.45 SWC Problems

[wildwes]

Ok, I need some help. I have been loading Lyman 225 grain RN boolits for my 1911A1 since before it belonged to me. I came across a can of 500 185 grn SWC boolits in the building the other day, sized .452. Well, I've been loading them, and I can't seem to get them to chamber. I have tried everything I can think of and even tried running the rounds into the sizing die to the point where the dies sizes about 1/2 way down the boolit. Well, when I do this, the rounds chamber freely in an extra barrel I have, which is an old surplus GI barrel. However, when I try to fire them in the pistol, they don't won't to chamber, and when I try to slide one in the chamber they are tight. I never had problems with anything at all chambering in the original barrel, but it was replaced with an aftermarket barrel due to the fact that it had no rifling left in it. Now I have some problems with the round nose cast too, although not as frequently as with the SWC. So I am thinking I just have a barrel with a tight chamber? What is everyone else's opinion on it?

[454PB]

How deeply are you seating the boolits? If you seat too deeply, the taper of the casing can cause a bulge that will prevent chambering. If you don't seat it deeply enough, the forward band can touch the origin of the rifling and prevent chambering. Have you actually measured the .452" boolits?

Assuming there is nothing out of spec on the offending barrel and seating depth is correct, you may have to use a Lee Factory Crimp die to reduce the loaded round enough to chamber.

[Dale53]

Some barrels require .451" bullets. Any larger and you have chambering problems. All of my .45's (two 1911 match guns and two 625 revolvers, and a Ruger Bisley Vaquero use .452's). However, if I had a barrel that required .451", I would just size them for that barrel and keep them separately.

The suggestion to use the Lee Factory Crimp die is a good one and may solve the problem.

Dale53

[wildwes]

Well, I have considered buying the carbide crimp die, because right now I have a very old Lyman steel 3 die set, so I'd like carbide dies anyway, and it doesn't cost much more to get the 4 die set than it does the 3 die set. The only concern I have with the carbide crimp die is the things I have heard about it affecting bullet retention. I mean, how much of this is actually true? I know that if you run a round with a cast bullet through a case sizing die the bullet will about fall out, but I would think that the lee die would just bring it into maximum case dimensions wouldn't it?
I still don't have many problems with the 225 grain roundnoses, but more than I used to. I should just put the SWC back on the shelf, but I still have about 450 of them, so I hate to not use them. Anyway, thanks again.

[Ghugly]

The Lee crimp die is intended to give a nice taper crimp, and it does. It is also designed to correct the occasional out of spec cartridge. I don't believe it was ever intended to be used to size grossly out of spec cartridges.

I use them for my .380 and 9MM Maks that I use unsized, tumble lubed boolits in. They are mostly just dandy straight out of the mould, but when the occasional fatty gets through, the Lee die sizes it just a touch and they all cycle.

There is no magic here. It seems to me that the best first step would be to measure the crap out of one of your cartridges that work well, do the same to one of the SWC cartridges, and look to correct the differences.

[MtGun44]

Remove bbl from gun to use as a guage. Taper crimp with a seperate
TC die is required for .45ACP reliable chambering. Adjust TC to push about 1/2
of the brass thickness into boolit. Drop into clean chamber, free fall to flush
with hood is best, light finger pressure to flush is OK.

If still a prob, seat boolit .010" deeper and then TC and recheck, repeat by
0.005 or .010 until it works. With some tight chambers & throats no more
than ~.010" or less full diam portion can be out of case.

70-80% or more of 1911 fail to close is lack of TC; too long a SWC in 2nd place.

NOT a boolit dia problem.

Bill

[scrapcan]

Bill beat me to it but here is some additional info. And I agree it sounds like diameter is not an issue.

Where on the cartridge is it hanging up on feed? This can be an issue that can be solved without resorting to extreme measures. do you have access to a copy of the Kuhnhausen 1911 books? There is a good section on bullet seating depth, that will tell you how to setup the seating of swc to fee din a gov style feed ramp. There are two things to try.

