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John Hill
02-17-2016, 05:50 PM
I am loading 45ACP for the first time using a Lee 4 die set and am loading Lee TL452-230-2R LRN boolits. In another post that I can't find again, someone said to make OAL about 1.265" for that boolit and I am set and loading at 1.266". Someone else said to use the barrel, removed from my 1911 Springfield Armory Range Officer, and confirm that the loaded round sat flush with the barrel hood. The above loads go in 0.015" further than the end of the hood. Is this OK or should I increase the OAL by 0.015"?
John

Outpost75
02-17-2016, 06:03 PM
The case heads falling in below the hood are a function of CASE length, not bullet seating overall length. Maximum case and min chamber length are 0.898, but it is very common for .45 ACP brass to run short. With a bullet like the H&G#68 200-grain SWC the shoulder of the bullet is seated out and drop checked against the barrel hood to set headspace on the bullet, rather than the case, for match shooting. The profile of your Lee 230 LRN bullet probably will not permit seating the bullet out to contact the rifling without rounds being too long to fit and feed properly from the magazine. Maximum overall cartridge length for the .45 ACP is 1.275", longer than that bullet noses may drag against the front of the magazine box.

gwpercle
02-17-2016, 06:34 PM
Make up a few dummy rounds, no powder, no live primer , adjusting seating depth so the rounds will fit into the magazine, pass the plunk test and manually feed into chamber , lock up and eject from your particular gun. When they function properly , You Got It.
Oal's are a starting point not an absolute dimension written in stone that can't be adjusted.
It's common for 45 acp cases to be a little short, load some , go to the range and shoot. Chances are they will do fine....trim them only when they get too long and won't fit into the barrel. I must confess to have not ever trimmed a 45 acp case...yet .
Gary

mdi
02-18-2016, 01:00 PM
Just an idea; ferget "someone said" data/recommendations and look in your reloading manual for a 230 gr. LRN bullet and use the suggested OAL for starters. Also look up "Plunk Test" and adjust the OAL if necessary...
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Char-Gar
02-18-2016, 01:30 PM
I have done as Outpost says for 50 years. I adjust the bullet depth so the case head is dead even with the barrel hood. I then try the round in the magazine and if it fit without binding I cycle a few dummy rounds through the pistol. If all if good, I load up a batch and fire. I keep a dummy round with each bullet in my die box and use that to set the seating die should I change bullets. I have never taken any measurements and have loaded and fired perhaps 1/4 million cast bullet 45 ACP rounds with complete satisfaction.

New reloaders get way to spun about about numbers in books. Learn how the handgun works and build your loads for the function of the handgun.

dudel
02-18-2016, 02:39 PM
Plunk test is not enough. All of these plunked; but you want the case head flush.

fredj338
02-18-2016, 08:22 PM
OAL is barrel U bullet specific. Keep in mind the round has to feed ALL THE WAY down the magazine. I doubt you get much more than 1.265" to fit all the way down.

mdi
02-19-2016, 12:14 AM
plunk test is not enough. All of these plunked; but you want the case head flush.

???? Huh?

35remington
02-19-2016, 02:08 PM
As pointed out earlier "flush" is undesirable in this instance.

KCSO
02-19-2016, 02:16 PM
The most important factor is feeding and for this the barrel ramp fit and ramp angle are the most deciding factor. You need to load dummies and test them for feeding in YOUR gun. Case length can vary some and the rounds will still shoot well. If you can get away with it seating the bullets to just touch the lands while still feeding and not exceeding the OAL in YOUR gun will make the most accurate round as the rounds all fit the same notwithstanding the variance in case length, This is how you get a COLT barrel to shoot in the 38 super.

Uncle R.
02-19-2016, 02:33 PM
Flush case heads are fine for accuracy but if I'm loading for any kind of serious business I like to see case heads visibly below flush.
Ten thousandths below flush won't hurt accuracy much it at all and may well improve reliability.
Actual feeding reliability is what counts - real-world testing is the way to find out.
Cycling rounds by hand is not the same as shooting.

Uncle R.

flyingrhino
02-19-2016, 02:38 PM
Way too much thinking. Load per the manual specs. If it works then you are fine. If you have chambering or feeding issues then it's time to look at WHY the loading specs don't work for your setup and go from there. Don't look for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

fredj338
02-19-2016, 05:41 PM
Way too much thinking. Load per the manual specs. If it works then you are fine. If you have chambering or feeding issues then it's time to look at WHY the loading specs don't work for your setup and go from there. Don't look for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
The issue with the data in manuals, it is only valid with that exact bullet & that exact test platform. OAL, ALWAYS gun & bullet specific, regardless of what the data says. It must fit you barrel.