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Post by bigbore5 on Mar 22, 2024 12:55:51 GMT -5
I've had to open all six throats before.
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Post by 1horseman on Mar 22, 2024 18:37:55 GMT -5
There is no "love" on this (and MANY others) board for my favorite SA in .44Mag. It's a "lowly" Weihrauch "Bounty Hunter" with 4.5" barrel (and that's a joke on EAA, and almost every other website I've read about this revolver), which measured from the cylinder gap to the muzzle (including the forcing cone) is exactly 4.75!
It came with all six chambers measuring exactly.431, horrible/gritty trigger pull (7#), but timed to perfection (no drag line on the cylinder after 600+ rounds). It shot to the point of aim at 25 yards, right out of the box. I am not new around these tools, so I started to work on it after the first six rounds were fired. New springs (Colt), and a little trigger work did the trick. Trigger pull is 3.2LB right now, and I don't think it's going to get any lighter. I wish the frame ("color case hardened") is brighter, but the finish overall is superb on the barrel and cylinder. I paid "peanuts" for it, didn't have to send it anywhere to be "corrected", and it hits soda cans at 50 yards with boring predictability. I wonder why people don't like them. I sure do. Reading posts like this one (where people need to spend a lot more to have a brand-new revolver brought to specs) makes me wonder. I feel adequately armed with this one in, or out of the saddle.
So what gives? Why are some lauded Italian made revolvers so out of specs? I would understand if ALL six chambers are equally out of specs (but all six exactly the same!), but why there is a difference between the chambers? Bad QC?
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edk
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,118
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Post by edk on Mar 22, 2024 21:43:53 GMT -5
#5 slug barrel before #1 hone throats. Yes, you want those throats uniform however, they need to be done so relative to barrel groove diameter. Is the barrel 0.357, 0.358, or other? Check alignment: did replacing the base pin, improve, degrade, or have no effect? The only way they will ever be uniform is to the largest diameter throat. No getting around that. That is half the battle. I also consider throat dimension relative to barrel.
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edk
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,118
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Post by edk on Mar 22, 2024 22:04:35 GMT -5
The “lowly" Weihrauch "Bounty Hunter" is in good company as Magnum Research maker of the BFR can’t seem to measure a barrel in a manner consistent with the majority of the industry.
As to the subject of internal specs being off on revolvers from major manufacturers, I’d conclude they don’t care: 1. Most of the effects of this won’t rear their head with jacketed bullets and at modest range. 2. It seems that if a customer customer balks, they usually make it right. However, it is disappointing to think that these manufacturers know that 99% of their customers can’t tell the difference and will live with it while expecting the informed customers to either send it back or remedy on their own.
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GSSP
.30 Stingray
Posts: 109
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Post by GSSP on Mar 28, 2024 12:38:53 GMT -5
For the 357 Mag pin gages what is a good range; min to max size to buy?
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Post by 1horseman on Mar 28, 2024 13:41:41 GMT -5
The “lowly" Weihrauch "Bounty Hunter" is in good company as Magnum Research maker of the BFR can’t seem to measure a barrel in a manner consistent with the majority of the industry. As to the subject of internal specs being off on revolvers from major manufacturers, I’d conclude they don’t care: 1. Most of the effects of this won’t rear their head with jacketed bullets and at modest range. 2. It seems that if a customer customer balks, they usually make it right. However, it is disappointing to think that these manufacturers know that 99% of their customers can’t tell the difference and will live with it while expecting the informed customers to either send it back or remedy on their own. You are right of course. They don't care. All they care is about the sales volume and the profit it brings. It's a gamble,...."if it comes back, we'll fix it, if not....we're ahead with our profit margin". This seems to be the business model of MANY manufacturers today. However,.....Weihrauch is in totally different group. They don't even want to sell parts, accessories, customization, and on the top of that....they don't even produce high volume! (judging by the "out of stock" everywhere). VERY strange business model made even worse by picking EAA for the US distributor. In another thread one member said that he gave his Bounty Hunter away, after he realized it shoots 12" to the right at 100 yards (a crappy revolver). I admit I never shot mine past 50, but at 25 it's right on. At 50 of course a "little more of the front showing" and it right on. So, their QC is spotty just like most of the gun manufacturers. Personally, ...I believe that a small company like Weihrauch has only one person in charge of QC. Either he has a "quota" how many units he can send back to manufacture (or he'll miss his bonus), or he gets tired/buzzed (all the German companies have beer for sale in their mess halls for lunch during working hours).
