Brainstorm with lee mold bullets

[Papucho]

Good day to you all. I would really appreciate your help with these bullets. No logic with OAL, they always touch the lands of my Lone Wolf Barrel and don´t allow the gun go into full battery. I even tried them on my stock Glock barrel with no success either.
First, the 452-230-TC, I´ve always heard this bullet to be seated at 1.200" +/- 0.005", but the only way for me to be able to seat it in order for the gun to go into full battery is at 1.185", wich is just at the point where the bullets starts to form the cone.
Second is with the 452-228.1R, the problem is basically the same, only worse for in order for the gun to go into full battery the OAL has to be 1.195", This for a round bullet profile seems to me as it is too deep.
First I had siezed the bullets to .452 and after having the problem I siezed them to .451 thinking this would solve the problem, but obously didn´t.
As additional information, I wanted to load them for use in my G21 and G30. Siezing is done in a Lyman 4500.
The TC bullet dummy loaded fits perfectly in the case gage, The 452-228-1R doesn´t unless it´s OAL is around 1.230".
What can be going on? Is there anywoy to fix this?
I was going to load these bullets with W231.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[kamikaze1a]

I find the same issue. In trying to find the optimum OAL for reliable feeding, I too find that I must seat deeper than I would like (less than maximum OAL) or the slide will not go into battery. I like SWC's and have to seat until most if not all of the shank is within the case mouth even though I would like to seat shallower. In any case, the listed OAL is usually max and seating to less is usually not an issue and set to depth that will give reliable feeding but keep in mind that there is also a minumum OAL too and powder volume issues.

[Ricochet]

I also have to seat the TL-452-230-TC right to the base of the cone to get the slide into battery with my Government Model.

[EMC45]

I seat with about 30 thou showing of the band above the case mouth.

[timkelley]

I have to seat mine to the base of the cone also but they then function and shoot pretty well. I have an ocasional fail to feed with my XD45 but the Gold Cup works every time.

[Dale53]

The proper way to determine overall length for loaded rounds for a .45 - 1911 is to remove the barrel and adjust the seating depth until the cartridge base is flush with the barrel hood (holding the barrel vertical and dropping the cartridge in of its own weight).

This has worked very well for me in NRA Bullseye matches as well as IPSC competition loads. That way, the cartridge headspaces on the bullet giving consistent ignition which is conducive to accuracy. Understand, this is with lead bullets. Using jacketed bullets you might want to increase head space by .005" to guarantee that the slide will close (shorten the overall length).

Dale53

[Buckshot]

................Odd. Usually it is the magazine that will limit OAL, first. If you have to seat the Lee 230-TC right at the juncture of the cone and body, but you COULD seat it out further tells me the body is hitting the lands or throat if it has any throat at all. When you eject the round can you see the land, or any other type of mark on the boolit?

................Buckshot

[Papucho]

The proper way to determine overall length for loaded rounds for a .45 - 1911 is to remove the barrel and adjust the seating depth until the cartridge base is flush with the barrel hood (holding the barrel vertical and dropping the cartridge in of its own weight).

This has worked very well for me in NRA Bullseye matches as well as IPSC competition loads. That way, the cartridge headspaces on the bullet giving consistent ignition which is conducive to accuracy. Understand, this is with lead bullets. Using jacketed bullets you might want to increase head space by .005" to guarantee that the slide will close (shorten the overall length).

Dale53
Yes, Specially in the RN bullet. In the TC bullet, if I seat it at 1.180 the bullet t chambers all right, but I am concerned with pressure.

[Papucho]

................Odd. Usually it is the magazine that will limit OAL, first. If you have to seat the Lee 230-TC right at the juncture of the cone and body, but you COULD seat it out further tells me the body is hitting the lands or throat if it has any throat at all. When you eject the round can you see the land, or any other type of mark on the boolit?

................Buckshot

Yes, Specially in the RN bullet. In the TC bullet, if I seat it at 1.180 the bullet t chambers all right, but I am concerned with pressure.

[leftiye]

I see no one explored the possibility of the case necks being oversized for the chambers, though as loose as some autoloader chambers are this might be an unlikely issue to encounter. Nevertheless, if cartridges aren't fillng the chamber neck area and stopping full chambering, then the possibility becomes boolits that are too large for the freebore. Otherwise, boolits should be possible to seat out into the rifling as Dale described.

[Ricochet]

No, I'm measuring the bare boolit in the throat of the bore. It stops right at the length where the base of the cone is at the case mouth. There is a measurement for that, something close to 1.2", but it happens to work out right with the cone at the mouth. There's little or no throat in my Colt, sorta like my K-31.

[OBXPilgrim]

I've shot lots of the Lee 230TC slug seated at 1.200" in my Colt 1991, Glock 45, Argentinian 1911 and my brothers Ruger P90. Iit's not always closing the slide on his P90, but then most don't - SWC/Ruger P90 - his won't.

Are you getting a good taper crimp?

Can you mic the crimp end & detect a larger diameter that just behind it?

[Ricochet]

If you're talking to me, yes. But what I've also just said above is that the bare bullet without a case stops against the rifling with the base of the cone right at the case mouth. That's the origin of the rifling, right there.

And it works just fine. There's no need to seat it out to some arbitrary longer length.