.45 230 gr LRN won't chamber!

[prickett]

Hi all,
I'm at wits end. I'm trying to reload .45 230 gr LRN and the resulting rounds have been somewhat problematic. Some chamber, some do not (maybe 30%). I'm trying to figure out what I can do to fix the problem.

I use Lee dies (including the Lee Factory Crimp Die). I test the resulting rounds with a .45 chamber gauge (the bullet should slide right in and seat flush to the end of the gauge). Some rounds stand about 1/16" proud of the gauge and some sit completely flush. I also can see a slight bulge in just about all my cases, but since I've run them through the Factory Crimp Die (which resizes after loading the bullet) and because most of the rounds correctly fit the gauge, I don't know if that is necessarily a huge problem.

I've double checked all dies to make sure they are correctly mounted.

The only thing I can think of is that maybe the belling die isn't belling enough, resulting in the bulge. Is that a possiblity?

Any suggestions are welcome.

Please help me!!!! This is driving me nuts.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jim Watson]

Bullet type, style, weight, and make?
OAL?

Do they chamber check in the gun barrel?

 

[ReloaderFred]

It could be several things. First, check the over all length of your rounds by taking the barrel out of your slide and dropping one of the loaded rounds into the chamber. See if the round drops all the way in and the base of the case is even with the hood of the barrel. If it isn't, push on the bullet and see if the rifling is imprinting on the bullet. If it does, then the bullet is loaded too long for your particular pistol.

If that isn't the problem, check to see if the crimp die is fully removing the bell from the case mouth and giving you a slight taper crimp. If it isn't, then adjust the crimp die to give you more crimp.

If that isn't the problem, then see if the case is being sized all the way down. You didn't say what kind of press you're using, but the size die should just lightly touch the shell holder to drive the case as far as possible into the dies, which sizes the case as far down as the shell holder will allow. If you're sizing on a single stage press, you can mill a few thousandth's off the top surface of a shell holder and that will allow you to run the case farther up into the die and size if down farther.

Without seeing your loaded rounds and the pistol, those are the suggestions I can make at this time.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

Any round that is run through the lee carbide crimp die should chamber just fine unless your bullet seating is way out of whack.

 

[SoCalShooter]

It also helps to know what type of weapon they are being used in. But more than likely your bullets are not seating correctly and the overall length is cuasing the issue.

 

[prickett]

Some additional info:

Lead Round Nose Bullets (230 grain)
Local Manufacturer
OAL tried 1.260" and 1.270"
Pistol is a CZ97B
Press is a RCBS Pro 2000 progressive

 

[dmftoy1]

FWIW . .I'd try a shorter OAL. My Hornady manual shows 1.230 for a 230 FMJ . . .that's basically the load you're trying to duplicate with the LRN. (at least that's what I do. )

Good Luck!

 

[BeJaRa]

I generally try to keep my 45's between 1.2 and 1.25 OAL depending on my load. My 1911 likes 230 LRN at 1.23 OAL the best.

 

[kellyj00]

I had the EXACT same problem last week... new reloads, didn't chamber properly.

I just had to seat the bullets a bit deeper, and apply more crimp with my lee dies. Took 350 of them out this weekend and only had one squib. DOH! slug lodged just barely in the rifling, so nothing else would chamber.

Seriously, do a search...you'll find my exact same post from last week and the results.

 

[Bula]

Try seating to 1.25" and a giv'em a good taper crimp. When I started loading my crimp was causing the same thing to happen to me.

 

[SASS#23149]

when I tried reloading that bullet for a Ruger I had to just keep seating them deeper until they would chamber.I did thsi on the advice of several knowledgable people on thi sand another board.I did reduce the charge a bit to allow for it.No pressure problems or signs of.
ymmv

 

[spooky_t]

Just out of curiosity, how does commercial ammo chamber?
If you're having the same problem with commercial it may be that something is wrong with the gun. Maybe the ramp is damaged.
I hope it's just the ammo tho'.

