Bullet Fit

[nkbj]

Just something concerning bullet fit that might be of interest to some.
Shown below is a Pietta .44 cylinder and some castings from a .45 revolver mold.

To slip in and provide preliminary alignment before using the loading ram to seat them, those bullets have their rear ends ends sized 0.446" diameter. The front ends are left slightly larger.
The left three chambers receive the bullets as shown by the bullet on the left.
The right three chambers receive the bullets as shown on the right.
Really pretty close tolerances for the chambers diameters but still, it can effect what works well and what doesn't.

 

[nkbj]

Here's another cylinder that has virtually identical chambers.

 

[ZUG]

OK - so how many grains weight are the cast bullets and their actual diameter ?

 

[nkbj]

That mold #452400 drops at 250 grains with straight lead. Should work good in the new fast twist Pietta.
Gonna try Lyman #452389 in the slow twist Pietta.

The chambers in the first picture are .446"-.447". The rear bands on those bullets are sized down to .446".

 

[William Lincoln]

Is the fast twist progressive rifling? That has proven the most accurate.
Original Rem NMA were progressive twist. Pietta does make them.
They were put on some "shooters" models and on some target models.
Pedersoli makes a progressive rifling ending in fast twist.

 

[nkbj]

The fast twist one is a shorter barrel Pietta 1858. I forget what the twist is but it's not progressive.
Pietta cylinders being what they are maybe somebody oughta market replacement barrels with .445" groove diameter.
Oh well. Got a .448" reamer coming for a fixer upper on an inconsistent factory cylinder.