Author Topic: Revolver question  (Read 698 times)

Offline VOR

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Revolver question
« Reply #30 on: June 28, 2005, 08:39:43 AM »
I've always been a fan of Smith and Wesson. The first firearm I purchased was a Model 19. I sacked groceries all summer to save the $ and finally "bought" it with Dad's help since I was 17 years old.

Lately, S&W has been modernizing their revolvers in a way that detracts from their classic lines and appearance. I prefer the styles of the 60s - 80s, even though they may be less tactically Ramboesque in application.

Offline Captain Virgil Hilts

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Revolver question
« Reply #31 on: June 28, 2005, 11:53:08 AM »
You'll find the the actual rifling, the forcing cone, and the end of the chamber, varies greatly in the 45 Colt chamberings, from gun to gun and brand to brand.

The chamber mouth on most all of the cylinders is too big, leading to shaving of bullets and leading at the entrance of the barrel, in the gap between the cylinder and the barrel.

The Freedom Arms (454 Casull) revolvers are the only ones done "properly". Those have the tight .451-.452 chamber mouths instead of the more common Ruger .454-.455, also found on the various generations of Colt SAA revolvers and the mulitude of replicas thereof. Also the Freedom Arms revolvers are align bored with the cylinder placed in the frame, so that cylinder to barrel alignment is perfect, or at least as perfect as humans and CNC equipment can make them. That's why the Freedom Arms revolvers cost near $2K.

SOME of the problem can be cured, by getting a tool from Brownell's to put an 11 degree chamfer on the back of the barrel. A REALLY good gunsmith can also take a longer barrel, cut it, rethread it, and cut a new forcing cone, preferrable a Taylor forcing cone, like Freedom Arms uses, and increase both accuracy AND velocity, along with virtually eliminating leading and bullet shaving. The longer but smoother transition to the rifling is the key.

You can have a Ruger single action done like the Freedom Arms revolvers are, Hamilton Bowen in LouisvilleTN and John Linebaugh in Cody Wyoming make some real beauties. More known for the .475 and .500 Magnum conversions, both do incredible work on Rugers, and on some Colt SAA's. But you end up with as much invested as a Freedom Arms would cost.
"I haven't seen Berlin yet, from the ground or the air, and I plan on doing both, BEFORE the war is over."

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Offline StarOfAfrica2

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Revolver question
« Reply #32 on: June 28, 2005, 01:36:08 PM »
Cool.  Thanks for the help and info.  I posted a similar question on 3 different BBS and didnt get half this much useful stuff.  

After deliberation, I am going to leave the brass gun in cap and ball form.  I'll invest in stainless steel (and correctly sized) nipples for the cylinders, and get an extra cylinder to give me 3.  I'll have the extras loaded and ready, and carry in a double speed-loader case I'm getting from H&K.  I'm still going to cut the barrel down to 5 1/2" to make it easier to use as a cross-draw rig, but other than that it will stay the same.  

Thanks again.

Offline lazs2

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Revolver question
« Reply #33 on: June 28, 2005, 02:37:40 PM »
truth is... most revolvers have cyl chamber and barrel throad issues.  I have seen 45 colt rugers with .452 rifling and 451 cyl throat..  as virgil says.. for large cyl problem can be eased by throating the barrel a little... tight chambers can be reamed.

I would rather have all the chambers reamed and be a tad on the large side than vary..  Freedom arms and Dan Wesson do a fabulous job on line boring and chamber tolerance and it shows at the range.

In practical matters tho... Ruger has the right idea... let the chambers run big.. the chance of the slug expanding and then being forced back down in the rifling are minor compared to having to tight a chamber that swages down the bullet before it hits the rifling

We are probly talking about the difference between a 1" 5 shot group at 25 yards and a 1 1/4" group at 25 yards from a bolted downm ransom rest tho...  Standing up and just blasting away... we are not really able to see any difference in the fist sized groups most of us consider damn good at 25 yards.

lazs