Bullet Size Question

[ejc]

I have three 45 Colt singe actions that have .454-.455 throats and .451 bores. One is a Ruger Blackhawk. one a Colt SAA, and one a Cimarron Bisley.

Is it better to match the bullet diameter to the throat or the bore?

My first inclination is to match it to the throat, but a .003-.004 inch oversize for the bore concerns me. I load mild loads so I'm not concerned about any pressure increase caused by the oversized bullet, but wonder about accuracy swaging a bullet that much in the barrel. I load 8 grs. of Unique over a 255 gr. SWC for the Colt and Bisley, and 20.5 grs. of 296 over the same bullet for the Ruger.

I'll probably try both .452 and .454 bullets in all three to compare accuracy, but thought I would get everyone's opinion first.

I also have a Uberti Regulator and a S&W 25-5, but they are an easy answer since the Uberti has .455 throats and .453 bore and the S&W has .4525 throats and a .451 bore.

I appreciate your thoughts.

E. J.

[jforwel]

You're correct in that you should match the bullet to the throat. I have a Ruger BH that has the old throat sizes of .454 and a bore diameter of .451. I have found a load with Unique that shoots well with .452 bullets but have also used home cast at .454 will no ill effects. I don't know if hard cast commercial bullets will make a difference or not but there are others here with more experience than I.

[sagebrushburns]

I have Colts and Rugers with same throat/bore relationships. I have tried both .452 and .454 bullets and have found no appreciable difference in accuracy or apparent pressure between them. My load is 8.5 Unique with your same bullet.

[ejc]

Thanks guys. I have been using .454 bullets in the two Ubertis and .452 bullets in the other guns and getting good accuracy in all of them. I think I will go to using .454 bullets in the ones that have larger throats and see what I get.

The bullets I have been using are Lasercast bullets and they shoot well. Like everything else though, they are getting expensive. Now that I am retired, I'll probably go back to casting my own. I have stockpiled about 300 lbs of ingots consisting of wheel weights with 2% tin added. My bullets always shot well, but with working and my son shooting with me it was too hard to find enough time to cast enough for our needs before I retired.

E. J.

[shorty500]

size bullets to fit the throats and as the late walt melander of NEI always said when the big light hits the bullet it will fit the barrel

[edk]

Yep, to the throats... just not with steel-core FMJs!

[mworkmansr]

ejc;
You 'think' you will have more time after retirement. Ha. I retired last May, and I have less free time now than when I was working. Everybody thinks you are their slave. The only way to get more free time is to calculate who you can piss off.
Just before I retired, I updated my whole reloading section; presses, melting pots, molds. I have hardly knocked the dust off them at this point.
Be mean and insensitive.
By the way, everybody's answer is correct. But I mainly see this question from Colt aficianados. Never seem to come up with Ubeti, Cimarron, or USFA. Colt has been pulling this same trick for 100 years.
Mike

[ejc]

Mike, I do actually have more time now. I spend a lot of it riding my motorcycle. I've put 53K+ miles on it in 3 1/2 years. The rest of the time I do chores around home and play with my guns.

It's a good life.

E. J.

[cherokee]

I've been retired about 3 years now and get a lot more casting, reloading & shooting time than I did before retirement. Still have home and wife to take care of but also more time for myself.

As for the size question - 454 would be the better I think but you can prove it by trying in your guns. My old model Rugers are properly matched throats and barrel but the Uberti's I had were 454 throats and they shot 452 bullets just fine.

[Frank V]

I think I'd try to match the size of the chamber throats rather than bors size. The .454 diameter works well for me.
Frank

[nonpcnrarn]

When did Ruger start undersizing chamber throats on their 45 Colt handguns? I have had all cylinder throats reamed to .4525. Regarding the .454 cylinder throats and .451 bores, would Taylor throating and chamfering the forcing cone to 11 degrees benefit accuracy as the bullets are swaged down from .454 cal down to .451 cal when transitioning from cylinder throat to bore?