45 acp still learning

[wayne h]

Am still learning to load for 45 acp. I am using 200 lead bullets sized to .451. Cases will not chamber in a 1911. What up? thanks wayne h

[ReloaderFred]

It depends on which 200 grain bullet you're using and how you seat them. If it's a bullet with a shoulder, then the shoulder may be hitting the leade of the chamber and preventing the slide from coming all the way forward and locking up, though I'm assuming you're talking about lockup, and not feeding from the magazine. If that's the case, some barrels have short leades, which is where the chamber tapers to the rifling. Some call it the throat of the chamber.

If the problem is feeding, then it's something else, such as OAL, bullet shape, feedramp, chamber mouth, etc. More information will help with solving the problem.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[runfiverun]

if feeding is the issue 90+% of the time it's the magazine.
then possibly an oal issue second.
if it's chambering i'd look at the shoulder sticking out of the case.
you might have to seat that flush and give the case mouth a bump in a roll crimp die.
i have one i have to do this for, and one i just have to seat flush.

[wayne h]

am using a semi wad cutter and feeding from mag is great. I am referring to lock up. wayne h

[454PB]

When this has happened to me, it's almost always a seating depth problem. Try making up a dummy round and progressively seating the boolit deeper until it chambers.

[tomme boy]

Get us a picture of the rounds that are having a problem.

Sometimes it can be the crimp that does this. What does your crimp measure?

[Matthew 25]

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=33263/Product/Wilson-Maximum-Case-Gage

[DRNurse1]

When this has happened to me, it's almost always a seating depth problem. Try making up a dummy round and progressively seating the boolit deeper until it chambers.

+1 here. If your pistol chambers other cartriges this is likely a good solution.

Do your empty cases chamber after sizing/decapping and running empty through your crimp die? Have you loaded any other boolits with these dies and had success chambering them? If not look at your dies as a source.

Good luck with this one. I think there is enough wisdom on this site to solve this issue.

[Lloyd Smale]

like drdoctor said first try a crimped case without a bullet to determine if its your crimp then try seating your bullets a bit deaper. I dont have a single 45acp that wont chamber 452s perfectly after getting those two areas taken care of. Some 45s have real shallow throats and need bullets seated pretty deap. 45 chamber dimentions are cut for ball ammo and it has a much great taper then most other bullets and some swcs and even some cast round nosed bullets dont have near as much taper to them. Also if your feed ramp isnt polished even a softer cast bullet can drag on it enough to slow down the slide return velocity and keep your rounds from chambering. Polish everything up. especially if you want to run soft cast bullets in one.

[Roundnoser]

Its the seating depth and/or the crimp as has been stated.

With the 68 HG wadcutters at .452 dia., I seat them with only a fingernail's thickness above the case mouth. As for the taper crimp, I keep increasing it slightly until it consistently passes the check guage...which is not much more than straightening out the bell.

Using the above, and Wilson mags, the rounds work great in all of my 1911s (Colt, Springfield and Les Baer).

[wayne h]

Guys---good news my problem was a combination of seating depth and the crimp.
I knew you guys would come thru and you did. These things now fit slicker than a whistle. Thanks. wayne h

[Alchemist]

Anytime I'm setting up for a run of 45's with a different boolit, I field strip the pistol and use the barrel to check seating depth and crimp settings. Drop a round in and make sure it stays flush with the barrel hood (talking 1911's here).