Hey everyone,

I'm having a bit of an issue with my 1911 being picky about the .45 acp ammo I've loaded. I loaded 185gr. Hornady XTP in starline brass. 4.2gr of clays powder. OAL is 1.175. I've never shot 185gr bullets out of this gun, but it's always ate whatever I fed it. I did taper crimp, but not alot. When I attempt to chamber the first round sometimes the nose of the bullet hits the feed ramp and tries to feed down and becomes jammed instead of feeding up into the barrel. It's not a ramped barrel. Could this be not enough crimp, or too small a round for my guns taste. Or maybe is it the OAL listed in the data that is causing the issue. After I start shooting it feeds well, just not chambering the first round. I should also mention 3 rounds out of the first 100 actually set the bullet back when I tried to chamber it more than once. Thanks for all the help!

Seating depth can have a large effect on feeding reliability. Hornady lists 1.230" as OAL for that bullet. Follow the bullet maker's recommendation before calling it quits on the bullet. Also check that you have a tight enough grip on the bullet. Take a loaded round and push the bullet end hard against a wooden surface. If the bullet moves, you need a smaller expander plug in your dies.



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XTP's and 185's both have some problems with feeding due to their shape and being short. Recommended length is 1.230 inches. You may be having problems because the shorter round stands up when it comes out of the magazine. There is also a problem with 185's because they are short and have a tendincy to not ride the top of the chamber as the round enters it. Basically the stand up also. If you compare a 185 and a 200 grain you'll notice that the 200 has the same base but a longer nose.

If you are getting set back try a little more crimp. Most pistols will set a bullet back after a few chamberings but if it does it on the second try it's not crimped enough. Check the directions for how to adjust your crimp, there are a couple of different dies on the market, but in general I think the die gets a half turn after it is adjusted to hit the top of the case.

Thanks guys,

I double checked Lyman's and it does list a shorter OAL, I think I'll try it with 1.230 next time. I noticed before I even loaded the first mag that they just looked too short. I'm willing to bet this is my problem. I will crimp a bit more also. I know its a rule of thumb to have more than one manual and I'm going to take this advice. I just dropped quite a bit of cash on the basic equipment and was hoping to delay spending on another couple manuals right away. But it looks like I'll be loading quite a bit of Hornady bullets due to the availability of their bullets locally. Might as well get their manual. Thanks again!

I agree you need a little tighter taper crimp and seat out to 1.230.

This can also be caused by improper magazine lips and also a magazine that for whatever reason sits a tiny bit too low. Try chambering a round while pressing up on the base of the mag and see if it prevents the bullet from nosediving.

Thanks Mark! I'll check into that. The ATC mags that came with my 1911 I'm finding out are notorious for not being reliable.

Will larger grain jhp bullets that are seated at 1.15" have the same trouble feeding as the 185 grain does? I have load data for 200 grain JHP's but after the feeding trouble with the 185's at a shorter OAL I'm skeptical about trying it.

Shorter rounds can cause binding. I'm not sure how your pistol would feed the havier bullet seated at that length. Who's 200 grain? Length and profile are important. Of the top of my head the Hornady 200 is 1.230 also.

Yeah they would be Hornady 200gr. XTP. I've been seating them in starline brass over clays powder. I have other loading manuals on the way, this Lyman 49th edition hasn't been very good for .45 ACP so far. The OAL's listed have been short.

I seat this bullet out to 1.261 with good heavy crimp and it shoots GREAT. No FTF with either my Colt Series 80 or my Kimber CDP II.

PAH

quote:

Originally posted by PAHunter:
I seat this bullet out to 1.261 with good heavy crimp and it shoots GREAT. No FTF with either my Colt Series 80 or my Kimber CDP II.

PAH

Thanks!

Ok last question and I think I can wrap this topic up. If I like shooting Hornady bullets in my reloads for .45 ACP and I match my OAL to Hornady's factory .45 ACP, as long as I'm keeping the same bullet weight and style, is this an acceptable practice? I like some of the loads my Lyman manual has data for, but I'm finding, at least for the Hornady data, I don't trust their OAL's. As I understand it though, by changing OAL I'm changing the internal ballistics, pressure, and velocities. So I would also have to use the powder and charge that hornady does right? So to simplify, can I use the data for primer, bullet weight and style, and powder charge, but seat to factory dimensions even though it doesn't match the load data?

If you can feed the factory length round, you can use a factory round to set your seating die. I set my dies like that before I was able to measure length on them.

Make sure the die is off the case before you start and run the seating die down until it hits the bullet then run the crimp die
(if crimping seperately) until it hits the fatory brass. If using one die then turn the body down on the factory case then the seating stem.

As far as the load goes, you can change primers and powder type and weight for load data. High volume shooters will look for the lightest charge weight with the best velocity for their round. For example, 5.5 grains of powder X gives 1272 rounds per pound and powder Y has a 5 grain weight giving you 1400 rounds (IPSC/IDP logic). Or you can work up a load that reduces recoil, 5.4 grains of Powder U is 850 fps with a 230 grain LRN, 5.1 grains will reliably cycle the gun reducing recoil (Bullseye pistol logic).

For most semiauto pistols round dimensions are part of how the round feeds. Too long or too short causes issues. Not enough power to cycle causes feed issues (slide not going back far enough to eject, pick up the next round, or lock back), too much power causes frame battering and stress (frame peening or slide cracks). Two seperate but overlapping parts of how the gun functions.

As long as your choice of powder/charge weight is between the two ends of the range and your round has the right external dimensions your good.

My load is 5.4 grains of Unique with a cast 230 grain lead round nose. I replicated .45 Ball at 850 fps for Service pistol ballistics and recoil.

Alright, thanks Sam!

My load is 8.5 grains of Unique, CCI 300 Lg pistol primers, Federal or Double tap brass. Yes Remington brass is thinner. Hornady .45 ACP XTP 185 grain bullets. Good for about 1100 FPS.

Regards PAH