Knowledge I take to my grave is wasted.
I prefer to use cartridges born before I was.
Success doesn't make me happy, being happy is what allows me to be successful.
Could be. I’ll double check too.
You are quite right as I looked at the revolver and checked my dimensional notes as clearly I hadn’t looked in awhile. Six shallow grooves with groove diameter of .451.”
So much for fallible memory. In any event I weighed in to suggest that at some point in time these revolvers were better dimensionally to what is being measured now. It would be better if it has more substantial lands in the rifling….my 1911 barrels make this rifling land height look shallow.
Tradition supposedly was to run to the shallow side to prevent low velocity jacketed bullets from sticking in the barrel. I think they overdid it but I get by through adopting specific loading features. That slight bit of warts aside it is an accurate and useful revolver.
Knowledge I take to my grave is wasted.
I prefer to use cartridges born before I was.
Success doesn't make me happy, being happy is what allows me to be successful.
Beecherkid, I considered reaming to .454, but changed my mind, for several reasons. First, the readily available Manson guided reamer set (which I have) reams .4525. Second, if I could ream to .454 or bigger, it would probably restrict me to using .45 Colt bullets. Third, my pal the Smith and Wesson mechanic had a hunk of Douglas air gauged .4505 barrel that he put on for me. It made up just a little over four inches. I am breaking it in now with GI ball and GI match 185 JSWC. The last two groups I got today, the ball put six in 3" with four in under an inch, and the wadcutters put all six in 1.5". At 25 yds, I just can't do any better.
Once you get it to shoot it makes a very good field carry piece.
I spent a day shooting several different cast bullets through it. So far, nothing looks fantastic, but I'm beginning to think that I can't shoot well enough with such a short sight radius to judge. My pal with the Ransom rest lives 100 miles away, and doesn't do well in hot weather, so it may be a while before I know.
If that group was shot handheld at 25 yards, I am impressed.
I have a 3" Model 60 and a 6" 686 plus and they shoot like gangbusters with .357" boolits. Hope the new barrel works out.
Last edited by Cosmic_Charlie; 07-15-2022 at 04:58 PM.
"If everyone is thinking the same thing it means someone is not thinking"
"A rat became the unit of currency"
I had a similar incident. My S&W 610-3 revolver shoots light out one of my favorites! I had purchased it second hand and didn’t have the lock keys, never gave them a thought . I was shooting in a silhouette match and it locked up, just out of the blue ! I had put thousands of rounds thru it with no issues. Needless to say the lock has been removed. I hate the lock and remove all of them.
Keep your powder dry and watch your six !!
Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.
fourarmed, show us a pic of that gun with the new Douglas barrel. You know how we love those pics!
IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!
Same with both of mine. Good/great accuracy with LSWCs (429421, 429244 gc & 429215 gc all with ACWW alloy). ~2" at 25 yds, rested.My S&W 69 has a 0.429 bore and 0.430 chamber throats and shoots quite well.
Rod
Rod
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |