Problems with loading .45 ACP
- Thread starter John Wayne
- Start date
- Status
tac_driver
Member
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2007
- Messages
- 48
longer is better as long as it fits in the magazine and drops out of the barrel without sticking. The LoneWolf barrels have tighter tolerances so you won't be able to seat as long as a 1911 barrel but you should be able to get them to 1.250" (1.253 +-3) Measure a winchester white box factory round i got 1.260" crimp .469 - .471.
LiveLife
Member
Actually, if Lone Wolf enlarged the chamber a bit, it would still probably be tighter than most factory chambers or be comparable. As to accuracy, I don't think enlarging the chamber a bit will have much effect as accuracy comes mostly from bullet-to-barrel fit and pistol construction.
nofishbob
Member
Hi John Wayne-
I had similar problems a few years ago loading lead bullets for a stock G21.
The bullets (NO-Name brand) were inconsistent is diameter. most were ok, but about 25% bulged the brass enough to cause misfeeding. I had already loaded a few hundred before this became apparent.
I dug out the old FCD and ran all of these loads through it. All were then reliable.
I don't use the FCD normally, as it quickly becomes obvious that it is not doing anything to rounds that don't have a problem.
In the great FCD debate, I think that it is noteworthy that all commercial reloading machines that I know of use the equivalent of an FCD as the final step before the round is finished.
I have had great luck with Missouri Bullet Co, both their bullets and their service, with no FCD required!
Good luck!
I had similar problems a few years ago loading lead bullets for a stock G21.
The bullets (NO-Name brand) were inconsistent is diameter. most were ok, but about 25% bulged the brass enough to cause misfeeding. I had already loaded a few hundred before this became apparent.
I dug out the old FCD and ran all of these loads through it. All were then reliable.
I don't use the FCD normally, as it quickly becomes obvious that it is not doing anything to rounds that don't have a problem.
In the great FCD debate, I think that it is noteworthy that all commercial reloading machines that I know of use the equivalent of an FCD as the final step before the round is finished.
I have had great luck with Missouri Bullet Co, both their bullets and their service, with no FCD required!
Good luck!
John Wayne
Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2007
- Messages
- 1,133
Loaded up 25 more rounds, this time using 185 gr. JHP bullets from Georgia Arms. Finally got them to chamber freely (with a "clink") and they fell right out. I checked every single round in the tightest chamber I have (the Lone Wolf barrel).
I went to the range and could only get three of them to fire. The rest simply would not go into battery. Now these are rounds that are within OAL specs, don't have a huge HP cavity, fit fine in the magazine, pass the chamber drop test, etc., and they still don't work!
I even tried them in the stock barrel. They simply would not allow the gun to fully go into battery, even when the back of the slide was smacked. I am starting to wonder if I should toss the Glock and get a Sig!
Unfortunately I don't have any friends with .45's, so I can't try my reloads in another gun to verify that they are not the problem. Since they are "in spec" and pass the chamber drop test, I believe the gun to be at fault, at least in this case.
I went to the range and could only get three of them to fire. The rest simply would not go into battery. Now these are rounds that are within OAL specs, don't have a huge HP cavity, fit fine in the magazine, pass the chamber drop test, etc., and they still don't work!
I even tried them in the stock barrel. They simply would not allow the gun to fully go into battery, even when the back of the slide was smacked. I am starting to wonder if I should toss the Glock and get a Sig!
Unfortunately I don't have any friends with .45's, so I can't try my reloads in another gun to verify that they are not the problem. Since they are "in spec" and pass the chamber drop test, I believe the gun to be at fault, at least in this case.
tac_driver
Member
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2007
- Messages
- 48
This statement leads me to believe it's not the gun that is the problem but something to do with the reloading process.
Are you using your calipers on just the very tip of the case on the finished round? Because that is where you measure your crimp. I would also recommend measuring a factory round to see how they compare to your reloaded rounds.
LiveLife
Member
John Wayne, I agree with tac_driver. Based on what's been posted on this thread so far, I believe it is indeed your reloading process and not the barrel or the pistol.
