I was just wondering if anyone else has run across the problem of factory sized 9MM bullets tumbling when shot from the .357 Convertible Blackhawk pistols. I have shot bullets that are sized to .356 for 9mm and factory 9mm from my 1976 vintage Blackhawk (using the 9mm cylinder) which has the shorter barrel. I believe it is 4 5/8's inch. Half the rounds will impact the target sideways at 15 yards.
I know sizing my bullets up will prevent this.
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I had the same problem. My barrel is 357 so I use 359 cast for 357 and 38 special and it shoots great. 356 is the largest bullet that will load in the 9mm cylinder and they tumble and lead the barrel. One of these days I will have the chambers reamed.
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Jacketed or cast? The 9mm Ruger cylinder throats are tighter than barrel groove diameter to give best grouping with factory jacketed ammunition. Key is to measure cylinder throats with gage pins. Finding .353-.354 these days is common, but early production guns of 1980s were .358 and handled lead but keyholed with jacketed.
If you want to shoot cast send the cylinder to DougGuy to have throats honed to .358"
Last edited by Outpost75; 07-14-2022 at 04:52 PM.
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Keep it to yourself.
I've been told that the convertible 9mm likes the 147 gr. bullet. Don't know about the cast version.
This. I had mine honed out for cast and it made a big difference.Originally Posted by Outpost75
Paper targets aren't your friends. They won't lie for you and they don't care if your feelings get hurt.
My 1983 .357/ 9mm BH Ruger , has a 6 1/2 barrel and has never keyholed the 9MM cylinder. I load both jacketed and store bought cast.
“You should tell someone what you know. There should be a history, so that men can learn from it.
He smiled. “Men do not learn from history. Each generation believes itself brighter than the last, each believes it can survive the mistakes of the older ones. Each discovers each old thing and they throw up their hands and say ‘See! Look what I have found! Look upon what I know!’ And each believes it is something new.
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9mm BH cylinders are typically very tight. You can load whatever diameter you want, but they will exit the front of the cylinder at throat diameter so your .359" is only .359" until you pull the trigger. Of all the Ruger single action cylinders, throats on these cylinders are like a worm hole, they are not round, not parallel and they jump around when I start honing them like they are trying to break out of jail.
They work wonderfully with .358" cast boolits when honed to .3585" and the jacketed ammo easily bumps up to fit the throats since it is more or less dead soft lead swaged into the gilding metal jacket and the 9mm is a high pressure cartridge. Win win all the way around.
Got a .22 .30 .32 .357 .38 .40 .41 .44 .45 .480 or .500 S&W cylinder that needs throats honed? 9mm, 10mm/40S&W, 45 ACP pistol barrel that won't "plunk" your handloads? 480 Ruger or 475 Linebaugh cylinder that needs the "step" reamed to 6° 30min chamfer? Click here to send me a PM You can also find me on Facebook Click Here.
My convertible had the opposite problem. The throats were .358-359 in both the .357 and 9mm cylinders; bore groove was .3575. I got it to shoot good enough with cast 150 gr SWC bullets sized .359 or unsized .358 in 38 spcl.. For 9mm I got a Lee 358-125-2R RNFP that dropped .359 bullets so I shot them unsized with LLA and got pretty good accuracy in the upper 900s-1,000 fps range. I've had some loads in that gun that were inaccurate, but fortunately never had any bullets tumble. Accuracy with jacketed 9mm either factory or handloaded is less than stellar.
Last edited by higgins; 07-14-2022 at 07:00 PM.
Thanks for all the info, I guess I have some figuring to do.
I have a Ruger .357 convertible, but I have never used the 9mm cylinder more than a couple times, never saw the point as I have always had plenty of .38spl/.357 mag ammo.
I bought it from a neighbor of a friend of mine for $150.00 probably 25, 30 years ago, not a bad price even then.
Thanks for all the replies. I am not interested in Fixing the problem since I almost always shoot .38 spl. from the gun. I just thought it would be a good topic of discussion.
A vote for anyone other then the conservative candidates is a vote for the liberal candidates.
The Times are a changing ... I went to 5 different gun shops in Baton Rouge , Cabela's and Bass Pro in nearby cities and one indoor shooting range that sold ammo and once-fired-brass .
I found exactly .... 0 ... 38 Special ...loaded ammo , new brass cases or fired brass cases ...
I think I'm in the Twilight Zone ... 3 years ago I bought 1,500 once fired cases for $12.00 ... today ...Nada , zip , nothing ... But ... every place had 9mm Luger ... loaded ammo and new brass .
Hang onto that 9mm Luger Cylinder ... you might be needing it in this here new Brandon induced Twighligtht Zone we are forced to live in ... we have a few more years for things to get .... I don't want to even think about how much worse things will get !
Gary
Certified Cajun
Proud Member of The Basket of Deplorables
" Let's Go Brandon !"
MidSouth has Starline .38 spl brass in stock. Starline is my first choice lately.
I had my cylinder throats opened up by Fermin Garza to .358". It shoots cast powder coat bullets sized .3583" beautiful, but still shoots factory ammo fair.
Check the reloading forums over on Mewe. There's almost always 38/357 range brass for sale.
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