Revolver Range Rod

Mr.Gato
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Mr.Gato

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Any members in the NH seacoast or SE Maine area have a .44 range rod they'd be willing to lend for a day or so? I'd like to check the cylinder alignment on a 24-3 I just acquired. Brownell's sells them for 60ish bucks, but I can't see needing it again in the near future so borrowing one would be ideal.

Thanks!
 
If you are unable to borrow a range rod, you can always use a pin gauge of the exact size needed for your particular revolver. McMaster-Carr and other tool retailers have about every size imaginable.

Attach a "cleaning rod compatible" (8x32) hex head screw with a little JB Weld and you are GTG. Total cost less than 10.00.

The one pictured below is for the .38/.357" revolver (service grade)


McMaster-Carr


Carter
 

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Another great answer, Carter!

John
 
That is a good idea if your pin gages have perfectly square diameters (bases) to their length.

All of my pin gages are of a precise & consistent diameter but their length's, base to base, is not. In other words the bases are not completely parallel to each other. You get different lengths from one side to the other side.

They were cut length-wise to a functional degree but they're not intended to be used that way with precision.

Seems to me that epoxying a screw to such a base will result in a pin gage at the end of an 8-10" rod which isn't in line & eccentric.

.
 
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Would not a pin gauge that fits the bore, be many thousandths too small for the cylinder throat?

Kevin
 
The alignment of the smaller diameter cleaning rod does not need to be precisely parallel to the sides of the pin gauge. The tight fitting sides of the pin gauge will keep the gauge lined up as long as the rod is not seriously out of line
 
FWIW, the only factory range rod I've got is for .44. It mikes 0.4165 in.
 
I used to take things like Range Rods lightly because when I had a lathe I'd just make them out of Brass. Now that I don't have a lathe - I surely miss it! I do not have one in 44 as I don't have a gun in that caliber.
 
On the Ruger forums, here is thread about range rods with some very helpful posts by "Iowegan" on sizing and using. (A little sleuthing shows him as retired smith Gary Bunker.)
"match" vs "service" range rods | Ruger Forum
Unfortunately he did not post the diameters for .44 in that particular thread, but the concepts all transfer.
 
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Not having ever used a range rod, I assume that the correct diameter for one would necessarily be no greater than the minimum SAAMI standard bore diameter, e.g., 0.346” for .38 Special/.357 Magnum, 0.417” for .44 Special/Magnum, etc.? Is that correct? Otherwise, it could not fit down the barrel. It should be very simple to make up your own range rods if you have access to a lathe. Were I to make one, it would be not much longer than the cylinder length and have a threaded hole through it to allow attachment to a smaller diameter threaded rod.
 
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I suppose you want to check "timing" of your revolver? This cannot be done with a "range rod" due to the differences between barrel groove diameter and chamber throat diameter. The difference is simply too great for a range rod to give any meaningful information.

The purpose of the range rod is to check for gross misalignment of the bore and chamber that would result in bullet shaving (spitting) that would be a safety issue to adjacent shooters when shooting in pistol matches on a range. It is only useful for this purpose!
 
Indeed, a range rod would be useless for any purpose beyond checking for gross misalignment between chamber and barrel. Assuming a chamber opening of say, 0.357”, and a bore diameter of 0.346”, you have a “wiggle” of about 0.0055” in either direction. Anything less than that would be undetectable by using a rod. That is why I have never felt the need to use one.
 
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