Revolver cylinder throat ?

[gman]

I've had a Ruger Redhawk in .357 mag. since 1984 and always shot jacketed bullets through it for years because I didn't start reloading until 11 years ago.

It's always been a target gun until it became a safe queen about 10 years ago, but I would like to try hunting with it for something different and would like to use lead bullets. I have a bunch of hard cast 175 gr. bullets I got in a trade years back and they're .359" dia.

I did not slug the barrel yet, that's next. I tried to push these lead bullets through each cylinder and they will not go through with any kind of pressure. I measured the cylinders with a pair of dial calipers...I know, not the ideal tool for the job but all I have on had. I get .3565" on 5 holes and .356" on one hole.

I know ideally, I should have .358" dia. but buying a throat reamer and pilots from Brownell's is going to cost $165.00 for a tool I'll use once. I called Williams Gunsights for a quote, and they say they don't have the tools...Really! So, will I put undo stress on the cylinder by shooting these bullets that are .0025" - .003" bigger than the throat dia. and does this raise pressures excessively?

I could always opt to buy some good jacketed bullets, and stay away from cast in this gun. Let me know your opinions please.

Thanks,
Gary

[joepistol]

wouldn't it be easier to buy a bullet sizing die & resize the cast bullets down to the size you need / want ?

[gman]

That would be an option that I did not think of, I don't cast my own, so didn't think of it as an option. I guess I really do need to slug the barrel, and make sure the cylinder throats aren't smaller than the barrel grove dia., sizing the bullets smaller than that wouldn't be ideal for accuracy either.

Thanks for opening my eyes to that option.

[Ol` Joe]

Try finding access to a micrometer and verifying the diameter really is 0.359", a caliper is not the best tool for measuring circu****ence. The standard for cast bullets designed for the 357/38spcl is 0.358" and you just might be fine with the bullets as is. If not a sizer is a easy fix as mentioned by the earlier poster. Personally I would try to avoid altering the revolver if at all possible.

[gjgalligan]

I would suggest a call to Ruger to see what they have to say.

[Mkc451]

I've had a Ruger Redhawk in .357 mag. since 1984 and always shot jacketed bullets through it for years because I didn't start reloading until 11 years ago.

It's always been a target gun until it became a safe queen about 10 years ago, but I would like to try hunting with it for something different and would like to use lead bullets. I have a bunch of hard cast 175 gr. bullets I got in a trade years back and they're .359" dia.

I did not slug the barrel yet, that's next. I tried to push these lead bullets through each cylinder and they will not go through with any kind of pressure. I measured the cylinders with a pair of dial calipers...I know, not the ideal tool for the job but all I have on had. I get .3565" on 5 holes and .356" on one hole.

I know ideally, I should have .358" dia. but buying a throat reamer and pilots from Brownell's is going to cost $165.00 for a tool I'll use once. I called Williams Gunsights for a quote, and they say they don't have the tools...Really! So, will I put undo stress on the cylinder by shooting these bullets that are .0025" - .003" bigger than the throat dia. and does this raise pressures excessively?

I could always opt to buy some good jacketed bullets, and stay away from cast in this gun. Let me know your opinions please.

Thanks,
Gary

.359 is common with 38/357 bullets in lead. They should shoot fine as long as they load into the cylinder. However if you push them too fast, will get leading, maybe even severe. The extra 0.001 is forced down in the rifling grooves. You can of course resize or just buy some .358 bullets, but they should work fine I expect, keep the load light.

[PeeDee]

.359 is common with 38/357 bullets in lead. They should shoot fine as long as they load into the cylinder. However if you push them too fast, will get leading, maybe even severe. The extra 0.001 is forced down in the rifling grooves. You can of course resize or just buy some .358 bullets, but they should work fine I expect, keep the load light.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...e-done-by-hand


IMO .3585 is best as I had a GP100 that every chamber was off, incl for jacketed as well as lead (Not one lead bullet would begin to pass thru any chamber with recommended pushing after bullet caught in mouth and even one jacketed had to be forced thru one chamber mouth). It was hard to keep lead bullet on paper at 25 yards in any fashion of group,

I sent it to the man 'Doug' in the above thread and it came back with chambers reamed to .3585 and now the GP100 shots like an accurate rifle - lead, jackets, coated, etc.....

(You can also do it yourself with a rented Clymer reamer and an MT 357 case for a sleeve/guide; many recommend pin gauges instead of calipers for chamber msmt but those msmts are unnecessary since once all chambers are reamed to equal size, you don't have to worry about measuring them ever again.)

And it makes a whole world of difference in accuracy .