Cast bullet sizing on a new SBH 45 Auto/Colt Convertible

[ProGun]

After seeing buckets'o'wheel weights out behind my fathers shop for the better part of 20 years, I've finally got him to melt those suckers down and he started making some bullets. However, I'm talking him through this process long distance, he doesn't have a pin gauge set and I've only cast and shot for a FA 83 (I size to .452"). I ordered him up the RCBS 45-255-SWC mould, which is .454" and he is going to powder coat... As of right now, I had him try an uncoated bullet in the chamber, he said that it fit pretty good, but I'm not there. I didn't see, and I don't think he pushed it all the way through the cylinder. I told him to load up a few (because he seems fairly reluctant to mess around with resizing) and see how it shoots. I figure it can't hurt anything, just get some leading around the cylinder/throat. So my questions are: Is there a standard "safe bet" on what to size these convertibles for? A point of concern for me with it being a convertible is, does not 45 Auto shoot .451"? Or, since Rugers have notoriously large cylinders, should he just let it ride? I'm guess that after PC, the bullets will be around .456" (+/- .001")?

[contender]

I'd have him size a few at .452 to start with. And when he PC's them, it won't add as much as you think.

[diddle]

My convertible had small throats ~0.450" in the 45 Colt cylinder and the ACP cylinder throats were 0.451". I opened all of them to 0.4525" and shoot 0.452" lead bullets.

[Alaskan454]

I just sold a convertible model that needed reaming in all chamber throats, shot quite well after doing so. Rugers can run all over the map so it'd be a good idea to have him check for size.

[ProGun]

Ok. Will do.

[nicholst55]

If your father doesn't need a full set of pin gages, MSC Industrial Supply and Enco both sell individual gages for a reasonable price. I just bought the entire set from .250-.500" when I got mine.

[ProGun]

That is a good piece of info!