Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Excellent Article On the Lipsey 44 SPL Flat Top

Like both grips on mine. The standard does feel better but that Bisley really mitigates recoil - less filling or more taste? Take your pick.

One thing that bugs me is the lowered Bisley hammer. It doesn't provide the leverage of the standard hammer so it makes the revolver more awkward to cock.

I got mine for $515.00 sales tax included.

I'd be personally concerned about 'over doing it' with fire lapping, not having much experience there. I think it's a good option, but as stated above one must go slow.

I wonder if shooting alot of jacketed bullets thru a new gun w/accomplish the same thing? Heard an author state after a few hundred rounds of jacketed bullets in a Ruger Red Hawk, accuracy improved, fouling subsided, esp. w/cast.

Anyone know how fire lapping compares to a few hundred jacketed rounds?

No doubt a good smith can 'throat' the bbl etc. and likely do the same job w/tools, time, and labor, perhaps a little more expensive, but I wonder if more predictable?

Fire lapping works very well, just don't shoot more than needed

A few hundred rounds of jacketed will smooth up a revolver bore (IMe) and it may or may not enlagrge that frame constriction a bit. I never measured a new barrel and then again after a few hundred jacketed to know.

But firelapping does work. I learned how from Veral Smith - was trying to find his instructions this weekend, they aren't in his book.

Just go slow - velocity and number of shots. You want to be able to start a lead slug in the muzzle and have it slide down with NO resistance when it passes through the frame. You have to be real sure there is no leading there as that will give a false reading. That's what happened with my .357 - I hit leading, thought the constriction was still tight and fired a bunch more, leaving the throat area way too big.

You need to load way under book starting loads but you have to be careful not to stick a bullet in the bore. Not having a good idea what charge to use for the .44 Special this past Saturday I loaded my first rounds too hot - 4.9 231 under a 200 grain Lee RNFP loaded with 320 grit lapping compound, fired 42 rounds of these. Sunday I went out with 3.8 gr. 231 and the recoil still showed that to be too much. You really should be able to see the bullet arc out in flight. But I was worried about sticking one in the bore so loaded a bit too much. Will finish next weekend with 3.0 231 and see how that works.

Jim ,
Sent you a PM

Great article. Thanks