Need help with overall length on a 45acp load

[bhuch5]

I just started loading for 45acp and am having issues with my ammo. What I would like to know is your cartridge overall length for a cast LEE 452-200 RNFP bullet.Round nose and truncated cone bullets need not apply as this is the mold I have and I want (need) to make it work. Thank you for your input, Bruce H

[Jupiter7]

If you're not doing the " plunk " test, your gonna have problems.

Take your barrel out of unloaded gun, make dummy round with barely seated bullet, drop into barrel. Adjust seating die in until round "plunks" freely into chamber. It should also fall from chamber freely. OAL is not set in stone, more of a range. After you've fit your ammo to your gun, time to start work up of powder.

[ku4hx]

Also check neck diameter. If the neck is too large, it will still stick in the chamber even if the cartridge OAL is properly set.

[steve4102]

Start here.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/steve4102/45seatingpossibilitiesx.jpg

[jonp]

This boolit has been very hard for me to get to feed for both a kahr and a xds and took a long time to get to work but I'm pretty stubborn and also relied heavily on advice I found on this forum so you sure came to the right place.

I finally had the oal down to 1.170 and the case mouth at .469 to finally get them to work.
The rnfp can be a bear to get reliable feeding out of your gun and you might end up discarding the idea of using them. I had to give up on 175gr swc boolits as nothing I did would work in my gun.
This rnfp boolit in 200gr once I got it to run is my favorite.

Try doing it like this if you are not already: seat the boolit then back out the plug and crimp in a separate step. Seat to 1.185 to start and then crimp adjusting the die 1/8th of a turn in until it passes the plunk test. You can then use this as a base to mess with the OAL. I bought a separate Lyman T/C die after advice from people here and do it in a separate step using my RCBS Carbide TC/Seating Die to seat only and that was the biggest help to me getting this and other boolits to work. Make sure you scrub the dies as its easy to get a ring of lead in it that will frustrate you ( also make sure you are flaring enough to get the boolit started as this will also shave a small ring of lead that may get stuck in your die). I use 0000 steel wool soaked in Balistol also on advice from someone here and clean my dies after every loading session

The picture above is tacked over my bench as a reminder. I will say this about it. If you can get the boolit to plunk so it looks like picure #4 just slightly long and with gentle pressure push it flush with your finger then that will in all likelihood be fine. That is how I load the rnfp for mine. If you have to bear down to get it to seat then your going to have problems.

[Larry Gibson]

I just started loading for 45acp and am having issues with my ammo. What I would like to know is your cartridge overall length for a cast LEE 452-200 RNFP bullet.Round nose and truncated cone bullets need not apply as this is the mold I have and I want (need) to make it work. Thank you for your input, Bruce H

Many M1911s with a "throated" ramp will feed the Lee 200 gr RNFP. Seat the bullet so the crimp groove is just covered by the case. Many "modern" plastic framed pistols and M1911s with integral feed ramped barrels won't feed that bullet reliably no matter how much you want it to. The ramp is just to steep. Which pistol do you have?

Larry Gibson

[mdi]

A couple ideas. OAL is bullet/gun specific. How deep the chamber of your gun and where the full diameter of the bullet is (ogive or taper). As noted above by Jupiter7 and steve4102, your OAL is determined by your gun's and bullet's fit.

Also, ferget the term "crimping" when talking about semi-auto ammo. 45ACP rounds are not crimped. The case mouth is just straightened with a taper crimp die, to facilitate feeding/chambering...

[bhuch5]

Thanks all for your help. I am shooting a Taurus PT145 MilPro. I also have the Taurus .40 and 9mm versions and they eat anything they are fed(Yes I like my Taurus pistols a lot). The 45 is the first to give me any issues and it threw me off a little. I seat and taper crimp in 2 steps (Lee fcd) with plenty of case flare. I know that the flat point will make for a much shorter oal than round nose bullets but I was not sure how short I could go safely. I now have a better understanding of the plunk test and will work with that to see what my pistol likes and go from there. Thanks again, Bruce H

[jonp]

Many M1911s with a "throated" ramp will feed the Lee 200 gr RNFP. Seat the bullet so the crimp groove is just covered by the case. Many "modern" plastic framed pistols and M1911s with integral feed ramped barrels won't feed that bullet reliably no matter how much you want it to. The ramp is just to steep. Which pistol do you have?

Larry Gibson
Exactly what I found. I seat over the crimp groove onto the shoulder and they will work. I ignore the crimp groove

[mdi]

If you know the case length, the total length of the bullet used for the manual's OAL, you can determine how much bullet is inside the case. Apply this to your bullet...

[trixter]

This isn't scientific, but it has been said in earlier posts, that the C.O.A.L. for 45ACP that you find in most manuals is set by some group (SAMMI) or something like that, anyway, in the short time reloading 45ACP, and using various nose shapes I have found that you have to find what works in your gun. So as far as there being a C.O.A.L yes and no. The plunk test is a good start, and works for most guns, but boolit seating depth is according to what your gun likes just start somewhere that looks pretty good and see if your gun likes it. I know that doesn't sound right but that is what works. I think you will get real close by reading how others with the same nose shapes, and gun brands do theirs.

[bhuch5]

I finally settled with C.O.A.L. of 1.148" for my Taurus PT145. Thank you all for your help. Bruce H