Pushing lead bullets through 357

e rex said:

We all talk about sizing the bullet larger than the bore but does anyone measure the cylinder throats? Isn't that the last bullet sizer to size the bullet?

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I would think the forcing cone in a revolver is the last "sizer." An undersized or damaged forcing cone is pretty rare though. I agree, in a revolver check the throat, forcing cone AND bore/groove.

For tough leading, try Chore Boy bronze scrub pad.
Wrap some around a bore brush (I prefer a .375 rifle brush for .357 revolvers.) and brush gently.
For really tough carbon rings, chuck the brush in a cordless drill. Be careful! A coworker knurled the inside of his M10 PPC match revolver cylinder!

Be sure to use genuine bronze, not bronze plated steel pads! Lots of cheap impostors.

Jesse Heywood said:

Here is a link to the bible on loading lead. http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_7_Leading.htm
I have pushed wadcutters to around 1,500 fps out of a 6" 686.

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I agree, good read. Also chapter 6 explains cylinder mouth "throat" fit to the barrel rifling.
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_6_ThroatGroove.htm

I've learned a good deal from Glen Fryxell's writings. I keep referring back to it often.

kcofohio said:

I agree, good read. Also chapter 6 explains cylinder mouth "throat" fit to the barrel rifling.
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_6_ThroatGroove.htm

I've learned a good deal from Glen Fryxell's writings. I keep referring back to it often.

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Absolutely! One of the best pages out there.

My uncle who got me started reloading as a youngster told me to "plunk my bullets." Whenever I switched bullets, drop a few in the cylinder of my Ruger - my first revolver, first handgun, and the only one I reloaded for at the time - and see if they push through, fall through or stick. He taught me to measure - which I did and do - but also pointed out I had no way to check concentricity and hand-held measuring tools are only as accurate as the user, so plunking and verifying both size and roundness was a good idea. Essential? Nah, not really. He was teaching me the basics, a way to understand fit and how to be a smart consumer. Good measures and precise tools are more important but at 13 it was easier to plunk the bullets and see if they were a good fit than try to fiddle with measuring tools. The Los Angeles Shooting Club archives are like that, too. For every audience from the beginner to the experienced hand-loader and shooter.

I've been running water dropped WW bullets tumble lubed with Johnson's paste wax and Vaseline, with a touch of Allox, for years with no leading. Just size to .001" over what the diameter is supposed to be and load up.

Accuracy is what always gives out for me when I push too hard, not leading.