629 throats and forcing cone

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I love this forum for sharing. A review of Pierce Brothers video on Smith and Wesson revolvers tells of how much of a toll jacketed bullets take on the forcing cone. After seeing so many great iconic ole revolvers, I will stay with lead bullets rather than needing to invoke the lifetime warranty barrel replacement route. Any imagine bias with thinking lead bullets will leave lead deposits may be imagined more than reality based. Personally I cast bullets and powder coat them, but most sellers of lead bullets offer power coated. Why risk shooting thousands of rounds only to have powder burns on the frame and shot out forcing cones? Jus’ Sayin’ and hope we can each have our own facts-based opinions😊.
 
Way back a next door neighbor had a saying he used and that was SFAQL, or Shoot First Ask Questions Later and used it when...

Asking me to watch his house when he went on vacation.

and

After buying a firearm
 
JumboJVT said:
I now have two 629's: A 5" Classic built in '06 that I've owned for a couple years but not shot much, and a just acquired new production 3" Deluxe. Both guns have throats right at .429 (measured with pin gauges) and uniform but rough forcing cones. I also have a 44 Spl Bisley flattop that has .431+ throats and prefers .431 cast bullets, but also does fine with .430's. Consequently, I already have a stock of .431 bullets and in order to simplify my life, would like to shoot the same in all three guns now and going forward. But, just using finger pressure, it sure looks like the .429 throats on the 629's will remove the powdercoat from the .431 bullets leaving them naked and unlubed to proceed down the bore. I guess that should come as no suprise.

So I'm considering having the throats on the 629's opened up to match the Ruger, say .431-ish...or not. I have not yet slugged the bores on the Smiths, but aren't .429 throats going to be kinda small to ever do well with cast, no matter the bore size (within reason, of course)? My other thought was that for $20 I can grab a Lee bullet sizing kit and knock the .431's down to .429 and see how they do. But even if this works, it doesn't simplify things, LOL. Am I just over thinking this?

As far as the forcing cones, I just want to polish them up to make cleanup a little easier. I was going to pickup a brass lap from Brownells, but does anyone know what the stock angle is on the newer S&W's? Thank you for any input you can offer.

Kris
Click to expand...
You are over thinking it. The larger bullet will pass through without additional pressure. Rifles in 30 caliber (.308) groove routinely are shot with cast bullets sized to.311.
 
BillBro said:
What does a fella do then when the throats pin all over the place?
Click to expand...
If you mean you dropped them and there are loose pins everywhere, then break out the micrometer and begin sorting.
If you mean the chamber throats all measured different sizes, how accurate is the revolver and is there excessive leading? If it's all ok, nothing to worry about.
 
BillBro said:
What does a fella do then when the throats pin all over the place?
Click to expand...
If they are well cleaned, and still different sizes, you can get a chucking reamer and make them all a uniform size. These reamers are sold in .001 increments. A chucking reamer is simply one with a straight shank, suitable for using in a drill chuck. Use cutting oil and turn the reamer slowly, in the 125 to 250 RPM range.
 
stansdds said:
If you mean you dropped them and there are loose pins everywhere, then break out the micrometer and begin sorting.
If you mean the chamber throats all measured different sizes, how accurate is the revolver and is there excessive leading? If it's all ok, nothing to worry about.
Click to expand...
Guess its not something for me to worry about then. Its accurate "enough" and I rarely have leading in any of my revolvers and I shoot 99% cast bullets.
Im guessing though those flyers are due to this, the throats being different sizes.
I had one gun reamed by a great old guy over on CastBoolits and he did a fantastic job. I did it for the same reason, the throats were all different. Now the .4305" -pin goes tightly into each throat. Of course he now is unable to do further work due to his age and health.
 
BillBro said:
Guess its not something for me to worry about then. Its accurate "enough" and I rarely have leading in any of my revolvers and I shoot 99% cast bullets.
Im guessing though those flyers are due to this, the throats being different sizes.
I had one gun reamed by a great old guy over on CastBoolits and he did a fantastic job. I did it for the same reason, the throats were all different. Now the .4305" -pin goes tightly into each throat. Of course he now is unable to do further work due to his age and health.
Click to expand...
I'm not going to deny that varying throat diameters can cause accuracy issues, at least with swaged or cast lead bullets.
 
Toolguy said:
If they are well cleaned, and still different sizes, you can get a chucking reamer and make them all a uniform size. These reamers are sold in .001 increments. A chucking reamer is simply one with a straight shank, suitable for using in a drill chuck. Use cutting oil and turn the reamer slowly, in the 125 to 250 RPM range.
Click to expand...
I have thought about doing the reaming myself and always seem to talk myself out of it. Most "work" I do in my revolvers is mostly easily fixable back to stock and quite minor things. Jacking a cylinder would be an expensive proposition to fix when I mess something up.
The 6.5" 29 I bought recently has 3 chambers at .432" so I'd just want to make the others the same. I van easily buy cast bullets to fit.
I envy you guys who buy these guns and talk about the uniformity of the throays because none of the ones I buy have throats even remotely the same. That 24 I bout too has throats all over the place with only two being the same according to my pins.
Yes, the throats are always clean when I measure them.🤨
Any of yall ever hear of a guy named Fermin Garza and use his services?
 
JumboJVT said:
I now have two 629's: A 5" Classic built in '06 that I've owned for a couple years but not shot much, and a just acquired new production 3" Deluxe. Both guns have throats right at .429 (measured with pin gauges) and uniform but rough forcing cones. I also have a 44 Spl Bisley flattop that has .431+ throats and prefers .431 cast bullets, but also does fine with .430's. Consequently, I already have a stock of .431 bullets and in order to simplify my life, would like to shoot the same in all three guns now and going forward. But, just using finger pressure, it sure looks like the .429 throats on the 629's will remove the powdercoat from the .431 bullets leaving them naked and unlubed to proceed down the bore. I guess that should come as no suprise.

So I'm considering having the throats on the 629's opened up to match the Ruger, say .431-ish...or not. I have not yet slugged the bores on the Smiths, but aren't .429 throats going to be kinda small to ever do well with cast, no matter the bore size (within reason, of course)? My other thought was that for $20 I can grab a Lee bullet sizing kit and knock the .431's down to .429 and see how they do. But even if this works, it doesn't simplify things, LOL. Am I just over thinking this?

As far as the forcing cones, I just want to polish them up to make cleanup a little easier. I was going to pickup a brass lap from Brownells, but does anyone know what the stock angle is on the newer S&W's? Thank you for any input you can offer.

Kris
Click to expand...
If you want to cut down on leading shooting oversize cast bullets as much as 3 thousandths oversize will actually "increase" accuracy because it cuts down, way down on leading as the oversize bullets seal off the bore from gases that can leak by the sides of the bullet. No rifled bore is completely uniform, they all have loose and tight spots that is why oversize cast bullets work so well in handguns and in rifles.

The old wives tales about the best accuracy with lead bullets being bore size or 1 thousands over is pure rubbish.

I have been shooting cast bullets in pistols, revolvers and rifles since 1968.
 
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