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mwmoore10261
09-15-2010, 11:47 AM
It seems that all my revolvers have undersized cylinders. My Uberti 1858 Remington has .456 rifling but about .451 for cylinder bore. My Pietta Remington Navy is also .004 undersized in the cylinder. My Euroarms Roger & Spencer is a little closer but still won't group due to undersized cylinder bore. Is there a home remedy or do I need to employ a gunsmith and spend about the same price of the weapon to semi-accurize these revolvers. Some have mentioned using emery cloth on a dowel with a drill press to open up the cylinders. Is this feasable or just a way to ruin a cylinder and force me to buy a replacement?
Mike Moore, 10261

Lou Lou Lou
09-15-2010, 12:39 PM
I would seek out a professional. I believe Tri-L does this but only on remingtons

Southron Sr.
09-15-2010, 07:00 PM
I had a Rogers & Spencer revolver that wouldn't group worth a darn. I remembered that some of the first Euroarm R & S's that were imported back in the 1970's had undersized chambers so I ordered a reamer and proceeded to ream out my chambers.

THE DRATTED THING STILL SHOT ALL OVER THE TARGET! I was really puzzled because I knew that the diameter of my chambers was definitely correct.

Then my son and teammate took the cylinder out of the revolver and looked at it. THE ARBOR HOLE IN THE CENTER OF THE CYLINDER WAS DRILLED SLIGHTLY "OFF CENTER!"

So, you might want to check and see if your arbor hole is "off center."

So you might want to have an experienced pistolsmith look at your gun.

Ron/The Old Reb
09-15-2010, 07:50 PM
I reamed my Remington and Rodgers cylinders with a 457 reamer and a electric drill. A drill press would be better if you have one.

Charlie Hahn
09-16-2010, 08:10 AM
If cylinder reaming is all you want I do this for about $15, (I have a fixture and milling machine for this). I would suggest you have the forcing cone looked at while doing this. That is another $10. These two things will help, but if the gun is way out of line you will not be getting 10 ring groups, but should be able to break clay birds.

I will be at the Nationals if you want me to take a look.

Charlie Hahn

mwmoore10261
09-16-2010, 01:52 PM
Thanks for all the help guys. We are one of the host teams at the Nationals so I will have plenty of time to drop off my revolvers for cylinder reaming. I have Tri-L do my forcing cones anytime I buy a new or used weapon so that has been removed as a reason for the poor grouping patterns. The Euroarms R & S is a 1978 vintage but had to replace cylinder from S & S. The original cylinder had been cowboy spun so much that the hand wouldn't index due to a groove worn on the back. Charlie, do you bring your mill to the Nationals and if so what is turnaround time for a cylinder reaming? I just would like to break a few targets for my team, not looking to become a pistol champion. See you at the Nationals.
Mike Moore, 10261

Ken Hansgen, 11094
09-16-2010, 02:33 PM
Hey Charlie Hahn, I'm considering having this done to a R&S. Sorry, but I don't know where to find you--you have a booth in the Sutler area don't you? Which is it?

Charlie Hahn
09-21-2010, 08:39 AM
Currently I don't do gun work at the fort.

I share a booth with Ball Accuracy.

Charlie

DAVE FRANCE
09-21-2010, 10:18 PM
I have used a reamer to change the cylinder diameter of two Uberti 1858 Remington revolvers. (The older one is kind of worn out, and has a couple errors in machining, and I got a terrific deal on the second one.)

I bought a reamer that was about midway between the original cylinder diameter (.449 I think) and the groove to groove diameter (.457) of the barrel.

Both cylinders work equally well in each revolver.

It probably is directionally correct to enlarge the cylinder diameter a bit, and use a .454 or .457 ball. But, I think the improvement must be very slight. If the original cylinder diameter Uberti uses was a major cause of inaccuracy, I think they would have changed it. I don't think some companies would, but I think Uberti would.

I also have a cylinder converter to use 45 Colt rounds for the same revolver, and a 0.451 bullet shoots well also.

David

hp gregory, 9128
09-22-2010, 07:35 AM
i use a reamer that is made for single action colts. it has a floating pilot and reams the cylinder to .453 since its piloted it follows the existing hole perfectly. at .453 a .457 round ball fits the hole perfect. it takes the guess work of doing this. every hole lines up the same and every hole is cut to the same depth.

hp gregory

Ken Hansgen, 11094
09-22-2010, 07:01 PM
H.P., Huh? Is that what you did to my R&S? If a chamber is reamed to .453, and you put a .457 ball in it, the ball then becomes .453. But then if the barrel is .457, groove to groove, how does that compute?

Ken Hansgen, 11094
09-25-2010, 05:54 PM
btt

hp gregory, 9128
10-05-2010, 04:40 PM
ken you have to keep in mind that the ball has to fit the cylinder tight enough to seal it to prevent chain fires and to keep the ball from moving out from recoil and locking the gun up. if you were to ream your cylinder to .457 you would have to use a ball larger than .457 to get the correct fit. the .453 reamer has worked well for me on all the rogers i have used it on. when loading a .457 ball there is no shaving of lead but it still has a nice tight fit that seals and shoots well.

hp

mwmoore10261
10-06-2010, 03:13 PM
I gave my revolvers to Charlie Hahn at the Nationals for him to ream the cylinders. I will have to work up loads and bullets once I get them back.
I have a .456 conical bullet that I could never get to group in my Remington or Rogers & Spencer. Does anyone have a starting load for a .456 conical and experience with grouping. I shoot 22 grains 3F Goex with a wonder wad.
Mike Moore, 10261

jcdutch
09-18-2018, 05:28 PM
Hello to all
I realize this thread is old... but I have a question. I would like to ream my uberti 1858 cylinder chambers from 450 to something close to 454. I slugged the barrel and measured 456. My gun is a stainless steel one. My question is: is it safe ? To what minimum thickness can you reduce the chamber walls ? Stainless might be softer than the steel guns and the resulting thickness is about .040....this looks thin... but I am pretty much inexperienced....
Thanks !

edrutecki
09-18-2018, 07:39 PM
Hello to all
I realize this thread is old... but I have a question. I would like to ream my uberti 1858 cylinder chambers from 450 to something close to 454. I slugged the barrel and measured 456. My gun is a stainless steel one. My question is: is it safe ? To what minimum thickness can you reduce the chamber walls ? Stainless might be softer than the steel guns and the resulting thickness is about .040....this looks thin... but I am pretty much inexperienced....
Thanks !


Charlie Hahn is the man you want to see for this service. I'm no expert, but I believe if your barrel is .456, you probably want to be at the minimum of.457 on the cylinder. Charlie can set you right and his price is very fair considering the cost of a reamer.