Maximum COAL that will chamber and losing accuracy as a result?

[Animal]

I've been trying to find a good sweet spot for my Lyman 452374 in a .45 acp load with Red Dot. I've been seating the boolit as long as my chamber will allow while passing the plunk-test.

The boolits are COWW w/2% tin, air cooled and have about 2-3 weeks of curing behind them. I've sized them in a Lee sizing die to .452. They have been tumble lubed with LLA have have had about 6 days to dry.

My RIA GI 1911 will chamber them at 1.288oal. I can seat them higher and still pass the plunk test, but 1.288 is the max that my Wilson Combat #608 (GI style mags) will cycle.

I've used the Lyman load data for this boolit. I worked up from 4.3gr to 5.3gr. I can't seem to get any consistent grouping at any level of this charge amount. I loaded this boolit with Hodgdon Clays (non universal) before tinkering with Red Dot and had the same poor accuracy (same COAL).

On the other side of the boolit spectrum...

I've used Lees 452-228-1R boolit cast from the same alloy, ran through the same sizer and tumble lubed with LLA the same way. I've been fortunate enough to seat this boolit at 1.245 and have had excellent feeding results.
I power this boolit with 5.1gr of Red Dot and have excellent accuracy. I can (almost) key hole shots nearly on command at 7yds.

What am I missing? Is there a point where OAL can be excessive and hinder accuracy?

Is my Lee boolit more accurate because it has a greater bearing surface for optimum stability?

I want to tinker around with OAL and see if something shorter will improve accuracy, but I don't want to waste powder if the likelyhood of improvement is unlikely.

Thanks guys!

[osteodoc08]

In my experience in an autoloader, the OAL is more for function than accuracy. By shortening your OAL, you are also decreasing the amount of case volume, thus increasing pressure. This can be seen catastrophically with bullet setback and KBs.

Ive never personally used RD. My go to for 45 has always been 231 as I can find it locally and use it for several other handguns I own.

What kind of accuracy are you getting and at what distance currently?

Id start to look at a different powder in the meantime. If no luck, then perhaps your RIA doesnt like that boolit.

Alliant online lists a max of 5.1gr behind a 230gr RN lead boolit with a minimum COAL of 1.26"

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/powderlist.aspx?page=/reloaders/powderlist.aspx&type=1&powderid=4&cartridge=35

[Animal]

I'm testing these loads at 7 yards, standing and no support. I'm not a sharp shooter by any means, but I can't seem to make a consistent group--probably 3 inches of 7 when I do have something that resembles a group.

My Lee boolit gives me gives me a 1 in group of 7 at 7 yards without me having to put too much effort into it.

I checked out Alliants data and pressures seemed fine at their listed max, so I continued on to lymans 5.3 max.

I'll load a few more at Lymans published 1.272 COAL and see if that helps. If accuracy improves, I'll keep tweeking until I can't tweek anymore.

[osteodoc08]

For targets, there is nothing wrong with going down the velocity spectrum either.

If your shooting 1" group with the lee and red dot, I think we can surmise it isn't the powder as much as the boolit. But hey, I've been wrong before.

[Animal]

I think a shorter oal might be helpful. I can't say for sure because I had made up a batch to test load, I put the first 7 into my mag and put the rest in the loading tray (divided by charge weight), walked outside, slipped on the ice, watched my ammo fly out of the tray and fly in every direction. I then began to cuss like a sailor that just dropped his sail in the ocean. DADFREAKINGGUMNITT!

Since I knew the rounds in the mag were the starting charge weight, I tested that round. Under similar conditions I was able to score a very nice ragged hole where the bull once was. It still wasn't near as tight of a hole as I've had with my Lee boolit/Red Dot load, but it was the best I've had out of that boolit.

Whenever I stop feeling like a ******* for screwing up my meticulously loaded test rounds, I'll redo my test loads and report back.

[leftiye]

I'd expect that longer is betterer. Many folks set the acp boolit into the rifling both for headspace and for accuracy.

[Animal]

Just an update. With the OAL set to Lymans published 1.272 and 4.0gr of Clays (didn't want to use more Red Dot, and I had targets from this same load in Clays to compare to at the 1.288 OAL) I had improved accuracy.

But for some reason, I had feeding issues. I was using Wilson Combat 608 mags.

I'm thinking the LLA on the nose of the boolit caused too much friction at the feed ramp. Thoughts?

[bhn22]

What sort of feeding issues? You're not really giving us much information here.

[Animal]

The round seats into the chamber, but the next round tries to chamber right behind it. Forgive my lack of description/terminology, I'm more accustomed to revolvers. Hope that helps.

[bhn22]

Double feed? That's a magazine issue.

[Animal]

bhn, I suspected a mag issue at one point. I ordered 3 new ones
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/798490/metalform-magazine-1911-government-commander-45-acp-7-round-steel-blue-round-follower-welded-base

I needed more anyway, so hopefully these will like my ammo. Seem to have good reviews.