issues with feeding reloads

medic0079 · January 16, 2009, 09:07 PM

Got a little problem, may be fixing it as we speak, but maybe someone with more experience than me could put some insight into the issue. have been casting and reloading for 45l/c for a couple of months now, have loaded at lead 2000+ rounds, as i just finished off my second box of 1000 primers. no problems, using a lee 255 grain .452 aluminum cast. am not resizing the bullets, as lee website said it was not needed. using lee liquid alox lube, in a pan, shaken over bullets, and tumbled around, 24 hours dry time. in the 45 l/c revolver have had no problems of any kind, other than the occasional extra lead shearing off the bullet as it is pressed into the case. did not factory crimp these. So I swapped over to 45 ACP for my pt 1911. loaded my first 200 rounds, using the left over .452's listed above. was planning on getting a rn 230g mold next paycheck. everything was fine, until I went to go shoot. first 2 rounds cycled fine, squeeze trigger go bang ETC. loaded them one at a time into mag, then cycled into gun. checked for overpressure etc... everything seemed fine, next round stuck in the chamber, and would not close all the way. manually pulled back the slide (took a lot of force) then tried again, about every third round or so it seemed like it was too big to fully chamber. So I drove my disappointed butt down to the local reloading shop, and bought a factory crimp die. never used one but followed the instructions, and crimped all the rounds, seemed to hand cycle OK now, but have not shot it yet. I also purchased a bullet size/lube die set online today. figured if it wasnt the crimp maybe my bullets needed sized prior to loading. Am I thinking right, or is there something I'm missing. thanks for the help.

Hawg · January 16, 2009, 09:16 PM

I use a 255 gr. Keith SWC in my 1911. I have to seat the bullets down to the very edge of the shoulder or they won't feed through the mag. Generally bullets cast from Lee molds don't need sizing. I have 9 or 10 Lee molds and I size none of them. However if you use very hard lead it will come out of the mold oversize as hard lead doesn't shrink as much as soft lead when it cools.

medic0079 · January 16, 2009, 09:23 PM

not a feed from the mag problem, they start to chamber fine, they will not close in the chamber.

Ranger61 · January 16, 2009, 09:34 PM

The symptom that you describe is usually the result of not removing the case mouth flare completely after seating the bullets. It requires very careful adjustment of the seating die to push the flare lips of the case with the crimp section at the same time as seating the bullet. Revolvers are much more tolerant because they headspace on the rim but auto cartridges headspace on the mouth of the case so if even a tiny flare remains the case mouth scraps the chamber and will not chamber the last fraction of an inch. For my autos I always run them through the Lee factory crimp die before testing the chamber fit if the finished rounds.

Slamfire · January 16, 2009, 09:45 PM

For a standard .452" 230 LRN, I taper crimp the case mouth to .469" in diameter. My OAL is 1.250" (plus or minus a little)

functions fine in three M1911's.

medic0079 · January 16, 2009, 10:35 PM

measured mine all within those specs, OAL is actually a little shorter, not much though, as stated I duplicated a factory round for OAL. hopefully these will all chamber OK since i did the factory crimp. thank you all very much for the advice/help
Noah

F. Guffey · January 16, 2009, 11:50 PM

Medic0079, I have a P90 45ACP that likes new ammo, I use a full length carbide sizer die as a crimp die when I load for that pistol, the ammo I load for that pistol works flawlessly in my 1911s, crimping with the sizer is like crimping with case support, the loaded ammo is uniform and accurate.

I know it is said there is spring back and bullet crush without recovery? when crimping, I have no problem with bullet hold, the bullet does not move when it hits the ram or through recoil and the bullet bulge in the case is eliminated.

I have discussed this with friends that have been loading for 35 years, one loaded 200 rounds and met me at the range, I told him I would try the reloads buy I knew they would not work, and they didn't. I took 100 rounds home and ran them through the sizer die, went back to the range and shoot all of them without a hitch.

