Undersized chambers
- Thread starter Rojelio
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If you have a good drill press you can use the hand reamer in it. You will need a drill press vice that has a verticle grove cut in it or a V-block like in the pics here on his mill table. Then you will have to make sure your table on your drill press is level-square. You can check that with a rod with a bend in it chucked up in the drill press with a dial indicator. Then ream the chambers but just turn the chuck by hand not with the power on. Use a little cutting oil,tap oil or kerosene on the reamer. It will turn pretty easy because it wont be removing much metal anyway. Set the stop on your drill press shallow at first and reset until it reams just in as far as you will ever seat a ball. If you are turning the chuck by hand it would be very hard to mess anything up like that.
Rojelio
Member
tscmmhk, is this the one you're talking about?
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...olver-cylinder-throating-reamer-prod7700.aspx
I've never used one, I use chucking reamers. That one would ream only about half the depth of the chamber which would be deep enough. It comes with a .448 pilot which would work in my piettas but the cylinder in my Euroarms is .444. The pilot pack is another $50.
Maybe someone else here has used one.
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...olver-cylinder-throating-reamer-prod7700.aspx
I've never used one, I use chucking reamers. That one would ream only about half the depth of the chamber which would be deep enough. It comes with a .448 pilot which would work in my piettas but the cylinder in my Euroarms is .444. The pilot pack is another $50.
Maybe someone else here has used one.
Rojelio
Member
And don't ever turn your reamer backwards.
Yes, that's the Brownell reamer I was talking about And yes, I would have to buy the pilot set. If it works OK on the 1860 Army, then I have a couple Remy's and a Walker that might get their cylinders reamed. Your test results show significant improvement in accuracy.
If you think about it, a percussion revolver is a breech loader. Muzzle loading rifles use bullets/balls that are bore diameter or less (if patched) so they can be loaded into the barrel. Breech loading cartridge guns use bullets that are groove diameter so they have to be engraved by the rifling, giving the best accuracy and seal.
But a percussion revolver is not loaded from the muzzle; its chamber effectively acts like a cartridge case. And the ID of the chambers should be the groove (not the bore) diameter of the barrel. Bullets/balls must, of course, be sized accordingly. When a smaller bullet/ball is used, it might or might not expand (upset) enough to fill out the grooves.
FWIW, the chamber mouths of a nearly-new condition original Colt 1860 measure .4505". Civil War conicals and balls generally ran .451-460".
Jim
But a percussion revolver is not loaded from the muzzle; its chamber effectively acts like a cartridge case. And the ID of the chambers should be the groove (not the bore) diameter of the barrel. Bullets/balls must, of course, be sized accordingly. When a smaller bullet/ball is used, it might or might not expand (upset) enough to fill out the grooves.
FWIW, the chamber mouths of a nearly-new condition original Colt 1860 measure .4505". Civil War conicals and balls generally ran .451-460".
Jim
Rojelio
Member
You may have to get Dave Kiff at PT&G to make you a smaller pilot. It looks like .448 is the smallest pilot in that set. I've got one revolver with smaller chambers than that (.444).
Whoops, those are made by Manson. Dave Manson will work with you,too to get the right size pilot.
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Rojelio
Member
Another test
I've got a Euroarms 1858 Remington 44 that has never been accurate. It's another one with .444 chambers and was on my list to do the ream job to.
To make a long story short, I bought a box of Remington ASM parts and in there was a cylinder. I measured the chambers and they were .450. Well lo and behold that thing fit my Euroarms like a glove.
I tested it today against my original cylinder and I still can't believe the results. At 25 yds. I only hit the paper with 3 shots with the .444 cylinder and you can see what the .450 cylinder did.
I've got a Euroarms 1858 Remington 44 that has never been accurate. It's another one with .444 chambers and was on my list to do the ream job to.
To make a long story short, I bought a box of Remington ASM parts and in there was a cylinder. I measured the chambers and they were .450. Well lo and behold that thing fit my Euroarms like a glove.
I tested it today against my original cylinder and I still can't believe the results. At 25 yds. I only hit the paper with 3 shots with the .444 cylinder and you can see what the .450 cylinder did.
Looks like you need a taller front sight. Euroarms made them because I have replaced at least two on my Euros that shot high. I got them from www.ssfirearms.com/
They are about 1/8" taller than the stock sights.
They are about 1/8" taller than the stock sights.
Rojelio
Member
Hellgate, was that a dovetailed front sight from SSFIREARMS? Mine is dovetailed.
Rojelio
Member
Great! Thanks, looks like they have it in stock.
Noz
Member
A single voice crying alone.
I had a pair of beautiful 1860 Ubertis reamed by a gunsmith.
I disliked the way they shot to the point of selling them. No particular reason, I just didn't like them after that. Felt*"funny".
I had a pair of beautiful 1860 Ubertis reamed by a gunsmith.
I disliked the way they shot to the point of selling them. No particular reason, I just didn't like them after that. Felt*"funny".
Noz,
They probably kicked more. I noticed one of my pair of 44 "Navies" was reamed and it kicks a little more than its brother. In the heat of competition as a CAS match I can't tell. The one cylinder was only reamed from .448 to .450. I never bothered to check if it was more accurate. At CAS ranges it's not much of an issue.
They probably kicked more. I noticed one of my pair of 44 "Navies" was reamed and it kicks a little more than its brother. In the heat of competition as a CAS match I can't tell. The one cylinder was only reamed from .448 to .450. I never bothered to check if it was more accurate. At CAS ranges it's not much of an issue.
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