Ruger didn't fix my revolver

S

Super Sneaky Steve

New member
I sent back my Vaquero to the factory for two issues. First the front sight was too high making it shoot very low. They did grind it down for me.

The second issue is what I really sent it back for, the rear of the cylinder was sized .451. I asked them to ream it out but they didn't.

Does anyone know if .451 is acceptable for .45 Colt? The smaller throats will increase pressure I and think this is unsafe. I'm afraid to shoot some jacketed .452 XTP's out of it.

I know there are companies that will ream it out for me, but Ruger should do that on their dime. Buying a $80 kit from Brownell's for one revolver doesn't sound too appleaing either.
 
Umm.... Why did you buy a revolver with chamber throats tighter than you wanted? Is your caliper not portable? :cool:

SAAMI is what .4520"?
 
Well, I just spent $164.93 to get the parts to do this job myself.

395-311-001 (In Stock)
T-Handle No. 1E, size 0-12

513-000-001 (In Stock)
.45 Cal. Throat Reamer

513-000-002 (In Stock)
.45 Cal. Throat Pilot Pack

083-007-016 (In Stock)
16 oz. DO-DRILL~


Buying a Taurus 1911 turned me into a gunsmith to get my new pistol to run right, I guess Ruger is going to help complete my training to get my new revolver working. :(

Here goes nothing! I hope I don't screw it up too badly.

Anyone who knows somthing about cutting steel, tips are welcomed!
 
Umm.... Why did you buy a revolver with chamber throats tighter than you wanted? Is your caliper not portable?

SAAMI is what .4520"?
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This is a TALO gun so I had to order it unseen. The reamer should bump me up to .4525.

As it is now I get lots of leading as you might expect.
 
Does anyone know if .451 is acceptable for .45 Colt? The smaller throats will increase pressure I and think this is unsafe. I'm afraid to shoot some jacketed .452 XTP's out of it.
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That is odd? Curious, what is the inside diameter of the forcing cone (before riflings)?
 
I have numerous Ruger revolvers in 45 Colt. Every one of them had chamber throats of about .4515. They are know to be undersized. I purchased a Manson reamer and reamed them all to .4525. Definitely will improve your accuracy if shooting cast bullets.
 
Ruger likely did not touch the cylinder throats because .451 is "in spec".

That said, it amazes me why after all these years the manfacturers can't seem to get the cylinder throats and bore correct for the 45 Colt ... .452.

At least when it tight you can open it up. When it loose you can't add metal.

Jim
 
At first I thought this thread was a joke. The difference between .451 and .4525 is only .0015. I hope you enjoy working on your gun because that is the only satisfaction you will get for the money spent. You won't get an increase in accuracy or preformance. It hasn't been too many years ago that Ruger single actions were worse than some third gen Colt SAA with chamber mouths as large as .457 and they were lucky to keep all shots in 5" at 25yds. Ruger finally got it right a few years ago and folks still aren't happy.
 
Amazing

Sorry guys, but I find this thread amazing. Your talking 15/10000 of an inch? Dial calipers can't measure that precise. Micrometers can...is that what you used? I think Ruger, with over 60 yrs of firearm mfg has way more expertise in designing firearms than any of us. So, to hear people say that they've missed it for years is absurd... I'm sure a few make it out of the factory that didn't meet spec, but to make a generalized comment like this is amazing. Sorry for the rant!
 
Super Sneaky Steve said:
Well, I just spent $164.93 to get the parts to do this job myself.
Click to expand...

Why? CylinderSmith would have done the job for a fraction of the price, probably less than $50 labor and shipping.

BTW, did you check your bore? If your bore is a good match for the throats, then you just need to resize your bullets to match (assuming cast, not jacketed).

Ruger likely did not touch the cylinder throats because .451 is "in spec".
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Yup. Personally, I'd rather have it too tight than too loose. The former is easy to correct and can result in a much more accurate gun. The latter requires a new cylinder and/or custom bullet molds to get bullets that fit properly.

AFman said:
Sorry guys, but I find this thread amazing. Your talking 15/10000 of an inch?
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That miniscule difference can matter depending on what you're trying to accomplish and with what kind of bullets. In one direction you get leading and poor accuracy, in the other direction you get high pressures and possibly poor accuracy. One or two thousandths matters if you're using cast bullets.

I think Ruger, with over 60 yrs of firearm mfg has way more expertise in designing firearms than any of us. So, to hear people say that they've missed it for years is absurd
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Ruger is famous for not getting 45Colt chambers correct, though they used to be too loose. S&W does it too. They tend to be too tight (my Ruger 44mag has .432" throats, my 629 has .428" throats). I can't use the same cast bullets in each gun because of the wide difference (.429 cast bullets in the Ruger will cause lead fouling, .431 bullets in the Smith cause pressure problems).

Chris
 
I use pin gages.

If you do a lot of casting and reloading for revolvers, they're well worth purchasing.

Chris
 
Pin guages or small hole guages and a micrometer are the correct way to measure. Using dial calipers as the OP did will result in an incorrect measurement generally on the small side.
 
I didn't use dial calipers. I used known measurements, my Hornady XTP bullets.

The .452 XTP's would not fit. I tried a few of different weights, even a cast .452 bullet and it would not enter the rear of the cylinder.

I then used a .451 (.45 Auto) XTP bullet and it would just wiggle in on a clean throat. If the gun had been fired the little bit of residue would make it so the bullet would not fit.

And I would have used a company like cylindersmith, but I really want one of those 4" Redhawks in .45 Colt as well so that would double my price right there. Who knows I might end up with a few more over a lifetime. This way I can fix other people's guns too.

Maybe this is a way of Ruger stimulating the economy? They have created new jobs and products for fixing their own crappy products...
 
even a cast .452 bullet and it would not enter the rear of the cylinder.
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What are you calling the rear of the cylinder? Holding the firearm in a normal firing position, are you talking about the rear of the cylinder or the front of the cylinder? I normally put the cartridge in the rear of the cylinder and shoot them out the front. That measurement is normally considered the throat of the cylinder and it's important that it be correctly sized for cast bullet work. If the throat is too small, the bullet will be sized before it hits the forcing cone. I generally like my throats a thousandth or so bigger than the forcing cone so that the bullet hits the forcing cone and is sized to match the bore.
 
I guess you could say the front then. But in either case I'm measureing the part of the cylinder that interfaces with the forcing cone. Or in otherwords, where the bullet exits the cylinder.
 
PawPaw asked the similar questions to the ones I was going to ask while I was looking something up, but I'll go ahead anyway ... ;)

SSSteve said:
it would not enter the rear of the cylinder.
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The rear of a .45 Colt cylinder should be far larger than .452" - around .481" or a little larger. The front of the cylinder should be slightly less than the bullet diameter you plan on shooting. With my Vaquero, the front of the cylinder will not accept a .452" bullet, and it shoots just fine.

I think you might be en route to making your revolver shoot worse than it does at present.
 
I think you might be en route to making your revolver shoot worse than it does at present.
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According to the cylindersmith guy who's done thousands of these jobs out to .4525 says that not one person has reported worse accuracy from his reaming.

I have nothing to lose but maybe some leading from my barrel. It's worse than it should be right now.

For kicks I tried putting a .357 bullet in my Vaquero, SP101 and GP100 and they all fit.
 
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