How to ream cylinders and to what size?

[Bad Karma]

Dang son! We’re glad you’re still here!

 

[M. De Land]

Dang son! We’re glad you’re still here!

Well, it certainly was a reality check of my assumption of continued good health which I suspect I've taken for granted over the last 74 years. Had no idea I could have checked out pretty much at any time over the last decade or so.
The heart Dr that did the stents said the one major artery had been blocked for many year and the body had made three smaller arteries around the blockage through the heart muscle that was keeping me alive.
Never had chest pain, shortness of breath or dizziness which usually accompany heart disease. I did have back pain but that was attributed to an sonogram of my gall bladder showing I had gall stones and an old foot ball injury suffered in HS the Air Force found 50 years ago. Go figure!
Any way back to the Walker mods planned and the two rifles I'm working on for gong shooting.
The Walker is currently in pieces on my work table as I get her ready for two dovetail cuts for the loading lever latch tower and the new sight I'm going to mill out for her. I'll take some photos as the work progresses so yall can keep abreast of what's happening should your interest of such things be poked.

 

[M. De Land]

No, reaming it not required as some guns shoot lights out from the factory. When it really pays off is when wanting to shoot conicals along with balls or misalignment issues are in play.
Very often chamber mouths will be of different diameters or out of round from their mates in the cylinder and reaming will make them uniform.
Balls are more forgiving of slight misalignment and under groove diameter fit but they all will work when of at least groove diameter fit.
Odd numbered rifling can only be accurately measured by the use of a Tri-mic or Powelly gauge and a driven slug or Cerosafe cast. Pictured is a Powelly gauge I machined and stamped the formula for running the numbers on the face. Very accurate for odd numbered (3-5-7) rifling measuring.

Oh, by the way the Powelly gauge measures even numbered rifling just as accurately as odd.

 

[Ed C.]

I sure am enjoying mine ! Should have had one years ago! Got more work to do on mine before it's up to speed on what I want plus I'm going to make a cross draw holster for it once I get to the leather shop up the road.
Had a pace maker installed a week ago and just got out of the hospital after clinically checking out last week on a glass job at a local equipment shop we service. My son did the CPR thing on me after dragging my butt out of the truck unto the shop floor.
Boy this getting old stuff is expensive and inconvenient ! He took a photo of me stretched out on the shop floor like a freshly landed carp with my upper cloths cut off and a gaggle of paramedics working me over. Don't remember a thing after blacking out until about 24 hours later. Boy, it don't take long to Die and it didn't hurt ! A humbling experience to be sure !
Yeshua decided it wasn't quite my time yet!

Glad you are still with us. Although your shop and skills are several levels above mine I always enjoy reading your posts on your "fixes". At this stage my motto is to try to live each day as if it were your last and spend money like there is no tomorrow 'cause that may very well be the case.