in about 2.5”+ at 50 yards from a good rest—suits me…
(Some here shoot groups like that at 100 yards offhand—not me!—more power to ‘em)

I have shot limited 452490, a checked boolit, and it does well too, but I try to stay away from checks when I can...

I am now messing with the Lee 452-228-1R and fast burners. Trail Boss and Bullseye so far. This boolit does not lead at all and it is a pleasure to shoot. holdovers are critical, but the QuickLoad program absolutely hits those right on the mark--an amazing program. It will keep ‘em in about 2” at 25 yards with a rest—suits me…

I’ve shot a couple of deer with it at less than 40 yards—probably closer to 30 and 35 yards—no problems…

After all, it is a “beater”. It rides with me in my Tundra truck and on my Kubota tractor and on my quad. It gets a pretty good beating—and it shows it on some parts!!!...

I did put new back sights on it as the Ruger ones moved side to side, and changed the springs to less trigger pull and hammer drop—pretty smooth…

Happy Holidays to all…

Good-luck…BCB

[RED333]

You have not posted what lube, I know nothing about what lube for what, I powder coat or use Alox.

[BCB]

You have not posted what lube, I know nothing about what lube for what, I powder coat or use Alox.

I use Carnauba Red when I use the LAM2 sizer and I use Alox if I am going to shoot “as cast”…

BCB

[LAH]

With that boolit and 23 grains of H-110, it will stay in about 2.5”+ at 50 yards from a good rest—suits me…
(Some here shoot groups like that at 100 yards offhand—not me!—more power to ‘em

That's about all I can do but I do use a mirror. HEE HEE

[DougGuy]

If you can drive the slug into the muzzle and then push it back out, will it then go into the cylinder throats from the front? Most people who want to shoot .452" would want the cylinder throats reamed to .4525" so the boolit when it gets to the barrel, is larger than the bore. .4515" throats will swage the boolit down to that diameter.

Three things that you can do to a .45 caliber Ruger to accurize it for cast, are recut forcing cone to 11°, ream cylinder throats to .4525" and either take one leg of the trigger return spring off and let it hang or swap in a Wolff 30oz trigger return spring. These three things are what I call the "short and easy way" of accurizing, you get the most bang for the buck out of these three than anything else.

After that, it's up to the skill of the shooter at the loading bench, and firing the gun.