Corrective Chamber Reaming

[woodnbow]

A gunsmith. I might look into that while the DIY consideration is pending. The chucking-reamer order status is still "Awaiting Fulfillment." Meanwhile, a hand reamer is not a readily available option. I've been searching the internet and finding online cutting-tool vendors with only narrow selections of commonly-used diameters. Some don't carry them at all.

It’s been a while but Charlie charged 35.00 per cylinder then. A bargain!

 

[dirt-poor]

Dirt-poor, have you actually slugged the barrel - to see the actual groove diameter? Because I have the strong suspicion, that a 3/8 reamer will be just perfect for the job.

Yes, and that's a good suggestion. It would certainly be an easier diameter to obtain. I would suspect that one disadvantage might be in having no allowance at all for error in using it. Since I have no reaming experience, I can only guess about that. If all did go well with it, then another disadvantage would be having no option but to load with .380 balls.

I slugged the barrel twice -- once with a .375 ball that was first loaded into a chamber of the good cylinder, and again with a .375 ball directly out of the box. The first one, which was pushed through the barrel with its chamber ring centered in the bore, came out with good groove impressions having evidence of at least lightly bottoming out in them.

The second one went in with no chamber swaging and came out with more distinct groove impressions, but they were rounded along their length, following the roundness of the ball. They showed evidence of full surface contact in the grooves only on the central high area of their contours.

This was all inconclusive to me as far as predicting what the outcomes would be if the balls had obturated from being fired through the barrel rather than having been driven through.

One thing I know for sure is that this revolver, with the replacement cylinder, is an excellent shooter. I'm getting very tight shot groups with it. So a reasonable objective in salvaging the defective cylinder might be to try copying the chamber diameter of the good one, which is .366" according to the diameter of the shaved-off chamber rings on the balls. I'm sure a little more could only be better, but .375" might be overkill in this case. That's because the groove diameter of this barrel seems to be a bit small for it.

I don't know that for sure, due to being severely short on wherewithal pertaining to groove diameters. Can't get a decisive measurement of a slugged ball with an odd number of groove and land impressions. If I start by measuring from a groove impression to its opposing land three times, that's three different readings, depending on the exact placement of the caliper blades and how firmly they make contact. Measuring between different flats and lands throws in more little variables.

I don't have a measurement that could be stated with any confidence. I only noticed that what I saw kept reading lower than expected; consistently under .370".

And speaking of .370", I just happened across a .370-inch hand reamer on Amazon.com this evening.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C7HH1LN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's sold here for working on golf clubs.

 

[dirt-poor]

It’s been a while but Charlie charged 35.00 per cylinder then. A bargain!

Wow! Even two or three times that amount would be a bargain. Gonna check his website and try to contact him tomorrow.

But going with that wouldn't mean that my efforts up to this point were wasted, and neither was your time in helping me out, as far as I'm concerned. I've learned a lot from you and everyone who offered advice and suggestions in this thread. I greatly appreciate it.

 

[woodnbow]

We’re lucky to have the interwebs for this and many other reasons!

 

[4v50 Gary]

It’s been a while but Charlie charged 35.00 per cylinder then. A bargain!

I'd rent the reamer and do it myself then. $210 is enough to buy a new cylinder and renting a reamer is cheaper.

 

[sobrbiker883]

Interesting thread, and good tips on the smiths. My ROA seems to vary by a thou or two chamber to chamber, while not rough, I can’t think that that is best for consistency.

Gary, I’m hoping woodnbow meant what the posted, $35/cylinder, not $35/chamber…

 

[woodnbow]

I'd rent the reamer and do it myself then. $210 is enough to buy a new cylinder and renting a reamer is cheaper.

That was per cylinder not per chamber and the last time I sent 5 or 6 of them. I’ve done them too but the results on a mill have to be superior to my hand efforts. I’m guessing. Anyway, one of them didn’t go well and I now have a pen holder on my desk so all was not lost.