Need sanity check after slugging 3 handguns

[rdwarrior]

I reslugged 3 hand guns today and need to know if I am looking at things correctly. The 3 were 1) 9mm Springfield Armory, 2) Taurus 38 special, and 3) Dan Wesson 357 magnum. The results I got were:

9mm barrel .356

38 Spcl:
Barrel .358
All cylinder throats except 1 were .357 - the odd one was between 357 and 358

357 Magnum
Barrel: .357
All cylinder throats except 1 were .357 - the odd one was between 356 and 357

I am thinking I need to size the 9mm at .357, and the 38 and 357 mag at .358

Does that sound right to everyone given the above info?

One additional question - should I be using a .358 or .360 mold for these handguns?

[mozeppa]

if i were you i'd have douguy hone your cylinder throats...make them all .3585 to .3590 .
then size all to .359 ...or size til the bullet pushes thru the cylinders throats with little effort but not just fall thru.

doug did 12 cylinders for me and i couldn't be happier about it.

[mozeppa]

oh ...and you'll have a better idea about mold sizes once that's done.

[sigep1764]

If it will chamber, Id size the 9mm to 358. But try some loaded to 357 and some loaded to 358. Then decide which has the best accuracy and no leading.

[dverna]

If it will chamber, Id size the 9mm to 358. But try some loaded to 357 and some loaded to 358. Then decide which has the best accuracy and no leading.

That is what I would try first. If it works....no need to spend money honing cylinders.

I am also looking at using the same bullet for 9mm and .38/.357. Hopefully I will not require it to be sized differently. KISS

[MT Gianni]

I reslugged 3 hand guns today and need to know if I am looking at things correctly. The 3 were 1) 9mm Springfield Armory, 2) Taurus 38 special, and 3) Dan Wesson 357 magnum. The results I got were:

9mm barrel .356

38 Spcl:
Barrel .358
All cylinder throats except 1 were .357 - the odd one was between 357 and 358

357 Magnum
Barrel: .357
All cylinder throats except 1 were .357 - the odd one was between 356 and 357

I am thinking I need to size the 9mm at .357, and the 38 and 357 mag at .358

Does that sound right to everyone given the above info?

One additional question - should I be using a .358 or .360 mold for these handguns?

9mm slugs .356 you size to .357. I would size all revolvers you listed to .358 assuming you used a calibrated Micrometer and not a H.F. caliper.

[kungfustyle]

You are plenty sane...been there done that. I had a smith that was all over the place. There was someone on this site that would let you borrow a chamber reamer for the 38/357. Easy to do just use lots of oil and take it slow or you could have it professionally done, ether way get the chambers taken care of for the 38 cal's the 9mm is right on, 356 is what it should be 357 will work fine.

[EMC45]

Me personally? I would size everything @.358 and be done with it. I do that for my 9MM, .38 and .357 pistols and they all run just fine, accurately and no leading.

[mdi]

I believe you'll have problems with the groove diameter larger than the cylinder throats. The dimensions you mentioned should be reverse, at least; .358" throats and .357 groove diameter.. If it were my gun I'd hone the throats to .358" minimum. Same with the 357. The cylinder throats must be larger than the groove diameter for clean, accurate shooting lead bullets...

Not questioning your methods of measuring, but both your 38 caliber guns show undersized cylinder throats. How are you measuring them?

[Handloader109]

I use .358 for my 9mm after starting with .356, and with my two 38sp/357mag revolvers now, I use 358 for everything....
Easier

[EMC45]

I use .358 for my 9mm after starting with .356, and with my two 38sp/357mag revolvers now, I use 358 for everything....
Easier

I have an old Lyman 45 I rescued here and rebuilt that is permanently a .358 sizer. The die never changes.

[rdwarrior]

I tapped one oversized lightly oiled cast boolit (lead - not alloy) through each chamber in the cylinder and then measured each one keeping them in order. Each piece of lead I tapped through pre-measured at .360 to insure I was getting an accurate reading. The lead was tapped from the back to the front - exiting out of the throat. Due to the measurements I obtained a ran two boolits down both the .38 and the .357 barrels.

This was the second time I slugged the cylinder and the barrel with same results. PC cast boolits sized with Lee push through at .357 will just push through the throats with finger pressure. (I did not have the .358 push through sizer at the time). I will cast some more, PC them and run them through the Lee push through .358 sizer and see how they fit the cylinder.

[Grmps]

That is what I would try first. If it works....no need to spend money honing cylinders.

I am also looking at using the same bullet for 9mm and .38/.357. Hopefully I will not require it to be sized differently. KISS

I'm not up in my acronym's and thought dverna was getting a little personal and I didn't think this was that type of forum. [smilie=l::killingpc

[fecmech]

RD--I would size .358 for every one of the guns and see what happens. If you have problems such as leading,poor accuracy etc. you know where to start with corrections. It would not surprise me a bit that you may have no problems. Shoot the guns and see what happens before you do anything. That would be my plan.

[DougGuy]

no need to spend money honing cylinders.

Quite opposite in reality.. The OP already knows he has uneven throats. This means that the chamber with the odd throat will shoot to it's own point of aim which is likely different from the rest of the chambers. This is precisely the reason the throats SHOULD be honed! You cannot fix uneven throats with a sizing die.

[mozeppa]

Quite opposite in reality.. The OP already knows he has uneven throats. This means that the chamber with the odd throat will shoot to it's own point of aim which is likely different from the rest of the chambers. This is precisely the reason the throats SHOULD be honed! You cannot fix uneven throats with a sizing die.

well i tried to tell em. (sigh)