Bullet Sticks In Cylinder

[RogerT]

Hi all.

After a shootingsession with lead bullets I cleaned out the cylinder of my 625 with a Bore Snake.

Just curious, I tried to drop a Frontier 230 gn plated bullet trough the cylinder. It stuck and I hade to use a rod and mallet to tap it trough. Light strikes with the mallet did it.

More cleaning and tried it again. It still won't go trough without punishment from the rod and some tapping. WTF....

I then try some jacketed bullets, S&B 230 RN and they almost drop through, just a little finger pressure pushes the bullet trough the cylinder. I check all six holes with almost the same result in all, one is a bit easier to push the bullet trough than the others.

Is this the way it's supposed to be, push-fit with jacketed bullets and No-Go with plated bullets?

I load to PF 180, should I be concerned about overpressure with the plated bullets?

[dajarrel]

RogerT,

It is my understanding that this is a normal occurance. Others will expound with far more knowledge. One thing I have read that I remember is that you want them to be the same diameter as much as possible as the loads become inconsistant with large variances between the holes.

FWIW

dj

[RogerT]

Hi dj.

Ok, I'm thinking of using a nylon brush and a bit of the yellow cleaning cloth (Birchwood Casey "Magich Cloth") and polish the holes that are a bit smaller and leave the one that drops the bullet as is.

[revchuck]

Roger - If you mike the bullets, you'll probably find that the jacketed ones mike .451, and the plated ones are .452. This isn't a problem.

FWIW, what you did is how you check whether cast bullets are the right size. If they fall through the chamber, they're too small; if they stick but go through with a little encouragement, they're just right.

[D.carden]

Just about all of the jacketed bullets I used in the past would pass through.

Diameters were .4495 to .451.

Lead on the other hand will not pass through as they are larger. .452 to 452.5

Nothing to fear, just load'm and shoot'm.

Dan

[RogerT]

Thanks, guys.

I'll mike my bullets to see what size they are.

That perhaps explains some of the velocity spread I experienced last time I chrono'ed my hand loads with lead bullets (another tread), since one chamber in the cylinder seems a bit larger than the others.

I'll check if every 6th shot fired over the chrono registered a higher velocity.

[hopalong]

Could also be the Lube on the Lead Bullets .......

HOP

[Bubber]

Roger T, It should be normal. The cylinder is slightly smaller at the front end of the cylinder. A small step down. At least mine are. Hope this helps.

[Carmoney]

Sounds normal to me. I wouldn't worry about it.

[8shooter]

RogerT, I used a battery drill with a cloth covered brush and a little autosol (mag wheel polish) to polish my cylinders, made for faster and smoother reloading. Don't want to polish them too much as this causes extraction problems once rounds have been fired off (too smooth a surface area and brass sticks like glue).

I just did it in the same manner as honing a cylinder of an engine, slow speed on the drill and consistent strokes.

Hoping this might help......

[Wap wap]

No two cylinder holes will be the same dia. varing slightly, usually about the same standard deviation as factory jacketed bullets. If your curious enough label the cylinders with a magic marker and fire groups from only each cylinder recording the results from that cylinder. At this time it would be wonderful to say something profound like the tighter cylinder shot tighter groups, but I have found that it depends more on the shape and condition of the forcing cone. Each cylinder acts as a swage before the bullet enters the forcing cone, and the size of that swage is smaller than the bore dia. as indicated in previous posts. When driven into the forcing cone the 3rd. moment of the bullet (inertia) and possibly the 2nd (acceleration) can be zero, while the pressure builds enough to start the engraving process. If your cylinder is too tight this process occurs in the cylinder, example --357 in 38's 454 casull in 45 LC causing the pressure curve to move ahead of the inertia moment and past the burst strength of the steel used in cylinder. Which brings us back to the first- manufacturers make the cylinders tighter in the front to stop people from using longer cases, hotter loads in that gun. From my point of view a 625 would be a great start for a 45 Rowland or a mini-Casull if not for the tighter cylinders. Also a 45 ACP headspaces on the rim, so it is necessary to have the diameter ahead of the end of case at least 2 thickness greater than the brass being used.

[George D]

The recipe for an accurate revolver is:

The barrel diameter just in front of the forcing cone should be 0.0005" more than at the muzzle. The cylinder exit diameter another 0.0005" larger, and the projectile another 0.0005" larger again.

Inaccuracy comes from projectiles smaller in diameter than the cylinder exit and, even worse, a barrel diameter larger than the cylinder exit.

[RogerT]

Hi all.

After a major cleaning session, inlcuding fine emery cloth and polishing with autosol, the status is now this:

Plated Frontier (.451 according to label on box) bullets go trough the cylinder exit with a good fit.

Jacketed bullets (also .451 acc. to label) drop trough the cylinder, not freely, but easier than the plated bullets.

I tried som lead bullets (.451 acc. to label) and they also go trough easy!

Then I tried a jacketed bullet that is shot in my gun (and found undamaged), it drops freely trough my guns cylinder.

Conlusion: GET A MICROMETER! and make measurements..... but it seems like my barrel is smaller than the cylinder exit diameter, and thats a good thing.