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Post by bigbore5 on Mar 28, 2024 15:46:22 GMT -5
For the 357 Mag pin gages what is a good range; min to max size to buy? Buy minus gauges only. Throats are from .355-.360, bore would be from .343 to .351. Usually it's a .356" or .357" stock throats and .347-348" bore. But not always depending on who made it.
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GSSP
.30 Stingray
Posts: 109
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Post by GSSP on Mar 28, 2024 16:01:33 GMT -5
It my new, to me, Ruger New Model Blackhawk 50th anniversary model in 357 Mag.
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edk
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,118
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Post by edk on Mar 28, 2024 19:15:01 GMT -5
For the 357 Mag pin gages what is a good range; min to max size to buy? One strategy can be to buy a used set on eBay which may be missing a few pins (ideally in a range you’ll never use for revolver work). A .250-.500 ZZ minus set from an American manufacturer is pretty expensive new. Used and as described, that same set can be had for the price of the individual pins within a range for one centerfire pistol caliber cartridge. My set was missing 0.500” and about a half dozen around 0.275” which I’ve never bothered to replace for about $35 as such a set wouldn’t really be of much interest to a commercial enterprise. I’ve been able to work 32, 38/357, 375, 41, 44 & 45 cal pistol cartridges thus far with that single purchase. I have purchased a few half sizes along the way (0.4525”, 0,4535”, etc). You can squeeze by with lead slugs until the right deal comes along.
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GSSP
.30 Stingray
Posts: 109
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Post by GSSP on Mar 28, 2024 23:51:43 GMT -5
I ended up borrowing the needed pins from my works machine shop. Will do a little shooting, cleaning and measuring this weekend.
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GSSP
.30 Stingray
Posts: 109
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Post by GSSP on Mar 31, 2024 13:34:46 GMT -5
Update: I'm in "like"....maybe love. The cylinder throats measure thusly #1 = .357 #2 = .357 #3 = .357 #4 = .357 #5 = .358 #6 = .357 My smallest feeler gage I have is a .006" and it won't fit the cylinder gap. Weight is 2 lb 12.3 oz with the white grips and 2 lb 11.6 oz with the black factory hard rubber grips. Have shot a few cylinders full of Barnes 180 gr JHP Pioneer ammo off hand to at least get the sights somewhat "on" at 25 yds. They were quite aways off so I am thinking it is possible this thing may have never been shot by the original owner. Recoil, as you can imagine, is stout, even for an all-steel gun. Also, at 7 yds, offhand, some old reloads I developed for a, long gone, S&W 340 PD 357 Mag snub nose using the Speer 135 gr "short barrel" Gold Dot bullet over a near max charge of Power Pistol. Gave 985 fps from the stupid light snubbie. Will someday see what fps they deliver from the 4-5/8" BH barrel. I was shocked that the POI was exactly POA and grouped with 5 of 6 touching. Plan to call Speer tomorrow to see what velocity window those Gold Dots can handle. Then, when rummaging around to find some pure lead Hornady round ball MZ bullets to push through the bore to see what the bore and throat dimension are, I found some bullets (approx 400) I cast up about a dozen years back for the S&W 340 PD. I had Verl Smith make me a mold that throws .360" LBT LFN PB weighing 161 gr. They still have a 15-18 hardness from the water cooled WW metal I used. Lube is LBT blue. I think they will be perfect for this gun. I still need to buy a 5/16" wooden dowel from the local hardware store and some Hornady MZ lead bullets to check the bore. Which do you think would be the better diameter; .375" or .350" with a bit of squashing to bump up the diameter above .360"? Here are some pics: 50th annivesary left side wearing factory black rubber grips and the white grips showing inside, no flash. photos.app.goo.gl/hGyrciUKAqMVf2xb650th annivesary left side wearing factory black rubber grips and the white grips showing inside, with flash. photos.app.goo.gl/DcpbJ1LYH8oYTdxy8Right side, wearing the white grips, showing the inside of the rubber grips with no flash. photos.app.goo.gl/sWiL1V4WKcdJ5j2D7Right side with the 135 gr Speer Short Barrel loaded rounds. photos.app.goo.gl/fbR6PrSz6xkhHon5ANine+ lbs of 161 gr LBT cast bullets I intend to make good use of; some before sending the cylinder off to Fermin Garza. Please forgive the wrinkled dish towel. Didn't want to scratch the dinning room table so to maintain peace in the house.....
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Post by bigbore5 on Mar 31, 2024 17:24:24 GMT -5
Open them all to .3585", size .358", try 13-15bhn. If there's no thread choke you'll be in good shape.
As for slugging the barrel, I use suitable diameter egg fishing weights. The hole in the middle tends to close up, preventing any spring back you can get when using solid slugs.
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