Cylinder throating reamer

[wallenba]

I have a stainless Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt. The bore and all cylinder throats slugged .451. I want to open the throats up so I can size and shoot a .452 in it.
I found this tool at Brownells http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=7700/Product/REVOLVER_CYLINDER_THROATING_REAMER. My questions are: will it be OK on stainless steel and will it stand up from the first cylinder to the last. Also is this something that I, a non gunsmith, can use succesfully, or should I leave it up to a pro? :?:

[Charlie Sometimes]

IIRC, that is the same one a buddy of mine has, and what we used to open my cylinder throats up on my 45 Colt RBH to uniform dimensions. It works wonderfully, and is worth every penny- a very high quality tool, that will last for MANY cylinder jobs, if properly maintained and stored.

If you are only going to do your cylinder and no more, then I would have someone else do it, rather than invest all the money in something to be used once. You might also consider renting that reamer and bushing from one of the gunsmith tool rental places. That would save you lots of money, and still give you the satisfaction of DIY.

[akajun]

Use a good lube, and turn it the right direction only, and it will last forever. I have 8 cylinder jobs on mine, it is still sharp.

[lathesmith]

My advice on jobs like this is, if you have to ask...you probably better get a little help. As the guys have said, it's a relatively easy job, but if it's a one-offer especially, it would be easier and more cost-effective to farm the job out.

lathesmith

[wallenba]

Thanks guys, I'm pretty adept at using all tools, I just did not know if this had some 'trickier' aspects to using than were apparent. I might have a use in the future for it again, so I'll have to think it over some. My closest smiths were contacted, none of whom had the correct reamers anyway. Plus, doing it yourself has a certain feeling of accomplishment to it that I like.

[MtGun44]

The biggest issue is not that it is so hard to do, but swallowing even a minor F*** up will
really make your eyes water.

I have done a few, and in the future I would buy a brass lap from MSC and do it in a decent drill
press a tiny bit at a time. Measure frequently and you will be pleased. MAKE SURE you
index the press to be CERTAIN the quill is perpendicular to the table. Dial indicator on an
arm, swing it 360 and no movement is what you want.

Good luck. I tend to agree with lathesmith, too. If you can do this, you will KNOW that
you can do it based on doing other things to similar accy without screwing them up.

There is an ancient thread on my cylinder reaming somewhere on this site.

Ruining a cylinder would sure make me mad.

Bill

[wallenba]

The biggest issue is not that it is so hard to do, but swallowing even a minor F*** up will
really make your eyes water.



There is an ancient thread on my cylinder reaming somewhere on this site.

Ruining a cylinder would sure make me mad.

Bill

Bill, I have a reamer on the way from Brownell's. It is a hand turned tool that uses pilots for centering. It is .4525, and my chambers are .451. The reviewer stated that it was very easy to use http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=7700/Product/REVOLVER_CYLINDER_THROATING_REAMER , so my confidence is high. If I screw up...well it won't be the first time:smile:.

[broncoformudv]

There is a lot of info on this and even a reamer that gets passed around on the Ruger forum.

[wallenba]

Got the reamer today from Brownell's. It was extremely easy to use. I used my tap T handle to turn it, and just let the weight of it do the work. Came out very smooth on all cylinders. It was advertised as .4525, but all my slugs check .4530...OK by me! It also revealed a low spot in one cylinder throat, but I doubt it will be a factor as it is in the middle of the throat area reamed, and only on one side of it. It's a Dave Manson product Grand Blanc Michigan. I still have to find time to shoot it, very busy this time of year.

[Dale53]

wallenba;
That is the exact same kit I used to do seven cylinders with. It is extremely well made (truly a precision tool) and used properly should work well for many, many cylinders.

Dale53

[JIMinPHX]

Rugers in particular seem to be tough to get a good finish on. Just take a look at the factory finish & see how it looks before you start. I find that sometimes, it's better to use a hone, than a reamer on those things. If you do use a reamer, make sure that you have it held straight, like with a fixture or bushing or something. Also as has already been said, use a good lube. In addition to that - go SLOW, like 50-100 RPM.

It's an easy job to do, but it's also an easy job to screw up. Gunsmiths don't charge as much as they do because it's hard work. They charge that amount to cover the percentage of guns that they screw up & have to make good on afterward.

[geargnasher]

I fixed all mine with a .4525" chucking reamer from S&N Engineering, painter's masking tape (for a chamber pilot), and GOOD cutting oil.

Gear

[wallenba]

Rugers in particular seem to be tough to get a good finish on. Just take a look at the factory finish & see how it looks before you start. I find that sometimes, it's better to use a hone, than a reamer on those things. If you do use a reamer, make sure that you have it held straight, like with a fixture or bushing or something. Also as has already been said, use a good lube. In addition to that - go SLOW, like 50-100 RPM.

It's an easy job to do, but it's also an easy job to screw up. Gunsmiths don't charge as much as they do because it's hard work. They charge that amount to cover the percentage of guns that they screw up & have to make good on afterward.

Jim, the reamer comes with a .4489 pilot that with oil on it sat fimly and squarely in the chamber. I used a liberal amount of Hoppes high viscosity lubricating oil. Hand turning and letting gravity do the feeding took about 6-7 minutes per chamber.:bigsmyl2:

[MtGun44]

I used a .452 reamer from MSC and then polished up to .453 with wet or dry on a split
dowel. Reamed in a mill turned by hand, and polished in a drill press.

Bill