OAL for 45 acp in Ruger convertible

[GSaltzman]

For the acp cylinder is it needed to seat deep and crimp case just over the driving band?

[trapper9260]

I say make a blank round with just the case and the bollit and seat it to what the data you have and see how it chamber and go from there.After you see if it chamber then you will know more of about the crimp will be.Someone might have some other idea also on it but this is what i would do.

[Ickisrulz]

I have the Lipsey's Ruger 45 Flattop. I found that with my cast bullets (sized to .452) that I had to seat them fairly deep in order to fit the cartridges into the cylinder. This was on two different semi-WC bullets.

[DougGuy]

Your 45 may have .4505" cylinder throats if you have to seat deep to chamber a round.

You would be better off taking the throats out to .4525" and seating the .452" boolit in the normal fashion. There are two reasons for this, first with the tight throats they will downsize the boolits smaller than the groove diameter of the barrel, which promotes leading and causes the groups to open up, and secondly, you have to seat deeper which causes you to have to adjust your charge weight to accomodate this deeper seated boolit, or run the risk of a dangerous pressure spike on ignition. The mfgr's publish reloading data based on a given and known case volume, and LOA of a certain boolit.

There have been quite a few KBs attributed to the boolit being pushed down into the case by recoil in a 1911 style magazine, this is about the same thing as seating deeper and not adjusting load data to compensate for it.

Firing a hard cast boolit through a tight throat increases pressure all on it's own because you are basically firing into an obstruction. With the Ruger, you don't have to worry much about a KB with the ACP cylinder, but yeah if it's tight? Pressures do rise..

[Moonie]

I agree, I had issues with this until I measured the throats and found all 12 were tight. Once I reamed them it helped the issue considerably.

[fecmech]

For the acp cylinder is it needed to seat deep and crimp case just over the driving band?There is no need to crimp over the driving band. The ACP cylinder in the Ruger is stepped with no throat (mine at least) and I seat and lightly taper crimp SWC's even with the end of the case. They're not going to move forward under recoil past the chamber step under recoil.

[GSaltzman]

Thanks for the replies. Away from my loading bench this morning is why I asked. Cylinders have been reamed to 4525 on both. For this one it works seated to the end of the case. I had a bunch of 200 gr swc's loaded for the 1911's but they will not fit. Accuracy it very good since reaming. No leading so far with 50/50 alloy and Felix lube.

[Outpost75]

In mine 1.250" for H&G#68 with bullets sized to .452 and mouths taper crimped to .470"

[MT Gianni]

My gun from the mid 90's had the correct throats for the acp. My sons from 2010 did not and needed to be reamed. My gun will take a cartridge 0.03" longer than his will. You have to check each gun.

[DougGuy]

Cylinders have been reamed to 4525 on both. For this one it works seated to the end of the case. I had a bunch of 200 gr swc's loaded for the 1911's but they will not fit.

Boolit has to be sized larger than .452" in that case, OR the taper crimp is squeezing a bit and causing shoulder of the boolit in front of the case mouth to buck up just enough to not chamber properly.

[Bullshop]

In my Ruger convertible with 45 acp cylinder I shoot a 250gn Keith sized to allow long seating at nearly the length of a 45 Colt.
Crimp is on a lower drive band.

[161]

I'm having the same trouble. Hornady 300 gr. 452 XTP will not pass through either the ACP or Colt cylinder.
102226

[161]

102231
On the right is the load I shoot in my 625. On the left is the same load after I opened the throat up so a .452 boolit would pass through

[RobS]

161:

Yep, ream the cylinder throats. I've done several cylinders for myself, a friend and a few forum members. Makes life easier for sure.

[161]

Like gsaltzman I had to seat everything cast below the shoulder. Now my LEE 230 TL I shoot in everything else seated to the top groove fits nicely.
Thanks