Newbie question...

mercer

mercer

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:confused:So, I rolled a hundred rounds of 45acp and used Hornaday's 230gr FMJ FP, New Win. brass and 4 grains of Bullseye. First I seated them with a OAL of1.273" and when i tried them in a mag, it was a no go. To long I suppose. So I had to get them down to 1.265" for them to fit in the mags. I don't have the pistol and I am worried about feeding issues. Should I be? The pistol is a M&P and I'm guessing if they just fit the mags they can't be too short can they?
 
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I just checked the Hodgdon sight & their data with that bullet is a C.O.L. of 1.200.
So even at 1.265 your rounds are longer than the data in the manual.

Where did you get 1.273 & 1.265 from ? Which reloading manual ??
45 ACP is a low pressure round as is somewhat forgiving but reloading is a hobby that requires following the recommended data to be safe, especially when you are starting out.

Sorry to preach but I have seen a few guns blow up in my time . The last one was a new reloader with a Glock 22 in .40 S&W where he seated the bullets way too deep to make them fit and created little grenades.
 
There are some Bullseye loads with longer OALs at http://www.handloads.org/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=45%20ACP&Weight=230&type=Handgun&Order=Powder&Source= but note the listed powder weights on that site tend to be maximum or "ideal" rather than starting loads (every gun is different to some extent).

Some people swear by the "fact" that as long as it will chamber you're ok (just a matter of what gives the best accuracy) but as colinjw says you need to be ultra cautious especially when just starting out...try to find a trusted recipe.
 
I followed the reloading data in Lyman's 3rd edition. For a 230 gr TMJ it states 1.275 as oal. And with bullseye powder the suggested starting grains is 3.8 with a max of 5.3. Obviously 1.275 is too long but your telling me your manual states 1.200? I also looked at Alliant's website which says a min oal of 1.26 with a max charge of 5.7. I guess I'll have to wait till I get the pistol and see what chambers well. I've read that you want .020" from the lands, is this acurate?
 
I don't even buy books anymore, just use the Hodgdon website data as it gets updated all the time and has a huge selection of powders and bullet data.
The one book I do have says that for your Hornady 230 grain bullet to be 1.230" in C.O.L. Your book may have a misprint, so good for you by being cautious and figuring there was a problem with it. Don't shoot anything you don't feel confident about. I have friends that have wrecked their guns by loading too hot and I make sure to learn from their mistakes.
I load 230 gr lead, round nose bullets for my 45 with 5.5 grains of Unique and a C.O.L of 1.270" which works fine for my 1911 and they cost A LOT less than the jacketed bullets.
 
Oh boy! Trial and error I suppose. Oh well I am a newb after all. I used the Lee factory crimp die, so technically not a true crimp. Does anyone know if it's o.k to seat bullets a bit more if they have been taper crimped?
 
I've seated them deeper after taper crimping, no problems. Now roll crimping.........you'd be hooped !!
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Sweet! Thanks! Just didn't want to ruin the bullets before I knew if it was ok.
 
I seat mine to 1.260 and they seat onto the lands tight enough to make extraction of a live round difficult, but produce good accuracy when fired.

I can't see how anything longer would work in a properly cut chamber.

My Wilson mags certainly allow for a lot more than that, but it's a moot point if your gun can't accept that long.
 
pontcanna said:
w ww.ammoguide.com says:

45 ACP SPECIFICATIONS
Bullet Diameter: .452 in.
Max Overall Length: 1.275 in.
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All my references state that as well but at 1.275 they are way to large for my mags. I had to seat them more to fit. I think I am going to go with 1.20
 
OAL is VERY important,, too long seats the bullet tight to the lands causing a possible pressure issue, too short reduces case space, again causing pressure issues. I've also been burnt by tumbling rounds simply cause they were seated .015 too far away from the lands. Best plan is to measure and determine the OAL needed for each type of head you use. Reloading books are great, but unless you have the EXACT bullet, the ogive is probably different and the lands will be closer, or further away than desired. Revolvers are much more forgiving.
 
ciPeterF said:
OAL is VERY important,, too long seats the bullet tight to the lands causing a possible pressure issue, too short reduces case space, again causing pressure issues. I've also been burnt by tumbling rounds simply cause they were seated .015 too far away from the lands. Best plan is to measure and determine the OAL needed for each type of head you use. Reloading books are great, but unless you have the EXACT bullet, the ogive is probably different and the lands will be closer, or further away than desired. Revolvers are much more forgiving.
Click to expand...

So the Hodgdon data manual I just got from a friend has my exact bullet 230gr FMJ FP with a COL of 1.200". The load info which came with my dies list 230gr FMJ with my powder at a min OAL of 1.190. If I follow these lengths I should be ok?
 
Sounds like you should be good,, did notice that you referrred to these as 230gr FMJ FN at first and now 230gr FMJ FP... As well, you should always measure and check for each gun\barrel. A lot of people will tell you not to be so picky, but it's still a "managed" explosion...
 
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