LaneP
Member
First thanks for all the extremely helpful replies on my Uberti Walker thread (sheared frame alignment pin). Happily it is all back together and now just awaiting an opportunity to get to the range.
On this thread, I'm looking at my Uberti 3rd Dragoon that I've fitted with a Kirst Konverter in .45 Colt. I purchased a Lee 452-255-RF mold to use with it. This tosses a flat nose, 255 grain bullet and when cast in pure lead drops at .4525".
I pan lubed these in SPG then loaded them (as dropped, no sizing) over 35 grains FFg using a 3' drop tube. Due to using mixed brass, every so often a bullet would seat a hair short of the crimp groove, and those rounds would not fully chamber in the Kirst cylinder. I had to go back to the press and seat those rounds deeper.
This led me to slugging the cylinder throats of the Kirst. The Kirst throats measure in at .4515", and therein is the issue. I know...should have done all that before loading any
So now I'm pondering whether to resort to sizing bullets for the Kirst at .451" or just ream the throats out to .4525". Advantage to reaming is I can shoot the bullets as dropped, and most .45 caliber commercial cast bullets are sized to .452".
The reamer I'm looking at on Brownell's is backordered and would be a one time expense of approximately $90 give or take (comes with one pilot and I would have to see if I already have a t-handle that would fit or if that will add to the expense).
Now I have throat reamed 1911 barrels, but I've never tackled a revolver cylinder, so that would be another first for me. Image below shows the Lee 255 grain RF bullet after tapping it through the Kirst throat.
Thoughts? Am I overlooking anything? Thanks everyone.
On this thread, I'm looking at my Uberti 3rd Dragoon that I've fitted with a Kirst Konverter in .45 Colt. I purchased a Lee 452-255-RF mold to use with it. This tosses a flat nose, 255 grain bullet and when cast in pure lead drops at .4525".
I pan lubed these in SPG then loaded them (as dropped, no sizing) over 35 grains FFg using a 3' drop tube. Due to using mixed brass, every so often a bullet would seat a hair short of the crimp groove, and those rounds would not fully chamber in the Kirst cylinder. I had to go back to the press and seat those rounds deeper.
This led me to slugging the cylinder throats of the Kirst. The Kirst throats measure in at .4515", and therein is the issue. I know...should have done all that before loading any
So now I'm pondering whether to resort to sizing bullets for the Kirst at .451" or just ream the throats out to .4525". Advantage to reaming is I can shoot the bullets as dropped, and most .45 caliber commercial cast bullets are sized to .452".
The reamer I'm looking at on Brownell's is backordered and would be a one time expense of approximately $90 give or take (comes with one pilot and I would have to see if I already have a t-handle that would fit or if that will add to the expense).
Now I have throat reamed 1911 barrels, but I've never tackled a revolver cylinder, so that would be another first for me. Image below shows the Lee 255 grain RF bullet after tapping it through the Kirst throat.
Thoughts? Am I overlooking anything? Thanks everyone.