1) use the recoomended seating depth from Kuhnhausen

here is what it says on page 56 "3A. In this case - headspace is the same as #3 (Headspace is at "go" plus the usual .008" to .010", typical of many civilian pistols). But, the bullet has ben properly seated, without expansion of deformation, {at .012" to .015" exposed shoulder) and the case has been lightly taper crimped. Bullet shoulder diameter remains at .452" and does not interfere with headspaceand does not crush against the chamber's leade. it is ready for smooth engagement with the rifling"

2) measure the diameter of the nose on your SWC and then find that same dimension on a standard round of ball ammunition. set the overall length of the swc to the corresponding length to that datum on the ball round. This should give feed ramp contact similarity and hopefully fed caharacteristics.

You might also check to make sure you are not having issues with the case mouth handging up a the junction of the feed ramp and chamber.

[wildwes]

Most of the rounds feed just fine, one only hangs up every now and then, which is just a minor annoyance for the shooting I do, but the gun doesn't want to go fully into battery. I have the seating depth to the point that they are all but flush with the case mouth, and like I said, because I don't have a taper crimp die I use the sizing die to slightly crimp them. I have already been planning to get a lee 4 die set, just don't have money at the moment. I may just say to heck with it and put the surplus barrel on it whenever I shoot the SWC, as I know it chambers them just fine.

[arcticbreeze]

I believe in order to solve the problem you need to know why it is not chambering. You need to take the barrel out of the gun and use that one. Take one of the offending rounds and push it in and out of the barrel with some light pressure (not so much that you can't remove it but enough that it marks the case or boolit). It sounds like you getting the occasional round that is swelled at the base above the rim from seating dies not sizing the last 1/16" or so of the case. Or if you find the marks are on the case where the boolit is seated then the bullet is probably expanding the case to much for that barrel. If the case is not marred and the boolit has riffling marks than it might be an OAL issue or a boolit sizing issue. The point is you need to first know why the round won't chamber or you and we are only guessing.

[wildwes]

Well, when I look at the cases that don't want to chamber, the only markings that I can find are on the ends of the brass, and the bullets are unmarked. The strange thing is that they still mark in the same place, right on the end of the casing, even after running that portion through the case sizing die. However, even before this the case mouth after loading is still below the maximum listed in my reloading books. Also, the case length is within spec, so it is something to do with the diameter of the case mouth. However, it would seem like since they are all within spec they would chamber, unless the chamber is undersized.

[StarMetal]

What are you 225 round nose bullet diameter? Have you tried sizing the SWC you are having problems with down to say .451 and then tried them? I can't count the number of 45 acp's I've owned, some with tight match barrels also, but never had a problem. In fact my only 45acp problem is with my extra cylinder for my Ruger Blackhawk. It has the tightest chambers I've ever seen for a 45acp. Everything has to be dead on to fit those chambers. Bact to the 1911. I have even loaded 45 Colt bullets in my acp's. For example the 255 gr RCBS SWC. No problems. I use an old three die RCBS dies. Tell you why. I'm not a firm believer in using carbide for the 45acp because John Browning designed the round which has a slight case taper. Steel dies retain that taper, carbide does not. Same reason I'm not sold on taper crimps. Do factory rounds have a taper crimp? Is your little extra crimp maybe bulging the very end of the case? Blacken a round with a marker pen and chamber it, by hand with the barrel out, and see exactly where it's marking it. I know this may sound stupid on my part, but make sure the barrel is clean and nothing is stuck to the offending part of the chamber. As suggested measure the loaded round case mouth diameter. Measure the loaded 225 gr round nose load too. Get all the data you can then set back and analyze it.

One more thing. I went and bought a set of Hornady titanium nitrate dies for the 45acp. On the box it says 45 acp, 45 AR, and 45 Colt. Well guess what? Won't size 45 acp down enough to firmy grip a bullet (cast or jacketed) because they set them up to also do 45 Colt which don't exactly have the same exact case mouth dimensions of the 45 acp and 45 ar. In fact they are for sell if anyone wants them.

