45 ACP Overall Cartridge Length

[forestswin]

Just starting to handload for 45 ACP (Gold Cup NM). Only previous experience is 38 Special/357.

Got a nice box of 200G SWC Target from Penn Bullets. Bob says, start at 1.25" OAL with .469" crimp.

I assembled a few and they didn't seem to feed as easily as regular hardball rounds when I worked the action .

When I shot them - they fed and ejected fine.

I have a few 200G SWC rounds made by a friend (very similar to Penn) - they fed very easy as I worked the action. They have an OAL of 1.27". I assembled a few more Penn's with an AOL of 1.27". They fed better. There doesn't seem to be much specific information on increasing or decreasing the OAL.
What are the OAL limits?

 

[OKFC05]

SAAMI spec is max 1.275", BUT the real max for your gun is when the bullet hits the rifling.
If you decrease the length, you are reducing the powder space, which raises the pressure. Whether that is a problem depends on the specific load.
Sounds like all you need to do is load and shoot your present load.

 

[noylj]

It is common to use the lead bullet for head spacing by setting the COL so the shoulder/bearing surface just touches the lede/lands/rifling with the case head just flush with or very slightly below the barrel hood.
All guns and bullets have a COL range that works (if the gun is capable of feeding that bullet at all) and you need to determine what works for your gun and your specific bullet. Some factors that affect COL are:
1) the ogive and meplat of the bullet
2) The magazine lips and how soon or delayed they release the round
3) The max COL that fit the magazine
4) the feed ramp geometry and roughness (mostly where that particular bullet design hits the feed ramp).
5) the barrel's chamber, particularly the max COL that will chamber easily in the barrel.

 

[Frank46]

Since I shoot mostly 230 grain hard cast bullets, I set the col to where the entire round and the back of the case head just barely meets the top of the barrel hood. I have shot well over 5000 rounds thus loaded. Feed fine from the mag, feeds fine over the feeding ramp on the frame and usually get outstanding accuracy. Frank

 

[venomballistics]

SAAMI spec is max 1.275", BUT the real max for your gun is when the bullet hits the rifling.
If you decrease the length, you are reducing the powder space, which raises the pressure. Whether that is a problem depends on the specific load.
Sounds like all you need to do is load and shoot your present load.

having loaded thousands of these things and observing the same ... its a wonder that its possible for factory ammo to work in these things.
the stock Springfield barrel in my 1911 had nearly no freebore at a TC or SWC's shoulder might be able to protrude .01" beyond the case mouth before contact, but the chamber itself was not picky and would feed a mag of rocks if tasked to do so.
I fit a barrel due to several issues ... tight chamber but the freebore is lengthy enough that some bullets will produce an OAL so long, they wont fit in the mag if loaded to touch the rifling.
HK USP .. an SWC's shoulder might be able to protrude .015" before contact with rifling. Its nearly as short at the stock springfield. the chamber is tight as well. its hard to load for yet it'll eat any factory round with glee.
someday I might figure out how winchester manages to address all the interpretations

 

[BE Mike]

Bullseye shooters who are very concerned with accuracy at 50 yards and functional reliability, load SWC .45 ACP cartridges so just a little shoulder is exposed from the case mouth. I suggest that you do the same.

 

[DWalt]

Best thing to do is make up a series of batches of rounds increasing COL in .01" increments and see which batch functions best and shoots best in your pistol with whatever specific bullet you use. The real maximum COL limit is what will fit in and work through your magazine. For revolver cartridges, the real COL limit must be less than the cylinder length. The bullet nose cannot stick out the front, even slightly.

 

[stumper]

1.25" is what I have used for years with 200g SWC. I did all the OAL length comparisons when I was shooting bullseye and found 1.25 to be the best all around. If you find issues feeding these it is probably more likely due to the feed ramp and throat contour since most 1911s are built and set up for hardball.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I find it very hard to believe a difference of only 2 thousands of an inch will make a difference in the way the slide feels. If you were loading the bullets long maybe but not at that OAL. Is it possible you did something different when you loaded the second batch?

 

[Forrest r]

I test my loads by dropping them in the bbl I'm going to use them in. The back (web/rim) of the case should be even the the hood on the bbl.

Once the bullet's length is established I can load all my swc/ammo with a shoulder for the bbl the same way by simple measuring how far the shoulder sticks out of the case.

