Double Reamed Chambers

1858 cylinder allows bullets of the same size diameter to be slipped in prior to seating on the powder charges.

Will be trying out the Lyman #454309 wadcutter and various weights of semiwadcutters.
I'd like to have a revolver set up for using .43 caliber molds as well. Maybe some day.

Did you ream this yourself? I’d love to be able to use some of my cast .452 in my 1858.

nkbj said:

1858 cylinder allows bullets of the same size diameter to be slipped in prior to seating on the powder charges.
View attachment 331902
Will be trying out the Lyman #454309 wadcutter and various weights of semiwadcutters.
I'd like to have a revolver set up for using .43 caliber molds as well. Maybe some day.

Click to expand...

Howdy!

Got a few questions for ya. Double reamed? As in reamed one diameter all the way down and a larger diameter only part way down?

I notice the face of your cylinder looks to have been altered as well, cut back a smidge?

Gtrubicon said:

Did you ream this yourself? I’d love to be able to use some of my cast .452 in my 1858.

Click to expand...

The work was done by Mr. Charley Hahn.

rodwha said:

Howdy!

Got a few questions for ya. Double reamed? As in reamed one diameter all the way down and a larger diameter only part way down?

I notice the face of your cylinder looks to have been altered as well, cut back a smidge?

Click to expand...

Yes sir, reamed exactly that way. The larger diameter done 3/8" deep. The front was cleaned up.

nkbj said:

Yes sir, reamed exactly that way. The larger diameter done 3/8" deep. The front was cleaned up.

Click to expand...

Curious what diameters they are, whether there’s a taper between them, and if you went past the bolt stop notches to the bottom. What say you?

rodwha said:

Curious what diameters they are, whether there’s a taper between them, and if you went past the bolt stop notches to the bottom. What say you?

Click to expand...

For this experiment I chose .450" and .452". I'm sizing bullets to .451". And yeah, there's a tiny bit of transitional taper. Going with .450" and .453" with .452" bullets might have been a better mouse trap. Going deeper to suit heavier bullets may work better but I don't want really heavy ones any way. I'll get it figger'd out as I work with various molds. A work in progress to see what works.
Oh, and the .450" reaming does not go to the notches.

By the way, I'm still sold on bullets being blunt, slipping into the chambers to assure alignment, having no grease grooves and made to shear on the front leading band, thereby getting all the weight I'd want and maximizing the available powder space. This just happens to be an experiment in being able to have a cylinder that uses almost every .45 pistol mold ever made.

This is very interesting, what bullets do you plan on trying? I’d love to try some 452424 out of my Remington. I’ve played with the Lee conicals and it was inconsistent accuracy at best.

nkbj said:

1858 cylinder allows bullets of the same size diameter to be slipped in prior to seating on the powder charges.
View attachment 331902
Will be trying out the Lyman #454309 wadcutter and various weights of semiwadcutters.
I'd like to have a revolver set up for using .43 caliber molds as well. Maybe some day.

Click to expand...

The problem with this is the bullets staying seated under recoil and not tying up the revolver if they don't tighten up on an internal shoulder. This is accomplished by chamber taper or double taper/diameter chambers. If parallel reamed then the bullet diameter must be snug at introduction requiring an elongated loading window under the barrel.
1. Plug gauge to align reamer in drill press on a mill table.
2. Reamed chamber mouths.
3. Depth plug to limit depth of ream.

Gtrubicon said:

This is very interesting, what bullets do you plan on trying? I’d love to try some 452424 out of my Remington. I’ve played with the Lee conicals and it was inconsistent accuracy at best.

Click to expand...

This #452484 might work if I cast it with straight lead. Don't yet know if the .452" diameter ream depth will be compatible with the configuration of the bullet design. Wouldn't be using a gas check of course.

nkbj said:

This #452484 might work if I cast it with straight lead. Don't yet know if the .452" diameter ream depth will be compatible with the configuration of the bullet design. Wouldn't be using a gas check of course.

Click to expand...

Keep us posted once you test them out please! I’ve thought about using cast bullets quite a bit. 45 is what I cast and shoot most for the other guns, I have zero interest in a conversion cylinder. I’ve always wondered if you could size the bullets down to match the chambers and get them to seat properly in a percussion revolver.

Gtrubicon said:

Keep us posted once you test them out please! I’ve thought about using cast bullets quite a bit. 45 is what I cast and shoot most for the other guns, I have zero interest in a conversion cylinder. I’ve always wondered if you could size the bullets down to match the chambers and get them to seat properly in a percussion revolver.

Click to expand...

I did just that with the ACP bullets used in my Walker. I sized the base until they would slip into the chamber far enough to allow cylinder rotation and loading lever seating.

M. De Land said:

I did just that with the ACP bullets used in my Walker. I sized the base until they would slip into the chamber far enough to allow cylinder rotation and loading lever seating.

Click to expand...

How did they perform?

Gtrubicon said:

How did they perform?

Click to expand...