Joe

[arcticbreeze]

Measure the case mouth diameter (of a loaded round not an empty case) about a 1/16" below the crimp and see if it is larger than .473, then measure a little further and see if it is the same. As Starmetal said 45 acp has a slight taper from mouth to base of maybe .003. I know you said they are with in specs but what is the actual measurement at the mouth then just below and Then just above the base? I agree that it is probable the diameter being the problem but there has to be a difference between the ones that chamber and the ones that don't or they would all have a problem.

[Dale53]

Some bullets are marked a certain size, and they may NOT be that size. I have even had jacketed bullets miss labeled. You might want to check that before you do anything else.

The Lee "Size and lube kit" sells for less than $17.00 at Natchez Shooting Supplies. If you determine that you need them at .451", you can size them on your loading press with this kit quickly (you need nothing else). Just push the already lubed bullets through the die with your press and "Presto! the bullets are sized").

Dale53

[HeavyMetal]

Where did you get your aftermarket barrel?

Reason I'm asking, I'vce been following the thread awhile, is you may have gotten a short chambered barrel that was originally intened for a gunsmith to finsih reaming to a specific depth once he had the slide frame and barrel hood fitted up nice and tight.

If some one has a headspace guage perhaps a fitting could be arranged?

[MtGun44]

Please reread my post on taper crimping if you want to solve this.
This almost always is the problem.

Bill

[Dale53]

Upon rethinking this, based on the evidence supplied, I believe Bill may be correct.

I taper crimp until the brass at the case mouth is .470" (checked with a mic). It is not particularly easy to get an exact reading due to the taper crimp but done carefully you can. With the "marks" on the outside of the case, at the mouth, Bill's suggestion should be checked out. THAT may be all of the problem.

Dale53

[wildwes]

All right, sorry I haven't been on for a few days, I just got back from spring break, and I had a lot of work to do on the farm for the last few days before we came back. But to answer some of the questions. The 225 RN are .452. The SWC were .453, but I sized them to .452 as well. I do always measure the diameter and check the weight of any and all bullets before I am about to load them because most of what I have are in cans, boxes and bags, most of which aren't labeled, so I know the bullets are .452. Also, the case mouth, after crimping, as well as all the way down to the bottom of where the bullet is seated, was .471-.473 on every round I measured. The barrel had to have some fitting done to the link pin hole, but headspace was checked and given the ok by a local smith. I forgot to mention it earlier on, but part of the reason I think the chamber may be somewhat tight is that even factory rounds from Sellier and Bellot are pretty snug, as well as old US Surplus ammo. But, at the same time, I'm sure that my reloads are part of the problem too. I did get a chance to pull the problem barrel off and bring it with me this week (I do my reloading while I'm at school during the week, and the .45 stays at home in the safe since I'm not quite 21 yet, so I have problems getting access to it while I load) Last night I worked for quite a while on trying to get some rounds to chamber, and I took a lot of the old rounds that grandaddy loaded and ran them through the sizing die to the point that it sized almost all the way down the bullet, but not quite all of it, and got the rounds to where they would chamber fairly well, without destroying bullet retention. Then I loaded some of the RN, the SWC that I'm having trouble with, and some old H&G SWC that I have. This time I loaded them without any crimp, just removed the bell, and the RN and the H&G chambered fine, and the SWC that have been giving problems almost chambered. When I ran the end into a sizing die ever so slightly it chambered fine too. I think that the roll crimp I was putting on them, even though it was slight, was causing a problem.
And as for the folks recommending a taper crimp, I'm already planning to get a Lee 4 die set when I have a little money, but until taxes come back I'm limited. Also, I want to figure out what is causing the problem rather than simply trying everything under the sun to fix it without knowing what the problem is.
At any rate, I really appreciate all of y'alls help, and I apologize for such a long post .

