First .45 Brass Flinger - winter project

[Snyd]

I picked this up last week. First auto besides my Colt Woodsman. I'd been looking at one of these before the SR1911 was announced. After it was announced I thought maybe I'd go that route. But, what I really wanted (at least this time) was a CCW packable 45, made in the USA that fit my hand for about 500 bucks. I picked this one up NIB locally at a non-box store business for $504. I'll still end up with a 1911 of some flavor at some point. Preferably a Colt to compliment the Woodsman.

I still haven't shot it, got my dies last weekend and loaded up some of these 200gr swc's I casted up. 5.5, 6.0 and 6.5 gr Unique for starters. I think I'll try some W231, picked some up yesterday. I hear that's a pretty good 45 acp powder. As I type this it's 35 below zero, supposed to hang through the weekend. Looks like I'll have to wait a while.

Any advice for a newbie 45 acp auto caster/loader is welcomed. Been casting/loading for my 45colts/454's and 38 wheelguns and levergun. Anybody here have one of these P345's?

http://web.mac.com/perryschneider/pics/p345_01.jpg

http://web.mac.com/perryschneider/pics/p345_02.jpg

[scrapcan]

use a big cloth tarp at the outdoor range. It will make brass finding easier!

[saz]

use a big cloth tarp at the outdoor range. It will make brass finding easier!

+1 to that! I have used unique, 231, bullseye and titegroup, but my all time favorite powder for the 45ACP is Red Dot. It meters EXCELLENT in my Lee autodisc and perfect powder measures, burns very clean and accuracy is great. Unique has taken a backseat to Red Dot as my "do all" powder.

Other tips are watch out for your crimp diameter- can get a little finicky at times. OAL in 1911's(not sure about the 345) tends to be an issue if they are too short. A friend has a 345 and it is a very sweet shooting pistol. If not for my 1911, I would own one. Have fun!!!

[35remington]

Would you mind showing us the shape of the magazine feed lips from above, and show us the follower in the magazine as well? As for the follower, tell us if the front is skirted, or whether it has a full rear skirt.

I'm interested in finding out whether Ruger has learned from the mistakes they've made with the P97 magazines in converting them from seven shot to eight shot.

Some features were included that were questionable. Do the magazine lips have a crimp in them near the back?

[Snyd]

I can take some closeup pics but they look like these.

http://www.ammoclip.com/images/Ruger/ruger_p345_45acp_8_round_stainless_factory.jpg

http://www.ammoclip.com/images/Ruger/ruger_p90_p97_45acp_8_round_stainless.jpg

[saz]

Looks knda like a chip Mccormick power mag.

[Snyd]

Thanks for the tip. I've loaded up 9 dummy rounds and have run them through the gun no prob with both mags several times. I set my OAL according to this guide. Bore is .451, boolits are .452, taper crimped to .470 at case mouth.

http://web.mac.com/perryschneider/pics/45seating.jpg

[scrapcan]

mags look like they may be taper feed lips? the release timing of the feed lips can have an effect on feed. You might read through the section on magazine analysis on m1911.org. It relates to the 1911 platform but is a great discussion. Also some good discussion of setting seating depth for SWC in the 45acp, again for the 1911 platform, in the kuhnhausen 1911 manual and have been relayed here on the site.

I sounds to me like you are doing your homework and will have great fun once you get to unload those loaded cartridges!

[colt 357]

I just got a 45 acp in a taurus 24/7 pro. ran about 400 rounds of cast thought it with a lee 452-200-RF and 5.7 grs of unique. Still working up some loads for it now. But the 5.7 grains of unique worked great for me as a starter.

[35remington]

They aren't tapered lip magazines, as those were intended as Browning's original 1911 magazines. These are straight lipped with a wide flared spot in the magazine for an abrupt release.

It doesn't look like Ruger learned a thing from their P97 magazines, as they look to be identical to mine.

Please, if you would, a picture of the magazine lips from above, as I requested?

The crimp in the magazine lips, if it is present (pending your picture, but it looks like it might be there in one of the side views) is intended to serve as a backup for a severely understrength magazine spring in preventing the last round from being lost from the magazine under slide/frame impact, but unfortunately the crimp is in the wrong place to help prevent problems.

If the magazines eject the last round instead of feeding it, or the last round lies loose on tip of the magazine with the slide locked open, or it ejects the second to the last round while the last round feeds (loaded round found amongst empties) the understrength spring is the culprit.

My magazines, which are identical to yours, all exhibit this problem, especially with full power ammo. Not right away, but after a reasonably moderate amount of use.

This is a seven shot magazine that has been enlarged to eight shot by using the "devel" type follower in combination with a shorter, weaker spring. The Devel is a follower found in McCormick Shooting Star and Powermag magazines. It has no front skirt and a too short rear skirt. If it had a front skirt or a longer rear skirt (longer rear skirt is found in a seven shot follower) fewer problems would result.

The short skirt is somewhat more prone to nosedive type jamming, and if used in an aluminum frame pistol such as a lightweight 1911, will "woodpecker" divots in the frame ramp from inertia on the last shot. It's not a particularly good follower. Proof of this is the offering of the "Power Mag Plus" wherein a tab is placed on the front of the follower to prevent nosediving and frame ramp divoting in aluminum 1911's.

Such is the downside of trying to cram eight shots into a space meant for seven, as these are of very similar length to seven shot flush fit 1911 magazines. Less spring is present, to allow room for the eighth round.

Reader's Digest Version: If and when these start causing malfs, upgrade the spring in the mag and find a way to ditch the follower. These are essentially McCormick Shooting Stars with a crimp in the rear of the feed lips, and the soft sprung Shooting Star was never intended to be used with full power ammo.

Interesting that the salespeople never tell you that.

Another solution is to buy Ruger P90 followers and seven shot springs, but if the crimp is present the extra drag inhibits feeding.

Which is why I look for as many crimpless P90 seven shot magazines as I can find at gunshows and other such places.

The eighth shot isn't worth it in terms of the compromises to reliability in this particular magazine. In other words, the pistol is potentially less reliable in exchange for that extra shot.

Not much of a trade.

This magazine is a step backward, really. Also look into a Wolff extra power spring for the magazine, but you really need to ditch the follower at the same time.

[Snyd]

Thanks for the info. Here's a couple pics of one of the mags. I never talked to any sales people. Ruger says it can shoot +P. I'll put it through the paces and see what happens.

http://web.mac.com/perryschneider/pics/p345Mag_01.jpg

http://web.mac.com/perryschneider/pics/p345Mag_02.jpg