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Well, last month I was in the US of A for a couple weeks.  Got a chance to toss some lead down range.  THAT was a blast!    Got to hang out with Hoot and Miss Beth from the Sixshooter Community Forum.  Got to hang out with Jim Taylor, Hiram and Fungus Sam, not to mention Miss Twyla and Miss Emily.  Got to hang out with my brother Amerileiro.  Got to hang out with my sons.  And my sister and her family.  Stayed overnight with friends in Yale.  And stayed overnight with mcassill and Miss Heather.  Stayed overnight with friends from my college days the night before I left the country. And …well I had a great time.

While up there I also acquired a Taylor Throat Reamer.  My understanding is that Alan Taylor, Jim’s dad, is the one who originated this idea.  It reams out the throat on a revolver to remove the constriction some of them have after the barrel is screwed in to the frame too tightly – usually from the manufacturing process.  And the PPPPPP definitely had such a constriction, not to mention that the forcing cone was pretty close to non-existent as well.  So the reamer came back with me.  Once I got settled in and caught up a bit I decided to give it a whirl.

The PPPPPP got stripped down and the reamer was placed through the frame window, entering the rear of the barrel.  I screwed the adapter to the rod and put some oil on the threads so it would release easily from the reamer.  Then I loaded the reamer up with my Lanolin/ATF lube/preservative and set to work.  Just gently rotating the reamer and backing up when I got too much of a bite and starting again, a bit at a time, easy does it.  About halfway through the job I decided to check things out.  That’s when I found out that the reamer was fixed to the adapter and the rod was the part that came easily out.  PANIC ATTACK!  Well, not really, but I was a bit concerned.  Got some ideas from the guys on the forum – chased down some Loctite type compound and proceeded to loctite the adapter to the rod after a thorough degreasing of the surfaces.  Left it in for six hours and had to give it a try.  NOT a good idea- the rod unscrewed from the adapter and we were in the same position as before.  More goop on the threads and this time it sat overnight – for about twenty hours this time.  Since it was the weekend and the powers that be had decreed suspension of all permits there was little call to be in a hurry, but still I went ahead and tried it.  Whewwwwww!!!!!  Out came the adapter with the rod and the reamer slid out the rear like it was supposed to.  So I loaded it back up with oil and finished up the job.

The next step was to slug the barrel again.  This time it came out a uniform .357″ like it was supposed to be.  Oh, some of the loctite had migrated to the barrel wall.  A bit of oil and a tight fitting felt patch on the jag and out it came.  I then used a tight patch and some JB Bore Paste to thoroughly clean the barrel and slick it up. This is something I’d read a lot about but never used before.  When I was done the inside of the barrel was prettier than the day I brought it home.  Nice and shiny.

So, was it a worthwhile investment in time, effort and $$$?  A trip to the range would tell the tale.  So later that week I packed up the PPPPPP and the new Gamo and the old Crosman 1377 and off to the range I went.  Four targets were set up at ten long paces and I used a Taylor-Taffin style rest to brace the PPPPPP as I shot.  The first group was not much to brag about – plus I set it a good 10 feet further away than I’d usually shot.  That’s when I moved it back to 10 paces from the bench.  The next three six shot groups were about half the size of previous groups shot at this distance.  Nothing to brag about on an Olympic level, but still a decided improvement.  And when I got home the bore cleaned right up, with less patches and solvent than it’d ever taken before – and there was no leading at the rear of the barrel like before either.

So yes, it was worth the investment in time, effort and $$$.  The PPPPPP now shoots better, cleans easier and no longer shaves lead.  I’d recommend the Taylor Throating Reamer to those who have similar problems with their sixguns.  You can pick it up from Brownells.  And if you’ve got more than one sixgun, it comes out even cheaper per piece.