New bench pic, plus a newb .45 bullet question

GuitarsAndGuns · May 13, 2012, 07:05 PM

Hi all. First up I just wanted to show a pic of my new bench I built. My old one was plywood and 2X4's and it just looked bad in the house. I built this one out of solid oak, stained and oiled. Took me a week and I think it looks pretty good and it is very solid. Turned out pretty nice for only having a cheap jigsaw and cordless drill for power tools. Anyway, I had to show it to someone.

To get to the point, here is my question. I have some lead .45 bullets I am trying to reload. They have a lip on them, you can see it on the photo. Is the bullet meant to be pressed to the end of the lip? If so the OAL will be short. If it doesn't matter, why would it be there. I cycled a mag through my Colts and they seemed to feed fine, but one got caught up in my Springfield which normally works great. The loaded one in the pic has an OAL of 1.272. The bullets are Precision Delta. I also had feeding problems with their FMJ .45 ACP, but there .38/.357 has been great. Sorry for the newb question, but I haven't been reloading for very long, and this is the first batch of .45 lead I have tried.

south.texas.dead.I · May 13, 2012, 09:55 PM

I'm not positive but I know my cast .40 swc bullets arent set up to the lip. There's a little bit of room between the lip and crimp.

Living another day
To CRUSH another clay

j357 · May 13, 2012, 10:38 PM

Leave the lip exposed. The round looks good. Measure a few a cycle them then measure again to see if you get any set back from hitting the rifling. You may want to try 1.26, 1.265 and 1.27 just to see if your gun likes them a little shorter as well. With the 45 ACP its basically what your gun will reliably shoot.

Nice bench!

aiming fluid · May 14, 2012, 02:07 AM

First off the bench looks fantastic! Great job and excellent craftsmanship.

As to the round in question, it looks a tad long to me. I would try loading it a bit deeper, maybe to 1.260 or there abouts. Remember 1.275 is considered max length. Most fmj's and lead round nose feed well from 1.25-1.265 in my experience.

Also the bullet appears to be seated slightly ajar or canted. I had this issue early on with 45's and fixed it with lymans m-die expander and reddings competition seating die, followed up with the lee factory crimp die. Works for me and probably not the cheapest fix. What die set are you using?

rebs · May 14, 2012, 06:40 AM

The bench looks great.
I agree the bullet does look like it is not straight in the case.

jaguarxk120 · May 14, 2012, 08:35 AM

My Lyman handbook lists the 45 ACP as 1.275" as maximum Col.
Checking two loaded rounds, a 1990 WCC Match round is at 1.267" and a Evansvill Ordnance Plant round from 1943 measure's out at 1.267", these are FMG bullets.

Adamantium · May 14, 2012, 09:09 AM

The best answer on OAL is... it depends. For me and my 45 I could probably shoot that cartridge just fine, some would make it shorter and maybe a few could get away with it being longer. But the only important thing is that it cycles in your gun, not anyone elses.

Accurates manual sums up OAL best when it says...

SPECIAL NOTE ON CARTRIDGE OVERALL LENGTH “COL”
It is important to note that the SAAMI “COL” values are for the firearms and ammunition manufacturers industry and must be seen as a guideline only. The individual reloader is free to adjust this dimension to suit their particular firearm-component-weapon combination. This parameter is determined by various dimensions such as
1) magazine length (space),
2) freebore-lead dimensions of the barrel,
3) ogive or profile of the projectile and
4) position of cannelure or crimp groove.

Or in plain english all the OAL recommendations floating around are not hard/fast rules. If it doesn't feed and function in your gun it doesn't matter. Make a dozen or so cartridges and see if they hand cycle in your gun, then take them to the range and see if they shoot fine. If it works there is no reason to change it. If they have problems try a bit shorter and see if it helps.

mikld · May 14, 2012, 11:27 AM

Seat the bullet to the recommended depth noted in your reloading manual. If the shoulder (referred to above as "lip") hangs up during feeding, seat deeper.

g.willikers · May 14, 2012, 12:31 PM

Nice bench.
If any women see this, betcha' they'd think it was too good for a work bench and confiscate it.
Straighten the bullet in the case, and play around with the overall length of the loaded rounds, and all will probably be well.

zippy13 · May 15, 2012, 03:56 PM

Quote:

The bench looks great.
I agree the bullet does look like it is not straight in the case.

My thought, too -- the bullet looks cocked and the case rippled.

GuitarsAndGuns · May 15, 2012, 04:34 PM

Thanks to everyone for all the replies and advice, it is very much appreciated. The bullet in the picture is straight. The pic was taken outside and apparently the sunlight made it look crooked. I had to go back and check it myself the first time I saw it. Thanks again!

res45 · May 15, 2012, 05:06 PM

Often times with cast lead bullet you may need to flare the case mouth just a bit more so the bullet get a easier start as well as not crush the case.

Depending on the die set you have it may have more than one bullet seater stem,using the correct seater stem that best matches the bullets nose profile will also help guide the bullet into the case correctly.

CrustyFN · May 15, 2012, 06:13 PM

Welcome G&G. I would load that bullet the same as a SWC. I seat the bullet so that lip is around 1/32" out of the case.