[wildwes]

Oh, I forgot one thing, I don't think I'm having a problem with the base swelling on my brass, as the majority of it is once fired military brass, headstamped RA 63, WCC 63, FC 63, and WCC 66.

[wildwes]

By the way, I should have done this sooner, but this is a picture of the SWC that is giving me problems. This is a pic I found online, but it is identical to mine. I'll put up a pic of the RN and the other SWC I have when I get back to the house.

[MtGun44]

H&G130. Very accurate target bullet, may not feed in some 1911s. No
more than .025" of the full diam shoulder should be out of the case for most
chambers, less for many chambers, this boolit loads to a very short LOA.
Do not expect it to chamber if seated to the same length as RN, may jam in
travel from mag to chamber with non-SWC early release mags.

Excessive roll crimping can raise a ring bulge just behind the end of the brass.

TC is the right way for 45acp.

Bill

[EDK]

Check the chamber on the offending barrel for a VERY MINUTE bit of lead at the shoulder that the case mouth theoretically butts against. There should be a little radius, but a sharp edge will catch lead and create problems....there was a recall about this on the first S&W 625 revolvers back in the late 80s/early 90s.

A lot of people used to suggest that 45 ACP headspaces off the extractor in autos.

When I used the H&G #68 in my 45 auto phase, I had a tiny bit of shoulder peeking out of the case mouth. It worked in several Colts and S&W 645s, as well as the revolvers. I never could get the taper crimp or ? worked out to shootthem in the 45ACP revolvers without the moon clips....talk about a lot of time and effort wasted!

You'll find the answer, but the little details drive you crazier figuring it out!

:cbpour::redneck::Fire:

[scrapcan]

Mtgun44 is right on with that style of bullet. This is one style that is not mentioned in the Kuhnhausen manuals.

but from your description of feed issues, the feed form mag into the chamber is not the issue. Your issue is once you get into the chamber, i.e. length, diameter, fouling etc...

but it sounds like you have it figured out.

[wildwes]

Well, I'm glad I know what kind of boolit that one is :-D I figured out very early on that I had to seat it almost flush with the end of the casing, but I'm glad you told me that, now I know I was correct in doing so.
It is still very tight in the chamber, and it may not allow the pistol to go into battery properly, but I won't be able to find out until this weekend. It will go into the chamber without excessive pressure, so I think it will be ok. And as for SWC mags, what would y'all recommend?
I apologize for the picture being so fuzzy, but if any of you could see it in enough detail, could you ID the SWC in this picture? It is a 200 grainer, and it is sitting beside of a Lyman 225 RN.

I still have a lot of experimenting to do on these rounds, but I'm making some headway, and I appreciate all the input y'all have given. I believe I need a taper crimp die and a carbide factory crimp die :)

[MtGun44]

Lyman 452460, THE most accurate boolit in my Dan Wesson, slightly
ahead of the H&G130 in that particular gun.

Taper crimp die is the only thing you need, save your money.

Use 3.5-4.0 gr of Hodgdon Titegroup or Alliant Bullseye. Be careful, these
are excellent powders but a double charge will fit. Don't do it.

As to mags, look at the lips, early release lips unfold about halfway to
the front, old milspec lips just taper but stay rolled over all the way. You need
early release (huge majority of current mags are) to help with feeding SWCs.

Bill

[wildwes]

Ok, thanks. I was kinda wondering what it was, it shoots on par with the RN in my 1911, and it rarely seems to give any feeding problems either. I'll get a taper crimp die, and one other thing that I would like, just for convenience, is a carbide sizing die, may as well not have to lube the brass :D And it doesn't cost much more to get the set than it does to get just the two dies.

[StarMetal]

Lyman 452460, THE most accurate boolit in my Dan Wesson, slightly
ahead of the H&G130 in that particular gun.

Taper crimp die is the only thing you need, save your money.

Use 3.5-4.0 gr of Hodgdon Titegroup or Alliant Bullseye. Be careful, these
are excellent powders but a double charge will fit. Don't do it.

