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Honing revolver cylinder

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Cal44

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I have a 431 PD (32 H&R mag) J frame which I carry often.

I'd like to use Buffalo Bore's 100 grain +P load.

That load is the most powerful 32 H&R load on the market, and it shoots well in my revolver.

But the cases stick. I can usually pick them out with my fingers, but sometimes need a pliers.

I'm considering buying a 32 caliber hone from Brownells and polishing the cylinder chamber holes.

My question is:

Does this work and is it likely to solve the problem?

Has anyone tried it on a "sticky" revolver cylinder?

The hone's aren't super expensive, but I'd rather not waste time and money on something likely to fail.
 
Cal44 said:
I have a 431 PD (32 H&R mag) J frame which I carry often.

I'd like to use Buffalo Bore's 100 grain +P load.

That load is the most powerful 32 H&R load on the market, and it shoots well in my revolver.

But the cases stick. I can usually pick them out with my fingers, but sometimes need a pliers.

I'm considering buying a 32 caliber hone from Brownells and polishing the cylinder chamber holes.

My question is:

Does this work and is it likely to solve the problem?

Has anyone tried it on a "sticky" revolver cylinder?

The hone's aren't super expensive, but I'd rather not waste time and money on something likely to fail.
Click to expand...


Contact Buffalo Bore and find out what brand of brass they load this ammunition in. Federal brass is relatively soft and some of my loads will ruin Federal brass! Star Line brass is significantly stronger and should not have sticking issues. I typically shoot handloads that significantly exceed Buffalo Bore published data!!! And, no, I will not give you any data.


I would not shoot any ammunition loaded to such pressure levels that the cases stick, factory or not!


NOTE: The loads I reference are fired in a Ruger SP101. I will not fire these in my 631 which is a steel frame gun.
 
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I also like my loads spicy, and stay below loadings that result in sticky cases. :eek:

Alk8944 said:
I typically shoot handloads that significantly exceed Buffalo Bore published data!!!
I would not shoot any ammunition loaded to such pressure levels that the cases stick, factory or not!
Click to expand...
 
You could consider getting a chamber reamer. Read the threads here on finish-reaming 22 chambers to fix stickiness. All you would be doing is reaming it to an accurate finished size.
 
Honing may help, but only if the chambers are rough. Could you post some pictures of the chambers and fired brass?
 
Others have said it above ^^^^ and I agree. Don't shoot any loads that stick cases. Sticky cases often mean the pressure was high enough to expand the charge holes. The brass expands to fill the expanded charge hole and then when the charge hole (hopefully) springs back you get a sticky case. Not good. This assumes the cylinder experiences elastic deformation. If it doesn't, you get permanent deformation or it yields.
 
I also shoot a 431PD and a 432PD, but haven't had the sticky ejection problem. In my estimation, unless the chambers are rough (not normal), proper ammo should not be sticky. Any that is I don't shoot. I reload my own, using Hornady nickel brass, and my own developed load of AA#5 which is good "in my revolvers".
 
I have a Ruger .327 SP101 that had one cylinder that was undersized, cases stuck and accuracy was effected.

I first polished it with a .410 bore swab coated with Mothers mag polish and chucked into a electric hand drill...it helped...some.

What I finally did was purchase reaming bit and following another guys instructions I found on the web, carefully by hand, reamed it to size...took just a few turns and now all the shots go to the same place, instead of 5 here and 1 there.

That said, I might try the .410 brush and polish on yours.

I said I might, not you should. (but how could it hurt?)
 
More often than not the real problem is that the ejector star was not sized along with the chamber and it will have one or more notches slightly undersized. That alone can cause the cartridge brass to be very difficult to extract. Then some chambers can tend to be slightly small or tapered. A good quality 'revolver cylinder' chamber reamer is the answer to both problems. It is necessary to ream the cylinder with the extractor star fixed in-place. There are many detailed posts on this forum that give excellent instruction for correct reaming.
 
How about just sending the revolver back to S&W to do the work under warranty? Unless the OP has been trained as a machinist, I don’t think trying to fix this is a good idea.

On the other hand this is just the kind of thing that DougGuy has specialized in fixing. You can send him a PM on the Cast Boolit Forum.

Just a thought or two,
Dale53
 
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Running a reamer in an already chambered cylinder hardly takes a machinist. Just an average IQ, a bit of good cutting oil, a large tap handle, rags, oil and some carb cleaner and a padded vise. Reamers for rent at 4DReamerRental.

Clamp cylinder in well padded vice, oil up the reamer well, insert straight into chamber and turn clockwise, NEVER counter clock wise. Keep turning with very light downward pressure until the rim cutting portion just touches the cylinder face and turn right slowly as you remove reamer. Use brake or car cleaner to clean tiny chips from reamer. Oil it up and go to next chamber. Clean up cylinder, ejector and under ejector when all chambers complete.

All my K 22 cylinders have been touched up. I have a I frame that has not, but I got it since I had a 22lr reamer and it doesn't stick anyway. I have made 32 S&W long cylinders, 32 H&R and 327 cylinders from K22 cylinders and cut 32 cylinders deeper, made 44 mag cylinders int 45 colt cylinders. It isn't rocket science if you already have a good hole to start with.

But, If it is a new gun, why not see what the factory will do for you.?
 
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