Selecting Appropriate OAL for Berry's 200 gr SWC for .45 ACP

[JimGun]

In the past I have loaded Berry's 200gr SWC .45 ACP per Hodgdon's powders, at OAL of 1.225. However, in researching the lengths prescribed by other sources 1.225 seems long.

Lyman's #452630 (#2 alloy) 1.235
#452460 (#2 Alloy) 1.161
Hornady #12108 SWC 1.200
#12208 L-CT 1.200
Sierra #8825 FPJ 1.155
Speer #4677 JHP 1.185
#4475 TMJ 1.275
#4478 GD_HP 1.200
Hodgdon's 200 gr LSWC 1.225
Accurate 200 gr LSWC 1.190

With such a variety how do you select the appropriate length?

 

[ranger335v]

IF they feed and chamber properly they are 'right.' All we get from book OAL is the length the guys who developed the listed loads. They didn't use our weapons to do it so what they used is no automatic law for the rest of us.

 

[LiveLife]

First determine the maximum OAL by doing a drop test in the chamber with the barrel out of the pistol. I start at SAAMI max of 1.275"

Then, determine the ideal OAL by feeding/chambering from the magazine and releasing the slide manually. Incrementally decrease the OAL (say by .005") until you have reliable feeding/chambering. For 200 SWC, I typically run from 1.25" to 1.27" OAL in various 45 pistols.

 

[Walkalong]

I typically run .45 caliber 200 Gr SWC's at 1.260 to 1.265 O.A.L. with good success.

 

[john16443]

I load my Berry's 200 SWC's to 1.23", just about the same as the OP. Other brands are loaded out to 1.26" depending on the style/shape of that particular round. My COL for SWC's is determined by leaving just a little more than a thumbnail thickness of the body above the top of the case. Hence my COL variation up to 1.26 for different bullets.

 

[lon_taylor]

I think for reliability you need to make them long enough for the magazine to hold them all in the same place.

 

[Shmackey]

Only way to tell is to make some and cycle/shoot them through your gun.

My favorite 1911 didn't like SWCs at the textbook lengths. A little shorter, and now they're as reliable as ball ammo.

 

[gregj]

There is an excellent post on the 1911 forum about these bullets. I dont recall the OAL I've used for the Berry's SWC, but they do work nicely.