44 bullet sizing

[emptyhead]

What are you guys sizing you bulets to in 44 mag. Got my sbh a month ago and poured some bullets but need to ordered a sizing die. You guys are always very helpful. Thanks.

[Larry Gibson]

I size mine to the diameter of the largest cylinder throat. Or as cast if the throats are larger than that.

Truthfully I fired thousands of 429421 cast of WWs sized .429 out of a revolver with .431 throats with excellent accuracy. Leaving the bullets as cast at .431 made no improvement in accuracy. The Ruger BH, Hawes Western Marshal and 4" M29 S&W I had at the time could not tell the difference between .429, .430 and .431", even with the BH and S&W in a Ransome Rest with the WW alloyed bullets and magnum loads. The newer revolvers with much closer tolerances, Freedom arms for instance, or some custom revolvers can tell the differance.

Remember here that the WW is a oft alloy and the bullets obturated with magnum loads. Harder alloys and/or bullets sized to small can cause severe leading and inaccuracy in any revolver. That's why I learned its best to fit bullet size to the cylinder throats as close as possible. Even a thousandth or two over is better than too small, especially with lighter loads.

Larry Gibson

[Blammer]

.430 works for me.

[Swagerman]

A lot depends on the cylinder diameter throats, vs the barrel rifling diameter.

Usually with correct cylinder throats with at least .001 over say a .429 dia. barrel rifling is a good combination.

I have one revolver with .434 dia. cylinder throats and a .429 dia. barrel rifling. This requires my using some swaged or cast bullets over sized to .432 diameter for excellent accuracy.

Sometimes, a soft cast bullet .430 or .431 dia. will bump up enough to work out of those oversize cylinder throats.

Jim

[odoh]

Jim, OT ~ your avatar looks like a vintage aeronca 'champ'. Where was the pix taken? Sparked some memories ~

[mike in co]

measure your cylinder and your bbl. if the bbl is bigger than your cylinder, then maybe you should ream the cylinder. if your cylinder is larger, then size for a slip fit in the cylinder. my super redhawk is 4326 on the cylinder and my 432 sizer produces 4316 boolits......works great for me with a bbl that was 429 at the threaded portion when i started. i shot a few jacketed bullets thru mine and then all lead, mostly plain base or without the gas check in place. nice shinny bore, seldom any leading.

mike in co

[Bass Ackward]

Complicated issue. What size that ultimate performs the best for you is based upon the strength of the bullet design and / or how hard your bullets are, and how fast you need to run them. The stronger and harder your bullets are, the closer to bore size you can / might have to go.

If you have a weak design with thin bands and a lot of unsupported nose weight and are shooting softer bullets, then you may even want to size over your throat diameter assuming that the gun will accommodate it.

What you are doing is having the gun make tall, weak bands into wider, shorter, stronger bands as it sizes to bore. Light bullets are generally the most difficult to shoot and that means thinner bands. So if you don't size these larger, what happens is that you have to go harder with mix, then you can't seal and you lead. Heavier bullets have wider bands and can be sized smaller and still be as strong so you have more flexibility.

Catch the pattern? I have sizers in .0005 increments from .428 to .434 cause different hardness's have different spring back.

The stronger a bullet design is after sizing to bore, the more flexible it will be to hardness and diameter and load. Which is why you will see so much argument between size and bullet hardness for handguns as these work in tandem to determine final accuracy results.

[emptyhead]

Thanks guys

[GabbyM]

If you've some jacketed bullets laying around they should be .429”. take one and use it for a gage. Check each of your cylinder throats. As long as the .429 bullet is snug or does not enter. a standard .430 cast should work. Ruger has a reputation for putting out revolvers with no two throats the same so check them all.

[mike in co]

If you've some jacketed bullets laying around they should be .429”. take one and use it for a gage. Check each of your cylinder throats. As long as the .429 bullet is snug or does not enter. a standard .430 cast should work. Ruger has a reputation for putting out revolvers with no two throats the same so check them all.

there is a dream..................

[mooman76]

I shoot all my revolvers unsized.

[Dale53]

Me too. I just size the bullets:mrgreen:...

To get serious, I size to the cylinder throats. My .44's (both special and magnum) handle .430" with excellent results.

My .357 mags generally get sized at .358", likewise the .38 Specials.

My .32's use .313" for all of them.

My .45 ACP's and .45 Colt get sized to .452".

Dale53

[Swagerman]

odoh, in regards to the Avatar picture of the Aeronca Champ, I must admit I stole it off some airplane site.

Back in the mid 1950's I learned to fly one with 65 hp engine out of Pikes field in San Diego, CA. I was an airdale sailor stationed at NAS North Island.

Pikes airport was a dirt strip back then, about 1,800 feet long...I think. Today that site rest underneath a freeway clover leaf.

I use to fly over to the amusment park playland on the beach and oogle the lady sunbathers from the air...you'd be surprised what them chicks would show you if you flew over low like. :)

Today, I'm just a washed up old fart who still yearns to fly. Wife said I could buy a modern made replica of the old Piper Cub with a 100 hp engine...as soon as I can save up the $130,000.00 to get one.

Jim

[fecmech]

My SBH has .434 and .433 throats and .429 groove. I happily shot magnum loads of ACWW and linotype with very good accuracy and little leading sized .429 for years. Recently when I tried to shoot mild loads of ACWW's (900 fps) sized the same .429 I got a bore full of lead and no accuracy. Beagled the mould, sized .433 and gun shoots mild to wild accurately and does not lead.

[Dale53]

fecmech;
That is exactly what most of us on here preach. No doubt, it won't solve every problem but it takes care of most when it comes to accuracy and elimination of leading.

Dale53

[James C. Snodgrass]

I got to agree that the ACWW are the way to go. I have tried all of the above experiments and have to come to the conclusion that to hard a bullet is a PITA if it ain't a rifle I don't water quench. James