As to new JHP loads not feeding, jacketed hollow-point bullets have different nose profile than round nose bullets, so you need to adjust the OAL to feed and chamber properly from the magazine. Make a JHP dummy round at longer 1.27" OAL and see if it feeds reliably from the magazine (pull the slide all the way back and release without riding the slide). If the dummy round doesn't feed at the longer OAL, gradually decrease the OAL by turning the seater knob and recheck the feeding/chambering from the magazine. Once you determine the OAL that feed/chamber well from the magazine, they should do well at the range.
You are almost there. Keep us posted.
Jacketed 45ACP bullets are typically smaller in diameter at 0.451" as compared to 0.452" for lead bullets, but I still taper crimp them to the same 0.470"-0.472". Your JHP rounds dropped freely into the Lone Wolf barrel and that's great.
As to new JHP loads not feeding, jacketed hollow-point bullets have different nose profile than round nose bullets, so you need to adjust the OAL to feed and chamber properly from the magazine. Make a JHP dummy round at longer 1.27" OAL and see if it feeds reliably from the magazine (pull the slide all the way back and release without riding the slide). If the dummy round doesn't feed at the longer OAL, gradually decrease the OAL by turning the seater knob and recheck the feeding/chambering from the magazine. Once you determine the OAL that feed/chamber well from the magazine, they should do well at the range.
You are almost there. Keep us posted.
John Wayne
Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2007
- Messages
- 1,133
I know JHP has a reputation for causing feeding problems, but the bullets are seated as deep as they can go. They are not at minimum OAL but the widest part of the bullet is right at the case mouth. Any deeper and the tapered part of the bullet will be below the case mouth, and it seem like this would make feeding problems even worse.
Also, it's not a particularly wide HP cavity, and it won't feed in the stock Glock barrel either. Glocks having feeding problems is not a very common complaint. Also, as I mentioned before, I only tested the LW barrel with 10 rounds of factory FMJ ammo--not a very extensive test. I could not get it to feed all 5 rounds of JHP ammo fired through it with 100% reliability, which is why I suspected the barrel may have been part of the problem.
As for crimp, yes, I was measuring it right at the case mouth. When chambering rounds, I never ride the slide forward--I always release it when fully retracted or release it using the slide lock. The slide goes all the way forward except for maybe the last 1/4", where no amount of coaxing will get it into battery. I also have to remove the mag to get any chambered round out, a problem which a Glock armorer told me is "normal." So, as you can see, the pistol has provided me with some reason for suspecting that it may be contributing to the problem.
Also, it's not a particularly wide HP cavity, and it won't feed in the stock Glock barrel either. Glocks having feeding problems is not a very common complaint. Also, as I mentioned before, I only tested the LW barrel with 10 rounds of factory FMJ ammo--not a very extensive test. I could not get it to feed all 5 rounds of JHP ammo fired through it with 100% reliability, which is why I suspected the barrel may have been part of the problem.
As for crimp, yes, I was measuring it right at the case mouth. When chambering rounds, I never ride the slide forward--I always release it when fully retracted or release it using the slide lock. The slide goes all the way forward except for maybe the last 1/4", where no amount of coaxing will get it into battery. I also have to remove the mag to get any chambered round out, a problem which a Glock armorer told me is "normal." So, as you can see, the pistol has provided me with some reason for suspecting that it may be contributing to the problem.
LiveLife
Member
When this happened to me in the past, it was either bottom of the case not being fully sized and getting stuck in the chamber opening of LWD barrel or case neck flare not taken in fully and getting stuck forward of the chamber.
I am perplexed since your resized cases are dropping in freely into LWD barrel.
Can you take the rounds that won't chamber the last 1/4" and drop into the LWD barrel out of the pistol? If they don't drop in freely now, the cases must be getting distorted during crimping/seating and you'll need to revisit your taper crimp/bullet seating steps.
Keep us posted.
LiveLife
Member
Also, if those rounds that won't go in the last 1/4" won't drop freely into the LWD barrel, color the case of the rounds with a marker to identify where it is contacting the chamber.
- Status
Similar threads