As to mags, look at the lips, early release lips unfold about halfway to
the front, old milspec lips just taper but stay rolled over all the way. You need
early release (huge majority of current mags are) to help with feeding SWCs.

Bill

That bullet can also be a 195 grain Lyman 452488. I've had that mould for 30 years or more. One of the MOST accurate bullets I've shot out of a variety of 45 acp's. I've not only had reliable feeding out of all the 45 acp handguns I've owned about also reliable feeding out of three semi-auto submachineguns I've owned. If that bullet doesn't feed out of a 1911 your magazine isn't tuned for it. It is short OAL. I've shot tons of them out of my 45 Colt's too. Great bullet.

Joe

[felix]

So is the Lyman 185 grainer. Excellent in Colt as well as ACP. ... felix

[MtGun44]

If you mean the first pic - you are right, the L452488 looks just like the H&G130.
A guess, but based on the number of molds I've run across, I think the 130 was
a whole lot more common in the old days. If you mean the second pic, there are
two lube grooves.

As to carbide die 'may not' need to lube - WILL NOT need to lube. Dead right
on getting the set, I didn't know you had steel die. If $$ is an issue (at your
age I was POOR!) Lee dies are very good and cost less. With money no object, I
slightly prefer Hornady. Not huge differences in pistol dies in most cases.

Bill

[StarMetal]

So is the Lyman 185 grainer. Excellent in Colt as well as ACP. ... felix

My Lyman is a 195, Buffalo lists it as a 195 grain too. I shot it for years out of my 45 Colt Blackhawk over 9 grs of Unique which gave it over a 1000 fps. My Model 25 Smith in 45 Colts loves it as does my HK USC, as well as my Thompson semi carbine. My only complaint is my mould is a single cavity, I should have bought a 4 cavity to replace it.

Joe

[wildwes]

Oh, I know I don't have to lube with a carbide die, I meant that I may as well eliminate the step of lubing while I'm buying dies :D Thanks though. I've never bought any Lee pistol dies, but the majority of the rifle dies that I bought so far have been Lee, and I'm really happy with them. I load everything on a RockChucker, and so far I can't tell any difference between the Lee, Lyman, and RCBS dies that I have. I don't have much money either, most all of it gets comsumed by buying farm supplies, truck parts, and what is left goes to reloading and guns :D
A little off topic, but the equipment I do all of my loading with is the rock chucker, an old Lyman Ohaus scale, an old Ideal powder measure, and a redding case trimmer. I also have grandaddy's Lyman Spartan press, but it doesn't get used anymore. I weigh all of my rifle charges by hand, other than BL-C(2) for the garand, because everything else I use for rifles is spherical and doesn't meter consistently, and I use the ideal measure for the pistols. I don't produce a lot of ammo fast, but I'm not worried about that, I just want quality ammo. Plus it helps take up the time that I'm not in class :)

[wildwes]

By the way, like I said, it's off topic, but here is my loading setup. Nothing fancy, but it works well for what I do

[wv109323]

Load these and all SWC,s with 1/32"max. of lead exposed between the shoulder of the bullet and the end (mouth) of the case. Ignore OAL on SWC's in the .45 ACP /1911 pistol.
If the pistol is stopping just shy of full lock up the problem will be a dirty chamber and/ or an improper crimp. Drop a round into the barrel(out of the gun) and see if there is a shiny spot on the brass. If not the problem will be the dirty chamber. Shooting round nose bullets then switching to SWC's ( esp. if they are seated shallow) will not chamber. Scrub the chamber with a copper brush. Clean the end of the chamber where the mouth of the case should headspace.

[wv109323]

The best after market .45 magazine is Metalform. (and also one of the cheapest) Metalform is a consistent supplier to Colt and the milatary. Metalform is sold by the Bullseye Pistol suppliers of Gil Hebard and Champions Choice. OEM Colt magazines are good also. On the bottom where Colt marks their magazines an"M" means Metalform.

