I bought an Old Ruger Vaquero .45colt (not the new vaquero) the Cylinder Throats measure .450 the Slugged Barrel Measures .45013.
I am planning on buying a Brownell Throat reamer and bring them out to .4525.

What I would like to know is it safe to shoot .452 Hornady XTP bullets through this barrel or should I stick with .451 bullets?

I have a RCBS 255-KT bullet that I will size to .452 using my STAR bullet lubber for most shooting.

I also plan on pushing these bullets to 850 or 900 fps no faster jacketed or lead.

Your help will be appreicated.

This came up earlier in another thread. If you don't want to have to buy a reamer send your cylinder only to The Cylinder Smith and have him ream it for $40 which includes return shipping. He did mine and since some were right already, he sent $20 back with the cylinder. Great guy to do business with:

Cylindersmith

If the XTP bullets will pass through the cylinder throat with little or moderate force it will be plent safe to shoot. Your diameters should go largest to smallest in the following order:

Cylinder throat, then barrel throat, then rear of the barrel then taper to the muzzle.

Some revolvers have a choke condition at the frame threads from the barrel being screwed so tightly into the frame. That can be fire lapped out; look into Beartooth Bullet's inflrmation on that condition. If you drove your slug from muzzle and out toward the frame, you may have only gotten the diameter of the choked and constricted area. Try one at the muzzle only to make sure that number represents the actual barrel groove. It sound tight to me.

When I slugged the barrel from the muzzle using a .450 round ball (as suggested in my new Lyman cast bullet manual) it got a little looser as it got closer to the barrel throat/forcing cone. I will assume that after the cylinder throats are opened to .4525 that it would go through the cylinder throats without any problem then enter the barrel forcing cone and squeezed down some before exiting the barrel.

I am concerned about trying to squeeze a jacketed bullet down too much causing more pressure and possible making the jacket come loose from the lead core and ruining accuracy.

quote:

What I would like to know is it safe to shoot .452 Hornady XTP bullets through this barrel or should I stick with .451 bullets?

Nobody knows if it is safe?

Hair off your head is 0.002" for the most part. Mustache hair runs about 0.004". Just to put things in perspective.

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