Understanding Minimum OAL specific to my .45 reloads with LEE 230gr TC projectile

[7Acres]

I recently loaded 300 rounds to the following spec: 5.7gr Unique, 230gr Lee cast TC projectile to an OAL of 1.2000"

They shoot great. But then I got to looking at a few of the different references I have. Hornady's 9th Edition, Lee's Modern Reloading 2nd Edition, and the data in the fold-up reference that comes with a set of LEE reloading dies for .45 ACP. They all had slightly different guidance for minimum OAL. From what I gather seating the projectile down to an OAL of 1.2000" is about as short as you'd want to go but no shorter. If I had it to do all over I might have seated to 1.2100" or even as far out 1.2600".

Can you guys tell me if an OAL of 1.2000" is going to be okay for my projectile and powder charge? What OAL would you have gone with?

[Love Life]

If it shoots great, with no pressure signs, then I would keep on keeping on.

[runfiverun]

I just loaded [like finished and got on the computer finished] about 2500 rounds of 45 acp.
I couldn't guess at my oal.
I know it feeds from the magazine.
and it fits the chamber of all my 45's.
and it cycles all my guns 100%.
but other than that I got nuthin.

instead of thinking about it as length, think about it is leftover case capacity.
base your starting loads on that and work forward.
I'm like .1gr over starting data.
[in my 9 I'm about .3grs below starting data]

[turtlezx]

think people get hung up on oal
there so many shapes and lengths of boolits out there than the numbers are all over the place.
7 Acres mentioned 1.260 for one 45 load
iam using 1.160 for a 160gr boollit
big diffence had oal for 1 bullet set to book specs and wouldnt chamber ??????

OAL by the book is just a guide go from there

[DougGuy]

had oal for 1 bullet set to book specs and wouldnt chamber ??????

OAL by the book is just a guide go from there

It's a safe assumption that if you use a .452" boolit, and you seat much of it out of the case mouth, the freebore or lack of, will stop the slide from going into battery because the throat is too tight to let the round chamber fully. This is VERY common with 45s of any make, I have seen barrels from everyone that suffer the tight throat or no throat at all syndrome. It doesn't seem to be brand or model specific. You look in the barrel from the breech, and the rifling runs right down to the end of the chamber, no throat at all, or if you do see a little freebore before the rifling leade in, it will only be .4515" and will not plunk a .452" boolit.

As long as it will chamber a factory jacketed round loaded with a .451" bullet, who cares about the rest of the ammo out there? This is pretty much most manufacturers attitude and so you pretty much have to set up the gun for shooting cast by reaming the throat so the cast boolit will seat fully in the chamber and the boolit itself rests in the throat, which is as it should be.

Look on the bright side.. They left enough metal in there for us to judiciously remove just the right amount, as opposed to hogging out the throat large enough so that no matter what someone loads in a 45 ACP case it will chamber and fire. I think I'd rather it be tight than look like Bubba got hold of it with a 7/16" twist drill from Harbor Freight!

[Bzcraig]

If it shoots great, with no pressure signs, then I would keep on keeping on.

Ding, ding, ding we have a winner.

[DougGuy]

Ding, ding, ding we have a winner.

Bzcraig check your PMs sir!

[DougGuy]

Bzcraig check your PMs sir!

Weirdness with the PMs all of a sudden..

[runfiverun]

I can use a 7/16 drill?
here I been using a 1/2" bit all this time.

[DougGuy]

I can use a 7/16 drill?
here I been using a 1/2" bit all this time.

The 1/2" is for when you want to cut that certain chamfer in the 45 ACP Blackhawk cylinder, you know to keep the .4505" throat from shaving lead...

[Greg S]

Just play with you OAL from were your at and extend it out. According to the data that I load by, I'm running a 230 RN at 830-850 fps with 5.9 of Unique and a Wolf or Cci lp primer. Seat a bullet at 1.280 and see if it'll pass the plunk test. If so load 10-20 there then drop .010 and load another 10-20 and try till your at your present oal. Once you find the sweet spot, adjust another .005 to either side if ya really wanna tinker.

I looked at alot of factory ball which is generally 1.250-1.265 and experimented from there. That pistol has a generous .917 chamber and have backed them up to about 0.902-4 on subsiquent barrel installs. This is just a reamed chamber, unthroated which would probably add some accurracy. Next one I complete after proofing I was planning on sending out to Doug to see if it improves accuracy.

[7Acres]

Ah the plunk test! Just performed the plunk test with my reloads and it plunks just fine. I can shake the barrel up and down and it freely plunk, plunk, plunks in the chamber. Now I remember, they key is to have the lead just barely touch the rifling but not stick and not prevent the gun from going into battery. Right?

[Love Life]

Ah the plunk test! Just performed the plunk test with my reloads and it plunks just fine. I can shake the barrel up and down and it freely plunk, plunk, plunks in the chamber. Now I remember, they key is to have the lead just barely touch the rifling but not stick and not prevent the gun from going into battery. Right?

I don't want my bullets engaging the rifling in an auto loader.

[wv109323]

The best approach to OAL in the .45 ACP is to look at the bullet shoulder to the mouth of case dimension. This works for all bullet configurations except some Round Nose designs.(Those without a shoulder). Seat the bullet so that there is 1/32" from the case mouth to the shoulder of the bullet. Taper crimp to .470".
This configuration allows for the ammo to be most reliable in functioning the firearm. There are too many bullet nose configurations to have an exact OAL for all bullets.
With a 230 gn. RN you can use an OAL.

[runfiverun]

I don't want my bullets engaging the rifling in an auto loader.

Ditto.

[Green Ghost]

I just realized this post is over 10 days old but in the interests of giving searchers more information, The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook (4th Edition) lists the Lee TL452-230-TC with an OAL of 1.170. I use this boolit regularly and load it to a length of 1.200 with no feeding problems in several 1911's. hope this helps.

Jerry

[sparky45]

The Lee TL452-230-tC is by far my most used and liked bullet to cast and load. I load to 1.200 +/- a couple of thousandths and they cycle in all 3 of my 45's. Also use a taper crimp and a Wilson case gauge.

[garym1a2]

I loaded this bullet to 1.215 +/-. I get a lot of them that don't fit my glock21 and causes it to lock up on closing. So I have to go thru about 3000 of them to shorten them.

[DougGuy]

I loaded this bullet to 1.215 +/-. I get a lot of them that don't fit my glock21 and causes it to lock up on closing. So I have to go thru about 3000 of them to shorten them.

You could just have the Glock barrel throated, they work great afterwards.. Then you can seat out as long as you want to, and they shoot lights out.. Photo shows throat in either KKM or LW barrel but your 45 would look similar..