First reloads gone wrong...

[Citadel99]

Hey guys,

My first reloads somehow aren't resize properly I think. I'm reloading on a Dillon 550B with Dillon .45 ACP carbide dies. I reloaded mixed brass. 5.4 grains of W231 pushing a 230 grain FMJ Nosler bullet. The rounds don't want to feed completely into the chamber. Also, they don't want to stack more than two deep in the magazine.

So, what do I need to do/adjust? I have a bullet puller but can I resize with live primers or are these 50 rounds destined for the circular file?

Thanks in advance,

Mark

 

[Zak Smith]

What OAL (cartridge over-all length) are you using?

You are resizing the cases first, right?

-z

 

[Citadel99]

OAL is 1.272". They are resized at the first station in the press. I used the press as a single stage processing one round at a time.

Mark

 

[Zak Smith]

First, remove the barrel from your pistol. This will make checking rounds easier.

With the barrel removed, drop one of your loaded rounds into the chamber. Verify that it doesn't go in all the way. For comparison, drop in a factory round to see where the case-head should be in relation to some feature of the chamber mouth.

Now take a resized case - one that you would be loading - and drop it into the chamber. It should go in all the way. Note how the case stops going in when the case mouth hits the step inside the barrel.

If the Nosler bullets are hitting the rifling at 1.272", take one round (uncrimped!) and see if it fits. Seat the bullet deeper in 0.005" increments by screwing the seating die screw (not the die in the press, the seating screw in the die) about a quarter or half turn each time. Find the longest OAL at which the loaded round will drop into the chamber all the way, and drop right out again after pushing on the back of the case with your thumb (trying to push the round "into" the barrel). Then subtract off another 0.010" for reliability margin, and this is the OAL you should use for these bullets.

Using West Coast 200gr RN, I seat them to 1.265 +/- 0.005", and this runs fine in my 1911.

When loading for 9x19, some bullet / pistol combinations require a shorter OAL, for example of the ogive of the bullet is "straighter."

-z

PS. Try this all without crimp at first. Then you can make sure any crimp your are applying is not deforming the loaded cartridges. I suggest the Lee Factory Crimp die.

 

[Mal H]

... for example if the ogive of the bullet is "straighter."

I think you might have the solution there, Zak. Looking at a diagram of the Nosler 230, it is more of a truncated cone shape rather than the usual round nose. I have found that TC bullets have a slightly longer ogive and therefore have to be seated slightly deeper. Your incremental seating experiment is a good process to find the right depth. 1.272" is only .003" shorter than the max SAAMI depth.

 

[stans]

Your OAL is way too long. Hornady makes a similar 230 grain jacketed truncated cone bullet, they suggest an OAL of 1.200". Lead truncated cones usually work well at 1.200 to 1.230".

 

[redneck2]

Mark the nose of the assembled rounds with something like a marker or crayon and chamber them

If it's hitting the rifling you'll see the marks on the bullet. Means your OAL needs shortened. If you do, that increases pressure so watch powder charge.

Also, you might be crimping too hard and bulging the case. Lighter crimp or (suggested) Lee Factory Crimp. It has collets that go around the outside of the case during the last step and straightens it out.

I had this with my loads. Mixed brass has different case lengths which changes amount of crimp.

 

[BluesBear]

An old trick.

Take a round of good old GI Ball ammo or equivalent,

Put it at your seating station, with the ram up,

Tighten the seating stem down until it is snug against the bullet.

The effective ogive length should be the same as FMJ and that should make whatever bullet your loading feed as close to ball ammo as possible.


redneck, he's using Dillon dies which only perform a taper crimp for .45ACP.

 

[Citadel99]

Wow! Thanks for all the help. I'll try to do some tweaking and let yall know the results.

Mark

 

[gyp_c2]

Try 1.245- 1.260...That's about the longest it should go...It can go a little shorter, but reduce the charge before you reduce the case capacity...I can run almost all shapes and sizes with those OAL, there are exceptions, but I don't try to load every bullet shape and type under the sun, just what I need...1 for practice, 1 for "other"...Once I find a good bullet, weight and length...I'm done...If you have to load for different firearms for the same cartridge, you'll have to decide what works best for you...

...be safe...have fun...

 

[Citadel99]

After a day in the sun at the motor pool I was too tired last night. Today, however, after a day in the field I'm good to go.

Question. These rounds have already been crimped. Can I simply put them in the station that seats the bullet to adjust it deeper or are these rounds just toast?

Mark

 

[wingman]

When you start reloading always load In small amounts 5-10, no more, save
time, headache, etc.

 

[redneck2]

If you try to push them deeper you will (or at least should) bulge the case

Do as we all have done and get a workout with a kinetic bullet puller, then try again

FWIW...I suppose everybody has some glitches at first. After a few tries, everything falls into place and makes a lot more sense. I've pulled my share of loaded rounds. Part of the learning process.

 

[Citadel99]

When you start reloading always load In small amounts 5-10, no more, save

Yep, I started off with loading 20. Then I got excited/cocky and loaded another 50. Lesson learned.

Mark

 

[only1asterisk]

The best thing you do is buy a S&W 625 to shoot them out of!

70 rounds isn't the end of the world. Consider the $8 it cost you cheap and go on about your reloading.


David

 

[Slipstick]

RL Gone Wrong

Two tools that reside permanently on my bench are a (digital) dial caliper (for checking OAL & "hard" measurements during setup,) and a case gage (usually Midway, Dillon or Wilson) for verifying overall size and chamber fit on cases and assembled rounds.

Dropping one of those 1st "bad" rounds in a gage would have immediately identified too-long OAL or sizing issues.

Cheap insurance, especially if bought in a "set" from Midway.

Just store gages in a VPI bag, as some of them will rust.

 

[Citadel99]

Thanks so much for all the help!!! I loaded some new rounds. Only five this time. Took them out today and they functioned perfectly. Thanks again for the troubleshooting.

Mark

 

[BluesBear]

Can I simply put them in the station that seats the bullet to adjust it deeper or are these rounds just toast?

Hopefully you taper crimped them. Since they are jacketed you probably can seat them a little deeper.

Carefully and slowly, try it on 1 or 2.

If you roll crimped them they'll probably crinkle. But then you shouldn't be roll crimping .45 acp anyway.