45acp boolit puzzle

[Jal5]

The boolit is Lee TL 452230-2r the gun Para Expert 1911. Lead was my range scrap. This bullet in a dummy round passed a plunk test using the barrel,124134124135 fit the OEM mag and cycled fine in the gun. OAL 1.260 and mouth measured 0.470. After cycling it in this gun I noticed a damage to the nose like a dent.

What should I start examining to identify the cause? No other commercial ball ammo or reloaded ball ammo gets these marks when cycled thru the action.

Joe

[triggerhappy243]

looks like it is hitting the feed ramp weird.

[wv109323]

The indentation looks to be off center. I would "clock" some rounds to see where the indentation is occurring. By clocking the rounds , I mean to place the rounds in the magazine with the .45 of the headstamp at 12 o'clock. After the round is extracted you can determine by the orientation whether the mark is on the top or bottom. My guess is that it is at the transition from the feed ramp to the barrel throat or the round is hitting the barrel hood as it enters the chamber. The indentation has some shape to it instead of a "smear" as it goes up the feed ramp.

[wv109323]

A jacketed bullet will not mark like a softer lead bollit.

[DougGuy]

Try it at 1.250" That looks like it went into the sharp edge of the barrel at the bottom then skipped up into the barrel. A shorter round puts the rim farther forward so it comes up out of the magazine feed lips and is already being pushed up by the round below it when it hits the barrel throat. A longer COA would put the boolit into that throat before it has much chance to be angled upwards toward the chamber.

If you are going to stick with 1.260" it might help to open up the magazine feed lips a little bit so the timing would let the round start angling upwards a little earlier.

[Gtek]

Magazine, insertion depth or feed lips? Feed ramp? Try another mag?

[Jal5]

Thanks WV and Doug I will try both ideas and let you know.

[John Boy]

Joe, in the picture, I'm looking at your case crimp, especially with a Pb bullet round...
Good possibility, you need to but a harder crimp on the case so when you run your finger down the mouth, you don't feel the ridge.
With the ridge on the case, chambering, the bolt force is jamming the round in sideways ... hitting the front edge of the chamber and then fully seating in the chamber

[1johnlb]

I have that same mold, it's been a while sense I've shot it but if memory serves me correctly, I started at the recommended OAL and that was to long. I had feed issues until I set it shorter. I use the Lee fcd and the case went over the step of the body of the boolits, to a point that you couldn't see that step like in your pic.

[Jal5]

I wondered about that crimp too, there is definitely a case ridge that could be the problem. If I make OAL SHORTER that crimp would be less ridge I think.

[Jal5]

I tried OAL 1.250 with just a little more crimp and there is just a tiny amount of dent on the boolit at the 12 o'clock spot on the boolit after cycling thru the gun. In fact it's so small you can barely see it. I think I will load up some and test them out to see how they function and shoot.
My explanation is that ridge formed by the case mouth caught as it fed into the barrel. The nose of the boolit skipped and banged on the top of the barrel hood making that dent/mark. Does this make sense?
Thanks for the help.