What sizer for Mod. 29 S&W?

[Jaybird62]

I slugged the bore on my 6 1/2-in Model 29 (.44 Mag) and it appears to mic out at about .4285. It's got a tight spot about 1 1/2 inches beyond the forcing cone. I was wondering if my 50:50 Lino:WW Keith-style 250 gr. boolit would obturate enough to fill the groves if sized .428. One of my concerns is: will the bullet continue to expand beyond the tight spot to fill the bore that is probably .429+/-???

[pdawg_shooter]

More important, what do your throats measure? Size to throat diameter IF that dimension is larger than barrel diameter. This will give you the best accuracy. My 29 has a grove diameter of .428 and my throats go .4295 to .430. I size .430 and it shoots great.

[felix]

At 429 you are prolly OK, but at 431 you won't be. Best to get rid of that tight spot. It sounds like the barrel is constricted because of the barrel being squeezed into the frame. It's too costly to have that barrel and frame re-threaded as should be done. Therefore, rub the tight spot, or shoot it out. Others on the board are better equiped to tell you how. I only have two revolters out of about 20 that are worth their keep because of this exact problem. One is a Ruger, One is a Smith. However, about a third of the guns shoot good, regardless. ... felix

[Jaybird62]

Looks like the throats are between .4325 and .4335. Four of them mic .4330. This was done with a digital mic, but I'd feel better measuring with pin gauges. Guess I better break down a get a set.

[mtgrs737]

I size to .431" for my M29 as my throats measure from ..431" to .4335"( but not in the same cylinder). As long as the bullet is at least .001" over groove dia. I only pay attention to throat size. Seems to work well for me.

[Jack Stanley]

I size my plain base slugs to .433" which fits my Marlin carbine just right . Oddly enough , the S&W seems to like them too .... both of them :-D

Jack

[mtgrs737]

Looks like the throats are between .4325 and .4335. Four of them mic .4330. This was done with a digital mic, but I'd feel better measuring with pin gauges. Guess I better break down a get a set.

I love my pin gages, I don't think that I could get a very accurate measurement using anything else I have, I just don't have the expertise. The pin gages allows even me to get a pretty good idea by feel alone. They are a lifetime tool, at about the same price as a decent caliper or mic.