Single action cylynder not drilled out enough.

[mjbskwim]

I took my Italian made single action,45colt, out to shoot last week. The rounds were too long to turn the cylinder,WTF?
So I took it back to the store.The smart guy wasn't there,so I left it.(no gunsmith,just cowboy shooters that know these guns,I thought)
Well it never got looked at and we tried some Hornady rounds that did work.
Problem solved!..? Not so much
So the moral is,the Hornady cases are at 1.227" and the rest of the cases I have are at 1.276 (ironically,what the hornady manual calls COL for the 45colt lol)

So the question at hand is who can bore another .050 out of these? Used gun so not the factory.
There is a guy in AZ doing it,but his back log was about 1 year. He tricks 'em out cool I guess,but his machine hasn't paid for itself after 5 years.

Any suggestions? Buy a drill press?

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[PaulZ]

On the other hand; I have an Italian .45 that all cases fall free without the ramrod.
suppose you could use a drill and emery cloth?

 

[mjbskwim]

I have tried that. I may get some courser cloth to try.
The exit end of the cylinders seems to be just about the bullet diameter.I would guess for gas control and a little for cost.
Apparently that's what the guy in AZ does,polish the cylinders for easier ejects.

 

[Throckmorton]

strange,all of my cases are at LEAST as long as yours are,and will all fit in all 3 of my Italian 45's.
will one of your empty cases fit into the cylinder all the way? is it maybe the loaded round that is the problem ?
the exit end of the cylinder is tapered to guide the bullet into the end of the barrel.You do not want to remove that 'taper'. No revolver cylinders are bored one dimension all the way thru.

I"m no expert but i've been shooting Italian 45 sixguns for many years.Be glad to help if I can.

 

[mjbskwim]

Not really strange,I think it was a Friday gun.Or Monday

Not it's the length of the bore.I have tried a few different brands and most of them are the 1.276 length. The loaded hornady is the only loaded ones that will bottom out.Nothing else will go in all the way.

 

[jbett98]

Call a toll & die supplier near you and see if they have a "fluted end mill" that fits the diameter of your cylinder. Or look online for one and order it.
Once you find one, take it to a local machinist. Very simple operation to remove that small amount with a vertical milling machine.

 

[coop44]

jesus christ MJB!!! Are you smokin crack? The ONLY way to deepen the chamber safely is to use a chamber reamer. Any other method will leave you with a dangerous Piece o' Crap.

They can be purchased or rented. Actually considering other methods? If so you don't have both oars in the water. Have some one with experience do it for you.

MJB I have always considered you to be a pretty smart guy, you "like" a lot of my posts. Next time, to avoid embarrassment, just PM me for an answer to any gunsmithing questions.

If you need another cylinder call EMF, (Early Modern Firearms) down in CA they may sell you a replacement cylinder. Be kinda cool to have an extra for quick reloads.

 

[jbett98]

It's a straight wall bore. You are only taking .050" off the end of the bore. It's not like a rifle chamber that fits the contour of the cartridge.

 

[coop44]

It's a chamber not a "bore", by deepening it .050 you will be removing that much of the chamber throat and possibly creating an overpressure situation. cylinder walls are fairly thin.

Additionally standard end mills do not come in the proper size, so you have two choices. Either get a reamer or have a custom end mill made at considerably more expense (essentially making a custom reamer).

 

[BillM]

Will an empty sized case go all the way in? Try it before you start removing metal! Drop in a empty case,
look at the front and see where it is in relation to the step in the chamber.

I'm gonna GUESS here--you have a gun with tight throats. That's the bullet diameter part of the chamber,
closest to the barrel.

 

[mjbskwim]

I have used empty and loaded cases.Fired and new.
It won't go in the front end where the cylinder is tapered
And coop....stop yelling at me!
If removing material,how would that create over pressure? The 'smith concurred that the hone must have been well used and not in specs any more,creating a short chamber.
So actually I am only taking out a .050 X .020 (thickness of the case) section of material. Well the gunsmith is

So I went to our lone gunsmith today. He said either cut all my cases(haha) or ream the cylinder,and if I buy the tool he'll do the work.
That was easy.Brownell's has got the reamer for the cylinder in the catalog. $80

I'm hoping this does the job so I don't have to buy another cylinder.

Hey guys thanks for the help and concern. Coop,I always play it safe when working on my guns.
Heck I even unload them some times before cleaning

 

[coop44]

try renting one, I don't recall who we used to use, but do a couple of searches it'll be cheaper.

after some thought a cylinder throating reamer may be the ticket

did a search, try these guys monday

<broken link removed>

$30 rental $10 deposit, $35 for a chamber reamer

I can't look at those sites very long, I start getting "ideas"

 

[Velzey]

The gunsmith should already have the reamer...sheesh its only the most common SAA caliber ever made.

In the past when I have had to buy a reamer that I didnt have I only charge the customer 1/3 the price of the reamer, seeing how I can use it a bunch.

Renting a reamer may be good, but how many times have you used a chamber reamer? There are allot of do's and dont's.

 

[mjbskwim]

try renting one, I don't recall who we used to use, but do a couple of searches it'll be cheaper.

after some thought a cylinder throating reamer may be the ticket

did a search, try these guys monday

<broken link removed>

$30 rental $10 deposit, $35 for a chamber reamer

I can't look at those sites very long, I start getting "ideas"

Well if I just rent it,he'll charge me more for the work.Now If i thought I had those skills,maybe

And velzey,the gunsmith that moved from the area probably had one.I think John does more rifles than pistols.
But I believe he is a little smarter than what he needs to do gun smithing.

 

[Swedish K]

just a thought here - out of curiosity could there be some lead or carbon buildup from prior owner creating a stick point? Just a thought as I've seen some .357s that guys ran a ton of .38 through that had a fairly hard ring making it difficult to get the .357s in.
Say maybe the guy ran reloads and trimmed the cases on the shorter side and didn't brush out the chambers all that often?

Good luck!

 

[mjbskwim]

Unfired used gun but it passed my mind.
Thanks again for the help