Quite well for the first time out and no sight or load work ups. I was shooting over the bench at 25 yards with the bullets shown and balls.The loads printed about 9 inches high and a couple inches right with the factory sights. Their were some uncalled fliers but most stayed pretty well together for a new gun and load.
I have since installed a partridge style front sight and a loading lever catch and need to sight it in and test again.
The aiming point was six o'clock on green.

M. De Land said:

I did just that with the ACP bullets used in my Walker. I sized the base until they would slip into the chamber far enough to allow cylinder rotation and loading lever seating.

Click to expand...

Same here.

Gtrubicon said:

Keep us posted once you test them out please! I’ve thought about using cast bullets quite a bit. 45 is what I cast and shoot most for the other guns, I have zero interest in a conversion cylinder. I’ve always wondered if you could size the bullets down to match the chambers and get them to seat properly in a percussion revolver.

Click to expand...

You can. The hard part is sizing the rear ends in a consistent manner, bullet after bullet.
That's one of the things that prompted me to try modified chambers that would accept bullets slightly over the groove diameter of the barrel and then swage them down to groove diameter in the chambers.

nkbj said:

You can. The hard part is sizing the rear ends in a consistent manner, bullet after bullet.
That's one of the things that prompted me to try modified chambers that would accept bullets slightly over the groove diameter of the barrel and then swage them down to groove diameter in the chambers.

Click to expand...

The chambers in my new Uberti Walker are tapered and I think inconsistent base depth taper I put on the bullets is the reason for the uncalled fliers. I'm leaning toward reaming the chambers parallel sided to groove diameter and get rid of all taper. I'm guessing that will increase powder volume by 5-6 grains. The trick is to find a good compromise of chamber profile suitable for balls as well as bullets if there is such a thing. I've got the trigger pull where I want it and a good lever latch mod getting rid of lever flop and the stiff keep spring. The front sight profile is good in a dovetail but may need widening and then a good cross draw holster made up for it should complete the package into a use-able and practical (for a Walker size) outfit.
These 200 gain ACP bullets have a tapered heel that encourages seating them and I like the amount that they weigh for flat trajectory and good penetration.
If I can get the bullet to shoot as accurately as balls it will likely become my go to Walker load.

Are the chambers themselves consistent?
Long time ago I obtained a shorty barreled .44 "sheriff's" 1851 with chambers that by visual examination had reaming to varying depths. As the reamer had been tapered, well, you can imagine the resulting changes in volume and diameters.
Ever since then that's been one of my bugaboo's when checking out a new piece.

nkbj said:

By the way, I'm still sold on bullets being blunt, slipping into the chambers to assure alignment, having no grease grooves and made to shear on the front leading band, thereby getting all the weight I'd want and maximizing the available powder space. This just happens to be an experiment in being able to have a cylinder that uses almost every .45 pistol mold ever made.

Click to expand...

There’s something to be said about the versatility of being able to so easily use a variety of bullets.

I create my bullets with a much smaller grease groove than most. I just haven’t seen the need for more from either my 5.5” NMA or 7.5” ROA. It’s like just enough it seems as I shoot for hours at a time.

I’m curious what you find heavy.

I moved to a small town outside of Austin and found myself without an outdoor range without driving over an hour to get there so I didn’t shoot much at all. I have a new rifle powder measure that happens to mark the weighed charge of 3F Olde Eynsford, has increments of 5 grns instead of 10 as my last, and is solid brass so I was easily able to scratch in 2.5 grn increments. I should be better able to pinpoint both gun’s more accurate hunting charge (starting at 25 grns). I had been working on a universal bullet they’d share and my calculations had left me with a bullet that weighed between 230-240 grns.

I was in a conversation on Reddit the other day about Triple 7. According to an article a full load of it under an undisclosed projectile achieves 1200 fps for 700 ft/lbs of energy. That’s magnum territory strongly. I worked that out and it weighs 229 grns so I’m guessing it’s the Lee RN for the Ruger. I highly doubted this claim, I’ve seen some chronographed results using sporting grade powders and bullets/balls. Mike Beliveau did testing with T7 and the Lee bullet. He erroneously reduced the charge 15% and figured out some very light compression formula and was getting solid 450 ft/lb realm. This should be achievable in a NMA or Army. That’s .45 ACP +P levels right there. And maybe this 1200 fps load is possible as we know it compresses more readily than Olde Eynsford or any other BP, so it’s likely overloaded slightly. Maybe… That’s a lot. I do know that I need that, maybe for black bears or something.

This has made me contemplate sacrificing a sliver of the more accurate powder charge for a little extra lead, something like 240-250 grns. I wouldn’t want to sacrifice much, accuracy is still most important. Thing is a very wide meplat bullet like mine isn’t going to have a very high BC. 33 grns of powder pushing a ~235 grn bullet will likely be around 950-1000 fps. No biggie. But my Ruger’s gonna add about 100 fps to those. I’m not sure it’ll be quite fast enough to stay above the sound barrier. I might one day figure out how to add a stock so I’d want it capable out to at least 75 yds, 100 really just because it should be able IMO. Maybe were it a little heavier using a little less powder I can get it closer to sonic.