Which size to resize to, .357 or .358?

[jk3006]

This will be for my 686, and I'm wondering which sizer to get for it.

[Graybeard]

Kinda depends on what your barrel and throats measure but generally I use .358".

[jk3006]

Ok, thanks.

[Nobade]

You want a firm thumb press fit in the cylinder throats. Bigger is better than smaller if the rounds will chamber without resistance. I like to use pin guages to measure the throats, plus you can compare and see how close in size they all are.

[Wiking]

The right thing to do is to slug your barrel (search the forum, there will be threads on it), and then size your bullets .001 over what your barrel measures.

And now I must confess that I have never done this with my 686. Mainly because the guy who introduced me to casting, had always sized to .357 and never had any problems with leading or poor accuracy. We use a rather hard alloy, that could be the reason for this.

[jk3006]

I went through the effort of doing that with my BH .45, but I'm too lazy to attempt it with the 686, especially when others have been saying that it shoots well with .357 or .358.  I think I'll just start with one, and if I don't like it, I'll move to the other.  I do know that the Remington 125 gr. hollowpoints that I have been shooting barely fit through the cylinder throats when reasonable pressure is applied.  Those are supposedly .357.

[Lloyd Smale]

i use 358 and 359

[Reed1911]

The right thing to do is to slug your barrel (search the forum, there will be threads on it), and then size your bullets .001 over what your barrel measures.

Actually no. With a revolver you need to size the throats on the cylinder. If you run a .357" bore and a .358" throat you need to run a .358" bullet, if you have a .357" throat and a .358" barrel you need to run a .357" bullet. (Or some like to go +.001" over throat dia).

 Reason being if your bullets are too small in the throat you'll have gas leak around them, and if your barrel is smaller than the throat the bullets will slug down. If your barrel is larger and you run a larger bullet it will just get sized down in the throat and you have just created excess pressure for no reason.

Normal pistol and rifle chambers you size to the bore, revolvers you size to the throat.

[Flash]

Before you do anything, shoot them as cast. You might be pleasantly surprised.

[jk3006]

Yesterday I casted some bullets for my 686, and they do not slide through my cylinder throats (no way, no how) no matter how much pressure I put on them.  They mic around .359.  Looks like I'll have to size them down.  But I haven't shot them yet.  Maybe they will shoot well, but I've always heard that those bullets shouldn't be over throat diameter. 

[Badnews Bob]

Just guessing her but I'd say those bullet will shoot great unsized. I knoiw all of my .357s like .358 or 359 sized lead.

Your only talking .001 diffrence anyway thats nothing your pistol will never know it pressure wise. There is that much diffrence in alot of manufactured bullets anyway.