Smith & Wesson 586 questions

[flyboy]

Veral:
I own a S&W 586, 1980s  vintage, and if I remember correctly, I have used your bore lapping kit and instructions  on it, just a little bit...probably 10 rounds, definitely not more than 18, due to a natural hesitancy about really screwing something up. I have never been a very good shot with a pistol, but the 586 does not seem to be shooting as well as some of my other revolvers did.   

Now; If I can find the remainder of your lapping kit, what would you recommend  re:

1. Continuing from where I was, lapping my barrel further?  How much is enough? Recommended load?

2. What might be a good bullet/mold to use for better accuracy?   So far, I have had the best results with the RCBS 150gr Ketih SWC, using wheelweights, with a tad bit of 50-50 bar solder added. (What I fondly hoped was the equivalent of Lyman #2 alloy)   If it makes a difference, 357 brass, standard primer, 5.5gr Unique. Commercial swaged or cast 158gr. SWCs are adequate, but not inspiring.

Thank you, sir.

[Veral]

  First off, understand, I ain't got nothing nice to say about anybody elses molds!

  The only way I know of to be sure whether your gun needs more lapping is to measure it with LBT push through slugs.  They tell you exactly and leave no doubt.  Outside of that, any guess I make from here is no better than if you asked a 16 year old female fry cook at McDonalds.

  Bullets from any mold are fine for lapping.  When you have the gun put into perfect order dimensionally, purchase a mold for FN bullets from LBT, choosing from 160 to 180 gr weight.  Probably 357 brass will give the best accuracy as it holds the bullet closer to the forcing cone.  The best light load powder I've used is Hodgen Universal, and I'm extremely fond of it because of the low report, almost no flash even when shooting at night, not to mention the very small extreme spread in velocity.  So far as comparison, Unique is very smoky, the report much louder and shot deviation spreads out a lot more.

  Don't add more than 2% tin to wheel weight alloy or you'll get age softening, and pay a big price to get the reduced quality!

   Use LBT bullet lubricant for best accuracy.