Help with 400 Cor - bond!

[broomhandle]

Hi Guys,

I picked up a NEW 40 /1911 Cor-Bon barrel today.

I tried to resize the 45 cases to 40 using RCBS 40 cal dies the lead in is short & the cases folded up. What dies do you guys use?

Some people say the guns work well others say they are jam o matics. Any input?

Thanks,
broomhandle

[bullshot]

If I understand this correctly, your trying to make 400 cor-bon from 45 acp. Just size the 45 in a 400 cor-bon sizing die. You will lose a few but most will come out ok. The original 400 cor-bon uses a small pistol primer and mos 45 acp has large pistol primers. If you have both keep them separate.

[softpoint]

I played with a .400 Cor Bon 1911 for quite awhile. The round is a real challenge to load for. I tried resizing 45 , but found that Starline .400 corbon brass worked better. Since these are bottleneck cases, you have to lube them. After you lube and size them, it's a good idea to tumble again to remove all the lube from the neck. This cartridge has a very short neck, which is the source of problems for reloaders. Factory ammo has a cannelured bullet, at the time I was working with this round, no cannelured bullets were available to reloaders, and I was unwilling to buy a canneluring tool for the project. Bullet setback was a problem I could never quite cure, and I had a lot of jams and even once had a bullet setback far enough to cause a high pressure situation that blew a case head and blew the magazine out of the pistol.
On the positive side, the round appeared quite accurate.

[broomhandle]

Hi Guys,

I borrowed my pals Dillon dies in 40 cal. The lead in is just slightly larger & more gentle than in the RCBS dies I have,

I will try my 30-06 dies too, as I know the base is the same. I just need to get the taper started to do the job.

I made up 10 cases. & tried 6 dummy bullets in a Rock Island 45 with the 400 Cor - bon barrel, they all fed well.:)

I tried feeding the other 4 empty cases into the barrel, worked with out a hiccup! I was REALLY suprised

I will have the gunsmith check the lock up & fits. It looks good to me, but I will be much happer if he tells me it is right.
I will look for bullets with the seating grooves.

Thanks for your help,
broomhandle

[broomhandle]

Hi Softpoint,

Can you point me to some reloading data?

Thanks,
broomhandle

[bullshot]

I've shot hundreds of 400 cor-bon using cases formed by running them through a RCBS fl sizer and loading them with 40 cal 200gr cast boolits with no problems. Pistol is a Colt 1911 with just a 400 cor-bon barrel installed. I have never shot jacked in this pistol.:Fire:

[broomhandle]

Hi Bullshot,

Did you use the standard 16 pound recoil spring? From what I see many people use a 18 or 20?

It looks like I can get into 10 mm power & velosity -1200 -1400 FPS with only 26,000 PSI rather than 40,000 of a 10 mm

I'm happy to hear your pistol works perfectly.

Best to all,

broom

[bullshot]

I don't remember changing the recoil spring. I never shot this thing trying to get alot of power from it. If I remember correctly I was using Bullseye for powder, don't remember the charge. I like non standard calibers, working on a 1911 in 357 Sig. Shoots well but haven't got the feeding 100%.

[softpoint]

I have in some of my notes a couple of pages of loading data that was offered by Cor Bon, It may still be on thier website.
They say to never use bullets over 165 gr. I never tried to use cast ,but I'll bet a cast bullet with a crimp groove could be a lot heavier. I've since aquired a mold that I believe was made for .38/40 that should cast a 180 gr .401 diameter bullet.
And another set of dies with tighter neck might have helped, but I had problems with jacketed bullets.
:)

[softpoint]

I don't remember changing the recoil spring. I never shot this thing trying to get alot of power from it. If I remember correctly I was using Bullseye for powder, don't remember the charge. I like non standard calibers, working on a 1911 in 357 Sig. Shoots well but haven't got the feeding 100%.

I am looking at a nowlin barrel, short chambered in 9mm, I have 3 Kimber 1911 magazines in .40, Abrand new .357 Sig reamer is at my friend's place. We were intending to to fit this barrel to my 10mm Kimber next weekend. Are you using .40 mags? I'm hoping not to get the bullet setback problem with the lighter bullets in the Sig that I had in the .400 CorBon:)

[bullshot]

Softpoint
My 357 Sig is a Caspian frame and slide with a Bar-sto barrel .I am using Megar 40 S&W mags with no problem, actually the 10mm mags work also. I did have the problem with bullet setback. The neck of the case is so short and most of the projectiles have a fairly wide nose. I found that for jacketed the Hornady 124 gr FN works best in my pistol. My barrel is not ramped so there was a lot of polishing of the frame feed ramp and barrel.. It shoots well but is still not 100% reliable. I think I'm going to try cast boolits in it, maybe Lyman #356402. I found that the 400 Cor-bon shot well and was reliable with cast, prolly because a good crimp could be obtained. Good luck.

[broomhandle]

Hi All,

Just got back from the gun smith! He checked the lock up and said it was fine! He said it was a quality barrel.

I told him I made up some cases using Cor Bon information on the net. He checked the home made cases & said they should work well.
He looked at me & smiled - sit right there- he said!

He went in the parts room and appeared with a NEW set of RCBS 400 Cor -Bon dies! NEVER USED!

They were paid for but the guy never picked them up!
The invoice was May of 1997.
I wanted to buy them, but he GAVE them to me!

I made a few cases to see how close I was, the.717 dimension looks right on. But I see the REAL 400 Cor- Bon's have a sharper shoulder than my home made cases.

I have to get some lighter bullets, it looks like I only have 185 grain 40 cal bullets now.
I will check again tomorrow I'm sure I have some 155 grain stuff some place in the reloading room.

Joy -Joy -JOY!

Best to all,
broom