May 13, 2012, 07:05 PM	#1
GuitarsAndGuns Member Join Date: April 4, 2010 Posts: 17	New bench pic, plus a newb .45 bullet question Hi all. First up I just wanted to show a pic of my new bench I built. My old one was plywood and 2X4's and it just looked bad in the house. I built this one out of solid oak, stained and oiled. Took me a week and I think it looks pretty good and it is very solid. Turned out pretty nice for only having a cheap jigsaw and cordless drill for power tools. Anyway, I had to show it to someone. To get to the point, here is my question. I have some lead .45 bullets I am trying to reload. They have a lip on them, you can see it on the photo. Is the bullet meant to be pressed to the end of the lip? If so the OAL will be short. If it doesn't matter, why would it be there. I cycled a mag through my Colts and they seemed to feed fine, but one got caught up in my Springfield which normally works great. The loaded one in the pic has an OAL of 1.272. The bullets are Precision Delta. I also had feeding problems with their FMJ .45 ACP, but there .38/.357 has been great. Sorry for the newb question, but I haven't been reloading for very long, and this is the first batch of .45 lead I have tried.

May 13, 2012, 09:55 PM	#2
south.texas.dead.I Senior Member Join Date: February 5, 2011 Posts: 282	I'm not positive but I know my cast .40 swc bullets arent set up to the lip. There's a little bit of room between the lip and crimp. Living another day To CRUSH another clay

May 13, 2012, 10:38 PM	#3
j357 Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2009 Location: Liberty Twp, OH Posts: 283	Leave the lip exposed. The round looks good. Measure a few a cycle them then measure again to see if you get any set back from hitting the rifling. You may want to try 1.26, 1.265 and 1.27 just to see if your gun likes them a little shorter as well. With the 45 ACP its basically what your gun will reliably shoot. Nice bench!

May 14, 2012, 02:07 AM	#4
aiming fluid Member Join Date: July 1, 2010 Posts: 44	First off the bench looks fantastic! Great job and excellent craftsmanship. As to the round in question, it looks a tad long to me. I would try loading it a bit deeper, maybe to 1.260 or there abouts. Remember 1.275 is considered max length. Most fmj's and lead round nose feed well from 1.25-1.265 in my experience. Also the bullet appears to be seated slightly ajar or canted. I had this issue early on with 45's and fixed it with lymans m-die expander and reddings competition seating die, followed up with the lee factory crimp die. Works for me and probably not the cheapest fix. What die set are you using?

May 14, 2012, 06:40 AM	#5
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 3,881	The bench looks great. I agree the bullet does look like it is not straight in the case.

May 14, 2012, 08:35 AM	#6
jaguarxk120 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,626	My Lyman handbook lists the 45 ACP as 1.275" as maximum Col. Checking two loaded rounds, a 1990 WCC Match round is at 1.267" and a Evansvill Ordnance Plant round from 1943 measure's out at 1.267", these are FMG bullets.

May 14, 2012, 09:09 AM	#7
Adamantium Senior Member Join Date: June 7, 1999 Location: El Paso, TX Posts: 1,021	The best answer on OAL is... it depends. For me and my 45 I could probably shoot that cartridge just fine, some would make it shorter and maybe a few could get away with it being longer. But the only important thing is that it cycles in your gun, not anyone elses. Accurates manual sums up OAL best when it says... SPECIAL NOTE ON CARTRIDGE OVERALL LENGTH “COL” It is important to note that the SAAMI “COL” values are for the firearms and ammunition manufacturers industry and must be seen as a guideline only. The individual reloader is free to adjust this dimension to suit their particular firearm-component-weapon combination. This parameter is determined by various dimensions such as 1) magazine length (space), 2) freebore-lead dimensions of the barrel, 3) ogive or profile of the projectile and 4) position of cannelure or crimp groove. Or in plain english all the OAL recommendations floating around are not hard/fast rules. If it doesn't feed and function in your gun it doesn't matter. Make a dozen or so cartridges and see if they hand cycle in your gun, then take them to the range and see if they shoot fine. If it works there is no reason to change it. If they have problems try a bit shorter and see if it helps.

May 14, 2012, 11:27 AM	#8
mikld Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2009 Location: Southern Oregon! Posts: 2,891	Seat the bullet to the recommended depth noted in your reloading manual. If the shoulder (referred to above as "lip") hangs up during feeding, seat deeper.

May 14, 2012, 12:31 PM	#9
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Nice bench. If any women see this, betcha' they'd think it was too good for a work bench and confiscate it. Straighten the bullet in the case, and play around with the overall length of the loaded rounds, and all will probably be well.

May 15, 2012, 04:34 PM	#11
GuitarsAndGuns Member Join Date: April 4, 2010 Posts: 17	Thanks to everyone for all the replies and advice, it is very much appreciated. The bullet in the picture is straight. The pic was taken outside and apparently the sunlight made it look crooked. I had to go back and check it myself the first time I saw it. Thanks again!

May 15, 2012, 05:06 PM	#12
res45 Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2007 Location: NC Posts: 753	Often times with cast lead bullet you may need to flare the case mouth just a bit more so the bullet get a easier start as well as not crush the case. Depending on the die set you have it may have more than one bullet seater stem,using the correct seater stem that best matches the bullets nose profile will also help guide the bullet into the case correctly.

May 15, 2012, 06:13 PM	#13
CrustyFN Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,258	Welcome G&G. I would load that bullet the same as a SWC. I seat the bullet so that lip is around 1/32" out of the case.