.45 cast bullet reload not working well

Sounds like OAL to me too. Or you've seated too deeply and the case has a wee bulge.
You should never use a roll crimp for .45 ACP. Takes out the headspace entirely. Taper crimp only. And just a wee bit of taper crimp. There's no actual diameter measurement, but you'll see a tiny, shiney, ring on the case mouth that's about a 32nd or so wide.
 
If you have venner calipers here is an easy way to figure out the maximum seating depth for any bullet for any pistol.

1. Remove your barrel
2. Measure the length of your bullet you are going to use.
3. Drop the bullet into the chamber and measure from the base of the bullet to the spot where the case sits flush with the barrel hood.
4. Add the two measurements together and subtract a few thousandths to allow for hobby press variations in bullet seating.
5. Check to see if a loaded cartridge will load in your magazines at that length. If not back off until the cartridge will load in the magazine.

At the range check to see if bartridge will cycle freely in your gun. It should.

Take care

Bob
 
I keep the barrel of the 45 next to me on the reloading bench. I do a "plonk: test every 10 rounds or so. I don't bother to trim the cases and just sort by headstamp and by roughly the number of firings. I doesn't take much to over or under crimp with lead bullets if the case length varies a bit.

Jacketed bullets load differently (easier) than lead bullets.
 
The lee 230 gr mold is a slightly different profile than standard jacketed ball and needs to be loaded to a shorter OAL than a jacketed bullet. I don't recall the exact number, but it is quite a bit shorter.
 
update, after checking further the oa length was the biggest issue, with the different bullrt nose profile it allowed the length to increase 0.025 longer and I was reloading to maximum anyway, I did change to 0.020 shorter than spec. sizing the lead to .451 dia and now dummy rounds feed have to build some and head to the range.

thanks for the assistance
 
For lead bullets now yo have the OAL right go back to sizing .452. You will see less leading due to gas cutting and accuracy should improve.

Take Care

Bob
 
I load several different bullets for a variety of different 45s. The SIG requires bullets to be seated the deepest, so I make all ammo to fit the SIG and it then fits everything else.

When you look at a round loaded with a lead bullet, you can usually see a short section of bullet shank showing above the case, before the ogive starts. With the SIG, only the slightest shank can be showing. With my Smith, I can have a tenth of an inch.

The more shank you see above the case mouth, the greater the risk of the bullet hitting the rifling - and failing the plunk test.
 
HeVGunner said:
The lee 230 gr mold is a slightly different profile than standard jacketed ball and needs to be loaded to a shorter OAL than a jacketed bullet. I don't recall the exact number, but it is quite a bit shorter.
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With the lee I don't size and tumble lube only, then I seat them with just a hint, maybe a 16th" of the first band out of the case, just to give the case mouth some support and a bit of a....whatchacallit...a surface to strike against on feeding rather than the case mouth (The JR Carbine likes to shred cases otherwise).

They plunk/plonk well, and feed decently.

I've had real problems with the Lee 200Gr SWC bullet, probably due to the large step between the front band and the base of the cone. Only feeds well in 1 pistol. failure to feeds terribly in my Remington R1 for some reason.
 
Mark-II said:
With the lee I don't size and tumble lube only, then I seat them with just a hint, maybe a 16th" of the first band out of the case, just to give the case mouth some support and a bit of a....whatchacallit...a surface to strike against on feeding rather than the case mouth (The JR Carbine likes to shred cases otherwise).

They plunk/plonk well, and feed decently.

I've had real problems with the Lee 200Gr SWC bullet, probably due to the large step between the front band and the base of the cone. Only feeds well in 1 pistol. failure to feeds terribly in my Remington R1 for some reason.
Click to expand...

Have a 'smith clean up the feed tamp on your R1 and it will feed just fine. My CZ97B will only feed RN bullets for the sa,e reason LSWC won't feed.

Take Care

Bob
 
Canuck44 said:
Have a 'smith clean up the feed tamp on your R1 and it will feed just fine. My CZ97B will only feed RN bullets for the sa,e reason LSWC won't feed.

Take Care

Bob
Click to expand...

Ach, I hate those bullets anyway ;)

This one seems to jam with the bullet sitting on top of the mag. Any mag. Not half way into the chamber or anything. Same issue?

I had wondered if the shorter bullets were riding forward in the mags and not getting hit right by the slide, or popping out during recoil. Hadn't thought about the feed ramp...

I notice that the R1 has a weaker recoil spring than my Ruger. I've heard Ruger factory springs are 18lb. If I shoot my plated (Glock) loads in the R1 I can feel the slide slapping the frame. I've ordered a stouter spring for it.

Now I've dragged this completely off topic..
 
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