First .45 ACP batch. Did I do it right?

[Polish-Jack]

Made my first batch of 50 .45 ACP using 230 Gr. 0.452" LRN and 4.4gr of Win 231 with a COL of 1.200". I found this recipe on the Hodgdon Data Center (http://data.hodgdon.com). The bullets look a little deep seated to me and thats why I am posting.

Do these bullets look right?

http://imgur.com/0mV52l&RtAfv


Why does the site recommend a COL of 1.200"? Why not just seat the bullet at the spec length of 1.260"?

 

[blacksmithden]

They look fine to me, but you might want to crimp the edge of the case to avoid any feeding problems. Congrats on your first batch !!! Welcome to the dark side. Now you can spend just as much money, if not more than before and shoot WAY WAY WAY more

 

[TGC]

put it beside a factory and see if it looks right

 

[tigrr]

Most data in books say "minimum" over all length. You can seat them out till they won't fit in your mag.

 

[IDPACONVERT]

Taper crimp die for semi-auto pistol loads, I've always found them very helpful.

 

[Zeb]

Now you need to invest in a chrono or locate somebody with one to test your reloads.

 

[bear.23]

Now you need to invest in a chrono or locate somebody with one to test your reloads.

Silly question.. what is a chrony gonna tell him?

The speed of the bullet is irrelevant if they are over, pressure, or don't fly well..

Ballistics like that have no value until he is looking to get into IPSC and is needing to check his Power Factor..



first things first do they shoot well?

are the accurate...

have you experimented with length.. your mags your gun...

A generalized load is fine but the joy of reloading is that you can customize to your requirements...

 

[Canuck44]

Your bullets look fine. Your load is quite light. I have never gone below 5 gr of 231 with my 220 gr lead bullets. They run at 710 fps on avg over my Chrono with a PF of 151. If you increase your powder charge to 5.1 gr you will make PF of 167 which works for IDPA and IPSC. Out of my 1911's I get a STandard Dviation of 8 which is pretty consistent. I load the Lyman out to 1.272 OAL. This works for that bullet.

With regards to your crimp, all you want to do is remove the belling from the case and othing more. IF you try to roll crimp your cases using a bullet without a crimp groove you run the risk of reducing the amount of friction generated by the case to hold the bullet in place.

To calculate the max OAL of any cartrdige/bullet combo:

1. Remove the barrel from your gun.
2. Measure the length of the bullet you are going to use.
3. Drop the bullet into the chamber of your barrel
4. Measure from the base of the bullet to the top of the barrel hood where the case normally sits flush.
5. Add the two measurments together.
6. Back off a few thousandths of an inch and that will be the max OAL of the cartridge for that gun using that bullet. Check to see a cartridge of that length will load in your mags (Should do but it is worth checking).

Remember maximum cartridge OAL will be determined by the chamber length of your gun and the bullet olgive. Two bullets weighing the same and with similar design may have different olgives which may allow one bullet to be seated shallower than another in the case and still chamber in your gun.

Take Care

Bob

 

[curtmg]

 

[just having some fun]

my win 14 edition lists 230g LRN 231 4.5g min 765 fps -- and 5.1g max at 870fps
some other books will list lower and higher numbers and it will also depend on how hard the lead is and / case/ primer/ crimp and how accurate you scale is/ lot of powder

you need a 0.010" tapper crimp at the mouth, it is how the 45acp was designed
(compare your reload to a factory round)

and check in removed barrel if rim is higher than barrel it is too long and it has to fit in mag
min charge and just a 10th (4.6g of 231 and 230g lrn) more should make major in a 5" barrel untill you can chrono your load and adjust it for function and PF

 

[Polish-Jack]

Thanks for all the input guys. Will be going to the range on Saturday to try them out.

 

[Ganderite]

The bullet has a straight shank and then a tapered nose. The shortest you can seat the bullet is so that just a tiny bit of the straight shank is showing. Then you taper crimp onto that. This length will vary from bullet to bullet.

The longest you can seat a bullet is determined by either your chamber throat or the magazine. If you are going to stick with that bullet, seat it much longer, so it won't fit the mag, and then seat deeper and deeper until it does. Note that length. That is your mag length. It will be a similar length for other round nosed bullets, too. Flat points, like semi wad cutters will have to be seated a little deeper than that.

Then take one of these max mag rounds and chamber it. Did the slide close all the way? Eject the round and see if there is a mark all the way around the bullet, near the case mouth, from the chamber throat.

If so, seat bullets deeper and deeper until this marking stops. That is your true max length. You can now use any length between this max and the previous munimum, determined by where the straight shank stops.

I would then load 25 long, 25 short and 25 of something in between and see if one shoots much better or if one feeds much better.

Then try that length at 5.0 gr and 5.3gr of powder.

This is called load development. You might be shocked at how much these variables can impact groups and functioning.

Your round looks a little shorter and a bit milder than what I would use.

Welcome to reloading. A wonderful extra dimension to shooting.

I have just finished a similar test for my Colt Commander. I found that only a slight section of bullet shank can show above the case mouth before the bullet hits the chamber throat, so I have very little choice of OAL.

When I tried different powder choices, I found it grouped much better with a mild charge of powder. I had almost given up on it, since most 20 yard groups were the size of my hat until I tried a new powder and started with very mild loads and worked up. A charge just a bit more than the minimum required to work the action shot the best. In the picture you can see what a difference a half grain of powder makes with this gun.