[anachronism]

What overall cartridge length are you seating them to? If you're trying to make the 2.25, or what-the-heck-ever published length the manuals show for the roundnose bullet, you won't be able to load to the same length with a stubby little wadcutter. Your overall length will be shorter, with just a tiny sliver of the bullet shank & all of the nose outside of the case.

[wildwes]

I may check into the metalform magazines. The H&G 130 doesn't feed well for me when seated to a proper depth, they release too early from my magazines. The lyman SWC, however, does very well, it gives me almost no trouble. I may have to look into a mold for them, as the ones I currently have are what is left of a gigantic can full of them that a friend, who passed away a few years ago, gave grandaddy.
What overall cartridge length are you seating them to? If you're trying to make the 2.25, or what-the-heck-ever published length the manuals show for the roundnose bullet, you won't be able to load to the same length with a stubby little wadcutter. Your overall length will be shorter, with just a tiny sliver of the bullet shank & all of the nose outside of the case.
I've been seating them almost flush the last few times I've worked on them, it helped a lot, but I'm still having some problems. I've spent several hours working on them the last few nights, and I think I finally have them where they will at least chamber, even if they don't feed well. When I get home friday I'll see how they function.
Thanks again for all the help folks

[StarMetal]

We all have opinions and for me the best magazines are Chip McCormick Shooting Stars. These didn't use to cost much especially if you have a 01 or 03 license.

Joe

[wildwes]

I have always heard good things about the Chip McCormick magazines, but I've never tried one. From your experience do they seem to function well with short OAL SWC rounds? I can't afford many, but I would like to get my hands on one good magazine that will feed the SWC halfway reliably.

[Dale53]

I have original GI magazines as well as Wilson and Chip McCormicks. I have NO problem with any of my three 1911 platforms and they shoot SWC's exclusively. I use H&G #130's, Saeco #68's, and H&G #68's. My guns are EXTREMELY RELIABLE whether shooting light target loads OR full house loads (with the appropriate change of spring, of course).

A good .45 with a decent magazine should work with anything within reason (they have to be loaded correctly, of course). My two full size 1911's had a super gunsmith (they are both "built up guns") and the other is a Kimber 3" CDP II. The Kimber has not been shot much (just a few hundred) but it has been very reliable.

You might want to have your 1911 looked at by a good pistolsmith. It may be something minor that is causing problems.

Dale53

[StarMetal]

I have always heard good things about the Chip McCormick magazines, but I've never tried one. From your experience do they seem to function well with short OAL SWC rounds? I can't afford many, but I would like to get my hands on one good magazine that will feed the SWC halfway reliably.

Let me tell you something about short OAL. Currently I have two tuned Colts that I built with match barrels and the works. One is a 70 Series blue Gold Cup. The other is a stainless Combat Commander Gold Cup. Not many made. Both will feed empty cases from the magazine. So I have zero problems with feeding any type of bullet I use in these two. I had a factory stock Ruger P90 that fed empty cases too and that impressed me. My Glock 21 feeds anything I load for it. Magazines can be tuned, but I haven't had to touch my Chip McCormicks. As an aside I built a match 1911 in 9mm with a match barrel and all. The Colt magazine that I have for it is so so. Not reliable. Then I bought a Meggar. Geesh, just as slick feeding as the Chip McCormicks in the 45's. So then I heard about the Wilson new Tactical magazines with the anti tilt polymer followers for the 9mm Colt. They got a raving review from some gunrag writer. Will not feed any 9mm's at all no matter if it's full, half full, or one cartridge. Not to feel like it was a waste I had built a 30 Luger upper for my 1911 and the Wilson feed those slick...but it should, they are bottlenecked. So I'm not at a lost on the Wilson magazine. Off topic but I bought a Meggar magazine for my P 08 Luger in 30 Luger and it's feeds slick in it. Better then the original Luger magazine. If you ever get a chance to look at a Meggar magazine notice the quality workmanship on them and they aren't expensive. They are made in Italy.

