Silly question on using case gauge

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Shrinkmd

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I was checking some 45acp and not all went all the way into the LE Wilson max case gauge. Some had a tiny bit of lead or lube on them near the case mouth, and after a little cleaning with my fingernail would go in ok.

Do I need to obsessively clean all of these for them to function well, or should they cycle ok in the action? Most dropped in perfectly, so I'm pretty sure that my press is set up correctly, 1.265 OAL and .472 at the case mouth for 230 LRN.

I did notice that the PMC cases seem a little thicker than the Magtech brass I was reloading.

I suppose I will bring a revolver just in case they don't cycle well.

Probably part of the problem with extra lube/lead is that I ran them all through just the seater die and then the taper crimp a second time, since originally I loaded to 1.272 but some of them were too long, and I wanted to get them more uniform.

Ideas?
 
I would clean them all, but that's me. I would also adjust my bell and use care seating them as to avoid shaved lead/lube in the future.

1.272 is too long. 1.260 to 1.265 is more like it with 230 Gr RN.
 
Probably part of the problem with extra lube/lead is that I ran them all through just the seater die and then the taper crimp a second time,
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Ah, that would cause that.
 
Most of the bulk commercial cast roundnose bullets are noticeably blunter than real hardball or the old Lyman mould. They also have a pronounced step between ogive and bearing surface, almost a mini-SWC shoulder. I load them to the same 1.25" as a #68 copy SWC.

The best thing to do is to chamber check the first few you load in the actual gun barrel, clean and out of the gun.
 
Do I need to obsessively clean all of these for them to function well, or should they cycle ok in the action?
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My guess is they will function with a little push from the slide. How do they drop into the barrel? OAL.gif
 
Case gauge

I just loaded 230 LRN to 1.260 but everyone of the PMC would not chamber in my MAX gauge, WIN, REM, FED, TZZ, FIOCHI were fine, but not the PMC, can you say out of spec. junk ?:eek:
 
I'll see how the PMC function, but I think they might get left on the ground after I shoot up what is in them. We'll see.

I will probably obsessively check my rounds and wipe off the lead/lube, since I want to test my pistol for functioning with good ammo, not how well my slide can push sticky mess into and out of the chamber.
 
They went almost fine, with one fail to feed getting caught on the way into the chamber, another time it wouldn't feed from the magazine at all (the slide closed on on an empty chamber even though there was another round in the magazine)

Then, I shot up another 100 rounds I made last night, same exact settings, and components, and they functioned flawlessly. And the gun was already dirty from the first 200 rounds!

It is easier cleaning one really dirty gun then cleaning 2 or 3 not so dirty.

Those loads felt almost like factory ball (I don't have a chrono, yet). 4.6 to 4.7 of Bullseye with Wolf primers, mostly CBC cases, some PMC as well. 230 gr LRN from Dardascastbullets, BN 15 so they say. Minimal leading at the chamber end, which came out easily with the old brush wrapped in the Midway fancier steel wool stuff.

As the guy on Box of Truth says, shooting stuff (and reloading) is fun...
 
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