Ocassional FTF

[Marsh]

I have several semi custom 1911's. Wilson, Nighthawk & Springer and reload 5 grs Bullseye with 200gr SWC. Occasionally, about once every 100 rounds or so, I will get a failure to go all the way into battery. I am loading on a Dillion 550 and using a taper crimp die. I believe I have my taper die as far down as it needs to be, but don't know what the mouth should measure. It doesn't happen with factory hardball so I know it's my reloads, but why? Any thoughts?
Marsh

[KYCaster]

Marsh: Most people recommend to taper crimp to .468 but I like to crimp mine a little tighter, ~.463-.465.

Wilson and Springfield will normally feed SWC just fine. Your problem could be overall length, but if it will go in the magazine without hanging up, it should chamber OK. The shoulder of the SWC should be no more than 1/16in. outside the case mouth.

Take the barrel out of the gun and drop the loaded round in the chamber. It should drop in without resistance till it's flush with the end of the barrel hood or very slightly below.

Have you loaded any roundnose bullets? Will they function OK?

Where did you get your brass? If it was fired in an oversize or unsupported chamber it may be oversize at the base and the Dillon sizing die will not completely resize it.

If the FTF occurs on the first round from a full mag or on the last round from the mag, then I would suspect a problem with the mag.

Examine a round that doesn't feed. Is the nose of the bullet deformed from hitting the feed ramp or the barrel hood? Does the case have any dents or scrapes from the chamber throat or breach face? Any of these conditions could mean a nose dive or premature release from the mag.

Kind of hard to diagnose from afar. Let us know what you find.

Jerry

[Marsh]

Jerry,
That is excellant advice and I will try increasing the taper. I just tried to run the die down and got it down to .467.
I'm not overly worried about it and realize that as I pick up my mixed brass, I also get other people's brass as well. Usually people that let thier brass lie are shooting store bought ammo that has only been fired that one time, but as you mentioned, who knows how large their chambers are???
The rounds that fail to feed are about half way into the chamber so I don't think it's a bullet on the feed ramp problem.
Anyway, thanks for the advice. As I mentioned, it feeds any combination of factory JHP's and ball ammo, so I really suspect it's the brass/crimp situation.
Frankly it's mainly the embarrassment factor when I'm shooting a gun that cost damn near $3,000 and it has a FTF in front of my friends.:(
Marsh

[Pepe Ray]

Since you'v already concluded that it isn't the bullet profile (my #2 choice), I would suggest that since you didn't specify that your taper crimp die was a LEE factory crimp die,( hencforth called FCD) that your using the wrong die.
This has been bandied about a number of times, here and other forums. This die cures more problems than aspirin. Unlike the Dillon, the Lee FCD does take the base down. Of course, if the Lee name turns you off, use a revolver.
Pepe Ray

[44man]

I would suspect your fine gun has a minimum chamber for accuracy and like what was stated, the sizer is not doing it's job on the pick ups. Some of them can have a nice bulge near the base.
Have you tried new brass to see if the problem goes away? Another thing to try is to size them with another die in a single stage press to see if that cures it.

[Marsh]

Thanks guys. All good points.
Marsh
PS: I use a RCBS taper crimp die.

[lurch]

Hello to all. Been lurking here a good little while and recently singed up since I saw a few threads where I might have some small modicum of experience and I was getting some good hints too.

Hopefully not stating the obvious, but in addition to these comments, try varing the powder charge a little. I have a commander that was hanging on the last round in the mag - looked like the slide was not stripping that last round out cleanly and was jamming the nose of the bullet against the top of the chamber. The whole thing wound up with the head of the case still in the mag and the slide putting a nice little dent in the case about half way up. A little more "oomph" [smilie=1: in the recoil seemed to fix it but the testing so far has not been exhaustive. 5gr of bullseye is a little hotter than where I was having my issue too. In my case, the bullet is a 452460 seated to 1.2" and a light charge of green dot (man is that stuff nasty...gunk everywhere...but it shoots and I have a lot of it to use up). Removing one of the recoil springs helped some as well, but not totally.

If it does turn out to be a mag problem and you are using Colt or GI mags, you might want to try a Kimber Pro mag. For me at least, this mag places the cartridge a little higher and a little straighter as ti is about to be fed than the factory Colt magazine or old GI mags do. Feeds great. YMMV though...

[Marsh]

That sound fine, but all my mags are Wilson and so I feel they shouldn't be the problem. The mags I've experienced the most problem with as to failure to feed the last rounf fully were the mags that come with NHC's. I immediately ordered two more wilsons when I bought this NHC Predator. My buddy has a NHC Talon and has had mag failures.
Marsh

[Larry Gibson]

Marsh

I load a bunch of SWC .45 for years. Your problem is not failure to feed but failure to seat into battery. With SWCs this almost always caused by a bullet not seated deep enough. The shoulder is hanging up on the cahmber mouth or rifling lead. 452460s seated to 1.2" AOL are simply to long. Lyman recommends 1.161" AOL and I used 1.165" in a Colt standard barrels and 1.16" in my Wilson Comp barrel. Simply seat them a little deeper and that should cure the problem.

Larry Gibson

[Marsh]

Thanks Larry. I will measure them.
Marhs

[MtGun44]

Mr. Gibson is on the money. I have been loading the .45 ACP 1911 for
about 30 years and have been using the same load for IPSC for
26 yrs or more. I recently had to seat my H&G 68 0.010" deeper
for my new Dan Wesson 1911 Pointman 7 because it has a *very*
tight throat. The full diameter portion of the bullet sits in the throat
when the round is fully chambered, and the DW throat is far tighter
than my Kimber, Gold Cups, Remington-Rand, Colt Commander,
Colt Officers ACP, etc. Tightest I've ever seen, actually.

The most common failure to close or 'roof jam' (nose of cartridge jammed
into roof of chamber) in my experience with advising new loaders
of the 45 ACP has been no or too little taper crimp.

In my most recent case it was the bullet seating depth. For a
"normal" chamber, up to 0.060" of full diameter shoulder ahead of
the brass will generally be OK, altho 0.030" is more normal. In my
new loads this is down to about 0.020" of full diameter lead ahead
of the brass, and it shows slight engraving if a round is inspected
after chambering.

The comment about chamber dropping is absolutely right on, this the
ultimate test. If the round won't chamber in the unmounted barrel
with, at most, light fingertip pressure, you need more taper crimp
or deeper bullet seating, or both. Might have hard chamber deposits,
too.

Sometimes the recoil spring is weak, but I find this is rarely a primary
cause of failure to close. Buy a Bullseye spring kit and replace the
recoil and firing pin springs about every 5000 rounds and you'll be
fine. I think this spring replacement is often overdone, but premature
spring replacement doesn't hurt anything but the wallet a bit.

Good luck.

Bill