.45 semi wadcutter locking up the slide

[SASFixer]

How much of the front driving band is sticking out of the cartridge case mouth? I have seen this happen several times. barrels with a long lead can be a problem if the bullet engages the taper before full battery is achieved. Those shooting "blue" bullets in Glocks "run and gun" where a bunch of rounds are fired rapidly. The chamber heats up enough to melt the blue paint, when the barrel cools, the bullet is glued into the barrel lead thus locking up the action. Seating the bullets in the case .010 deeper usually fixes the issue.

Mike0231 has a great illustration of not so right and the one on the right that is done right. Also insure that the case expansion done for seating is removed with a taper crimp die. You can pinch the round between thumb and forefinger the case should be a continuous taper from the head to the case mouth the belling should be gone.

 

[Rick H.]

Good quality case gauges are a helpful addition to any serious reloader and there are some really nice ones available these days. They can tell you a lot if you take the time to use them.
Sheridan makes some really nice gauges and are my go-to ones currently.
Rick H.

 

[Buzzzer]

Same thing happened to me with my USP. My own reloads with lead coated 230 grain RN. I had to seat the bullets deeper to prevent this issue. I can't imagine trying to pull this off with SWC bullets...

 

[Forrest r]

Oal's are meaningless.

It's common for the current firearms manufacturers omit 1 step in the bbl making process. Namely throating the bbl. This bbl has not had a throating reamer used on it.

Same bbl that is now throated

The throat affects where the full diameter (.451"/.452") of the bullet hits/sits. The plunk test is showing how to find the correct seating depth for the specific bullet your using. I seat my cast bullets so they look like the "normal" headspace.

3 different cast bullets that I cast/shoot. If you look closely you will see that all 3 have the same amount of shoulder/.452" body of the bullet above the case mouth.

Same firearm, 3 different bullets, 3 different oal's. But they have the same amount of .452" bullet body above the case mouth. Doing ladder testing using 4.0gr og clays and 4.3gr of clays @ 50ft 5-shot groups.

My 1911/45acp really liked the 4.3gr load of clays. All 3 bullets did 5-shot groups under 1" @ 50ft.

 

[Rule3]

Thanks, Rule3, I normally do not shoot other people's reloads but this was the exception to that rule. It was my shooting partner's reloads and I had seen him shoot 100s of them from his Kimber. Additionally, he was a meticulous reloader. He and I often swapped our .38 and 9mm loads.

Thats all fine and dandy but another topic.

Without seeing a picture of you loaded cartridge it's hard to tell.
Plunk test and case gauges have nothing to do with your issue. It is how the round it feeding into the barrel. As I and others mentioned it is the OAL.
I went through the same issue with my Sig P220, it was a just a hair deeper that made a difference,
SWC is semi autos was such a PITA that I just went with RNFP, they make just as good a hole in paper and do not have to fiddle with them for other guns.

 

[FatDogEarl]

I agree, Rule3, I think they're not feeding into the barrel properly.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

A friend of mine gave me 400 rounds of .45 SWC, which ran fine in his Kimber. I know the overall length of these bullets are dead on. I tried shooting them in my H&K USP 45

The chamber on your H&K is tighter than your friend's Kimber.

You did a Plunk Test?

 

[FatDogEarl]

Where can I get a cleaner pic of the headspace illustration you posted, Forrest R?

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

… I have 390 rounds of this ammo.

Do you have another .45 ACP pistol to shoot them in?

Otherwise I would return them to your buddy. I'm a reloader and I knew a lot of people who reloaded and some of them had no shop skills. JMHO

 

[Yendor357]

For pity sake, would you chrono them already? lol

Might be your magazine.

But chrono them first. H&Ks are set up for 45 Super right out of the box, I've been told.

I agree it would be a shame to toss those.

A. Send them to me.
B. Buy a 625.
C. Pull them apart, start over. Colossal pain in the lower back. I've done it several times.

Did I mention that you should chrono them? Turn the unknown to the known. One less variable….

 

[FatDogEarl]

No, I don't have another .45, SGT ROCK, and my old partner has quit shooting (long sad story). I'm going to give them to the range officer at my shooting club along with a caution of potential problem.

I hate to admit it Yendor357 but I don't have a chromo .... yet.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

B. Buy a 625.

I like that ideal. .45 ACP revolvers are the best of both worlds.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

No, I don't have another .45, SGT ROCK, and my old partner has quit shooting (long sad story).

Earl, eventually we will outlive all our shooting and hunting buddies. Aging has a lot of sad stories. Take care, Sarge

 

[mikld]

Do the offending cartridges pass the plunk test?

 

[Forrest r]

Where can I get a cleaner pic of the headspace illustration you posted, Forrest R?

Do a internet search ("plunk test")
All sorts of info, video's, and pictures will come up.
Or, right click on the plunk test pictures I posted and select save image as. Then open the image and make it larger.

IMHO,
The bullet's shoulder is sticking out too far and is being jammed into the bbl when the slide closes. This locks the pistol up when you try to eject the live round. The plunk test (far right in picture) where the bottom of the case is sticking out above the end of the barrel will confirm this.

 

[Rule3]

Good grief can you post a picture or if not just re seat them a little deeper?

