Problem loading 45ACP with cast bullets

A

AlHunt

Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2014
Messages
2,591
Reaction score
3,201
Location
Nabu
I would appreciate anyone else's experience loading cast bullets for 45ACP.

I'm starting to reload for 45ACP and having a problem with my rounds chambering. Looking around the internet, I'm not alone and I don't see a definitive answer.

Let me just note that I load for 9mm in multiple firearms with my cast bullets and never have had a chambering problem.

The gun is a Tisas 1911 that runs fine with factory ammo.

250 grain NOE cast bullet, powder coated or not does not make a difference. Sized to .452.

The problem is my rounds don't all go fully into battery and tie up the gun. About half of them also just fail going below flush in a case gauge, despite the caliper saying they're in spec.

Diameter at the loaded case mouth being around .471 or .472 in most rounds.

Another forum has a member offering a service to slightly ream the chamber mouth (at the barrel end of the chamber). Anyone who had it done and cared to post about it says it solved all their chambering problems. It seems to me that I'd be modifying the gun to accept out of spec ammo (even if it calipers correctly).

By definition we're making out of spec ammo since we're sizing the bullet to .452.

I'm thinking to get some jacketed or plated rounds and seeing if that makes a difference.

Also thinking about sizing the cast to .451 except I don't have a sizer in that size.

Lee Factory Crimp Die does not solve my problem.
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
I reload powder coated 45acp rounds too but I only shoot them out of a revolver so haven't experienced the problem you're having.
Odd that the bullets aren't going into battery. .452 is the usual size for cast 45 bullets while .451 is the usual size for jacketed bullets.
Is it the bullet or the shell case that is hanging up? Have you tried inserting just a sized empty shell case in the pistol to see if that is what is hanging up?
Ride Safe. Dr.Tramp...............
 
If we’re talking about Doug Guy, he’s great.He has done a few pistols for me, and it solved my problem, and will probably solve yours, too. Some 45s don’t have an adequate leade in the barrel, and depending on the shape of the bullet may not seat into the chamber all the way. 250 grains is pretty heavy for a .45 ACP. You can try seating your bullets a little deeper, and that may solve the problem. OAL length as listed in the manual is just a starting point, and tells you the OAL length they used to come up with their data. The correct length is one that will “plunk” all the way into your barrel, and fall out under its own weight.
Also, make sire you are getting all the flare out of your cases.
P
Good luck, and let us know how you make out.
 
Last edited:
I load cast bullets almost exclusively for my 1911's. I check all my cases for length before loading, simply set a dial caliper to max length or a hair less, and if the case slides through the jaws, it's good to go. I have so much brass, I just scrap any that are too long. I use a RCBS taper crimp die, and simply adjust the die down until the rounds meet the described above "plunk test". I have two dies, one I leave set for jacketed bullets, one for cast. This should solve the problem, unless as stated before, your relatively heavy 250 grain bullets are fairly straight sided, and the leade in the rifling is to short or steeply angled to clear the nose at your seating depth. I mostly use bullets cast from an old NEI 230gr round nose mold, or a 200gr RCBS semi wadcutter.
 
Dr.Tramp said:
I reload powder coated 45acp rounds too but I only shoot them out of a revolver so haven't experienced the problem you're having.
Odd that the bullets aren't going into battery. .452 is the usual size for cast 45 bullets while .451 is the usual size for jacketed bullets.
Is it the bullet or the shell case that is hanging up? Have you tried inserting just a sized empty shell case in the pistol to see if that is what is hanging up?
Ride Safe. Dr.Tramp...............
Click to expand...

Good questions I should have addressed. Case length is good and the sized rounds case gauge fine. I have not tried plunking a bare sized case but I will tonight.
 
