45acp 200gr lswc and failure to feed

Is the bottom edge of the chamber above the barrel ramp SHARP?

 

This is how I figure out a 1911.



Once you have a mag that will feed an empty case, other issues seem to just go away.

 

Measure bottom of case to case mouth, bottom of case to top of shoulder, subtract, and you’ve got an accurate measure of the shoulder protrusion. .040 is a bit too far, I think.

 

Maximun rim diameter is .480" for 45 acp. Any wider and case head may not slide up the bolt face freely. Cause jams like yours.

Shot hot loads in a S&W 645 with well used brass. Worked fine till i reloaded a target load for my 70s GC, using same brass.
Took a file to the rim on a few brass, removing nicks and correcting diameter. Problem found and solved.
Ordered 500 new starline brass for the GC.

I load the Lyman 200 gr lswc bb . I measure head to shoulder. .947" for seating depth.

 

If it looked like your pic of the malfunction, this would have been an opportunity to further refine the diagnosis by firmly pushing the muzzle end of the barrel against something solid like a tree or bench.

If this is still happening with other magazines, you'll want to gently round the sharp edge where the barrel ramp and chamber meet.

 

Looks like it could be. I was going to pull the barrel out for further inspection, but Had to get up early for work so ran out of time. Will be looking into this though.

 

I honestly forgot, did take note that you had mentioned it. Got caught up checking which side it was catching on.

 

Going back to Steve's post #18 , https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...swc-and-failure-to-feed.852998/#post-11164627
I measured my dummy round for Summer's 200 LSWC. The distance from case base to top of shoulder is .936.

Small increments, changing only one thing at a time will get you past the feed issue.
BTW, what weight of a return spring are you using?

 

Make sure the FCD doesn't swage your bullet. Then you'll have new problems.

 

Hard to tell for sure from your pic but, it looks like that round could definitely use more crimp. I had the occasional jam when I started using 200gn SWCs also, and now get 100% reliability with them. Seating depth really didn't change much (I use 1.240") and I'd still get the occasional 3-point jam like yours. I took note of which cases would jam and the only brand that never did was Remington. So, now I only use R-P brass for loading the SWCs and haven't had a jam in several hundred rounds. I believe it's the generous chamfer that helps the case slip under the extractor more easily. I have no issues with all other headstamps as long as I only use them for round nose or JHP. The pic below shows the difference.

 

And I think we have a winner here. The OAL is to long. Seat it a "tad" deeper. As they said a thumbnail

 

I had all kinds of issues getting my reloads to feed consistently, (200gr lswc Bayou Bullets), tried everything. Once I got the crimp right, no more problems. .469-.468" was the 'trick', .470" and over, jam city.

 

That's so funny! If I want to induce 3-point jams in my 1911, all I have to do is use R-P brass! It allows so much setback that the sharp edge of the case gets exposed and snags on the top of the barrel. I can only use the R-P stuff in my wheelgun rounds.

Maybe we should swap brass?

 

I figured that it would and it did. I did try it solely just to see, because I’ve never used one.

Definitely appreciate all the responses and ideas. I’m going to make up a few batches changing the OAL and adjusting the crimp. Just to see what different results I get. Having issues isn’t any fun, but definitely have learned a lot from this.

Currently is a 16lb spring in it.

 

My CZ97 loves SWCs! Just a matter of troubleshooting and a bit of polishing. I use the same SWCs in the CZ97 and the DW and find them totally reliable.

 

What COL did you end up with using the BB LSWC? I too load them and had some three point jams in my P220. The “old” guy at the club laughed and said “get a 1911”, but then gave me the thumbnail thickness recipe and it did help a bit. I am working on a .45 1911 but it isn’t here yet. The reason I ask is there’s considerable discussion about the COL based on the mold and apparently not all SWCs have the same shape. I’m not sure how much that affects the incredible journey a round makes in a .45 action.

 

Near pure lead 200 lswc 452630 may get the nose deformed on chambering, as it hangs up on the feed ramp. The delay in chambering may cause the feed problem.

 

I've loaded all SWC's based on the thumbnail. Some have long noses and some are small. All run just fine in my 1911's and previously (sold it) a FNX-45T. A seating plug that registers on the shoulder (Hornady is almost this type and works well) makes it simple to change from one profile to the next. Just set it and forget it.

 

COL is not so important with SWCs... as long as the thumbnail shoulder is observed.

 

Yes, but...If you're following published data like the Hodgdon online reloading guide, they have the following for a 200gr Cast LSWC:
Manufacturer PowderBullet Diam.C.O.L. Grs.Vel. (ft/s) Pressure Grs. Vel. (ft/s) Pressure
Winchester WST .451" 1.225" 4.4 830 15,400 PSI 5.1 910 19,900 PSI

So I dutifully set the COL to 1.225" and saw the case mouth was above the shoulder of the lead bullet, so I went to 1.230 so it was at least even. This length didn't do too well, needless to say. Also, @Walkalong says 1.260/.1265 OAL, and I have feed issues with this long of an OAL, so I'm right about 1.245/1.250. I am looking to purchase those seater plugs that register on the shoulder.

 

Or perhaps our resizing dies? From my experience, setback is very common with any brass and SWCs.

 

I suggest you go both ways on the col. a longer length may solve your problem.

luck,

murf