My favorite 45acp bullets, a h&g 68 clone solid point & hp.

 

[shovelwrench]

I load A LOT of Penn 200gr LSWC and I seat so the shoulder just slightly sticks out of the brass (1.22)with bullseye 3.8-4.0gr.

Always feeds and functions perfectly from multiple .45s I own.

 

[forestswin]

I loaded up some duds for measurements and found that the OAL when the shoulder just touches the rifling is 1.272"

If I seat the bullet shoulder flush with the top of the case, the OAL is 1.230"

Nobody said to seat the bullet so the bullet engages the rifling - so I'll vary the OAL from using 1.24", 1.25" & 1.26" and see how they shoot.

My range is in PA and they close for 2 weeks during deer season, so I'll have to wait a bit until I can shoot them.

thanks ALL for the advice.

Archangel, I must have been holding back the slide some or I just don't know what happened, because I made some more (duds this time) with varying OAL's from 1.23" to 1.27" tried them and they worked fine. The original ones (1.25") shot with no feed problems - and the variance was .02" (hundredths, not thousandths).

 

[shovelwrench]

I load A LOT of Penn 200gr LSWC and I seat so the shoulder just slightly sticks out of the brass (1.22)with bullseye 3.8-4.0gr.

Always feeds and functions perfectly from multiple .45s I own.

Sorry, rechecked my numbers, I must have not zeroed my digital caliper out... That length should be 1.24....

 

[mikld]

My method of determinig OAL

 

[forestswin]

Plunk test

If I drop a empty case or loaded factory hardball in the barrel, the rim is slightly below the barrel hood.

Is this too low?? (looking at mikld's thumbnail) or is it okay?

To get the rim level with the top of the barrel hood - it seems to me that the shoulder of the bullet (SWC) is going to be into the rifling.

If its not too low, the range of my OAL would be from 1.24 to 1.27+ a little - where the rim will be at the highest - even with the top of the barrel hood.

If it is too low, I have to go to 1.27+

Is this correct??

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Archangel, I must have been holding back the slide some or I just don't know what happened, because I made some more (duds this time) with varying OAL's from 1.23" to 1.27" tried them and they worked fine. The original ones (1.25") shot with no feed problems - and the variance was .02" (hundredths, not thousandths).

Yeah, sorry about that. I'm so used to seeing the OAL for the 45 Auto with 3 digits behind the decimal point I saw it there too! .02" is a big difference from .002" alright and will be noticeable.

 

[av8usn]

My load for .45 ACP 230 grain ball; 5.4 grains Unique, C.O.L 1.22", Federal LPP. Good Power factor, and small Standard Dev. Shoot in G36, S&W 1911, STI 1911, S&W JM 625 and SA XD-S. Have used for lead cast, Montana Gold, Precision Delta and plan to use (or slightly lower the charge) with Bayou Bullets.

 

[4barrel]

45

Just starting to handload for 45 ACP (Gold Cup NM). Only previous experience is 38 Special/357.

Got a nice box of 200G SWC Target from Penn Bullets. Bob says, start at 1.25" OAL with .469" crimp.

I assembled a few and they didn't seem to feed as easily as regular hardball rounds when I worked the action .

When I shot them - they fed and ejected fine.

I have a few 200G SWC rounds made by a friend (very similar to Penn) - they fed very easy as I worked the action. They have an OAL of 1.27". I assembled a few more Penn's with an AOL of 1.27". They fed better. There doesn't seem to be much specific information on increasing or decreasing the OAL.
What are the OAL limits?

All u need is a Lyman reloading manual.

 

[Skip Sackett]

The comments above are spot on and all I can add is this: When loading for length with a SWC you can get an OAL by taking your BALL ammo and setting the seating die using one as a template. Then, seat your SWC with that same setting.

THEORETICALLY the bullet will hit the chamber in the same spot regardless of the bullet shape. Now, the only caveat is that it still needs to fit in the magazine and the chamber as you have done in your pictures, which, by the way, is the BEST way to gauge YOUR ammo, using YOUR chamber as the gauge!

 

[Moonman]

I have some 45 ACP " Bill Wilson Signature Load 200 Grain LSWC MATCH" loaded ammo.

It's 1.250 OAL, .470 Taper Crimp. Wilson Brass.

875 FPS from 5" barrel.(advertised) I have not personally put the Chrono to it.