Anybody ever slug a 36 caliber revolver barrel?

[Alpo]

In Father Kit's race gun video, the shooter makes the comment that the bore on a 36 is 375. I don't think so.

 

You use a 375 ball. You force that into the front of the cylinder, shaving a ring of lead off of the ball. So now the ball is maybe 373? Because you shaved it as it went into the front of the cylinder.

 

Shooting a 373 bullet down a 375 barrel seems like it would be inaccurate. I have read for years that your bullet should be a couple of thousands larger than your bore, not smaller. So if your ball in the cylinder is 373, or maybe 372, your bore should be no larger then 370.

 

Logically.

 

So has anyone ever slugged one? Inquiring minds (well, at least one inquiring mind) want to know.

[Eyesa Horg]

That small ball being of soft lead will obturate to fill the bore. If ya shoot em into a snow bank and recover them in the spring, they are very oblong like a pill capsule.

[Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129]

My Uberti's measure,  .3786 Cylinder Mouths (All the Same) Groove Diameter . 378,  I use .380 balls...

I have a Pietta , (Boat Anchor) Cylinder mouths measure between .366 - .371, Groove Diameter .3825 .... a .380 ball will drop down the barrel from one end to the other.

The  Pietta is lucky to keep 5 shots on a 8.5 x 11.5 sheet of paper at 7 yards, the Uberti's will keep 6 inch or better 5 shot groups at 75 yards...

 

Jabez Cowboy

[Tell Sackett SASS 18436]

No, but I punched out one of my Ruger Blackhawks once!!

[watab kid]

ive not slugged any of mine either , i appreciate seeing what those here have gotten , i also assumed that the 36 ball was close to 357 - as the 38s are but it seems im wrong again as usual , i know there is always the assumption of expansion from the diameter of the lands to the grooves to get the accuracy , but it seems thats not always the case ? 

[J-BAR #18287]

Just for you Alpo, you got me curious as well and it's cold today and it gave me something to do.

 

Pietta 1851, Hornady 0.375 balls

 

 

The balls appear to be 0.375 with my cheapie Grizzly.com calipers:

 

 

I pulled a nipple on the cylinder and seated a ball, then pushed it back out of the chamber to mike it.  It shaved a ring, and sits in the chamber at 0.368".

 

 

 

 

 

Then I put that ball into the forcing cone (it did not fall in easily), and pushed it through the 7.5" barrel, then measured the diameter across the rifling marks at 0.364".

 

 

 

 

No wonder my home cast wadcutters for .38 Special fall through the barrel easily!

 

As far as Pietta accuracy; here is the first six shots I fired from this revolver when I bought it last January:  24 grains of FFG Schuetzen under these same Hornady balls at 7 yards, 6 o'clock hold on the bullseye.  I can live with this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[watab kid]

thanks that explained a lot ,