F. Guffey

January 16, 2009, 09:07 PM	#1
medic0079 Member Join Date: November 21, 2008 Location: Gainesville FL Posts: 40	issues with feeding reloads Got a little problem, may be fixing it as we speak, but maybe someone with more experience than me could put some insight into the issue. have been casting and reloading for 45l/c for a couple of months now, have loaded at lead 2000+ rounds, as i just finished off my second box of 1000 primers. no problems, using a lee 255 grain .452 aluminum cast. am not resizing the bullets, as lee website said it was not needed. using lee liquid alox lube, in a pan, shaken over bullets, and tumbled around, 24 hours dry time. in the 45 l/c revolver have had no problems of any kind, other than the occasional extra lead shearing off the bullet as it is pressed into the case. did not factory crimp these. So I swapped over to 45 ACP for my pt 1911. loaded my first 200 rounds, using the left over .452's listed above. was planning on getting a rn 230g mold next paycheck. everything was fine, until I went to go shoot. first 2 rounds cycled fine, squeeze trigger go bang ETC. loaded them one at a time into mag, then cycled into gun. checked for overpressure etc... everything seemed fine, next round stuck in the chamber, and would not close all the way. manually pulled back the slide (took a lot of force) then tried again, about every third round or so it seemed like it was too big to fully chamber. So I drove my disappointed butt down to the local reloading shop, and bought a factory crimp die. never used one but followed the instructions, and crimped all the rounds, seemed to hand cycle OK now, but have not shot it yet. I also purchased a bullet size/lube die set online today. figured if it wasnt the crimp maybe my bullets needed sized prior to loading. Am I thinking right, or is there something I'm missing. thanks for the help.

January 16, 2009, 09:16 PM	#2
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,189	I use a 255 gr. Keith SWC in my 1911. I have to seat the bullets down to the very edge of the shoulder or they won't feed through the mag. Generally bullets cast from Lee molds don't need sizing. I have 9 or 10 Lee molds and I size none of them. However if you use very hard lead it will come out of the mold oversize as hard lead doesn't shrink as much as soft lead when it cools.

January 16, 2009, 09:23 PM	#3
medic0079 Member Join Date: November 21, 2008 Location: Gainesville FL Posts: 40	not a feed from the mag problem, they start to chamber fine, they will not close in the chamber.

January 16, 2009, 09:34 PM	#4
Ranger61 Senior Member Join Date: September 3, 2004 Posts: 213	The symptom that you describe is usually the result of not removing the case mouth flare completely after seating the bullets. It requires very careful adjustment of the seating die to push the flare lips of the case with the crimp section at the same time as seating the bullet. Revolvers are much more tolerant because they headspace on the rim but auto cartridges headspace on the mouth of the case so if even a tiny flare remains the case mouth scraps the chamber and will not chamber the last fraction of an inch. For my autos I always run them through the Lee factory crimp die before testing the chamber fit if the finished rounds.

January 16, 2009, 09:45 PM	#5
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	For a standard .452" 230 LRN, I taper crimp the case mouth to .469" in diameter. My OAL is 1.250" (plus or minus a little) functions fine in three M1911's.

January 16, 2009, 10:35 PM	#6
medic0079 Member Join Date: November 21, 2008 Location: Gainesville FL Posts: 40	measured mine all within those specs, OAL is actually a little shorter, not much though, as stated I duplicated a factory round for OAL. hopefully these will all chamber OK since i did the factory crimp. thank you all very much for the advice/help Noah

January 16, 2009, 11:50 PM	#7
F. Guffey Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2008 Posts: 7,249	Medic0079, I have a P90 45ACP that likes new ammo, I use a full length carbide sizer die as a crimp die when I load for that pistol, the ammo I load for that pistol works flawlessly in my 1911s, crimping with the sizer is like crimping with case support, the loaded ammo is uniform and accurate. I know it is said there is spring back and bullet crush without recovery? when crimping, I have no problem with bullet hold, the bullet does not move when it hits the ram or through recoil and the bullet bulge in the case is eliminated. I have discussed this with friends that have been loading for 35 years, one loaded 200 rounds and met me at the range, I told him I would try the reloads buy I knew they would not work, and they didn't. I took 100 rounds home and ran them through the sizer die, went back to the range and shoot all of them without a hitch. F. Guffey