Author Topic: what should the .45 colt bore measure ?  (Read 473 times)

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Offline Scibaer

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what should the .45 colt bore measure ?
« on: April 08, 2010, 09:47:03 AM »
i have a 2009 new model blackhawk.
 the cylinder throats mic at .452 and a bullet sized at .451 fits thru the cylinder with just a slight drag.
a bullet sized at .452 will barely push thru , with a great deal of force..
 if i did it right , the barrel at the muzzle mics at .449 and i slugged the barrel and got a slug that mic'd to .450

so, are these good numbers ? what should they be ideally ?

Offline AtlLaw

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Re: what should the .45 colt bore measure ?
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2010, 11:46:07 AM »
The barrel seems awfull tight, but my memory ain't what it used to be...  :-[

You say it slugs .450 groove to groove?   ???

How do it shoot?
Richard
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Offline Sweetwater

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Re: what should the .45 colt bore measure ?
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2010, 12:04:51 PM »
In an IDEAL world, you would have .452 cylinder and .452 barrel - good luck on finding that combination in a production gun.

A 2nd IDEAL situation would be .454 cylinder and .454 barrel - that's the original Colt configuration.

A cylinder that is .001 over the barrel is as close to IDEAL as I hope to see - the real question is not what size are they - the real question is "does it shoot"???

Some revolvers with a cylinder several thousanths larger than its barrel still shoot like hotcakes. You have what appears to be a tight barrel. What that really translates into is more velocity with less powder as the pressure will build faster. A lot of 357's have barrels as tight as .354 - they still shoot factory ammo..

The real problem comes in to play when the barrel is larger than the cylinder - that doesn't appear to be your situation at all.

If the end of your barrel is "actually" smaller than the slug you get from the barrel, than you could improve things by lapping the barrel. The most fun way is with a box or two of cartridges and a jar of JP paste. The quiet way is with a ramrod and a tight patch with JP paste. Not as much fun, but totally effective. Do it until you get the dimension you want.

I would shoot it 'as is'. Your cylinder is a couple thousanths larger than you barrel. All is tight. That is good. IF you put a .452 bullet, with lube all over it, into the cylinder, it should be a snug slip fit - if they are both .452 - if it still goes with a great deal of force, either the cylinder is smaller than you measured, or the bullet is larger.

Have fun and stay safe - and shoot it.
Regards,
Sweetwater

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Offline Scibaer

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Re: what should the .45 colt bore measure ?
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2010, 01:17:24 PM »
well, i have only fired it a few times. but , i ignored the sights and pointed and shot.. and it hit where i was aiming.. so i guess it shoots well.
yep its slugs out to .450 groove to groove,  i slugged it 3 times and mic'd it twice to be sure i was getting the right numbers.
 no , my barrel is smaller then the cylinder, but i didnt know if that was a good thing, bad thing or leading to trouble type thing..
 i didnt use any lube when i slipped the .452 bullet thru the cylinder... dang it..
so i understand that the barrel is undersized to the cylinder is ok, better then the other way round.
and its shoots good, so i guess i'm good to go . i dont think i'll mess with it, lapping it or anything..