 

[ReloaderFred]

It's my understanding that the CZ 97B has a fairly short leade, or throat. You're seating your bullets pretty long and my bet is the bullet is contacting the rifling, or just short of the rifling in the throat. This would raise pressures if the load is near max. Try seating the bullets to a maximum of 1.250" and experiment. You may have to go shorter, depending on your particular pistol. You generally need about .015" to .020" distance between the bearing surface of the bullet and where it contacts the rifling.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Navy_Guns]

I had this happen early on with my .45 ACP with 230 grain cast round nose (Lee mould #452-228-1R). The first batch had the bullets were seated a little too far out. Then, I hadn't put enough bell in the case mouth before I seated the bullets and it shaved some of the lead. The lead shavings would effectively keep the case mouth from coming up and headspacing properly and the gun wouldn't go into battery. Once I fixed that everything was OK.

 

[prickett]

Factory ammo works fine.

So far, so good using the local advice. I've reduced the seating depth on some 200 gr LRNFP's that I tried, hoping the smaller size would improve the situation. It didn't at 1.270", but they are falling right into the gauge at 1.244". Tomorrow night, I'll get back to the 230 gr's and seat them deeper too.

Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[prickett]

Just a follow up...

Got back from the range yesterday, having shot 50 rounds each of 230 gr rn, 200 gr fprn, and 200 gr swc, using shorter OAL's as suggested by you guys.

Had but 2 failures to feed out of 150 rounds. Both were the swc's and both were due to nose dives. Had NO failures to go to battery!

So, thanks immensely for your help! The OAL appears to be the culprit.

Now, to try to lengthen the swc OAL to eliminate the nose dive issue (or, just stick with the fprn's).

 

[Walkalong]

Good job. Just need a little tweaking now.

 

[ClayD]

I had chambering problems with my first batch of Oregon Trail 230 gr. LRNs, so I contacted them and they sent load data which specified a taper crimp of .470. I did that and it fixed the problem.

 

[Reefinmike]

That lee factory crimp die of yours is a bandaid solution to a problem that does not exist. Depending on case thickness it likely wont damage any fmj/plated bullets but there is a good chance it squeezed down some of your larger cast lead bullets.

Also, no need to buy a loaded round gauge either. Every gun comes with a free one- the chamber. Thats the only one that matters anyways... A round can fit in a gauge but not your actual firearm.

 

[ReloaderFred]

Since the OP posted this 9 years ago, he's probably figured it out by now.............

Fred

 

[Dudedog]

Use the Plunk test to determine what your longest OAL can be.
Search here for Plunk test, Walkalong did a excellent write up.

 

[Lokichoki]

Always do the plunk test, and like everyone else said you have to open the mouth more to keep from shaving the bullet so check your crimp with the plunking. Mike the bullets just to be sure they don't need sizing . I always plunk test my lead bullets if you go to the range with a huge bag and they don't work such a simple test becomes obvious. Be aafe

 

[Dudedog]

Since the OP posted this 9 years ago, he's probably figured it out by now.............

Didn't note the OP date

 

[Fishslayer]

Since the OP posted this 9 years ago, he's probably figured it out by now.............

Fred

HA! Got me.... this would be something that turns up in a search... When I started loading cast bullets I had a vrery similar problem that turned out to be shaved lead from the seating process.

I see the anti-LFCD are represented. Three on the tree transmissions work just fine too. Don't need anything else.

 

[mdi]

For those following this old thread;

For new reloaders with chambering problems; For a peg (cartridge) to enter a hole (chamber), the peg must be smaller than the hole. If a cartridge won't enter a chamber, it's too big somewhere. Measure! Measure the finished diameter, measure pre FCD. Measure the diameter after each operation, before the next operation. Mark a bullet w/marker and drop into the chamber. Does the bullet hit before the cartridge completely chambers? If so you'll see where the marker is rubbed off.

With the info from these tests you can determine exactly what is happening and when it happens, to make your ammo too big...

FWIW; three on the tree worked quite well for those that know how to use them, and when those that know how to adjust their dies, an FCD is not needed. If an FCD was an improvement, there would by waaaay fewer of us who say they are worthless...