Meatco
Member
If you have no problems feeding with ball, and only have SWC, I think you need to have your feed ramp done by a competent smith.
RD
RD
Failure to go into battery. (140k pictures)
- Thread starter Jumping Frog
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evan price
Member
I hate to rain on your parade-
But that's why I stick to 230-RN for my .45's and leave those funny-looking SWC's to revolvers.
But that's why I stick to 230-RN for my .45's and leave those funny-looking SWC's to revolvers.
Wildfire
Member
Soft lead.
Hey there:
I agree with Steve C. #1 that powder is too slow. It also looks like you have a soft lead bullet. Maybe too fast for that. A hard cast bullet would have a much sharper shoulder. And take more abuse on the way in the chamber. The front edge of those bullets look rounded. Too far out. And looks like a very dirty chamber. Go too a cleaner burning powder. 231, bullseye, #2. Some thing other then #7.
Also a good polishing on that feed ramp will help a lot. There is no reason that the gun should not fire 200 gr, SWC. A harder cast alloy will help with the denting on the nose of that bullet also. When they are loaded long the lead will hit the chamber and peel back some too. Your slide is ramming the soft lead into the chamber. Little or no crimp is needed.
Hey there:
I agree with Steve C. #1 that powder is too slow. It also looks like you have a soft lead bullet. Maybe too fast for that. A hard cast bullet would have a much sharper shoulder. And take more abuse on the way in the chamber. The front edge of those bullets look rounded. Too far out. And looks like a very dirty chamber. Go too a cleaner burning powder. 231, bullseye, #2. Some thing other then #7.
Also a good polishing on that feed ramp will help a lot. There is no reason that the gun should not fire 200 gr, SWC. A harder cast alloy will help with the denting on the nose of that bullet also. When they are loaded long the lead will hit the chamber and peel back some too. Your slide is ramming the soft lead into the chamber. Little or no crimp is needed.
243winxb
Member
Wilburt, If you cast your own bullets as i do, i found that the alloy used to cast can have an effect on a loads OAL(head to shoulder measurement) when the original loading worked just fine. On a long nosed bullet like the Lyman 200gr. Bevel Base the difference between the shoulder and the nose of the bullet can change depending on the alloy mix you happen to cast the batch with. If you seat your bullet just touching the rifling as i do, a few .001's" can keep a slide from fully closing. The bullet nose to shoulder measurement of the cast bullet using a soft alloy will be different from the nose to shoulder than a bullet using a hard alloy. So, when i measure my OAL of a loaded round with a new batch of alloy, i measure the loaded round from the head to the shoulder of the seated bullet Not to the nose of the bullet. The only reason i seat the bullets into the rifling like(can't be done in all chambers/guns) this is, i get better accuracy at 50yds for target shooting, using this method. Not something i would do in a personal defence weapon.
Make that a trifecta!
If I didn't shoot lead bullets in all my semiautos, I wouldn't be shooting very much at all.
Funderb
Member
I'm not saying it's impossible.
I'm saying there are these things called jacketed
rounds that are designed to function more reliably
in automatic firearms.
I'm saying there are these things called jacketed
rounds that are designed to function more reliably
in automatic firearms.
Wilburt
Member
243winxb
Thanks.... I don't cast yet but good food for thought
Thanks.... I don't cast yet but good food for thought
TEDDY
Member
cast in 45acp
he uses lee factory crimp. cant seat with that.why oh why if your plinking would you use expensive jacket bullets.I cast my own,they are were H&G 200 gr,then Saeco now Lee 6 cavity 200 gr SWC.3.6 gr of 700X seated just 1/32 out.never failed in my AMT long slide[can load empties out of mag.]also AMT Hardballer and Fed ordnance 45.target shooters use bullseye 3.5.try it you might like it.my guns are all factory spec.not tuned other than trigger. I have shot this load since 1969.oh! ww for lead.or backstop lead.and also it does not look like you crimped the rounds.take another look.
I have never measured the length but will since every one seem to make great to do about it.
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he uses lee factory crimp. cant seat with that.why oh why if your plinking would you use expensive jacket bullets.I cast my own,they are were H&G 200 gr,then Saeco now Lee 6 cavity 200 gr SWC.3.6 gr of 700X seated just 1/32 out.never failed in my AMT long slide[can load empties out of mag.]also AMT Hardballer and Fed ordnance 45.target shooters use bullseye 3.5.try it you might like it.my guns are all factory spec.not tuned other than trigger. I have shot this load since 1969.oh! ww for lead.or backstop lead.and also it does not look like you crimped the rounds.take another look.
