Today I went to shoot my single actions for the first time. I had built 100 light hand loads over the winter for the guns, but figured I would pick up 2 more boxes so I could get a little extra me time. I started with the hand loads and everything worked well and went bang. Then I moved up to the Winchester 250 gr and most of them won't load! They will not go all the way I to the cylinder. The best one's I can make fit one of the 2 guns but i need to try every cylinder until I get lucky. I even cleaned both guns in hopes that it was powder residue but no luck. I'm a little disappointed to think I waisted $125 on a couple boxes of bullets I can't use. Never mind my day was cut short.
Winchester ammo problem!
- Thread starter wos
- Start date
If you shoot handloads out of a revolver, you should purchase a headspace guage/load checker. I bought one off amazon for $25 shipped I think... and you can check every load in it very easily. Just a little steel block that is the exact dimensions of a loaded 45 colt. It's 1.600" in length... and whatever the sized brass dimension is... fired brass won't fit into it, it must be resized. It lets you make sure that the primer isn't high. It's just a very handy & easy tool to use that I use on every hand load.
Now, your off the shelf winchester loads shouldn't have to be checked... but they can be. I'd be that they are the cowboy loads if they are 350 grain 45 colt. Very little crimp on them, you have to watch them closely if you use them in a lever gun. I'd guess that the box was handled rough and dropped a few times that allowed the bullet to slide out a bit. You can probably seat them to the proper 1.600" and put a roll crimp or factory crimp on them and use them just as you're supposed to be able to.
Now, your off the shelf winchester loads shouldn't have to be checked... but they can be. I'd be that they are the cowboy loads if they are 350 grain 45 colt. Very little crimp on them, you have to watch them closely if you use them in a lever gun. I'd guess that the box was handled rough and dropped a few times that allowed the bullet to slide out a bit. You can probably seat them to the proper 1.600" and put a roll crimp or factory crimp on them and use them just as you're supposed to be able to.
