Help with Lee 452-228 1R

[another gsxr 1k]

As the title says. I'm having issues loading the Lee 452-228 1R. I'm having all kinds of issues with overall length in different pistols. I'm going nuts trying to figure this one out. I'm loading for a Colt Series 80, a Taurus Millennium Pro, and a
High Standard Compact Crusader.
Here's what is driving me crazy. With the Colt, OAL isn't an issue, it's like a $5 hospitality worker on a bad corner. It'll take just about anything, OAL of 1.25 - 1.27 feeds perfectly.
Both the Taurus and High Standard will not feed or chamber them at all at that length.
Loading to 1.20 they both pass the plop test with barrels removed. Assembled, trying to feed from magazine, neither will go into battery. Loading at 1.18 is hit or miss some go into battery and function properly, others require some thumb assistance to go fully into battery. I'm reluctant to go shorter without advice, since I'm still considering myself new. And the loads start feeling a bit stout at the shorter lengths. No signs of excess pressure like flattened primers. Load is about mid range in all of my available guides.

Common load is Winchester / CCI large pistol primers, 4.7g of HP-38, mixed brass.
I've checked by brass families, and that doesn't appear to be the issue. Bullets are sized to .452.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[bobthenailer]

I recently purchased a khar cw 45 and a friend has a sig 1911 that have somewhat the same problem . both take jacketed bullets with no problem but when useing cast i have to seat the bullet deeper than normal than for my other 45 acps .
I borrowed a finishing reamer that recut the throat area so i could use cast bullets seated to the normal col . this fixed both guns !

[35remington]

Given that the 228 1R has a shorter nose length and more bearing length than ball, which is a 2 radius ogive rather than a 1 radius like the 228 1R (reason for the name) the overall length must of necessity be shorter.

I find in my Colts, 1.220 to 1.230" is the most I can get away with. Your Colt obviously has a longer throat.

Also ensure the cartridge, at the case mouth, has a finished diameter of .472" or less to ensure the case mouth is not causing the cartridge to hang up early because the bell from the flaring step has not been removed.

If some of your guns won't accept anything longer than 1.18" and everything else, including the case mouth diameter is correct, then obviously they have essentially no throat at all.....the guns will not tolerate any full diameter bearing surface outside the case mouth.

If this is the issue, then all you can do is throat the pistols so they accept a longer overall length.

"Loading to 1.20 they both pass the plop test with barrels removed. Assembled, trying to feed from magazine, neither will go into battery."

I'm having trouble with this statement. If the cartridges go into the barrel when the barrel is out of the gun, and by that I mean fully up to the hood end of the barrel, they should go in to the barrel when it is in the gun.

I'm thinking you're missing something in your plunk test. The assembled gun says they ain't plunking if it does not go into battery. Try again.