FC Posted August 13, 2012 Report Share Posted August 13, 2012 I have Cimarron Model P .45 that I love, but the used .44-40 is a manufacturers error. I bought this used off Gun Broker. Not the first gun I'be bought used with problems from online. You can't insertion cartridges the last 1/8 inch. I reload with RCBI with no fit issues in my Vaquero or Rossini 92. Cimarron will not fix the problem. Yeah, it's old, but there' s a reason it looks new. I told them Rivet fixed a cylinder throat problem free. All he would do is point me to a gunsmith. I will try to fix this myself. I have a flex hone, but it Ian't abrasive enough. I could buy a tramet, try emery on a dowel only I'm the far back, then hone, or use the flex hone with diamond paste. Thoughts? Cimarron lost a once happy customer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brokengun Posted August 13, 2012 Report Share Posted August 13, 2012 I would drill or ream to get a deeper chamber. You may have to buy a drill bit but i think you can get a size that will work. Also there are adjustable reamers that are cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacrat Posted August 14, 2012 Report Share Posted August 14, 2012 Tony have you diagnosed why cartridges won't chamber completely? Always best to know what actual problem is before you try guessing at a fix. Rimmed cases headspace off the rim. So if the rim recess is cut deep enough the chamber should be deep enough. But if the chambers were cut with a worn reamer they could be to small in dia. Do a chamber cast. Or at least use dicum or marking pen on a few rounds and shove them in to show where binding is occuring. Digging around in a finished chamber with a drill bit is far from kosher. Also problem could be tolerance stacking. If chamber is tight but within spec. and your dies are loose but within spec. that could be the problem. Try dropping factory ammo in and see how it fits. Maybe your die isn't sizing down close enough to the rim and leaving a slight bulge ahead of base. Many pistol dies have a taper going into mouth. In which case, easy fix would be to remove material from bottom of sizer to make cases size farther down. I once had a Colt Officers Model Match .38 spl that I had to not only shorten the sizer body for but also had to run cases back through the sizer for the top 1/2 after seating bullets. JM2c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted August 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2012 Thank you for the advice. I'll have to read these a few times. I found a link on YouTube for reaming a cylinder: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted August 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2012 This was really good: http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,36634.0.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiley Posted August 14, 2012 Report Share Posted August 14, 2012 I had this going on with a Vaquero in 44-40 and sent the cylinder to: http://www.cylindersmith.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacrat Posted August 14, 2012 Report Share Posted August 14, 2012 Tony, This advice from the last link you posted sounds awfully familiar. Re: Tight Chambers « Reply #5 on: February 19, 2011, 05:56:43 pm » -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take a magic marker and color up a few of the rounds and try to chamber them. The rub marks will tell you where the problem is. If they are on the shoulder your die ain't setting them back enough. A slight spot all around behind the crimp a ways means you've bulged it with to tight a crimp. Right at the crimp and back it's got to tight a neck. On anything, guns, cars or such it's best to figure out what the problem really is before you try any fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted August 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2012 It does sound the same, with some added hints on .44-40. I marked the cartridge with a marker. Scrapes were from the crimp almost to the back, so it's just too snug all over. I'm thinking of getting the last finishing reamer I could find online. I did order some factory cartridges (expensive). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacrat Posted August 15, 2012 Report Share Posted August 15, 2012 As a very slightly necked straight taper case, removing matl from base of sizer will squeeze em a little tighter. And likely solve problem. Easier to adjust ammo to cylinder if possible than vice versa. 4-D rents 44-40 reamers. http://www.4-dproducts.com/displayitem.php?rowid=451&tname=rental Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted August 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2012 I hadn't heard of them. Thank you. Since I've got scrapes all down the case, don't you think that just removing some metal off the bottom of the die won't be enough? If I do remove metal, how should I do it so that it's even. I don't think using a grinder will be accurate enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gun nutty Posted August 15, 2012 Report Share Posted August 15, 2012 How tight is "tight"? It almost sounds like you have a 38-40 cylinder rather than a 44-40. Could the factory (or someone else) have put a 38-40 cylinder on a 44-40 frame? Dimensions for the outside mouth diameter on a 38-40 is 0.417; for a 44-40, it's 0.443. That's 0.026. All other dimension are similar or identical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacrat Posted August 15, 2012 Report Share Posted August 15, 2012 Tony, think in angles, not straight lines. As a very slightly necked straight taper case, By removing matl. from bottom of sizer you make the remainder of contact area inside the die correspndingly smaller in diameter for the entire depth of the die. If I do remove metal, how should I do it so that it's even. I don't think using a grinder will be accurate enough. Judicious use of a bench grinder for rough cut. Then a small machinist square or a dial caliper and a smooth cut file to square end with body is good enough. Don't remove more than the existing slight taper or radius at bottom of die. Of course facing on a lathe would be preferable and quicker but not the only way to skin this cat. JM2c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted August 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2012 Thanks for the advice. I'll wait on factory loads before making a decision on how to proceed. I'll slug the cylinder and barrel. Gee, .38-40 is awful close to .44-40. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted August 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2012 Some Hornady ammo showed up today- it fit, so the problem is the die I'm using. Funny how it fit my other guns fine, but not this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdm1962 Posted August 22, 2012 Report Share Posted August 22, 2012 FC, I think I might have some once fired 44-40 brass. I'll look around and see if I still have them. If so you can have them. Ralph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted August 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2012 FC, I think I might have some once fired 44-40 brass. I'll look around and see if I still have them. If so you can have them. Ralph Thanks! Let me knowvwhat I owe you. I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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