Back hen "Dirty Harry" was rampaging through the criminal element of San Francisco there were no 44 Mags of any make available. I read an article in one of the gun mags that the 45Colt out of a Ruger Black Hawk would do most anything the 44 Mag out of the Super Black hawk. So I bought a Black Hawk with a 4 and a half or what ever the length of the barrel was I tinkered with he handgun for a year or or so, reading every thing I could find. I started resolving issues one at a time. Soft commercial swaged lead bullets were a gun cleaners night mare. I switched to linotype bullets with Lyman bullet better but still leading. Read an article about the constriction in the barrels forcing cone that needed to lapped. That helped, but still leaded. Then I read another article about using .454 diameter bullets an alloy of 80% wheel weights and 20% linotype.
Then I started tinkering with different powder charges, seating depth. crimping and found my preferred load Then LBT came on the market, or it came to my attention and I found the one perfect and holy load for my Black hawk. The I discovered S%W model 25s. I took the new arrival out of the box polished all the moving parts for a nearly perfect trigger. Then I measured the cylinder mouths mostly .453 and a bit. Pushed a soft lead bullet through the barrel and found the barrels forcing cone needed lapping and did so. I used the same recipe for the S&Ws and gave the Ruger to my daughter to hold for my grandson. Have fun I tinkered with shot loads for the Ruger not one of my more successful experiments. put three ;ead balls, using Styrofoam for wadding and candle wax for holding the balls in the cylinder. this was a fun project for winters evening. If you take up bullet casting I'd suggest buying two four cavity molds, preferably Saeco, Lyman or one of the new custom mold makers. I found 250 or 255 grain bullet weight. Now this will lead you into other avenues of bullet casting Voodoo Hoodoo requiring you to purchase a 45 -70 lever action. A 250 grain grain 45 caliber bullet with 13 grains of Unique behind it makes a heck of a squirrel load.
Have fun