I have never measured the length but will since every one seem to make great to do about it.
--------Jumping Frog
Member
FWIW, I am using a 5 die set on a Lee Loadmaster.
However, I don't have much shoulder showing on the bullet at 1.225". Judging from people's comments, I get about a thumbnail's width of lead should showing around 1.230".
I also had evan price on a different forum mention I should make sure I've cleaned any lead gunk out of the bullet seater die.
Next time I get to shoot, I'll check back and let you know how it has worked.
- Station #1 - Lee Universal Decapping Die
- Station #2 - Lee Carbide Sizing Die + Priming
- Station #3 - Lee Powder Through Expanding Die
- Station #4 - Lee Bullet Seating Die (3 turns out -- no crimping at this station only seating.
- Station #5 - Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die
However, I don't have much shoulder showing on the bullet at 1.225". Judging from people's comments, I get about a thumbnail's width of lead should showing around 1.230".
Picked up some Clay's on the way home from work today.Steve C said:
I also had evan price on a different forum mention I should make sure I've cleaned any lead gunk out of the bullet seater die.
Next time I get to shoot, I'll check back and let you know how it has worked.
DaveInFloweryBranchGA
Member
Hey Froggie,
Two potential things are causing your feeding/chambering problems. The first is your reloads. Steve C. has properly addressed the reload issues and Clays is a good choice. Work up a load with Clays and seat the bullets fairly deeply per Steve's description, where the shoulder of the bullet body is almost even with the case mouth, then check in your chamber. I suspect this may very well fix your issues by itself.
Secondly, if you are still having trouble feeding semi wad cutters after following Steve's advice, have a smith do what is called a reliability package on your pistol. The cost is about the same as a feed ramp job and includes the feed ramp work, but adds a couple small worth while touches such as polishing the sides of the link pin, throating the feed ramp (this is somewhat of an art and can be fairly quickly overdone if one is hamfisted), fine tuning the lockup, etc. All worthwhile for reliable operation of the very tight from the factory 1911's of today.
You could also have magazine issues and it would be worthwhile to also try things with another magazine or two. My bets are on the other two solutions if you have a decent magazine.
How do I know these things? I shoot 200 gr LWSC I cast myself by the thousands from my own 1911's. Secondly, I work on pistols doing custom work and see pretty much all the issues with most all manufacturers.
Regards,
Dave
Aces & Eights Custom Guns
Two potential things are causing your feeding/chambering problems. The first is your reloads. Steve C. has properly addressed the reload issues and Clays is a good choice. Work up a load with Clays and seat the bullets fairly deeply per Steve's description, where the shoulder of the bullet body is almost even with the case mouth, then check in your chamber. I suspect this may very well fix your issues by itself.
Secondly, if you are still having trouble feeding semi wad cutters after following Steve's advice, have a smith do what is called a reliability package on your pistol. The cost is about the same as a feed ramp job and includes the feed ramp work, but adds a couple small worth while touches such as polishing the sides of the link pin, throating the feed ramp (this is somewhat of an art and can be fairly quickly overdone if one is hamfisted), fine tuning the lockup, etc. All worthwhile for reliable operation of the very tight from the factory 1911's of today.
You could also have magazine issues and it would be worthwhile to also try things with another magazine or two. My bets are on the other two solutions if you have a decent magazine.
How do I know these things? I shoot 200 gr LWSC I cast myself by the thousands from my own 1911's. Secondly, I work on pistols doing custom work and see pretty much all the issues with most all manufacturers.
Regards,
Dave
Aces & Eights Custom Guns
Wildfire
Member
I agree with Teddy.
Hey there:
Teddy has it right. My old colt used for IPSC will feed empty cases from a mag. The 200 gr, cast bullets made for many years now on my Magma caster have been fired many many thousands of times and never a fail to feed. Properly tuned ramps and throats will suck up what ever you shove at them.
Hey there:
Teddy has it right. My old colt used for IPSC will feed empty cases from a mag. The 200 gr, cast bullets made for many years now on my Magma caster have been fired many many thousands of times and never a fail to feed. Properly tuned ramps and throats will suck up what ever you shove at them.
ADKWOODSMAN
Member
Probably billions Walkalong.
That's all I been shooting for 30+ years in my .45 acp and .38 super.
Triple tap!
That's all I been shooting for 30+ years in my .45 acp and .38 super.
Triple tap!
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