another .45 acp question

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8valve4life

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i have been loading 230 grain fmj with 5.0gr win 231 seated 1.265 with zero issues.
i am now loading some 225 grain DRG lead fp projectiles (no info on reloading for this), i am going to start with 5.0 grains of win 231 seated 1.245.

the question is, when i drop the complete round into the barrel the case rim sits slightly above the tab on the top of the barrel, (sorry for bad terminology). will this be an issue? how do i get it to sit flush? my fmj rounds sit flush, factory rounds sit below flush.

thanks for any help.
 
if you're crimping your bullets you may be applying too much crimp. Will your sized brass fit the barrel?
 
i use that bullet with 4.1/4.3 gr of clays, shoots well out of 4 dif 45s. you may have to seat deeper. my loa's vary from 1.200/1.255. 231 @ 5.6 , BE @ 4.6/4.8 , are both good aswell . clays gives a softer recoil & also works well with drg 250 with 3.5/3.8 @ 1.160/1.180, all crimped @ .468
 
I am loading for a norinco 1911 if that helps. I tried to seat as low as 1.200 it did not seem to help. Is it unsafe to fire like this. I will also take apart rounds to lower powder level as I am seating much deeper and would rather have a soft load to start than a over charge.
 
Just some advice for you. When ever I start with a new bullet I ALWAYS make a dummy round (no primer or powder) to ensure I completely understand the required bullet seating depth and OAL. I then look through and establish safe loads to start from with the powder I want to use. Never assume! I learnt the hardway and now always follow my advice. Each bullet may be manufactured slightly different and cause the OAL length to be different.

My $0.02
 
as mentioned above you should always fit a new bullet with dummies. one of mine is a norc stock barrel ,loa 2.255. the rd should drop in, fall out. you need a case gauge. are your cases bulging, have you flared the mouth, is the chamber clean, you might try a Lee fac crimp die , but that shouldn't be necess . if you want a nice soft load: drg 200 with 3.5 BE, 3.5 Clays, 4.5 231. keep @ it /good luck.
 
I have loaded thousands of fmj with no issues. My hornady 7th edition only lists 230gr lrn, start load with win 231 is 4.9 max 6.2. Seated 1.265 That is why I was planning on starting with 5 gr. I have never loaded lead before. Is it possible that they need more crip (yes I have been crimping with the lee factory crimp die) crimped to .470
I will try some seated to below 1.200. But how low can you seat a bullet? I will also drop charge down to 4.5 gr of 231.
 
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Keep in mind some magazines don't like the shorter overall length. For years my Wilsons loved a 1.245" OAL, I changed shooting disciplines required different magazines and had to go with a 1.255" OAL for flawless functioning.
 
Reguardless of which bullet you are using it has to be seated deep enough to allow the slide to go into full battery(closed).
Ensure you use enough powder to fully cycle the slide. 4.5??? might be a tad light.
A 230 grain bullet functions well with 4.9-5.1gr of 231, a 200 gr bullet functions well with 5.5 - 5.6 gr of 231.
I wouldn't go less than 4.9 the norcs need the umpf. My average year used to be 5000 rounds of 45acp. Have fun!
 
I assume that you dug out calipers or a micrometer and that the case mouth after you loaded was within spec?

If you did, sounds to me like the bullet may actually be touching the rifling, preventing the case from going any further into the chamber. Suggest you try making a dummy round with the same COAL. Take a black marker and 'paint' the bullet. Put it into the mag and feed it into the chamber. If the bullet is touching the lands, you will see it; shorten your COAL.
 
ok, made up a dummy round seated 1.245 with marker on all of exposed lead (without powder or primer of course) popped it into a mag released the slide, slid the slide back with tiny bit of resistance. the lead just at the end of the brass was now shiny. i kept doing this with new projectiles till the shine went away, bullet ended up being seated at 1.200 (with no crimp) and the round now sits flush/just a hair below flush with barrel.
thanks to all that helped out, the marker trick was mint.
 
tgt40 said:
if you're crimping your bullets you may be applying too much crimp. Will your sized brass fit the barrel?
Click to expand...
Whoa! I just finished 100 rounds to replace what I shot today and neither batch is crimped. I was always led to believe that crimping .45 auto was a no-no because the case headspaces on the case mouth. Please correct me if I'm wrong!:eek:
 
i still need to iron out what load i am gonna start with, 4.? or straight off at 5.0
I use the taper crimp to return the case to the straight condition (de-belling what the expander die did), I do not use a taper crimp to adjust bullet retention
 
'Taper' crimp is a confusing term. If you think of crimping a .30-30, the neck of the case suddenly gets pushed in. That's not the case here.

8valve4life is right. A taper crimp, the way I look at it, is just putting the case mouth back to the same diameter as it was when it came out of the sizing die. You generally have to put a bell into the case mouth to allow the bullet to seat properly. What holds the bullet in place is not the crimp, but the slightly-too-narrow neck squeezing it in place.
 
ATOM, after i fed and ejected a round at 1.200 there was a light dimpling from the rifling, should i seat a tad bit more or will this be ok?
 
If it's feeding and chambering and firing OK, it should be fine. The problem, as you have noticed, is that if the bullet is touching the lands to any significant degree, the round will not chamber fully and the pistol is quite likely not going into battery. If you are having problems, drop it another 1/100th or so.

SAAMI specs are 1.190" minimum and 1.275" maximum, but every pistol has its own tastes, of course. My 230gr FMJs are 1.25" COAL, using Remington slugs. If I had to guess, it's possible that your pistol has the lands a bit more proud just in front of the chamber than mine or the bullets you are using might have a slightly different profile.
 
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