I was reloading 45ACP 230GRN Gold dot's, But gettib=ng alot of jams. Any body got a good 230grn hp load for a 45ACP?

Describe the jam. Many load in manuals.

Check your crimp. Is it bulged or wrinkled?

So far I've discovered two reasons for jams - 1) not seating the bullet in far enough, 2) using a .452 dia bullet instead of .451 - some pistols will tolerate the larger ones, and some will not.

Phil

Check your crimp. This is a common problem for 45 ACP. Taper crimp is prefered. seat your bullet first then go back and crimp.

Loading Gold Dot bullets in the 45 ACP requires that the cartridge overall length works in your magazine with no problem. The Gold Dot may require being seated much more than your average C.O.A.L. because of the this. Assuming all the rest is OK, I would check this also.

In one of my 1911s the slide stop would be in contact with bullets in the magazine if it wasn't seated to a certain depth.

It may not be your loads at all. It could be your magazine lips are slightly out of adjustment. I had a jamming problem with an after market magazine and corrected it with a pair of long needle-nosed pliers.
GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

W/O an explaination of the jamb, we are all just guessing. AS noted, most issues are OAL & lack of proper crimp.

Suggestion: Remove the barrel from you 1911, hold it vertically with the muzzle down, and drop a loaded bullet into the chamber. The rim should not be higher than the barrel. Ideally, it is just a tad below level.

If I had to place a bet on it though, I would agree with others that it is probably the crimp giving you trouble. My .45 ACP loads became more reliable after I started using the Lee collet crimp. A good taper crimp die in a separate step is also a very good suggestion mentioned above.

Good luck and keep us posted.

FTF, FTE, what exactly is happening?
What is the load and OAL? Are you limp wristing?
Lots of reasons for jams

quote:

Originally posted by Brennanc9093:
Check your crimp. This is a common problem for 45 ACP. Taper crimp is preferred. seat your bullet first then go back and crimp.

Taper crimp is not "preferred." It's required. The 45 ACP headspaces on the mouth rim. 45 ACP dies use a taper crimp. And the die must be set up to crimp the mouth to precise spec.


The rim/crimp must meet spec to seat in the chamber, both in case length and mouth diameter. And the case mouth needs to be clean, square, smooth.

Speer lists specific 45acp load data for the 230 gr Gold Dot in their manual. The COL is notably shorter then with other bullets of this wt, and powder charges reflect the difference in seating. This is the only Gold Dot I`m aware of that has this different a geometry from the rest of the line and might be a big part of the jamming if you are loading as you do other 230gr bullets.

Alliant is a sister company of Speer now and they use Speer bullets for all their latest data. A look at the data for the 45acp on their web site should get you a load that works.

Sorry for not enough info on the natuer of the jam.
Rounds are catching on the bottom lip of the barrel. I have polished it and the loading ramp to mirror finish. The OAL is 1.220. Also some of the rounds feed just fine. I'm using Lee Collet dies. I think I'll just pull them and reload them again. Thanks for the suggestions.

quote:

Originally posted by kingd:
Sorry for not enough info on the natuer of the jam.
Rounds are catching on the bottom lip of the barrel. I have polished it and the loading ramp to mirror finish. The OAL is 1.220. Also some of the rounds feed just fine. I'm using Lee Collet dies. I think I'll just pull them and reload them again. Thanks for the suggestions.

WHat gun, which GD? The 230grGDSB has a wide cavity that causes issues in some guns. Older 1911s, may not work w/ the stock bbl. You may just need another 0.01" longer for it to hit the ramp at the correct angle. Also check your mags. If it's intermitent, it may be a mag issue. Try to remove as many variable as possible.

I don't mean to be Capt. Obvious here, but try a different bullet.

That is an option.

Does it feed factory Gold Dot loads? When the slide is all the way back, barrel resting on feed ramp is there any type of lip or play between the barrel and frame? The hollow point is larger than most and has a tendency to pic up on any lip present. In the aluminum frames it has shaved the feed ramp.

I use the Lee Deluxe Pistol set of dies for my .45acp loads, It's a four die set instead of a three die set, the final die is the "Factory Crimp Die". It does a taper crimp and full length sizing after all other operations are complete, making the finished round feed like a new one.

If the bullets are "nosediving" and hitting the feed ramp, make sure the magazine catch is holding the magazine base flush with the butt of the gun. If the mag drops down even a fraction of an inch it will often cause the type of feed issues you are talking about.

Crap! after all is said and done it's was my damn mag springs. Changed springs out. loads perfect. CRAP!CRAP!CRAP! Sorry for wasting your time. As charlie Brown would say 'AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! thanks for the suggestions.

It wasn't a waste of time if a few of us learned something new to check, myself included. Thanks for the follow-up. Now I'll know!

You can take your mag springs out and stretch em out. I have to do this with every new Wilson mag I've ever bought.

Glad you found the solution.
It's an extra step, but I always crimp my ACP loads with the lee die.

Also, if you can find some 200 grain. Hornady XTPs give those I try.

I have an old colt and it feeds these nice, but other hollow points not so much.
It's also the most accurate bullet I've used for an older Sig 220 Sport...

I've heard some say it's a myth that mags shouldn't be kept loaded for a prolonged amount of time, but unloading the mag and tweaking the spring every once in a while can't hurt...