 

[bigggbbruce]

Where can I get a cleaner pic of the headspace illustration you posted, Forrest R?

I don't know, that's about the best pictures and descriptions I've seen.

I bought a spare barrel for my 1076. Would not chamber the round I use with the other barrel. The ogive hit the lands.
Stopped by my local gunsmith, 5 minutes with a reamer and he handed it back, no charge.

In these pictures you can see lead sitting on the case ledge.

I'm lucky, the guns I'm loading for don't mind this ammont. Some guns will lock up.

 

[FatDogEarl]

I think you have solved the riddle, ForrestR, and yes, the older I get the more old friends I lose. I miss them all :-(

 

[randy86314]

I'll pile on. Who gives away ammo.
I don't shoot other people's ammo, not even range brass. I gots to know that the powder charge is OK.
When I change anything in my reloading sequence, especially bullets or crimp, I do the plunk test and feeding test from a magazine.

 

[FatDogEarl]

You nailed it Forrest R. I did the plunk test with one of the SWC that gave me the lockup and a plunk test with a factory Federal Hollow Point. The SWC seats significantly higher.

 

[Forrest r]

Please keep in mind you'll always have friends here on this forum.

Glad you tested your reloads and found what was giving you issues.

 

[FatDogEarl]

Thanks you so much for saying that Forrest r. I'm touched.

 

[chief38]

I have personally witnessed my friends high end and expensive Ed Brown 1911 that would only reliably feed factory 230 grain ball ammo. We were up at my buddy's hunting cabin and all 4 of us had our 1911's with us. 2 of us had Colt Gold Cups and one guy had a Colt Gov't model. The Ed Brown would not feed two rounds in a row of any ammo except his factory 230 grain, Remington Ball FMJ which it did feed OK with most of the time. He sent it back to the factory (twice) and they finally fixed it so it would work somewhat reliably with ammo other than the Ball type. They told him that Ed Browns are built to very tight spec's and stated in the instructions to only use factory ammo for reliable feeding. Yes, his Ed Brown was a very finely made, precise and accurate pistol, however my Colt Gold Cup shoots just as well and feeds all my reloads without a hitch.

I have also seen a few auto loaders that have trouble feeding certain sharp shaped bullets even if technically within spec. That is why it is so important to test carry loads extensively before choosing one for SD and test target loads before going into a pistol match.

 

[Tupperware]

There are exceptions to everything and in some rare instances a Lee factory crimp die may be needed, but generally if you're doing everything right, a taper crimp die is best. Crimp just enough (and no more) to prevent bullet movement under recoil and chambering.

Not picking on anybody, but I disagree that crimp in any way should be relied upon to hold bullets from movement, unless said bullet has a cannelure or crimping groove. In the case of your ammo, neither exists. Properly resized brass is more than sufficient to hold a bullet in place. I'd suggest crimping to .473" and no more.

If memory serves, which gets questionable as i age out, one of the # 68 design purposes was to replicate the contact points of a 230 rn to help ensure reliable feeding seated at a certain col in 5 in 1911's. Gonna agree with others, the bullet is seated too long (relatively way too long). With the original design, have used 1.250-1.257 col. A lot also depends on the specific pistol. Especially since there are numerous other types of 45 acp manufacturers.

zeke has it. Set OAL such that the edge of your bullet contacts feed ramp in the same place that a 230 gr round nose hits.

 

[rockquarry]

Not picking on anybody, but I disagree that crimp in any way should be relied upon to hold bullets from movement, unless said bullet has a cannelure or crimping groove. In the case of your ammo, neither exists. Properly resized brass is more than sufficient to hold a bullet in place. I'd suggest crimping to .473" and no more.

zeke has it. Set OAL such that the edge of your bullet contacts feed ramp in the same place that a 230 gr round nose hits.

I agree with you that the properly sized case should prevent bullet movement, but a slight taper crimp is just a little added insurance and does not denigrate accuracy in any way. Always do what has proven best for you.

 

[RebCop]

The chamber appears to be tighter than your friends gun. Try running them through a taper crimp die. That works for me.

 

[Juan Million]

Like others I suspect a little deeper seating would be something to try. Long ago it was suggested to me that a finger nails width from case rim to top of shoulder may solve the problem.

 

[BillyKframe]

I use H&G #68s and and in my Colt Competition they are seated 1.234. For my old Remington Rand 1911A1 they seat 1.255. They both pass the plunk test in those respective barrels so I'm inclined to think the seating depth, at least for #68s depends on the gun.

 

[CV66]

The magazines on your HK what sort of follower shape does it have; flat or rounded? Wonder what that Kimbers magazine had. Anyway, I read somewhere a long time ago that if the ammo you have is not feeding in your 45auto, you should try a magazine with a differently shaped follower. Maybe that's not possible with your HK, so I agree with adjusting the OAL to get that center of balance where it needs to be.

 

[Motown_Ron]

Good quality case gauges are a helpful addition to any serious reloader and there are some really nice ones available these days. They can tell you a lot if you take the time to use them.
Sheridan makes some really nice gauges and are my go-to ones currently.
Rick H.

Fat Dog:
I couldn't agree with you more! I use the gauges from the L.E. Wilson Co., which are EXCELLENT. (www.lewilson.com)