Joe

[MtGun44]

Meggar provides many OEM mags to many pistol companies. Metalform
mags are good quality, I prefer the folded steel follower mags like 45277,
45777. These are ultra reliable on lockback and not doing it early.

Also, nickle plated mags are THE slickest of all, but pretty rare nowdays.

Bill

[35remington]

Funny.

If I want my 1911's to jam on the last shot on every other magazine, just lock a McCormick Shooting Star into place.

The problem with the Shooting Stars are the weak springs and smooth follower, combined with the short rear skirt which promotes nosediving. No follower stabilization.

Funny how experience varies, but if I could name ONE magazine that has so many drawbacks that it's likely to INCREASE the odds of a jam, it's a Shooting Star.

More info available upon request. With pictures.

The early release magazines help with short wadcutters, but don't be fooled into thinking they make a 1911 run properly in all instances, and they have a great many drawbacks of their own, especially the versions that try to fit 8 shots in a 7 shot magazine (flush fit).

[MtGun44]

I suggested early release lips mags for short SWC, the purpose that they were
developed for. No other claim for early release were made, other than they
are now very common.

Bill

[35remington]

No argument with recommending the early release for extra short rounds, so no offense meant or taken there.

".....they are now very common."

That's quite true, tragically.

[MtGun44]

No offense taken. Merely clarifying what might have been muddled in the long discussion. I have not had problems that I have linked with early release mags.

Old GI lips seem fine for H&G68 loads in multiple 1911s for me, but this is not a short SWC.

Bill

[wildwes]

I cycled the H&G 130's through the .45 last night with a few magazines that I had in Raleigh until now, brought them home with me yesterday, they are a couple of old el cheapo magazines that the bottom fell out of and I had TIG welded them back together. Well, they fed the 130's just fine. They may behave a little differently when actually fired, but I'll have to wait and find out, it's been raining here since yesterday morning. The Lyman 225grn RN and the Lyman SWC I have never have given ANY feeding problems for me.

[captain-03]

This has been an interesting post for me. Yesterday I replaced the stock barrel on my Glock 21 with a new Lone Wolf barrel from Dillon. Today I encountered the exact same problem regarding chambering of the SWCs. Also own a Colt Series '70 Gold Cup and a Springfield 1911. I have never had a problem with these loads in the other two pistols. I will begin with some adjustments to the seating depth and then look at my crimp ... Again, some interesting reading and information!! Thanks!!

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj19/twwoodall/45acp.jpg

[wildwes]

Just an update, it didn't rain this weekend, so i got to go out and do some testing on the H&G 130's, they did just fine the way i had them loaded this time, and I only had a couple of jams, but they were feeding problems, not chambering problems. The nose caught the feed ramp. I can deal with that every now and then, as long as they chamber.

[Dale53]

I have two "built up" 1911 match guns. One is on a Colt platform and the other is on a proprietary frame. They have military National Match barrels. Either will feed empty cases. The one has over a hundred thousand hard ball "equivalent" loads through it and they are mostly H&G #130. They are both 100% feeders. I have several different types of magazines but when I was shooting IPSC is was all new military issue magazines. They did then and now also work perfectly. I have a couple of Wilson 8 round mags and they have never failed me either.

I was very fortunate to have an EXCELLENT gunsmith that really knew how to make 1911's work (Harold Johnson - an retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant who had done McMillan's guns).

Dale53

[wildwes]

The mags that I was using with the 130's were some military mags that I have, and a couple of cheap aftermarket mags. The aftermarket mags had the bottoms pop out of them once, so I TIG welded the bottoms back on, but they function just fine, even if they do look bad. I'm sure my feeding problems are with the pistol itself, but like I said, that doesn't bother me too much, so I'm not going to worry about it. I prefer the lyman RN anyway, I just want to be able to use up the 130's I have. Once they are gone I'm done with them. Now the lyman SWC I have, I really like it, and it feeds as well as the RN in my gun.