Rifleman200-10X said:
I load cast bullets almost exclusively for my 1911's. I check all my cases for length before loading, simply set a dial caliper to max length or a hair less, and if the case slides through the jaws, it's good to go. I have so much brass, I just scrap any that are too long. I use a RCBS taper crimp die, and simply adjust the die down until the rounds meet the described above "plunk test". I have two dies, one I leave set for jacketed bullets, one for cast. This should solve the problem, unless as stated before, your relatively heavy 250 grain bullets are fairly straight sided, and the leade in the rifling is to short or steeply angled to clear the nose at your seating depth. I mostly use bullets cast from an old NEI 230gr round nose mold, or a 200gr RCBS semi wadcutter.
Click to expand...

Here's the mold:
452-238-HP-AA5 4 Cavity RG4 PB | NOE Bullet Moulds
(This mold has HP pins I can put in that probably shave 20 grains off it)

You guys may be on to something. I do know that if the powder coat is lumpy from being baked in a pile, the lumps interfere and need to be knocked down. Why I tried lubed and sized, by the way.
 
Last edited:
Sometimes with a heavy bullet when the OAL is correct the bottom of the bullet is a bit deeper in the case. This gets to be a headache when the internal taper of the case bulges because the base of the bullet is wider than case ID.

While the cutaway case illustrated is 9mm, you get the idea. This would be another thing to check.
 

Attachments

  • IMG-20190521-150711764.jpg
    IMG-20190521-150711764.jpg
    54.5 KB · Views: 125
  • 9MMLuger1.jpg
    9MMLuger1.jpg
    27 KB · Views: 125
Diameter at the loaded case mouth being around .471 or .472 in most rounds.


That could be the problem. Try .468"-.470" for your crimp.
 
scattershot said:
If we’re talking about Doug Guy, he’s great.He has done a few pistols for me, and it solved my problem, and will probably solve yours, too. Some 45s don’t have an adequate leade in the barrel, and depending on the shape of the bullet may not seat into the chamber all the way. 250 grains is pretty heavy for a .45 ACP. You can try seating your bullets a little deeper, and that may solve the problem. OAL length as listed in the manual is just a starting point, and tells you the OAL length they used to come up with their data. The correct length is one that will “plunk” all the way into your barrel, and fall out under its own weight.
Also, make sire you are getting all the flare out of your cases.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's the one. I'm going to try other things before I resort to sending the barrel in. It just seems like I should be able to make ammo that runs.
 
JackM said:
Diameter at the loaded case mouth being around .471 or .472 in most rounds.
Click to expand...


That could be the problem. Try .468"-.470" for your crimp.

I can't get there with the .452 bullet. I'm at a point where the case mouth almost disappears into the bullet when I crimp it.
 
Ron IL said:
Doug Guy is well liked and does good work. If you send him the barrel and a dummy round of what you want to use, he can look it over and probably tell you what you need to do. I have never loaded anything over a 230 in mine. A 250 is probably longer and hitting the rifling.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Doug is well respected for the work he does. That's why I didn't invoke his name at the beginning. Everyone seems to love the mod.

The NOE bullet drops at around 250 solid point but probably closer to 230 HP. I haven't tried that yet.
 
As long as you’re not running max charges, the 250 should be OK. The shape of the bullet will be the same, regardless.
 
How much of the bullet is sticking out of the case? You might have to seat to the point where the crimp groove on the bullet is below the case mouth.

Without knowing what is causing the problem all we can do is guess. I've heard of people having burs on the case head prevent rounds from chambering. Could be a problem with sizing the case. Could have belled the mouth too much and need more taper crimp. Could be the bullet needs to be seated deeper or sized down further. But I'd guess the bullet just needs to be seated deeper.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

K
Where does the extra 0.001" come from in cast bullets?
Replies
14
Views
1K
Alk8944
Alk8944
Engineer1911
Frustrating lesson
Replies
14
Views
572
DAMDAN
D
rwsmith
Why does one 9mm bullet plunk and the other sticks
2 3 4
Replies
66
Views
3K
glenwolde
glenwolde
lrrifleman
Questions concerning loading the Lehigh Defense Extreme Defense bullet
Replies
4
Views
285
robertrwalsh
robertrwalsh
F
pc'd bullets vs traditional/lubed bullet velocities
Replies
6
Views
894
Forrest r
F

Latest posts

Back
Top