Your load for 45 ACP with lyman #452374

[heavyd]

What is little known is that most aftermarket magazines don't feed the 1911 the way it was intended to be fed. This includes all the brands you mention.

The most common remedy if a 1911 isn't feeding is to use a tapered lip magazine. As in original GI or hybrid.

That's not a guarantee that it is your cure. However, unless we can see some pictures, I still don't have enough info.

The extractor nose should not be leaving a mark on your case. If there's a ding in the rim cut that isn't good, but that isn't necessarily your problem either.

Sounds like a three point. Is it possible for you to read my description of a three point jam I mentioned earlier and confirm whether that is the case? It sure sounds like it.

Is this pistol new or used? Has it ever fed reliably with any bullet? If so, what bullets or cartridges were you using? Does it work okay with factory ball?

Thank you for all of your help. I do believe it is a 3 point jam. I bought the gun new and it has approximately 4 thousand rounds through it. It does shoot ball ammo flawlessly, with Wilson Mags. Chips cause problems even with ball.

[35remington]

The McCormick magazine's straight lipped configuration results in the steepest feeding angle of any magazine on the market. I'm not singling out just his brand; rather, those magazines of identical configuration to his product. And there are several types that have this feed lip shape.

This steep feed angle has greater propensity for three points, especially if some other part of the gun is less than optimal, like a shallow frame ramp depth, improper frame ramp angle or a straight rather than a (properly) angled breech face.

The Wilson magazine, while also having straight feed lips, allows less of a dive into the frame ramp than the McCormick, which may explain the reason it doesn't occur with this magazine brand. Angularity of feeding is less. The Wilson feed profile was in fact designed to help avoid three point jam problems, or at least reduce the frequency of problems in the myriad 1911's out there, many of which have less than correct frame and breechface dimensions.

Unfortunately, the Wilson also flings the round through space during the feeding cycle in an uncontrolled manner as a consequence of this reduced frequency of three point jams, which is the downside. This is not how JMB intended his pistol to feed.

[waksupi]

I have some McCormick mags. I wold have fail to feed on the next to last round real regularly. So, I emailed the company, and complained. They said I shouldn't leave them loaded all the time. I carry my gun all the time, huh?
I insisted there was something wrong with them, and Chip himself contacted me, and basically told me they were made to only work with certain factory ammo, and that is all I should be shooting. All of this in a real snotty way, that did not endear me to him, his employees, or the company.
I bought new springs and followers from Brownell's, and they now function fine, no thanks to McCormick whatsoever. I also found out after this that MANY people have had the same problems with these magazines.

[462]

35remington and waksupi,
Thanks for the information about McCormick magazines.

[HDS]

Hmmm we'll see how my 1911 runs with them once I get it back from the butchers.

[heavyd]

I agree with the angle of the Chips and they do cause problems. However, the 3 Wilsons and Factory mags cause the same jam and just as often. So it is not the magazines. I still have not located the problem and am getting so frustrated I am considering selling the gun.

[eck0313]

Try reducing your OAL to 1.260-1.265 - I think that will help your reliability issues. I've shot the Lyman 452374 with 5.6 gr. Win 231 at that length for years, and found it to be an accurate, and reliable load in a variety of 1911s.

For those of you chasing the Distinguished Pistol Shot medal, this load shoots to the same zero as full power GI Ball, Match, or Federal Match 230 gr. loads at 50 yards.