Undersize throats and fire lapping

[.38 Special]

I've got a gun with a .430" bore and .429" throats. Accuracy is okay but of course it leads badly. I usually fire lap new guns and am wondering if this will work to enlarge the throats before beginning to work on the bore. At this point I cannot see why it wouldn't work, but I could certainly be missing something.

I'd love to hear from anyone with experience on this.

 

[nicholst55]

Um, I wouldn't try to fire lap the throats, but it's your gun. I'd send the cylinder to Cylindersmith and have him ream them all to the same diameter. That way you know it's done right, and all the throats are round - rather than egg-shaped, like they frequently are when they leave the factory.

 

[Walkalong]

Yep, ream the throats.

Look on the bright side. Undersized throats are not all bad in one way. You can have them reamed to match your barrel, and a good smith can make them nicer they they may have come from the factory.