Reeder Custom Guns - I should know this, but

I will ask anyway. Fitting lead bullets to the gun? I will use what I know so far. 44Mag 3 screw Ruger with a Douglas barrel. I do not know what the barrel truly slugs at and I can only measure the throats of the cylinder with a hole gauge and mikes or a caliper. That measures .434 as close as I can tell. I would assume the barrel would be in a .429 to .430 range. With lead bullets would you size for the cylinder throat or the barrel. I have always heard the bullet should be as big or bigger than the barrel, but I have also read that it must fit the cylinder close also for best accuracy. I have heard it can be oversize for the barrel and still not lead so you fit the cylinder and make sure it is not loose in the barrel. What is best for the most accurate and trouble free lead bullet shooting.

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I usually size bullets throat size to .001" over throat size. But, be sure you measure correctly. I drive an oversized lead slug thru and measure or use pin guages.

Not as easy as it seems with a dial caliper.

If bullets are sized correctly and no significant bore choke, you can shoot very soft bullets with little to no leading.

Most of my Ruger 44s are .430-.431". Colts tent to run more.

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I have never measured the cylinder throats on my .41 Magnum .. and I have never measured the bore. I just cast the bullets and size them .410 and shoot them.

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It is more accurate than I am.

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Just old SWC 210 gr. I cast long ago and gave a couple lite coats of alox. I decided to "mic" them. They averaged 0.417". So I finished loading them up, shot great, clean bore at 1100-1200 fps.

*Never ask a question you don't really want a truthful answer to.

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Only accurate handgun loads are interesting.

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the bore of any of my barrels and they all shoot better than I can. The cylinder throats are within .002 and that is good enough for hunting. I don't know about leading as I NEVER shoot non gas check bullets in my guns. A sacrilege maybe but it has worked for me for umpteen years. Life is way too short to worry about barrel bores and cylinder throats. Go shot your guns and leave the measuring so someone more anal than you.

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WHICH FITS THE THROATS. WHAT DOES "MEASURE AS CLOSE AS I CAN TELL MEAN"? I'VE NEVER SEEN A RUGER.44 MAG THREE-SCREW WITH SUCH LARGE HOLES.

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It's a bit of a skill to consistently measure cylinder throats with a dial caliper. Just takes practice at only that. Pin gauges are very interesting to toy with and a sure thing. I can usually get within 0.001-0.0015" using a caliper compared to pin gauges. I'm a hobbyist at best.

I have found only ONE gun, revolver, with a "tight bore" or constriction in the bore. This is out of about two dozen I've checked. Interestingly the one was a factory barrel not custom. It was an odd case and only detectable, reparable, monitoring it with pin gauges. Cylinder throats are checked by poking increasingly larger by 0.001" little "pins" or round mic'd cylinders until you find the one that won't quite go through. A good way to amuse yourself for a while. All the effort is negated if you simply shoot a cast slug a bit larger. Forcing, by shooting, it makes it fit.

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a little harder at measuring this gun's cylinder and now I have good data that I am sure is right. The gun is old and has been worked on and I can see the throats have been polished at the mouth on the barrel end of the cylinder. I measured with pins and can see that all are a little tapered in toward the chamber. At the true straight part in front of the chamber all measure .432 with one a little tighter but I think it may have lead or carbon built up. So the gun is .432 and I would fit the bullets to this .432 or .431 as smallest. I also measured a new 44 Special Ruger GP 100 and it is .431 on all throats. So now I have a good place to start working on the best load for good soft shooting accurate lead bullet round. Thanks

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stuff. If you have been on the forum long you have seen some of the groups the guns we build shoot. Most are easily covered by a quarter at 25 yards and I use the same bullets in all the 44s and all the same bullets in the 41s etc. I get them from Montana Bullet Works and get them .001 over normal caliber. Getting all worked up over exact throat diameters takes all the fun out of shooting.

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I should know this, but

Well, I'll be in trouble as always. So why not...

Or you can just shoot them

But Jim.... That's so, uh, boring...

When in doubt go big! Loading some LEE tumble lube .41's

With apologies to Mr. Whelen ..

I have to agree with Jim. I have never measured

I MOSTLY SHOOT THE LARGEST DIAMETER

I think they are probably a little tighter too

You made me work

Ed, just buy .431 diameter bullets and don't sweat the small