.45 ACP Moly coat 200g SWC---.453?

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Grandpa Shooter

Grandpa Shooter

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I just started loading some 200g lead SWC moly coated bullets for my two Colts. I did not pay a lot of attention to the diameter of the bullets until I started having chambering problems. I had some feed problems but since these are target rounds I didn't worry about it a great deal, until that is, one got jammed almost in the chamber and it was a real pain to extract. I tried again today with the other Colt and had the same result. Accuracy (in my old hands) was acceptable, but feed and function was ghastly. I just finished checking a sampling of the bullets themselves and they mic out at .453.

The finished rounds drop cleanly into a case gauge, but won't reliably function in my Colts. Any suggestions? If need be I will sell them below cost, but I would prefer to use them if possible.

Thanks to all,

Gramps
 
Maybe buy an inexpensive Lee sizer, and size the bullets to the desired diameter. Kit will also include a bottle of liquid ALOX, which might come in handy at some point.

Good luck.
 
Have you tried different C.O.L.s ? For lead bullets in my Colt 70 Ser. MK IV, I load them a bit longer than I normally would with jacketed.
 
I'm not a reloading manual author, so take this worth a grain of salt. . .

Most of the cast lead bullets I've seen are .001" over the standard bullet diameter. I would assume that this allows for better bullet swaging in a cut-rifled barrel.

You might want to invest in a Lee Factory Crimp Die to remedy your situation.
 
Let's start with LOA--what were the rounds loaded to?

You might have a headache here. If they are loaded too long, you might get by with some push-reseating and a new run through the crimp. If they weren't--well, buy a 625 or get the inertial hammer out....

The tip off to me that it's a ramp / LOA / ogive issue is the fact that they drop cleanly into your max cart gauge. I've never seen a cartridge passing a max cart gauge test that would bind in the chamber, unless the barrel has a real short leade and the cartridge is much too long. And, they can be problematic for feeding--but that is over in the "tweaking-the-barrel-ramp-area" and is really a gunsmithing problem you don't need to pursue yet.

If you don't have a Lee FCD die, I too would recommend one; that die can clean up rounds so they are shootable. Then, the Lee resizer idea sounds like a good one for the rest of the bullets.

Jim H.
 
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I have shot some "Precision" brand moly 200 Gr SWC's at 1.260 with good success. This is where I load all the 200 SWC's at and they do well for me in my 1911's.

Like jfh said, if yours are too long you can just seat them deeper. If your crimp is a bit much and it shaves the bullet some it will still be OK to fire, it just may hurt the accuracy. If it shaves it a lot you can cut off the shaving and still be able to shoot them instead of breaking them down.

.453 is a bit much and as much as I dislike the FCD for pistol rounds, that could solve the problem if thay are to fat and allow you to fire them instead of having to break them down.

Some pistols seem to dislike SWC's, but mine feed them fine. Colt's generally don't have a problem.
 
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I already seated them deeper to the recommended length for SWC's and recrimped them. Dropped all of them in and out of my gauge. Set any suspicious ones aside, and they still won't feed fully into the chamber even slapping the back of the slide. They shoot into one hole, so accuracy is not a problem.

I think the size of .453 is the real problem, but that doesn't explain why they drop into my gauge but not into the barrel on my Colts. Both are series 80, one compact, the other is a target/competition piece. May just sell them off. Would they work for a cowboy shooter in 45 LC?
 
I don't have a case gauge, I use my barrel as a gauge. .453 does seem out of the norm, and these bullets could be improperly sized ? I would contact the place of purchase regarding this problem. My Colt Ser. 70 does not like .45 acp SWCs (plated), I will load the rest for the Marlin Camp and say goodby to the 200gr SWC :(
 
I don't shoot moly coated bullets. But wouldn't that layer of moly probably make up the .001 difference? I cast and shoot .452 200 gr SWC, but it wouldn't take much to get a .001 increase in size with moly (assuming they're molyed after they're sized). I say ditch the moly if they're problematic and stick to swaged or cast conventional lubed bullets. BTW I like the Lee full length sizing die for just this reason. I just can't imagine a Colt has that tight a chamber! I love my colt's but they are anything but tight!
 
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